The International
Voice News News and and Views Views By the Students By the Students for for the the Students Students
Issue Issue 22 April April 2017 2017
It is important that schools oer students a wide breadth of experiences to compliment the pursuit of academic excellence that is the core of any rigorous curriculum. Students need to explore and experiment, to discover their talents and be inspired and challenged to achieve. Looking at the pages of this issue of TIV, it is clear that we have a lot to celebrate and can be very proud of all that our students have achieved.
Aura Bogdan Executive Director
TIV Issue 2
Message from the Editor The year is quickly approaching an end and exams are looming over everyone’s heads. Even with the constant hectic state that everyone has been in, both students and teachers have still managed to enthusiastically cover the countless events that have been happening so far – from the trip to the Netherlands to the Hague MUN, to many articles on activities in the school. Having been Editor for the last year, it has taught me lots of valuable skills such as time management, great patience and the valuable skill of delegation of various responsibilities. This year, I have begun training my assistant editor, Lisa Puiu, to take over the school magazine after I leave for university. It is great to see such enthusiasm in a student to assure quality writing and encourage various new perspectives in the TIV – I fully trust such a dedicated student and I am sure she will do a marvellous job next year. As I finish my last year in this school, I look over my years with nostalgia, as I will miss this close school community and the atmosphere it radiates. I look over my time as editor and find these years precious as they have taught me so much, and helped me to become the mature and responsible person I am today.
Table of Contents SPORTS
ALUMNI
CAS
SCHOOL VIEWS
COBIS Primary Games (4) Interschool Athletics (8) Interschool Swimming Challenge (10)
IBSB Green Team (12) Secondary School CAS (14)
Life at University of South Hampton (38) Life after IBSB (39) What is the Military Like (40)
Applying to Oxbridge (42) The Antidote Against Fear (43) Beginners Guid to Life in 6th Form (45) Work Experience (46) SCHOOL EVENTS School Success Starts at Home (46) THIMUN (17) Pi(e) Day (47) ELLI CPD Workshop (18) New Teachers in School (48) Performance Morning (18) Maldives (49) COBIS EAL Conference (20) Student Mentoring (49) CPD Portugal (20) Secondary School ESU Public Speaking (21) Geography Work (50) Checkpoint Exams (51) Netherlands Univeristy Visit (21) Prince Charles Dances the Hora (52) Burns Supper (22) El dia Del Libro (54) Winterball (24) Fair Trade - 6th Form (56) Arkuda Tavern Review (56) WHITEBOARD GCSE Pod (58) The DOEIA for young people (58) Head of Primary Message (26) EYFS (27) Year 1 (28) CREATIVE CORNER Year 2 (29) Drinking your own Poison (60) Year 3 (30) Her (61) Year4O (31) The Fetor of Crime (63) Year 4M (32) My Country (64) ESU Publi Speaking Competition (33) My Country- Open Doors (65) Year 6M (34) How I see it through a Lens (66) Year 6O (35) Interview with Mr Oldham (36)
Contributors Catrinel Craiu (Y13) Maria Sticlea (Year 7) Raluca Sabau (Year 12) Maria Ion (Year 13) Emilia Mihaescu (Year 12) Ana Sporis (Year 5) Alkyoni Kotsis (Year 5) Abby Opperman (Year 6) Thomas Ferfelis Stergios Mallioglou Adriana Bajescu (Year 13) Liam Hughes Alex Ciolan (Year 12) Lisa Puiu (Year 11) Ioan Constantin (Year 9) Ioana Serban (Year 11) Matei Bitu (Year 9) Maria Popescu (Year 12) Gekko Ioancio (Year 10) Christie Vernon (Year 9) Lena Stefan (Year 11) Ioana Aizic (Year 7) Irina Chemencedji (10) Adela Ciobotaru (Year 10) Ms Jane Broadhurst Ms Aida Ivan Ms Johanna Croci Ms Raluca Barbu Mr Paul Jennings Mr Ciprian Iacob Mr Paul Georgescu Mr Ciprian Tiplea Ms Andrea Carman Mr Duncan Gowen Mr Alan Cornish Mr Kendall Peet Mr Mark Storey
INTRO TO TIV
Head Girl Note By Catrinel Craiu (Year 13)
Dear TIV Readers, This term has been very eventful for the prefect body! We had a wonderful Winter Ball, organised by our amazing Event Prefects (Maria Popescu, Emmy Mihaescu and Elena Urzica), which turned out to be a huge success, especially for the Key Stage 3 students. There were various different activities, such as dance competitions and cat walks, at the end of the evening IBSB even got their very own princes and princesses! Assembly presentations have also been something that kept the prefects busy these past few weeks, ranging from presentations on Women’s Rights to topics such as resilience. We attempted to make them as interactive as possible and I’d say that they turned out to be just that! For the weeks to come, as exams are quickly approaching, the senior prefects will direct their focus on studying and achieving the best grades possible, and for those of us graduating this year, planning the graduation will also be something that we will get ourselves actively involved in. I am extremely proud of all the senior prefects this year, for their eagerness to get involved and their participation in their duties and I hope they can say the same for me, as their Head Girl.
