Secondary News - 15. december 2020

Block 3 Week 4
It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! At BISL we are enjoying the lovely decorations around the building, as I am sure families are beginning to at home too. A big thank you to the PTA and parents who assisted in setting up these decorations. Despite the unusual circumstances, it is lovely to still get into the spirit of the festive season.

This week, the students across Primary and Secondary participated in a House Competition organised by the House Captains and facilitated by Mr Damjan. The students were able to choose their house songs and slogans, as well as vying to win House Points through the quiz that was prepared and shared with students. We look forward to the full results to be announced soon.

Additionally, this week, Ms Clayton worked extremely hard on releasing the BISL Virtual Art Exhibitionof incredible artwork from every year level across the Secondary school. This celebrates all the pieces that students have worked tirelessly on throughout this term. It is a brilliant celebration, and a timely one during our Arts block.

The Parent Teacher interviews continue into next week. If you did not have the opportunity to talk to any teachers yet, please do not hesitate to contact them directly.

Next Friday, 18th December is the last day of school for this term. Please note that lessons finish that day at 12:00 noon. This day is also a dress down day - Christmas theme!

Have a lovely weekend, and as always, please continue to check the website and emails for any latest updates,

Stephanie Andronikos

Head of Secondary

Here is a little sneak peek into our lessons this week, our students working hard as usual. A huge well done to all our students focusing and working so hard throughout the lockdown, and still coming to lessons with smiles on their faces.

Thank you for all your wonderful photos! We are certainly feeling more Christmassy and hope everyone enjoys this cuteness overload as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Can anyone spot the imposters?

As part of our Creative Arts theme this block, the BISL Art Exhibition 2020 celebrates the amazing works created by our students this term, showcasing the skills they have learnt and ideas they have communicated through visual language. We hope you enjoy seeing the talents of our creative students through this year's virtual exhibition:

Our talented Year 10 students, Julia and Kevin have written a superb article on the importance of physical fitness, highlighting how a healthy body helps create a healthy mind. This is especially relevant in lockdown, where people may be feeling fatigued, and a little low.

Hey, Guys! I hope everyone is looking forward to the Holidays as much as I am. So far everyone has been great in keeping up with and maintaining their own school assignments as well as classes each week up until now. I do not doubt that most of you have been feeling annoyed or bored over the last few weeks, as I take it that everyone is safely staying indoors. However one week remains until the Winter holidays which I hope will be a pleasant time for you to take a break from school work as well as relax. Until then, I advise you to regularly do exercises at home, on top of your PE lessons, as well as provide enough break-periods for yourself during study hours to ensure a healthy learning attitude as well as environment for yourself. I hope everyone tries their best during the next week as it's the final stretch of the block and I wish everyone a pleasant Christmas and New Year.

Daniel, Year 13, Head Boy

Whole-school House Competition

We would like to thank all of the Students to join in the Whole School House Competition that took place this Tuesday. The Students voted for the House Anthem Song, House Slogan, House Cheer-leading slogan and competed in a Theme Block Quiz where they tried to collect as many points for their House.

We can already announce the winners of the House Anthem Song voting:

• EMERALD: Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
• SAPPHIRE: Eiffel 65 - Blue
• HESSONITE: Pharrell Williams - Happy
• ZIRCON: Lil Uzi Vert - Go Off

Also Year 1 did an excellent job on the House Competition challenges. Please take a look at the video from Year 1 deciding on the House Slogans and House Cheerleading slogans. Enjoy!

Throughout the House Competition, classes got into the house spirit, dressing in their house colours, and we’re loving the commitment with the red shoes on the hand, and the green yoda!

House Competition - Secondary students

We would like to congratulate House EMERALD for collecting the most points in Week 3. Excellent job!

Planica Time

This week, one of the biggest sport events in Slovenia is taking place.

World Ski Flying championships are on from Thursday until Sunday, so take a look at how the best ski jumpers compete on the biggest hill in the world.

Here's a photo from when our school went to see the competition in Planica last year.

Keep Up with the Teacher

The PE department would also like to invite you to try Mr. Černi's volleyball challenge.

We would also like to send you a quick reminder, for our challenge we are currently doing - get involved!

Deskercise

Deskercise should become part of your everyday routine, to help you keep active and healthy. It is important to vary your routine up every week.

Other News from PE

This week in PE, Year 7 students have exceeded expectations during their group assessment. As the Green Team took on the challenge of preparing a lesson based on shooting techniques in football, the whole year group engaged and responded enthusiastically to the activities that Green Team presented us with.

