The BrITISh INTerNATIoNAL SChooL Budapest, hungary
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meDIuS THe BriTisH s C H o o L’ s G o T TA L e N T !
Welcome to the first edition of our mid-Year magazine! The vibrant and colourful pages aim to capture some of the events and personalities which are shaping this school year. The traditional January gloom has been brightened by news of the oxbridge successes; mark Czeller has been offered a place at oxford and Gwijde maegherman a place at Cambridge, not to mention the renewed energy exhibited by our own staff and students after the three week break! on the subject of energy, aside from that expended in study, creativity, kindness and sportsmanship, all other oil-based energy will be dramatically reduced over the coming months. our school has signed up for the 10:10 challenge – to reduce our carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010 – a worthy New Year resolution!
DAY
DRAGONS’ ® DEN
Jane Thompson
C u LT u r e WEEK
wHoLe sCHooL
C U LT U r e w e e K
CooKerY BooKLeT
ThIS YeAr ThoSe ATTeNDING The FIVe DAY eVeNT WouLD hAVe BeeN ImPreSSeD BY The ACTIVITIeS AND eNJoYeD The home-CooKeD FooD. TheY WouLD hAVe BeeN uNAWAre ThAT BehIND The SCeNeS There WAS A hoST oF NeW AND eXCITING ChANGeS IN PLACe, mAKING ThIS YeAr’S eVeNT A BIG SuCCeSS.
NoT oNLY Do our PuPILS hAVe TALeNTS, BuT So Do TheIr PAreNTS. ThIS YeAr The FIrST BrITISh INTerNATIoNAL SChooL CooKerY BooK WAS PrINTeD. on emi’s recommendation please try the hungarian cherry cake
What do you think made this year’s event so successful? “I think a massive thanks has to go to Esther. She is a one-woman-dynamo!“
“By presenting our culture, us parents got to know one another and even made friends. It has been great to show our abilities and culture and we appreciate seeing the good moods and high spirits of the children as they learn about our country. “ Elena, parent from russia This year’s Culture Week was organized by The British International School’s parent volunteers, headed up by Esther Reitberg. It took a lot of courage from the group of parents who offered to take on such a challenge! International cuisine, inspirational assemblies, costumes, music, activities, games, quizzes and curriculumrelated programmes; the school heaved with diversity and interest from monday to Friday. everyone was involved in the experience. We spoke to Alan Wilkinson to find out what he thought about this year’s event. What were your top three moments? “The food hall was fantastic and it was the most all-encompassing food event we have ever had. It was spectacular! I liked the thing with the flags! I will always remember ‘We are the World’ with a smile on my face.“
“I like everything about Culture Week, the atmosphere around the school and the sense of community it creates.” Renie and Janene, parents from New Zealand and Australia
“The whole week is great, we especially like the passports and the way the children get to visit all the different cultures. It is so much more interesting for the children to experience culture this way.” Kavita and Sheena – parents from India “The week brings all the different cultures together and creates a real community. Looking at the children and seeing how proud they are of their country and identity is really special.” Carmen and Julia – parents from Canada
Bea Perlato and Valentina Wang
Nationalities: Italian and hungarian, Chinese Languages spoken: Italian and english, english and hungarian What did you like about culture week? Bea, “It’s different from normal weeks and we learn about our friends’ backgrounds and nationalities.” Valentina, “I think it is good to know more things about different countries.” What have you learnt? “We have both learnt Japanese Calligraphy.”
Parent Winni Clausen approached the school with the idea of creating an international baking book. The result has been the first booklet of the series crammed with recipes written by country nationals who volunteered some of their favourite cakes. The cookery book provides you with more than just delicious recipes; it also gives the reader an insight into the rich cultural fabric that is present in The British International School. Now you can really learn how to make a Cinnamon Swirl the Danish Way!
CHrisTMAs CeLeBrATioN
PAreNTS orGANISING SPeCIAL eVeNTS
Winni Clausen has been living in Budapest for 6 months and is originally from Denmark; she has 4 children at the school.