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SPORTS
SPORTS
COBIS Primary Games (11-13 April, 2017) By Mr Alan Cornish (Head of Primary School)
Every year students from around the world come together to compete in the COBIS Primary Games. It was the fourth edition of this competition and this year IBSB were lucky enough to be one of the teams drawn from the lottery to attend the games along with 16 other lucky schools- and the only team to represent Romania. Go TEAM IBSB!!! Trials were held and the final team selection made, consisting of 7 boys and 7 girls: The IBSB COBIS Dream Team for 2017 Girls Ana Nanau Andreea Albu Ana Sporis Alina Barbu Isa Dinculescu Ana Maria Zamfir Sara Podgoreanu Boys Victor Pascu Luca Rusu Alex Vilcu David Ganea Alexandros Mandelanakis Luca Manzonetto Patrick Kamara
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DAY 1 - Swimming The Games brought 17 teams from 12 countries to Stantonbury Campus near Milton Keynes for three days of exhilarating action which saw students compete in swimming, athletics and football events. Although the event officially began on Tuesday, April 10, some said the first competition on Monday was to guess which teams were the most jetlagged as teams touched down at Heathrow from as far away as China. This did not affect their performance and on Day 1, however, as the students excelled in the swimming with some impressive times in the pool by the boys and girls from JESS and DESS who ultimately took home 1st and 2nd place in the overall swimming competition.
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SPORTS
COBIS Primary Games (11-13 April, 2017) By Mr Alan Cornish (Head of Primary School)
Day 3 - Football The football pitch at Stantonbury was the venue for the third and final day of the Games and silky skills from the likes of King's College La Moraleja, St Catherine's School Athens, The British School of Paris, International School of Moscow and CIS threatened to put a stop to the dominance of St Saviour's Ikoyi, but the Nigerian school showed nerves of steel to come through a number of penalty shootouts in the Boys event to ensure they took the overall title home to Lagos again. We would like to thank COBIS (Event Organisers), Griffin Schools Trust (Event Hosts for 2017), and the students and staff of all of the participant schools for providing the students at IBSB with such an enjoyable and exciting COBIS Primary Games. We would also like to thank the VIP athletes who attended and presented medals throughout the games, including Joanne Jackson (Olympic Bronze medalist in swimming at the Beijing Games), Joe Roebuck (London Olympics & Commonwealth Games Silver medalist in swimming), Nathan Fox (3 time British Triple Jump Champion), and Alistair Patrick-Heselton (English Footballer). Finally, sincere thanks to the officials from Berks & South Bucks County ASA, Milton Keynes Athletics Clubs and MK Dons for their hard work in judging the competition and to the Stantonbury Arts and Leisure Centre and the Stantonbury Campus for hosting various events.
Day 2 - Athletics It was out of the pool and onto the track and field on Day 2 as the teams took part in sprints, middle-distance running, relay, javelin vortex, long jump and high jump. Both St Saviour's and The British School in The Netherlands showed grit to move up the leaderboard on the day while there were some standout performances from the International British School of Bucharest (IBSB) and DESS, with Alina Barbu putting in an impressive performance, collecting 2 Gold medals (150m/Long Jump) and a Silver (1200m). Well done Alina!
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Congratulations to St Saviour's School, Ikoyi, who took home the COBIS Champions Cup for an incredible 4th year running. Our students got to experience a fantastic level of competition and are already talking about preparing for next year. All the top performing teams started their preparations an entire year early, so Mr Georgescu is already looking to start preparing our team of super athletes from Term 3 onward to ensure we are ready to go next April when we will no doubt return stronger than ever…..who knows, with inspirational teachers like Mr Georgescu, a top five finish next year could be a very real possibility.
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SPORTS
COBIS Primary Games (11-13 April, 2017) By Mr Alan Cornish (Head of Primary School) FINAL RESULTS
School Placings
Day 3 -
Combined
Swimming Athletics
Football
Total
1. St Saviour's School, Ikoyi
150 3rd
170 1st
170 1st
490
2. Children's International School
140
120
150 3rd
410
2. Dubai English Speaking School
160 2nd
150 3rd
100
410
4. Jumeirah English Speaking School
170 1st
140
60
370
5. St Catherine's British School in Athens
120
110
130
360
6. The International School of Moscow
110
80
160 2nd
350
7. The British School in The Netherlands
90
160 2nd
70
320
8. British International School, Cairo
100
90
110
300
9. King's College Madrid (Soto de ViĂąuelas)
80
130
80
290
10. British International School of Riyadh
130
40
90
260
11. King's College Madrid (La Moraleja)
50
60
140
250
11. The British School of Paris
60
70
120
250
13. International British School of Bucharest
50
100
30
180
14. Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong
80
50
10
140
15. The British School of Nanjing
20
30
40
90
16. Haileybury Almaty
10
20
50
80
17. Haileybury Astana
30
10
20
60
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Day 1 -
Day 2 -
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SPORTS
Interschool Athletics Grand Prix Success By Mr Ciprian Iacob (Secondary P.E Teacher) On the 24th of March our school athletics team headed to the National Arena Stadium to compete once again in the International School Athletics Grand Prix. As last year’s champions, there was a lot on line with all 16 members of the school team wanting to bring home the Winner’s Trophy and as you can see from the results tables below, the students lived up to their reputation, maintaining the school’s reputation of sporting excellence. Congratulations to all the students who competed in this event for their various results achieved, but especially to the girls who together collected the Winner’s Trophy for the second year in a row. An incredible effort to be celebrated across the entire IBSB Community! A special thank you to our team of dedicated PE Teachers: Ciprian Iacob, Paul Georgescu, and Magdalena Camenidis. Without your passion and support, these results would not have been possible! The IBSB Medal Count Gold
Silver
Bronze
60m (Different age groups)
400m (Different age groups)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Barbu Alina -Gold Alex Serban- Gold Albu Andreea -Silver Jianong Xin Alina- Silver Alexia Verdes -Silver Xie Kai Wen(Kevin)- Bronze Hyeonsoo So- Bronze Albert Mihailescu- Bronze
200m (Different age groups) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
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Alina Barbu-Gold Alexia Verdes-Gold Albu Andreea - Silver Hyeonsoo So- Silver Or Lavi -Bronze
Verdes Anisia -Silver Alex Serban - Silver Jianong Xin Alina- Silver Elena Urzica -Bronze Ioana Balan- Bronze Albert Albert Mihailescu-Bronze
600m (Different age groups) 1. 2. 3.
