One of George Santayana’s most quoted thoughts is “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. The Spanish-born philosopher, who spent time at Harvard University, both as a student and a lecturer, first wrote these words for his work The Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense (1905). Santayana’s arguably most famous sentence can be appropriated in less apocalyptic words to describe the link between the 2nd and 3rd term for our students. The past term represented an important stage of reflection for particularly those students, who are about to sit in a few weeks’ time for IGCSE and A-level exams. The students have carefully self-assessed their level of knowledge and understanding, taking into consideration the outcome of mock examinations and feedback from their teachers. Plans have been made together with the students with measurable and achievable targets on how to proceed towards a desirable outcome. Upon our return on 9 April, there are three weeks left before the examination period begins in early May. Some of our Year 11 Art students have already taken a practical exam in the final week of Block 5 and therefore the level of focus and nerves have been tested already. On this occasion I would like to wish everyone much success with the final preparations. A steady, solid plan will lead towards a less stressful experience during the examination period. Good luck to all!
The Secondary school is well underway in making plans for the upcoming school year. Our Year 9 students have been introduced to all IGCSE subjects and there have been plenty of opportunities to receive feedback from our older students who are following the programme currently. The students were also asked to choose a few subjects according to their preference alongside the compulsory group of subjects. The final groupings of IGCSE optional subjects will be made based on student preferences and teacher input. The process for choosing A-level subjects will be confirmed in August as besides students’ wishes also exam results need to be taken into consideration in order to provide the students the best combination of subjects.
In the past term, the Secondary School hosted guest speakers during the regular assembly time. In mid-March the students were introduced to block-chain technology by Mr Dmitry Avilov, which was originally linked to the concept of digital currency. At the final Secondary assembly prior to the Easter break, Mr Dan O’Brien, a former colleague and teacher at BISL, pleasantly surprised us with a visit. He previously taught Mathematics and ICT at BISL. Mr O’Brien currently works as an educational adviser in Dubai and during his recent visit he spoke about his work with Save The Children Fund in Iraq. He presented the situation of young people who have missed a significant amount of schooling in their young years due to complex conflicts and violence in their home regions, andhow initiatives such as ‘Save The Children’ are working with the local authorities to help improve the situation.
One of the highlights to be announced for the upcoming term is the attendance of the Secondary students at the World Scholar’s Cup finals, held in June in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The trip has been carefully organised and planned by the trip leader Mr Andrew Turner. The academic preparations (debate, essay writing, general knowledge and team work) will move forward intensively in Term 3. We wish our students much success and a fantastic multicultural experience!
Lastly, I would like to bring to the attention of especially Primary parents and students the event, which will be held on Wednesday, 11 April. ‘Movie Night’ has become a traditional event organised by our 6th form students in order to raise funds for their graduation ceremony, which this year will be held on 29 June.
Please see their invitation below:
VI form’s MOVIE NIGHT on Wednesday, 11 April at 16:00
This is the most important fund-raising event for the VI Formers' graduation in June. Y12 & Y13 students are busy planning an afternoon of great movies, popcorn and lemonade. There will be three movies showing in Primary and three in Secondary, including one movie for parents! Everyone - students, teachers and parents are warmly invited.
I wish everyone a restful break and I look forward to seeing our students refreshed and eager to start their final term on 9 April.
Mrs Anda Eckman, Head of Secondary