We asked her what inspired her to create a cookery book. “It was two things; it was coming up to Culture Week, and everyone was talking about food and what they would prepare. I also love baking and had made some cakes for another family here, and they seemed so happy with the cakes I thought it would be a good idea.”
Balazs Kokenyesy
Nationality: hungarian and Polish Languages spoken: hungarian and english What did you like about Culture Week? “I liked the assembly with all the different music.” What have you learnt? “I’ve learnt that Ireland is split into four different provinces.” Alina Glus
Nationality: ukrainian Languages spoken: ukrainian, english, russian and hungarian
What did you like about Culture Week? ”This was my first Culture Week, and I liked it a lot. I liked looking at all the different countries.” What have you learnt? “I’ve learnt that there are sixty gods in Indian culture.”
The BISB Christmas Celebration was held on 5th December 2009. We were delighted to have a very special visitor this year, the reAL Santa Claus travelled all the way from Lapland to see us! The event was very successful and, as well as providing lots of fun for all the family, it raised over huF 900,000 for charity. The money was donated to Csodalámpa, a charity that works hard to grant special wishes to sick children in hungary.
What happened next? “I hadn’t any plans but I was talking to Agnes Clapp (Math Teacher and Marketing Manager), and Agi said she would help. She was really helpful and pulled it together. Once we had decided to write the book, we got a good response from parents. First we contacted the Country Reps and they sent us a lot of nice recipes. For me it will be a very special moment of my time here. My father even took the book to work and a man there liked it so much he wanted to buy a copy, he even contacted the school!”
We also spoke to student cookery enthusiast, Emi Clapp, who has tried and tested a
number of the recipes.
Which recipes have you tried? “I have tried four recipes; The English Lemon Tart, I did the Danish Cinnamon Swirl, the Canadian one and the Hungarian Cottage Cheese Cake.” Which recipe was your favourite and why? “The Danish cinnamon swirls because it is made with yeast and it’s funny how it bubbles. It tastes lovely, I really like cinnamon.” What will you try next? “I will try the Israeli Honey Cake next as it sounds delicious.” What theme would you like to see next in the cookery booklet series? “Maybe soups would be nice. I like soups. My favourite is leek and potato.”.
PriMArY sCHooL
A DAY iN THe Life of Mr. sPiNKs, HeAD of MUsiC
YeAr 5 evACUATioN DAY
mr. SPINKS hAS The TASK oF Co-orDINATING AND mANAGING The heADY muSIC DePArTmeNT AT BISB.
TALeNTeD TeACherS ThINK CreATIVeLY!
For those who have attended assemblies or popped into our special events you would have witnessed a musical performance of some description, be it African drumming or piano playing, orchestrated by Jon Spinks. Not only does he teach music lessons, he is involved in a crowd of other musical activities, helping to make BISB a musical hub.
Find out what a normal day looks like for mr. Spinks at The British International School... 6:45 am 8:00 am 8:45 am 9:40 am 11:00 am 12:10 am 1:10 pm 2:30 pm 3:45 pm 7:00 pm 11:00 pm
Alarm goes off, shuffle to the kitchen, kettle on and start the day! Arrive at school, straight to the staff room to catch up with colleagues and grab a coffee. Assembly practice lesson and getting everyone ready for Friday’s event. Meeting with the instrumental tutors, we’ve got a lot of private lessons this term. Teaching 4 Lilac. Dash in the canteen, quick lunch and then singing club. Recorder time with Marigold 3. Straight on and teach 4 Plum. Meet school parents and teachers for African Drumming class. Nip home and then out for band practice. ”Aiming for Sunday” have a gig this weekend. To bed – over and out for the day.
PriMArY eDUCATioN News
BY hoLDING SChooL eLeCTIoNS IN The PrImArY SChooL, We INTeND To eNCourAGe our PuPILS To LeArN AND VALue DemoCrATIC ProCeSSeS IN A FuN WAY.
