Update from the Principal - June 5th | May 2022 | British International School of Ljubljana

Dear Parents,

I arrived this morning full of pride and happiness after watching our BISL choir perform last night in Hotel Slon, with the British Army Band Colchester for the Charity Concert for Ukrainian Refugees. Our students were amazing and sounded fantastic! Thank you to Mr. Hulse, all of the staff, students involved and parents for supporting and attending the event last night. This event was another collaboration between the British Council, British Embassy, MEPI, the British-Slovene Chamber of Commerce and the British International School of Ljubljana.

Next Thursday (12th May), we have our opening ceremony of our International Days at BISL. We are very excited and do hope you can join us for the flag parade at 9.00am.

Our trips and events have been in full swing over the past few weeks with lots to get involved in for parents and students. We have had our BISL Choir performance, Open Day, Amazing Animals for all students, Early Years Story Time and Stay & Play afternoons, Trips to the Arboretum, Bohinj, MEPI, Polhov Gradec hills, Botanical gardens and much more all since Easter! Please click on the events page to see what is upcoming over the next month.

It is a busy time and also a time for everyone to get outside and to get active as part of a healthy lifestyle. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this great week of weather we have had. Some families have the opportunity to walk or cycle into school and this is something that we enjoy seeing. It has also been wonderful to see so many people donate to our charity events, the latest 2 appeals have now finished and we are immensely proud of our community and the kindness you have shown.

Well done to all students for the way in which they have conducted themselves throughout the start of the exams. It has been very impressive and we look forward to seeing you maintain your focus and efforts during this time. We are very proud of each and every single one of you. During yesterday, we also hosted colleagues from Trieste International School and helped to support their examination preparations for this summer.

Each day, I thoroughly enjoy my duty at drop off. I check the site as I enter, followed by a few health and safety areas and then walk around the school floors, making my way to drop off some days (not always!) as early as 7.15am through to 8.00am. It is a pleasure to walk around the school and to finish at the drop off area seeing the students arrive. They are filled with excitement for the day ahead and this starts when they see their friends and enter the playground. It's fantastic to see.

Yesterday, I spent some time reflecting on the physical changes to the campus, the new building, and the new opportunities that our students have with the Performance Theatre, Robotics room, library and other spaces. It has been amazing and I am very proud each day to stand in front of the school. Thank you to parents in the morning for your positivity and support, it means a lot and I would also like to highlight my appreciation to the staff on duty, rain or shine every day in the morning, lunch and after school ensuring the students are warmly greeted and welcomed to school. It sets an excellent tone.

I hope to see many parents over the coming weeks at our International Days, Transition and EAL presentations, Graduations and coffee events as we end a very successful year at BISL.

Have a great weekend!

Paul Walton

Principal

The Opening Ceremony of International Days will take place on Thursday May 12 at 9am with a colourful flag parade.

Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to run country stalls with delicious food and fun activities for our students on Friday May 13 for our popular International Day Fair.

It is promising to be another fantastic annual celebration and I hope to see many of you there!

You'll find more details here.

Should you wish to get involved, please contact pta@britishschool.si directly.

Well done once again to our BISL Choir for their fantastic performance with the British Army Band Colchester last night! Take a look at some photos below:

As we head into the warmer months, if you'd like to place an order for Summer Uniform, you can do so online through Trutex with ease. Click on the link below for details.

BISL School Uniform

Come along on Tuesday May 10 at 4pm for a presentation about a fantastic upcoming Ski Trip in 2023! Mr Astbury will share details and plans of the trip, so to find out more information about this exciting opportunity, join us in the assembly hall.

Ongoing daily clean of premises
Classrooms are well ventilated and classroom doors remain open
Key areas are cleaned multiple times a day (reception, classrooms, bathrooms, bannisters, door handles, etc.)
Declaration Form to be signed by all key visitors
Extra resources for hygiene available (sprays, wipes, gels, hand sanitisers, masks etc.)
Temperature checks when required
School Nurse available (full time)
Coronavirus Prevention guidance posters displayed around school
Smaller classes where necessary
Lunches and snacks are served in the new canteen following the guidance from NIJZ
Staff and parent meetings and events to be held online
Daily review of all procedures by the Leadership Team

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.