Alina Barbu - Gold Albu Andreea - Silver Or Lavi -Silver
Two switch mixt relay 1.
Alina Barbu &Alex Serban Silver
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SPORTS
Interschool Swimming Challenge By Mr Paul Georgescu (Primary P.E Teacher)
On Saturday, March 11 The Interschool Swimming Challenge took place. IBSB has a long standing tradition of good results in interschool swimming and triathlon competitions, with an overall podium finish the norm in most previous interschool events entered. This year was no different as our team entered the arena looking every bit the champions they are.
The IBSB Medal Count: Overall Bronze Gold
This year however it was only our Primary Team present to do battle, and so with our Secondary team absent, it was going to be a real challenge to collect enough points to make the podium against eight other highly competitive schools in this, the first interschool swim event of the year 2017. As the events rolled by one after another, the points came in in a steady stream, with both individual and team success in the majority of races, including 1st Place in the Under 11 Girls relay and 3rd Place in the Under 11 Boys Relay- a fantastic result! In the end, our primary team managed the impossible in a Herculean effort, collecting enough points to come 3rd overall, which is an incredible result considering. Had our senior team been present also, there is little doubt that a first place podium finish would have been a very real possibility.
Ana Nanau U11 Girls Relay Andreea Albu Ana Maria Zamfir Alina Barbu Ana Nanau
Andreea Albu U11 Boys Relay Luca Rusu David Ganea Patrick Kamara Luca Manzonetto
Congratulations, however, to Avenor College for topping the podium - a fantastic result and a great swim meet to get the interschool swim season off to an exciting start. A special thank you to our inspiring primary school swim coaches: Paul Georgescu/Magdelena Camenidis
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CAS
CAS
IBSB Green Team - Children’s Forest Association By Mr Kendall Peet (Head of School) Tea, coffee, and snacks were provided by the Padure team to keep us all energized and in good spirits, which was clear to see along the rows, with smiling, happy faces present in every direction, along with the hum of conversation in full flight as the spades dug into the ground at a relaxing pace. Everyone enjoyed the day, especially the children who enjoyed wearing their gumboots and helping out by digging their own holes or carrying the saplings to be planted for mummy and daddy. It really was a great day; one that left a good feeling as we eventually handed in our spades and headed for home. Thank you to all those students and parents that came along to help out, and to the teachers who joined us also, including Mr Ennion, Ms Ana Boiangiu, Mr Cornish, and Mr Peet. It was a lovely family outing and community event, and a great way to teach our children about the importance of reforestation projects and sustainable living. A special thank you to Ms Orla O’Dwyer and Ms Johanna Croci for rallying the troops and making this event possibleyou each get an additional ring to your already bright halos. This was our first IBSB Green Team Tree Planting outing and it certainly won’t be our last!
With spring finally here, what better way to celebrate than heading out into nature to recharge our batteries! The IBSB Tree Planting weekend gave us the perfect opportunity to do this, and at the same time, do something good for the environment. Working with our community partner, the Children’s Forest Association, around 50 IBSB students, parents, and staff headed north on Saturday, March 25th, to help replant 5000 saplings, one hectare of the former Vlasiei Woods, located to the SW of Ploiesti.
For more information about how you can get involved in replanting Romania, please visit: www.padureacopiilor.ro (an environmental NGO working for community development through afforestation (creating forests where they did not exist for hundreds of years). The afforestation program is 100% sustained by private funding, and is working to restore degraded lands in Romania, creating a valuable legacy for the future generations.
As you can see from the photos, there is a lot of work to be done- not a tree in sight- but with so many hands contributing to this project, the woodlands and forests will be back in no time. The morning started with a short briefing by the Padure Copiilor team about how deep to dig the holes, how to prepare the saplings, and how to fill in the holes to ensure the trees have the best possible chance of survival. We were then arranged into lines with different coloured buckets and three different varieties of indigenous saplings for each row alternating between rows. The rows were about one meter apart with a white spot on the ground to indicate where we needed to plant each tree. The Padure Team estimated that the survival rate would be about 80% allowing for a natural thinning of the forest over time. We were not the only group there, as other groups of people arrived in cars and on buses at a constant rate to join in and help out, continually building on the sense of community spirit.
