Dear reader,

As winter leaves us, spring is here and Slovenia is turning from white to green. With Easter, we have ended Term 2 at BISL, and are about to embark on the last part of the school year: Term 3. No surprises, though … Term 2 was busy and there will be even more happening in Term 3! I hope our latest Newsletter gives you a flavor of what has been going on and what is to come.

Spring is the time for newborns. Ana Dečman now has her new addition to the family; Jakob. Though it is a shame to say goodbye to Maja Zupanc, who was covering in the Secondary Maths department this past Block (and I hope we will see her back in the future), we are delighted to welcome Stephanie Andronikos, a great Maths teacher who has most recently been working in one of the top schools in Australia. In the Admin section, Tina Troha has been joined by her little bundle of joy, Klara, and Ana Simoniti has arrived from King’s College, Madrid to take over as our Admissions Manager at this busy time of year. We would also like to welcome Tobija Siter, who is taking over Primary EAL for Maja Majzelj Kralj, who has to take a break from school for medical reasons, and our latest student teachers, Carmen Venema and Maxine Groot from the Netherlands and Paula Mellado and Alba Pérez from Spain. We wish all our incoming colleagues the very best, and look forward to seeing our ‘new mums’ and their little ones in the near future!

In Block 5, we saw adrenaline-fueled Adventure Trips in Slovenia and Austria, studies of the buildings around Ljubljana, explored sciences at the Jožef Štefan institute, and added our soundtrack through music trips and performances. Perhaps two of the most striking events were the breakfast (thanks PTA!) and reading events for World Book Day and the trip we took back in time when Years 3 and 4 turned their classrooms into Ancient Egyptian temples and bazaars . Parents, too, have been learning, with managing stress, intercultural learning and online safety being headline features. In the weeks ahead, we have such diverse events as the BISL Bake Off and the PTA Spring Fling, International Day and the Primary Dance Show, among many others. More details about these events and many more can be found further in this Newsletter and on our website,www.britishschool.si.

Some things, unfortunately, do not always go as smoothly as the flow of the seasons.

  • Our plans to develop a new building for Secondary came to a grinding halt this term, due to a disagreement beyond our control between the landowner and the project owner. It may be a project that we can revisit in the future, but we are well aware that demand for places at BISL has already pushed our capacity in several classes to the limits of our present space. Therefore, to immediately improve the provision we can offer, plans have been prepared and work will start in the coming weeks to add on an additional floor to our present building in time for the 2018/19 school year. This will result in some occasional disruption, but we are working closely with the developer and contractors to minimise this as much as possible. Specific details will be shared in advance.
  • We have also had to amend our plans for the development of the 1000m2 of woodland we have secured beside the playground. Our initial thoughts were to clear this land as a community project, but we have been advised to have the initial clearance of undergrowth, rubble and other materials carried out by professionals. The snow is gone and the boundary has been exactly marked out during this break, so clearance and fencing should be possible in the near future. From then, we will engage the school community in how best to develop the area for everyone’s benefit.
  • We have been working closely with our partners at the Ludus sports centre to improve P.E. provision. Although there have been some changes along the way, all is now looking on track for the resurfacing of the outdoor court area and approval has been secured for the installation of a ‘bubble’ cover from September to May. This will give us year-round access to a greatly improved facility, enabling football, basketball and a variety of other sports options beyond what has been available this year.

Whilst it is something we all assume and expect, safety is something that has to be worked at to ensure. In consultation with the PTA, we have revised the procedures for the morning drop-off and end-of-day collection. Thank you for the overwhelming support we have had from parents so far. Whilst some may view these procedures as an inconvenience, we must do what is necessary to keep our children safe.

For now, I hope you have all been having a great Easter break. We look forward to the next Term of great learning, enjoyment and community at BISL.

Best regards,

Karl Wilkinson, Principal