The BoNFIre – by Sam Carr, Y6A The bonfire silently spied on all around him, Ready to ignite and terrify the watchers, He slowly woke up keenly looking at its meal. Suddenly he ignited playing like a child, Drawing like a painted image land Growing as tall as a colossal mountain. Then just as he climbed to the peak, Dancing before the crowd, Before drinking the last drop of fuel. Then embracing his admirers, Beckoning them to his dwelling, With open arms and glimmering eyes. Lying down on his soft and cosy bed, Sorrow behind his exhausted eyes, Waving his last good-bye.
The recent elections saw a member of every Primary class voted on to the Council, providing each form-group a direct channel of communication with the staffing body on issues that concern the Primary pupils. The fledgling group started on a high by organising a remarkably successful Bake Sale. Surprising themselves they raised over huF 50,000 which will be split between Children in Bangladesh and a Primary School celebration event to be held later in the year. Szilveszter Palvolgyi, age 10, Chair
Why did you join the school council? ”Well, I thought it would be a very good challenge for me to make the school a better place to learn; and I wanted to help people.” What little thing would you like to change? ”Maybe we could have swings in the playground.” What big thing would you like to change? “A pond in the Bio-Garden with fish in, so different classes could feed them.”
Jeremy Howard-Grau, age 9, Vice Chair
Why did you join the school council? ”I’d like to help recycle and make funds for charity; and extend break times.” What little thing would you like to change? ”More signs for recycling.” What big thing would you like to change? ”Raise funds would be the biggest thing. I’d ask Ms Crawley as she raises funds for charity.
Sahib Bhasin, age 10, Secretary
Why did you join the school council? ”I wanted to change the playgrounds a lot.” What little thing would you like to change? ”More non-uniform days.” What big thing would you like to change? ”Probably a swimming pool and a proper football pitch.”
Letter from evacuation by Robbie Laurence, Year 5 Aqua
Dear mum,
While we aim to foster the creativity and talents of the pupils, we also aim to empower the staff to add their own special mix of talents into the curriculum. evacuation Day is a positive example of teachers thinking in creative ways to engage students in learning. Learning is not a prescriptive medication, and one size does not fit all. Students, and in fact all of us, have different learning styles and teachers try to foster numerous learning methods to ensure pupils gain a colourful and varied experience while attending school. on an annual basis Year 5s are privy to evacuation Day, a real life experience of childhood in World War Two. Teachers, along with the assistance of parents, develop a day full of practical learning experiences related to the curriculum and aimed to encourage students to think further about the effects of conflict. here is our interview with Neil Moore and Rose Harris – Year 5 teachers What is the purpose of the day? ”It’s part of our creative thinking unit, to re-enact and bring the experience alive to the children. Evacuation Day will be a day all children remember when they leave this school.” What preparation did you do for the trip? ”We spent a lot time working through how to prepare for evacuation, what it must feel like, how to wear a gas mask. The children had to do everything from prepare their clothes to thinking about what to take in their suitcase.” Why take the children outside of the classroom? ”It basically rounded up everything we had learnt in the classroom. It is a real life experience for them, and therefore very powerful.” It is quite an uneasy experience, how did you leave the day on a positive note? ”As a follow up activity Solomon Daud, father of Abu Bakar in 5 Wave, came in and talked to the students. He works for the United Nations and explained to the children the role of the UN and how we can make sure this kind of war never happens again.”