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CAS
IBSB Green Team - Children’s Forest Association By Mr Kendall Peet (Head of School)
Some Interesting Facts about the Children’s Forest Association - The association has created 36 hectares of forest; 21 hectares are now at the stage in which 3-4 meters high trees are independent from human tending. You can see an 8 hectare forest made by the association on your way to the seaside, driving on the Sun Highway, on km 86. This afforestation began in 2010. - They involved over 10300 volunteers that helped, making the equivalent of 54 National Arena stadiums of forest, which would not have existed otherwise. - They have to date organized 18 volunteering campaigns.
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CAS
Secondary School Community Action Service By Ms Johanna Croci (CAS Coordinator)
Almost five months ago Lukas, Emi, Loren, Adriana and Andrei started a project as volunteers for the Light into Europe charity, under the guidance of Ms Ioana Dumitrescu. Initially, they had minimal expectations about how this project would develop, but they had great ambitions and brilliant ideas. Until Christmas they attended a basic sign language course under the guidance of the best teacher they could ask for, Mr. Barbu, who also volunteered his time to help them gain the minimal knowledge and skills they needed to interact with deaf people. They had to demonstrate their proficiency by communicating in sign language in a short video clip. I have to say that at this point one person’s participation was particularly impressive: Lukas not only completed his assignment on time, but he did it in Romanian, a language he had had contact with for barely three months. With such a model of receptiveness, motivation, and perseverance in their team, it is no wonder that this group became unstoppable. The School for Hearing Impaired (Liceul Techologic Special no.3) welcomed our team with open arms in December and we immediately agreed on the areas that we would contribute to: drama, creative arts, and sports. I have witnessed some beautiful lessons as the relationship between our students and the children they work with developed. Loren took charge of the creative arts section, and she has seen the children she is working with gradually gain confidence and manifest their creativity. “When we arrived the kids always asked for a model to emulate. Now, they understand that their work can be original; their drawings represents their individuality. It is a huge step forward. Another very important aspect they have learned by doing collage work is that they can individually contribute to a common project.
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I tried to emphasize the importance of being part of a team, rather than working alone. I think that this is a really important aspect regardless of living with a disability or not. Asking for help, adding your point of view, being praised, celebrating together, are significant parts of everyday life.” Emi founded a little drama company. It comes naturally, after many years of practice as an amateur actor. The kids have great fun in her sessions: initially, doing drama games, and then engaging in more demanding drama exercises, and ultimately creating an original play that the young actors will perform on the stage of a national art festival for children suffering from disabilities. She allows some degree of freedom to the actors: in the choice of characters, the characters’ appearance and personality traits, and even contributions to the script. It is all part of giving them the “ability to own the play and to be authentic on the stage”, she explains to me. “I am deeply committed to this project. Ms Dumitrescu and I already have plans to join the group in Iasi, where the festival takes place in June, and to support them there. The way I see it my involvement does not stop with the official end of the CAS visits in April.” international british school of bucharest
CAS
Secondary School Community Action Service By Ms Johanna Croci (CAS Coordinator)
Over the many years I have been involved in CAS at IBSB I have developed the belief that the success of a project can really be measured by the amount of joy and satisfaction it brings both to the beneficiaries and to the volunteers. If key stage 5 students come to school on Thursdays excited about what they will be doing in the afternoon when they undertake their visits, if they never miss sessions, if they are willing to continue their visits during holidays, then I know for a fact that their project is an extraordinary one, that will remain in their hearts for a long time. This is clearly one of those projects.
Andrei and Lukas started a sports club. “We have been amazed by the attitude of the students and by the wonderful degree of involvement in the activities” Andrei says. “There is an unspoken norm to finish every activity that you start, to do the best you can, and to take performance seriously while having fun at the same time. I am seriously impressed by how swift and effective their communication is and I am grateful each time they decide to step in and help me to deliver the instructions. There is a good feeling of partnership, of support building up between us now. We train basketball and other team sports; we always start with warm-up games and a practice match, we take time to reflect on the movements that we want to improve, and we always finish the session evaluating our performance. We wanted to implement a growth mentality – comparing how we were at the start of the session with what we have improved by the end of the session.”
