S P O T L I G H T
9
Spotlight
Head of Secondary School Message This year has been a little different, and also a little frustrating, as we began school face to face, with all of the required safety measures in place, but have had to deliver the whole of Term 1b online, due to the worsening situation within Bucharest. I am extremely proud of both the teaching staff and students, with how they have coped with the uncertainty regarding their schooling, as well as demonstrating great flexibility with dealing with concurrent learning. The school year started with our annual Parent Coffee
The main community event of each week has been our online
Mornings for KS3, which took place online this year
assemblies, which started by being live streamed, but soon
for obvious reasons. They were a great success and
moved to being pre-recorded by yours truly in my office,
communication continues to be a strength of our school, with
with a script and further contributions from teaching staff
no reduction in opportunities for our parents to meet with
and students allowing for a smoother flowing event. HPL has
teaching staff, despite the social distancing measures that
begun to be a big focus in these assemblies as we continue
we all have to take. There were further parent meetings at the
on our journey toward becoming a world class school, with
start of term 1b, which, one member of staff was overheard
all pupils being capable of high performance, no matter their
to say, resembled “Speed Dating”, and although the amount
starting point.
of time available was for each meeting was short, the
HPL has truly been the major focus of this term, and despite
conversations that took place were rich in terms of the level
everything else that has been happening in the world, we
of feedback and support.
have continued to make progress on this journey. Teachers
This year, we have obviously not been able to participate
have started to work within their Professional Learning
in any face-to-face events, but this has not stopped out
Communities (PLC) as work together to support and
students, with a sizeable number participating in an online
encourage each other to try ideas out and develop strategies
MUN, as organised by Campion School in Athens. This was
for embedding the language and ethos of HPL. We will see
a resounding success for many of our students, and whilst
more changes as we continue through this academic year, I
it may have been a slightly surreal experience, it is one that
am sure.
they are very used to by now. Several of our older students
I hope that you enjoy what we have included in this first
will be participating in another online MUN in early spring,
edition of the TIV- it is a perfect snapshot showing the
organised by LSE (London School of Economics), and I look
outsider what we, in the secondary school already know, that
forward to hearing the feedback from this prestigious event.
IBSB has some of the most talented, and hardworking pupils of any international school in the world.
Mr Matthew Tansley