red ated I was really sca W hen we were evacu or ing go s wa I ow where because I did not kn ow kn t no did I th. wi y who I was going to sta first s on the tra in for the what to ex pect. I wa put in s wa I t bu le op pe of time ever! I met lots ine r. She wanted to exam with the scary docto ted. I tes be to nt wa t no me, but I said I would all friends and most of miss my brothers, my aga in, dad see ver ne ll wi I you and dad. I know toys at you know. I miss my he is already dead, as the toys th wi y pla ver ne home because we can m as have been taken fro we brought. my py jam . Lots of ine ch ma ge hu a r me. my bed is unde rt they house to see how hu people come to our but my d llie bu get I l oo are. Sometimes at sch see my me. The only time I friends stand up for am not I me ho at se cau be friends is at school lonely my room! I am ver y even allowed out of hope you I ds. en fri ny ma e here and do not hav sur vive the Blitz. Lots of love robbie
A diary note by Josh Molyneaux, Year 5 Aqua
Dear diar y, This morning I woke up scar ed. The reason why is that I w as going to be evacuated to th countr yside. I e have never do ne anything lik this before, I ha e ve never left Lo ndon. Please, please – I pray ed to God this morning, mak countr yside lif e my e successf ul. At nine o’clock in the morning I got on the trai n and I felt alon there was no on e, e I knew. It was three hours to the countr ysid e. Then I got th er e and I had a pretty good co untr yside mum . She had a bake and she had lo ry ads of pets. Sh e had a dog, 3 ca 7 chickens, man ts, y different ty pe s of birds and rooster. The w a ork was fun an d my new brot ers and sisters hwere really ni ce. my brothe names are Jack rs’ , Sam, oli and hayden. my sis names are Isabe ters’ lla, A nita, Vict or ia and A mel Tonight we st ia. ayed up till te n and we had bedrooms. I go lovely t into bed and fell asleep. Goodnight. Josh
seCoNDArY sCHooL
14
DrAGoN’s DeN
oXBriDGe sTUDeNTs
14 DECEMBER 2009 – 10 JANUARY 2010
E D U C A T IO N
THE BUDAPEST TIMES outside their comfort zones, work under time pressure ability to , communication skills and how to compromise effectively.' Henny Letschert, Business Teacher, BISB
Dragons’ Den Mee
ts business students of th e British International Sc hool, Budapest "I was impressed by the attention to detail and the remarkably professional approa ch that all the student teams put into the project." Mr Howard Cohen, Director, Global Cynergies AKA Dragon Have you ever con sidered completely turning you r life upside down, investing all you have into an idea you truly believe in and pitting yourself against top business professionals in ord er to gain investment on nationa l television? This is the principal idea behind the popular TV programme Dragons' Den, and The British International School, Bud apest has
In order to measure achievement in a fair manner students were presented with the same task; the potential purchase of a budget airline. Four loca failing l business con sult ant s, Deb ra Mo lyne ux, Jolie Powell, Howard Cohen and Jane Thompson (princip al, BISB), visi ted the sch ool to act as Dragons. Students wer e grouped together to develop a business strategy that would impress the professionals and answ er any critical que stio ns rela ted to the ir ideas. To aid students staff created a detailed website hos ting all the
Business teachers beli eved that by recreating a similar environment to that of Dra gons' Den, students would learn and practice important aspects of business strategy.
'Th is scen ario add ress aspects of all the KS4 and es key IB areas of stud y - mar keti ng, human resources, externafina nce , ences on business, leadershl influip and crea tive thin king . It emp owe rs students to put into pra ctice they tend to learn theoretic what build on 'thinking skills', ally - to working
The afternoon was a valuable experience for students who were tested in a pressured env ironment and outside of their com fort zones. All groups reacted pos itively to the situation, highlighting unusual ways to increase reve nue and answering questions in a confident manner. Well done to all those who took part. – Jude Long, BISB The winn ing presentation
Interview with student
What do you think of the programme Dragons' Den? BALÁZS, "I like the show, we have a Hungarian equivalent, I like the idea of presenting new business idea s in that kind of environment." ALEX, "Although it is very stressful and difficult."
agons' Den
s Alex Latinovits and Ba
business from. I think our finance is precise too, which is impo rtant." What do you think the key is to winning? BALÁZS, "I think it will be based on how we present ourselves and then the content of our presentation."