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SCHOOL EVENTS
SCHOOL EVENTS
THIMUN By Mr Paul Jennings (Head of English)
Means simply 'The Hague International Model United Nations' ; home of the actual United Nations. More speciďŹ cally, it meant 5 days of discussion, representing, lobbying, voting and generally putting the world to rights. 2,500 students attended from over 200 countries. It is the most prestigious MUN in the world and IBSB were there! We represented the tiny African nation of Togo and our 16 student delegation were spread across various committees from The Security Council to EcoSoc and from Human Rights to Economics. Our students were a credit to the school, participating fully in all the debates, dressed so smartly that even their mums' and dads' would have approved. Deadlines were met, position papers researched and delivered and IBSB students stood up in front of hundreds of other students to present their points of view. It was a massive learning curve, very much out of some comfort zones but a fantastic experience; a real understanding of how networking works and how collective power can make changes to the world we live in. I hope that some of our ďŹ nest students will use the experience in the years ahead as they enter Universities and eventually the world of work: one thing is for sure; they have learnt how to negotiate. It was a huge event; awe inspiring to see so many young people in one place with the sole intention of engaging in intellectual and controversial discussions. The overarching theme of the conference was 'Boundaries and Borders' requiring students to consider how boundaries and borders can be restrictive but necessary. Historical context was always in the back of the students' minds but the main aim was to keep the focus on the 'here and now'; how this topic affects everyone around the world on a daily basis either for good or bad. It wasn't just word-crunching though: The Hague is a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city and the students wandered round this vibrant town, hopping on and off trams and we even managed a visit to Amsterdam for sight-seeing and retail therapy. It was a brilliant event and I urge the KS3 students, particularly, to buy into the 'MUN' ethos and get involved: it gives you an opportunity to look beyond the immediate and see the global village we live in. international british school of bucharest
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SCHOOL EVENTS
ELLI CPD 1 Day Workshop By Ms Andrea Carman (English Teacher) Even teachers are sometimes required to be students. Such was the case on January the 23rd, when the entire staff of IBSB gathered to attend the first ELLI One Day Workshop at the Ramada Plaza Hotel. For those of you unfamiliar with ELLI, the program, taught by Professor Zoe English, was an insightful introduction into the world of the Seven Dimensions of Learning Power. Teachers were involved in a combination of lectures and activities designed to enhance our knowledge of teaching by providing a host of strategies to take ELLI into the classroom. In a nutshell, ELLI helps teachers TEACH. ELLI provides a vocabulary for learning and “makes learning learnable.” If that sounds odd, then read on. ELLI encourages teachers to allow students time to explore, reflect and encourages them to have the courage to CHANGE. By providing them with the Seven Dimensions, the most important of which is RESILIENCE, we can help our student achieve “the next level and beyond.” CREATIVITY is also a key dimension in which learning is taught through metaphors students can understand such as the story of the Bear and the Elephant, in which animals represent concepts students can access as well as be entertained along the way. It was a very productive day and there can be no doubt our teachers learned a thing or two. We are currently incorporating the Seven Dimensions into our classrooms, allowing students time for reflection and teaching them the power of resilience. Effective lifelong learning is the goal of IBSB, and we are certainly better prepared to teach thanks to the ELLI professional development workshop.
Performance Morning By Maria Sticlea (Year 7) Students, teachers and parents were delighted to enjoy each other’s hidden talents at this year’s fifth annual Key Stage 3 Performance Morning, organised by Ms Katie and attended by Ms Carman, Mr Jennings and their English students. An ordinary Tuesday was miraculously turned into a pleasant occasion for spending time together and discovering the creative side of friends and colleagues. The event was held at Casa Jienilor, and everyone enjoyed hot chocolate and some snacks while watching their peers perform. Stories were told, speeches were delivered, poems were recited, and there were even a few musical acts supported by Mr Angel on guitar. Everyone was listening attentively, because it’s not every day you get the chance of hearing a great piece of writing or listening to wonderful music. Almost everyone performed, and, combined with the amiable atmosphere, encouraging friends, and supportive teachers, it was a worthwhile experience.
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SCHOOL EVENTS
COBIS EAL Conference By Ms Raluca Barbu (EAL Coordinator)
As EAL Coordinator, I was offered the chance to attend the COBIS EAL Conference that took place in February. Aside from taking part in a number of inspiring presentations, the event also meant I was given the opportunity to meet and interact with people who work in internationals schools all over the world; Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and Italy were only a few of the countries which had representatives at the conference. The main speakers, Dr Patricia Mertin, Dr Maurice Carder and Eithne Gallagher, are all well-respected researchers in the field
of teaching English as a Second Language, the information they presented relying on extended studies and lifelong experience.I will not go into the details of the conference because I wouldn’t want to overwhelm the TIV readers... Before I sign off, however, what I want you to understand when you hear of one of your teachers attending a training session is that such events give us, teachers, an opportunity to stop and observe things from another perspective. This is something all of us, teachers, students and parents alike, should try to do from time to time, as intellectual empathy is a key critical thinking skill.
CPD Portugal By Ms Andrea Carman (English Teacher) My favourite country is Portugal, and my passion is teaching/ learning, so imagine my pleasure when I was offered an opportunity to attend a two day teacher work-shop in the attractive city of Estoril, Portugal. The purpose of the Cambridge led session was to unravel the intricacies of the First Language English Exam with special attention on Paper 2. This may not sound interesting to the average reader, but for me, it was akin to being offered first go at a five star buffet. I have taught this exam for the past few years, and achieved very respectable results, but Paper 2 was still somewhat of a mystery in terms of breaking through to the A* level and I was determined to unravel the pesky nuances.
sharing teaching practices and approaches with many of them. The session was led by Sally Sim from England, an educator, speaker and long-time Cambridge exam board grader. Her thorough analysis of the exam, along with a thick folder of examples to support her advice was invaluable and I am a better teacher for the entire experience, not to mention I got to take an early morning run by the Atlantic; the icing on the educational cake!