Congratulations to Domen, Laura, Masa, Michail, and Samuel on a great piece of group work. Across KS4, students have focused on the importance of mobility and stability in football and how such exercises aid to prevent injury. An example piece of work is shown here by Year 10 students: Sasha, Julie, Jasmina, Aidan and Filip.

The PE Department has released a new “Keep up with the Teacher” challenge this week and we look forward to seeing if you are up for the challenge of keeping up with Mr Košec, Mrs Osolnik-Kunc and Mr Mulcahy. Please send your videos to Mr Damjan for the chance to win House Points for your house!

Our Weekly PE Challenge comes from Mr Černi this week with a difficult bicycle volleyball activity. Check out our Facebook page or Instagram @bislsport and have a go at the challenge!

PE department

Slovene as a Foreign Language

Our yellow beginner’s group in Year 9 was describing their ordinary day in Slovene. They are spending their days, especially the mornings, very similarly – from waking up, breakfast, getting ready for school, being part of diverse lessons… Not so many hobbies at the moment, but they’ll be back at them in the new year for sure. Let’s read how Cara from Year 9 described her day:

Miss Kosec, MFL department

KS3 students will finish off this Term with construction drawings in a Maths vs. Arts project. Year 8 have also created their own worded problems in order to derive and solve linear equations.

Year 10 is focused on solving linear equations as well, while Years 11, 12, and 13 are busy preparing for their January Mock exams.

The answer for the last Maths question of the week is: 10.

Thank you for all submitted answers and congratulations to Aleksander, Georgi from 9B who guessed correctly and received 5 house points each. Well done!

Maths question of this week is:

Diophantus known as the 'father of algebra'

Diophantus's youth lasted 1/6 of his life. He had the first beard in the next 1/12 of his life. At the end of the following 1/7 of his life Diophantus got married. Five years from then his son was born. His son lived exactly 1/2 of Diophantus's life. Diophantus died 4 years after the death of his son.

How long did Diophantus live?

Students who solve the question send their answer to my email by Wednesday 16th December.

Miss Zupanc, Maths department

Year 7 have been practising their narrative writing techniques through writing through the eyes of a little girl and her dragon friend Edgar. Below are some short extracts written by 7b.

Ahh what a beautiful day the snow slowly falling on the ground making the world a christmas wonderland. Making the day even better I was walking with my friend Edgar the dragon. He is new in the town. No one gave him the change to show how much he cares about this place and everyone is afraid of him so I decided to give him a chance. So we decided to make the town know how much he cares about this place so we are just walking around in the satisfying squishy snow looking for people that need our help. Suddenly I smelled the nice smell of a christmas feast and all I could see wore beautiful decorating .I could smell aroma and I could see heaven. - By Domen 7b

I was outside walking with my friend. Some kind of feeling was in me, it was warming me from inside. My feet were feeling slightly cold snow, which, like clouds wrapped around them. When we walked out the city to a small glade covered with snow I saw a nice snowman. There was a carrot lying near it. A feeling of excitement flowed through my body. - By Michail 7b

Year 8 are working on descriptive writing, focusing on describing the senses, and have taken up the description challenge, where they must describe an object/place in detail without meaning where it is, and then let the teacher guess...I wonder how many I will get right on Tuesday.

Year 9 are continuing to explore poetry, this week we had poet Alan Parry joining us over zoom reading some of his poetry, and doing a mini poetry writing workshop. For full information about this, please read this article here.

Year 10 This week in Year 10 we’ve been increasing our understanding of the context of the book 1984, in preparation for a GCSE practise question before Christmas. Students have been exploring how fear and propaganda were utilized by the government in 1984 to keep control of their population. Students have made their own posters to express propaganda in 1984 in a creative way.

We’ve also been doing political compass quizzes in English, to better understand the political spectrum, and the background context to 1984. Students have had great fun finding out more about political theory and comparing results, thankfully no one had views matching big brothers.

Year 11 are exploring language paper 1, and practising their reading comprehension, and ability to write magazine articles. They have been working hard all week on this.

Year 13 in literature the students are mastering their deep south American accents whilst reading out William’s The Glass Menagerie, I strongly feel there is an acting career in Lana’s future.

Guest Poet: Mr Alan Parry

This week in English we had a guest poet come in to explore poetry writing with our Year 9 students and to read some of his work from Neon Ghosts. He taught our Year 9s about abandoning the conventional rules of English to write poetry.