How do you feel about going in front of The Dragons'? ALEX, "I feel confident, we're a cohesive group even though we'v e not worked together before." BALÁZS, "And we're mov ing ahead at a relatively good speed." Do you think you've got a good chance of winning? BALÁZS, "I'm confident, compared to the other groups, the com petition doesn't seem too strong." ALEX, "Our marketing plan is strong and we have different market groups to attract
Name: Nationality: Zodiac sign: Favourite subject: A good student…
Six groups presented their business proposals to the Dra gons along with the whole of the secondary school, who voted on thei r abilities.
Before and After the Dr
BEFORE adapted the structure to enable Year 10,11 and IB business students to apply their theoretic al learning into practice.
information students required to develop a comprehensi ve presentation, it was the pup ils task to inte rpre t the dat a and thin k crea tive ly in ord er to win the contract.
lazs Gatai
AFTER How did it go? ALEX, "I think it went better than we expected, encouraging actually." How did you feel whe n you were in front of The Dragons'? BALÁZS, I found it quite nerv e racking when you're actually up there ." ALEX, " I was fine." Was there any unexpect ed surprises when giving your pres entation? ALEX, " We forgot to say a lot of things we had prepared, I think this is really because of the time constraints and trying to pack all the infor mation in." BALÁZS, " Also the pres sure makes you miss things out."
Alex Latinovits in action
ThIS YeAr our SChooL hAS Four TALeNTeD STuDeNTS Who hAVe DeCIDeD To APPLY For The WorLD’S moST PreSTIGIouS uNIVerSITIeS: oXForD AND CAmBrIDGe. here IS TheIr ProFILe.
What did you learn? ALEX, " I think that maybe simplicity is the key and not overcomplicating a presentation."
Jude Long, PR and Mar
keting, BISB
Success is … my dream is to be … my dream is to live …
Nicolas Namoradze Georgian Leo music is efficient, hardworking, clever, imaginative and determined! is one who not only guides the student through the course and gives good feedback but also stimulates the student to foster a genuine interest in the subject! music. a concert pianist, conductor, composer. in New York and London.
Name: Nationality: Zodiac sign: Favourite subject: A good student … A good teacher … Success is … my dream is to be … my dream is to live …
mark Czeller hungarian Scorpio Spanish does not leave everything to the last minute. is loved, not feared. being good at things. satisfied with my life. wherever I want to.
A good teacher…
Name: Nationality: Zodiac sign: Favourite subject: A good student… A good teacher…
Success is … my dream is to be … my dream is to live …
Gwijde maegherman Belgian Libra music must always meet deadlines and must do every piece of homework. should ask students if they have enough time to complete their homework before setting it. to combine an A-grade academic career with an amazing social life. a famous musician. a happy life with a family of my own.
Name: Nationality: Zodiac sign: Favourite subject: A good student… A good teacher… Success is … my dream is to be … my dream is to live …
Amber Perkin British Aries history listens. is on the student’s side. not worrying before you go to sleep at night. a criminal psychotherapist. on the sea shore.