There were teachers from many different European countries in attendance, which is another excellent reason to attend Cambridge PD sessions; I made new friends and enjoyed
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Secondary School ESU Public Speaking By Andrea Carman (English Teacher) The theme this year was that 'Peace is not just the absence of War'; an intriguing philosophical question. All KS3 and 4 students participated in class and then the finalists delivered their impassioned speeches in school assemblies. The quality was even higher than last year and IBSB demonstrated once again how good it can be in public speaking situations. Delivery was clear and persuasive, all angles were covered and there was a general consensus that inner peace is something to aspire to; that guns and conflicts are one thing and international peace is desirable, obviously, but that inner peace is just as important to the individual. Rather than explain, it is perhaps best for you to read Lena Stefan's speech, which was the overall winner of the IBSB competition. To read the Speech please check the creative corner of the school Magazine.
Netherlands Univeristy Visit By Raluca Sabau (Year 12) With the knowledge that The Netherlands is an up and coming, affordable country to study for university, a group of 14 students, accompanied by Mr Peet and Mrs Baker, flew to Amsterdam for a week at the start of March. Our lively group was made up of Year 11’s, 12’s and one Year 13 who was visiting his future university. Fortunate to be staying in the fabulous Movenpick Hotel in Amsterdam, we took advantage of the extensive (and expensive!) train system of the Netherlands to get to our destinations. Every day the group split, to ensure that we visited universities that piqued our interest. In total we visited eight universities across various cities; Rotterdam, Nijmegen, Leiden, The Hague, Utrecht and Amsterdam. Mrs Baker had contacted all of the universities in advance to arrange visits. Some of the campuses were spread across the city, such as University of Amsterdam, so we just had to find our own way around and were lucky enough to meet up with Vlad Stanoi who graduated from IBSB last year and is currently studying law and politics at the University of Amsterdam ; other universities had arranged current students to talk to us about the course and university life. Mrs Baker introduced us to some of her former students who were attending universities like Erasmus, they spent their time conducting a presentation and taking us on a guided tour of their university. On our final day at the University of The Hague, we became ‘students’ for the day on the European Studies course. We were also asked to become more independent as the week progressed, culminating in us being left at The University of the Hague and then finding our own way around the city, where Mrs Baker and Mr Peet were waiting to reunite us with an ex-IBSB student – Blanca F., and another former student of Mrs Baker’s, currently studying Law in her fourth year. All the students enjoyed the visits and found what could possibly be their future university.
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Burns Supper By Maria Ion (Year 13)
Our school has been closely affiliated with the Light into Europe charity for at least 12 years. It has been an important organisation in which our CAS programme is greatly involved in; this year they brought in the programme where our students are able to attend a school for the deaf and create different clubs for the children, such as painting /drawing or drama and sports oriented activities – communication was easy due to our students completion of the sign language course. Yearly, Light into Europe hold two balls specifically Scottish themed, to raise money for the deaf/blind and create awareness. By now, it has become a tradition in our school for our students to create a group that will start the night off with Scottish dances. The hardest task of all is for the initial recruiting of the group. This responsibility has fallen on me for two years now, and it’s usually a hassle since the year 12 & 13s are usually quite busy or have their own social life. However, my incessant nagging always pays off and once I have found my seven willing colleagues, we begin the process of learning the dances. Every Sunday, we have intense two hour dance rehearsals that can easily replace one gym session – all jokes aside, it is a great opportunity to meet countless other people attending the event beforehand.
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The event is always mesmerising, with all the guests looking as if they stepped out from the pages of a fairy tale – all glamorously dressed with sparkling glasses of champagne. Unlike any other ball, all the men are dressed in kilts, including all the boys in our group, to represent the pride of being associated with this honourable event. Along with the joy of dancing to all of our favourite dances, is the joy of the delicious food – every time I attend this event they always have the most delightful food, especially the traditional Scottish Haggis – I myself prefer the vegetarian version as it is quite a heavy dish. Overall, most of the students that decide to come to this event never regret it. Sadly, this was my least year. I want to encourage everyone to join the student dancing group for the grand honour of attending. Mr Stan Platt, the founder of Light into Europe, is the most kind and delightful man I have ever met and he will warmly welcome you to his team.
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Winter Ball By Emilia Mihaescu (Year 12)
This year’s Winter Ball happened on the 9th of February at Maison 13. Music, snacks, drinks and a photo booth awaited the students; everyone had a great time getting dressed and posing for the photobooth, including the teachers! Soon enough, people started to have fun whilst dancing and sharing drinks. The students also had the option to write in the “Gossip Box” where everyone had the chance to write some juicy gossip they heard or found out. Later in the night the choosing of the “Prince and Princess” was carried out. The events prefects, Maria Popescu and myself, presented the show while the student council and Head Girls judged the contest. The participants had to present themselves in front of the judges and take part in a dance competition. Our prince was Ioan Constantinescu and our princesses were Alexia Verdes and Iulia Badiu (Millie). For the “King and Queen” contest, we had participants from years 10-13. The judges were some of the teachers: Miss Ioana Dumitrescu, Miss Blessy Savu and Mr Ciprian Tiplea. The Kings were Matei Surdu and Tudor Nacu and the Queens were Anais Tomescu and Catrinel Craiu. Overall, our students said it was an enjoyable night. Tudor Ion, a new student this year commented on the event saying: “I think the winter ball was really fun! I got to integrate better in the amazing IBSB community; I cannot thank the prefects enough for organising this event!”
