Update from the Principal - Jan 15 2021 | January 2021 | British International School of Ljubljana

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement, it means a lot to the staff and I am personally very grateful for this. It has been an exciting week as we see the work produced by students, activities they have been involved in and planning ahead for events during this term. We hope that many of these can be on site but also have to consider how we continue to deliver information, discussions and further personalised support through online video and presentations. Your continued cooperation with this is very much a strength of our community - thank you.

We are still awaiting news on reopening and follow the updates daily to ensure that any announcement will be made to everyone at the same time and as quickly as possible. The number of cases in Slovenia are still unfortunately very high and hospitals continue to take steps to accommodate this.

The vast majority of existing coronavirus restrictions will be extended until 22 January, the government decided as it conducted its weekly review of the measures on Wednesday. The only major change is an extension of the formal state of the epidemic by 60 days. There are very few changes compared to existing restrictions, most of them having to do with the crossing of borders.

- excerpt from the-slovenia.com.

We all miss the students and want them back in the building as safely as possible. Hopefully, this will be soon due to the news of the special needs schools and institutions being allowed to reopen last week. We are also buoyed by the news of vaccines across many countries in the world, including Slovenia which started at the end of December.

We are very proud of the strength of our English provision here at BISL. All students should have the opportunity to succeed, fulfil their potential and be able to access the curriculum fully. In a school like ours, with such a culturally rich student body and a naturally high number of students with English as an additional language, the need for ensuring no one is left behind becomes even more vital.

At the British International School of Ljubljana, we celebrate excellence on a regular basis. When students complete their academic journey at our school, we always make sure they have the opportunities to leave us with strong values, outstanding academic results and high-quality learning experiences. Take a look at some of their recent achievements and university destinations here.

Following on from the success of their recent "How Physically Active Are You" research, Kevin and Julia from Year 10 have put together another fun article as part of a Global Perspectives project they've been working on, complete with a very informative and entertaining video:

The importance of physical activity presented in an entertaining way

As parents, you will have received an email from school this morning with the link to our annual Parent Survey, which will provide us with important feedback to continue to improve your child’s experience at BISL.

To help us gain the most from this opportunity, we would ask that you answer the questions as honestly and fully as you can and, where requested, provide your comments to expand on your opinions. As always, any positive feedback will be passed on to the staff and we are delighted to share these with the relevant areas of the school.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey, it is very much appreciated. The deadline to do so is Friday 29th January. I am keen to hear your views and will, of course, share the results with you in the near future.

My next Coffee Morning is scheduled for Friday 5th February, from 9:30am on Zoom. Of course, these coffee mornings are best when we can meet each other in person and although video conferencing and webinars are great tools, nothing will replace the feeling of those parent interactions when you visit the school safely and experience the buzz from our students working as you make your way to the Assembly Hall for these coffee mornings. We look forward to being able to revert back to this as soon as the guidance allows us to do so safely. In the meantime, this has been scheduled as an online event - if this changes, you'll be notified accordingly.

This event is an ideal opportunity for students and parents to find out some key information about the IGCSE programme in Years 10 - 11, hearing from your subject teachers about the curriculum, subject options, expectations, and more, allowing you to make an informed decision regarding your IGCSE subject choices as you enter Key Stage 4. More about the event here.

For our first Teacher Feature of the New Year, here is an interview with our beloved Year 5 Teacher, Mrs Charlesworth. I highly recommend this as a delightful read over your morning coffee.

We often talk about what makes us special as a school, what are our strengths as a community, what we have delivered and the progress we are making, and the reasons why families choose to join our school.

For me, it is a real privilege to be working with such an inspirational group of students, colleagues and parents.

Here are five reasons that you'll hear us often keep referring to:

Academic Excellence

Following the English National Curriculum framework, we are incredibly proud of our students' academic achievements across the school. At IGCSE and A Level, our students have outstanding examination results, and lower down the school, our PTE & PTM results also show a clear upward trend. This is especially commendable, when we consider that over 90% of our students are non-native English speakers. As a result, our graduates are able to gain entry into their top choice of university, anywhere in the world.

Extensive English Provision

With such a vibrant international student body, it is no surprise that for many, English is not a first language. We are very proud of the strength of our English provision here at BISL. All students should have the opportunity to succeed, fulfil their potential and be able to access the curriculum fully.

A Truly International Experience

At BISL, we never forget the value of your child’s cultural diversity. With students from over 40 different countries, our school has one of the most varied international student bodies in Slovenia. As well as providing a stimulating and cosmopolitan environment, with rich cultural experiences, this also means English is truly the common language, spoken throughout the school by all students and staff alike.

Opportunities for All

We aim to give all our students the chance to develop a wide range of skills both in and out of the classroom to ensure they are able to make the best possible progress, whatever their level may be. We offer a comprehensive extra-curricular programme for our students in arts, sports, languages and more, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (MEPI) to enhance our students' learning.

Delivering the Best of British Education

BISL is a proud member of the Orbital Education Group of schools, benefiting from their global expertise of delivering high quality British education via teachers, curriculum and management. With sister schools in Budapest, Doha, Mallorca, Moscow, Quito and Shanghai, our students are given many exciting opportunities for integration, joint projects and visits, making us a truly global school.

Wednesday 20th January - Virtual Open Day (in Slovene): Spletni informativni dan

Thursday 21st January - IGCSE Subjects/options Evening with Mr Batson

Thursday 28th January - A Level Subjects/options Evening with Mr Batson

Monday 1st February - Cultural Day Celebration with the languages department

Tuesday 2nd February - House Competition with Mr. Damjan

Friday 5th February - Coffee with the Principal / Dress Down day (House colours)

Monday 8th - Friday 12th February - Block Break

Monday 15th February - Block 5 Begins

All urgent updates continue to be sent via email.

Please monitor your emails for future updates as this continues to be the best way to send out clear and consistent communication to all parents. Check that you are receiving emails, have enough space in your email folder, that they do not go to your 'junk' folder and if you are unsure, please contact reception@britishschool.si to check your contact email and phone number on record. If you change any contact details, please inform the school immediately.

I wish you a safe and restful weekend.

Kind regards,

Paul Walton

Principal