You can read more about this event here. You can also purchase Mr Parry’s book here.

Ms O’Regan, Mr Kirwan, and Mr Eve - English department

Year 10 have been practising their presentation skills presenting their organisation charts. This has been a fantastic exercise in both consolidating business knowledge, but also public speaking and presenting skills.

Year 12 and 13 for both economics and business are currently revision previously learnt modules for their mock examinations in January.

Mr Dalton, Business and Economics Teacher

Last week, Year 8 historians evaluated the religious grounds for the deterioration of the relationship between Charles I and his subjects in England and Scotland.

Ema has provided an excellent update (featured below) of the situation in England and the consequences resulting from the appointment of William Laud to the position of principal leader of the Church of England, as Archbishop of Canterbury.

It is all too clear that the people of England and disgruntled Members of Parliament responded negatively to Laud’s religious reforms, but what happened when the same reforms tried to be introduced in Scotland?

Year 8 applied their creative and artistic skills to creating storyboard illustrations to accompany the events in Scotland.

Can you figure out what happened in Scotland from 1637 to 1640 using only Year 8’s illustrations?

(Please view Year 8’s work from left to right by each row!)

As our intrepid participants battle onward through the rigours of how to navigate in a more adventurous setting, they have become more familiar with the skills and the planning required. Armed with a map, a protractor, a start and a finish grid reference, a blank route card (and an example route card), their challenge this week is to plan a short, but detailed route.

Things to consider: Grid references; compass bearings; distance travelled; height gained (or lost); time for journeying, exploring, rests, and meals; details of the route, and escape notes. Equipment has been further discussed, and vital kit identified.

The important features of a 'decent' rucksack include, adequate volume and padded hip belt and shoulder straps. Walking shoes need to be sturdy and provide ankle support. Waterproof clothing is also a 'must'! We will soon be moving on to safe use of camping equipment (including stoves). The practical application of these newly-honed skills is very much anticipated!

Last Reminder

Thank you to our BISL community for being so supportive of the Trije Zimski Botri Christmas project, so many presents have already been delivered at ZPM awaiting their final dispatch to the children.

Just a final reminder that the presents should be dropped off by December 17 to Zveza Prijateljev Mladine Ljubljana Moste-Polje, Proletarska cesta 1, 1000 Ljubljana. (You can park in a yellow designated zone and the security guard will guide you to the room where you will drop-off your gift.)

Please DO NOT bring your gift into school this year!

Due to Covid measures we have to kindly ask you to deliver directly to the foundation!

The time slots for gift deliveries for BISL are as follows:

• Tuesday 15. 12. 2020 from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 17:00 to 18:00.
• Thursday 17. 12. 2020 from 8:30 do 12:00 and from 17:00 do 18:00.

Please don't forget to stick/write the code on the top of the present, as this enables the present to go to the correct child.

Thank you,

C4C & PTA

All it takes for you to save a life, is less than an hour of your time. Although the blood stocks have improved from last week (see below picture), they are still not near the required quantities. The Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Zavod Republike Slovenije za transfuzijsko medicino, is still desperately calling out for blood donors:

For more information see: http://www.ztm.si/en/blood-donation/blood-stocks/

Their mobile phone numbers for blood donors are 051 389 270, 051 671 147 or 030 716 796.

To show others how easy it is to donate, please send in a photo of yourself donating blood with a smile on your face (underneath that mask), and hopefully you will encourage someone else to give it a go too.

What a wonderful way to teach each other the values of Empathy and Challenge.

Most of us have perhaps a bit of extra time this upcoming holiday season, so why not use it to save someone's life!

Best healthy wishes,

Mrs. Charlesworth & the C4C Team

In this week’s Teacher Feature, we focus the spotlight on Ms Polly Tušar, our brilliant Science and Chemistry Teacher, who never misses an opportunity to ignite our students’ curiosity with great enthusiasm and determination.

Read Ms Tušar’s Teacher Feature article here.

Dear Parents,

As we head into the last week of term, it is important to focus on celebrating the incredible work that our students and staff have done.

I could not be more proud or grateful for the help, support and reassurance we have had from our community. Thank you. It has made a huge positive impact on my colleagues, the work they do and most importantly, the experiences that our students have had.

Over the past seven days, the snow has disappeared, but we have spent a lot of time working together to create some fantastic projects to celebrate the hard work from our students and staff. Naturally, we’ve also had a lot of fun along the way - take a look at my full Update from the Principal for details.

Kind regards,

Paul Walton

Principal