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WHITEBOARD
WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Editorial By Mr Alan Cornish (Head of Primary)
Welcome to the Primary School section of the Spring TIV. I wish to start by thanking all the contributors and the Primary TIV editor, Ms Andreea Rus, for their endeavour creating and editing our section. As you can see, it is largely a celebration of what we do every week in the Primary School, focused on giving our pupils a wide and rich experience in and out of the classroom. The focus this spring, as always, has been on learning, but we also pride ourselves in the diversity of experiences we present to our pupils. To this end, we’ve had the ESU Public Speaking competition in January, proceeded by our internal heats when all children in Years 4, 5 and 6 had the opportunity to present their ideas on why “adventures are never fun whilst you are having them” – a Lewis Carroll quote. We have also enjoyed Martisor, thanks to Claudia Marta for organising it on behalf of the PTF and the workshops for revealing our pupils’ beautiful creativity. A clear highlight of this term was World Book Day, when we were visited by the very amusing and creative Ciaran Murtagh, a famous author and TV presenter and Ms Elena Mocanu, yet another of our creative parents who has published books for children. We were so happy that both came to share their own stories and poems with us – The kids loved it and were inspired to write. Add to this the Kangaroo competitions, Science Week, the ski trip, theatre trips and many other educational visits and
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you will have a flavour of the enrichment we bring to our children’s experiences on a weekly basis. Our next performance will be at Light into Europe’s next big event, the St George’s Supper on 22nd April, when we will be performing vignettes from a variety of Shakespearean plays. Maybe we will see some of you there? This term, I have continued to be impressed with the many models and projects I have seen coming into school at the beginning of each term, most notably the inventions in Year 3 and amazing castles in Year 1. It is important to note that whilst it is fun to make these projects at home together, the experience they have presenting their work to their colleagues is vital to help develop their 4P skills: prepare; practice, perform and present. Many of these events have been captured on our Facebook page, on the website and on Twitter. We publish the amazing exploits of our children every day on social media, so the world can see how brilliant they are. Please follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @IBSBprimary and you will get up to the minute updates on the brilliance that we see every day and an opportunity to interact with the daily life in the Primary School at IBSB. We have many more events planned so keep tuned…
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Early Years (EYFS) Shopping Spree Fun
Children in EYFS learned about Shops and Money. They found out about different kinds of shops. We raised children’s awareness of money and how to use it wisely. Through games children had the opportunity of using real-life money to pay for their pretend shopping. They enjoyed playing shopping games, either in the Supermarket or at the Sweet Shop, which allowed them to get engaged in more hands-on activities like art and craft “Shopping Trolley “or ICT games like “Decorate the Gingerbread House’.
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 1 Castles
This term, Year 1 learned about how people lived long ago and how they built castles as a form of defence. They were especially amused by the toilet facilities back then. They learned the different parts of the castle and what each part was used for. They used some of their vacation to build their own castles and the results are awesome. We are very proud.
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 2 Young Explorers
This term, Year 2’s topic for their Cross Curricular lessons is Famous Explorers. We have researched significant explorers including Christopher Columbus who sailed to America, Captain Scott who tried to be the first person to reach the South Pole and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first two people to walk on the moon. The children loved learning about the different explorers so much so they wanted to teach everyone else the story during their assembly last week. As part of our literacy lessons we have also looked at explorers. First we studied the film, Up and we predicted what might happen after Carl releases the balloons and the house flies away. They become very creative and thought of many different possibilities. The next lesson we discussed senses and what they would see, hear, smell and touch as the house flew away. Before writing, the children shared their ideas through group work. There were four stations and at each station they had to think of just one of the senses. Once they had moved around all four groups the children then chose their favorite sentences to write in their own literacy book. This week we are writing an adventure story and changing the ending of Up. So far the stories they have written are very imaginative. We have a couple more weeks left learning about explorers and looking forward to the work year 2 produce.
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 3 Funtastic Science Experiments
This term the students in Year 3 have really enjoyed learning about different scientiďŹ c concepts and conducting experiments. During Ski Week the children who were in school took part in numerous interesting and exciting science activities. In one experiment students tested how objects float in salty water. Another captivating experiment, gave the children the opportunity to have their own ocean, an "Ocean in a bottle". By creating their own ocean, they have learned that certain liquids have different densities that do not allowthem to mix. This meant that the oil, the water and the blue ink created sparkling bubbles. At the end of the week the children thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Casa Experimentelor where the hands on activities allowed them to understand further scientiďŹ c principles. More recently in class we have studied light. The children have investigated which materials reflect light the best, learnt about different sources of light and had fun working with mirrors. Year 3 are now keen scientists and eager to investigate the world around them.
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 4O Young Explorers Year 4O were really excited when they discovered they were going to visit Casa Experimentelor as part of IBSB Science Week. Upon arrival we were amazed to see the variety of playful science resources that stretched out before our eyes in this house of fun! We observed optical illusions and images that appeared to follow us. We learned about a phenomenon called resonance which is the friction between a violin bow and a metal plate, which has sand and generates vibrations. The following day, Casa Experimentelor visited our classroom to extend our learning further; we found out how much energy can be in a lemon through a simple electrical circuit experiment. It was evident to see we learned a lot of interesting facts during Science Week!