C A s – C r e A T i v i T Y, A C T i o N A N D s e r v i C e
CAS IS AN INNoVATIVe CourSe ThAT IS A VITAL PArT oF The INTerNATIoNAL BACCALAureATe ProGrAmme. The course is 150 hours long and all IB students have to complete it in order to finish their studies. With the aim of providing young adults the opportunity to build life skills complimentary to their academic learning, CAS has nurtured and encouraged an enormous amount of IB creativity, action and service this year! ”This term IB1 has been supporting Wonderlamp through many CAS activities. Wonderlamp is a truly fascinating charity in their mission to help children with serious illnesses. Tediously piecing together tons of Christmas decorations, we ended up having metres of paper chains, tons of various Christmas cards and lots of presents. Countless other activities were organised to raise money for this charity: a football tournament, name the penguin, a Christmas bazaar stall, a bake sale, the Talent Show, movie nights for both primary and secondary, a poker game, just to name a few! All in all, an enjoyable experience for all of us I am sure – made even better by knowing all our effort means the world to so many kids in Wonderlamp.” Milos Nenadovic, IB student
Talent Show – Talent is as Talent Does
It was impressive to see the breadth of different performances coming onto the stage at the Talent Show. There were comedy acts, musicians performing personally composed compositions, dancers, teachers hitting the high notes and singers all under the spot light. While the performers led the way with their carefully rehearsed acts, there was another group of talented individuals who knitted the whole event together and they should be recognised for their skills too. Three IB students, Balazs Gatai, Laura von Kontz and Daniella egenhofer set themselves the task of seeking out the talent at The British International School, Budapest as part of their CAS course. What were the highlights of the Talent Show? ”Two Year 8 students did a performance, and we had no idea what they were about to, not
even when we got up to introduce them. So it was fun finding out exactly what they were going to do. Also the Hungarian performer, Lola, who won best Hungarian Female Singer of the Year came and performed. That was really exciting. It took a lot of work in the last two hours, we were running around the school, but it paid off as it was really good fun and turned out well.” Is CAS a good thing? ” I like doing it, it is fun and we do loads of things we wouldn’t normally get to do. This was actually our first CAS project.” What are the benefits of organising a talent show like this? ”We already knew some of the performers but some people we had no idea about so it was a great opportunity for them to show the school their talents.” Balazs Gatai, IB student
reviews of PRAGUE N OR D A N G L I A S P OR T S T O U R N A M E N T
From the horse’s mouth – STUDENTS’ REVIEWS Mark Czeller, Y13, reviewing the success of
our secondary boys’ Basketball team at the Nord Anglia Sports Tournament.
encouragement from our team captain Margherita and Mr. Karacsony’s most effective tactics and we managed to end the match with the sound of victorious “BIS-Budapest” cheering in our ears.“
“You have seen these Hollywood films where a group of very enthusiastic people are down to play against the pros and nobody believes they stand a chance when they win. And that is basically what happened. The opposing team was better than us in terms of routine and skill, and they were winning right up until 5 minutes before the end. It was Arnaud who basically decided we were going to win and this motivated the rest of the team. Funnily this confused our opponents who thought the game was theirs; they were shocked at our sudden enthusiasm to win. I think at the beginning we felt overpowered, we did manage to hold our ground reasonably well but I don’t think any of us thought we could turn it around. The atmosphere was brilliant. The rest of the team was cheering us on, and we were really hyped up; it was interesting because the other team went to pot, our energy seemed to break their spirits especially when they could see there was a chance we were going to win. I felt we had a good set of players, however we were competing against teams who practiced up to 3 times a week. Before we started I thought we’d come somewhere in the middle of the tournament; I was not banking on us winning.“
And another tale from – Margherita Perlato, Y12, who writes up the girls’
Basketball and Volleyball matches:
Editing Ágnes Clapp Writing Jude Long Designing Innovative Solutions
Look out for our Year Book in June!
“The first match miraculously resulted in the first victory for the girls’ Basketball team. Under the expert guidance of Mr. Downey with his reassuring catch phrase ‘tough luck’ and the magical skills of our team captain Silvia, we managed to beat the Prague team 22 – 20. Our second match against the Bratislava team was less fortunate as we had to face towers instead of players, a defence system which had been replaced by iron walls and a magnetic ball attracted to the opponents’ hoop. Without mentioning the score to spare our dignity, we can just say that despite the many Mexican waves led by Mr. Karacsony, the match was not our greatest success. Against the Warsaw team, with more confidence and increased experience on how to play basketball, the match ended 23 – 11 to us, guaranteeing our team a silver medal in the tournament. Two hours and a reinvigorating nap by the side of the court later, our minds were fully set on the other side of the volleyball net, ready to win against Prague. Unfortunately for us, they were not as willing to lose. In the first set we looked like statues, petrified on court. Even though we lost again, during the second set we were more active. Forty-five minutes later, we were playing against the Bratislava team and though the match ended in another defeat for us, this time we “died” while fighting as the score was really tight. Then we faced the Warsaw team with renewed motivation, great