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 4M Inspired to be: ICT whizz-kids
There is something special about seeing children applying and adapting their skills. Throughout the year we have been working hard at developing our ICT skills across a range of subjects and understanding some theory. We looked into what actually happens to ďŹ les that we send over the internet. Where exactly do they go? How do they travel? We did this by acting it out and it was surprising how many small details have to be in place!
The children have been using their skills outside of school by doing research for their homework. The tablets have also been a great tool for us in class as we dug deeper for information about the Rainforest to write our Information Texts in Literacy. Our favourite so far however, has to be creating our own websites. It is hard work but we are almost there! The children took what they learnt about the Victorian Era and their knowledge of what makes a successful webpage as a catalyst for their websites. Using Google Sites has been something new for us, but as they are close to completion they are looking great! Looking at the results I think I may have a few digital leaders of the future in our class, what do you think?
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
ESU Public Speaking Competition By Ana Sporis and Alkyoni Kotsis (Year 5) The English Speaking Union Public Speaking Junior competition took place at IBSB on Saturday the 24th of January. Here, two Year 5 students explain how the competition works and what an exciting experience it can be! Public Speaking is the act of speaking to a large group of people. It is a very difficult skill, and known as a common fear for many people! There are 3 purposes of public speaking: -to inform -to persuade -to entertain Whilst many people fear Public Speaking, there are plenty of good reasons why we should not approach it only with courage, but also with pleasure and hope.And I am saying - after my first participation in such a competition - that I gained a lot, not only as a student of 5th grade but at personal level. The experience helps students to: -developcourage -build confidence -learn to form strong arguement -learn to persuade ESU - the institution which organises the Public Speaking contest in Romania - operates to actively promote English Speaking in many areas of life.The ESU is of the view that education forms the strongest links between different people, but I found out thatparticipation in such a competition also offers us a great opportunity to know ourselves better. Many people supported the ESU competition in organising the contest by: Listing of names in alphabetical order Allocating of children for each room Providing seating for contestants and audience Suggesting a theme for the competition Timing the children’s speeches Taking photos while children say their speeches Judging the competition. The three judges expect the participants to: Be spontaneous Speak English fluently in public Say their speeches naturally, without struggling to remember the words. The judges also pay attention to the ability of contestants to communicate their emotions and thoughts. The participants have to present a confident attitude and deal with questions – offering relevant and concise answers. One important requisite of this competition is to hold the audience’s attention. There are many educational benefits of doing this competition. Education may not be the key to happiness, but it definitely is the key to a lot of other experiences which come together to make you happy. Education is the key to a brighter future. So my teacher, along with my parents are obviously important in my educational path.
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To succeed in this competition means finding yourself in a place where you need to be ambitious. You need to focus on making your own speech as good as possible. Therefore, the spirit of the competition is best summed up by the following quote: I make us better by competing with you. Ana (Year 5) describes her experience at the competition: I had many feelings during the whole exhilarating experience – some bad, some good and some hidden behind my nervousness. When I got out of bed I felt relaxed and carefree, not knowing what emotions might lay behind the door, waiting to be unleashed. The moment I stepped into the competition room a felt every little tremble like a hurricane and my knees started knocking uncontrollably. At that moment, everything influenced me: there were many worried people running around trying to organise the immense group of children – most of them struggling to reduce their trepidation. Everyone was friendly, I have to say, and that comforted everyone and brought a slight wave of calm. The organisation was 5-star, and I knew immediately which room I would need to go to and which friends would be there. I met other friends and we discussed our jittery feelings. We answered each other’s questions, which gave me a lance of self-confidence which still flourished as I went towards the room. You might not believe me but even a war of emotions inside you, bubbling and flickering, starts to fade in just a little time. But at the door I realised that my confidence wasn’t as invincible as I had known it to be all these years and my tough armour was just a piece of rusted metal. I was already seated by now, my leg nervously swinging against the pressure I felt. Why was I the only one who was riding a tsunami of nerves and worries? I waited impatiently for my name to be called. I imagined myself staggering to the front or even fainting, but the previous contestants all looked as if their “mind ghosts” had been replaced by a sudden avalanche of relaxation. Really! Nobody seemed to feel like me! “Now it’s time for our next contestant, Ana Sporis!” My heart raced and pounded, fueled by a chunk of fear, as I opened my eyes and made my way to the front… Public speaking was an important experience for me, as I learnt how to control my emotions under pressure and to never give up – very valuable lessons in life!
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 6M A Surprising Science Week
In Year 6 we’ve been exploring the fascinating universe of science through experiments with electricity, magnetism and air resistance. Testing air resistance, we had to create our own parachutes and we got to launch them down to test their efficiency. Searching for answers to our challenging questions, such as “What is electricity?” and “What exactly are magnets and how do they work?”, we set off to visit Casa Experimentelor, a newly -opened exhibition space dedicated to making science accessible to everyone through a series of experiments you can interact with. We simply loved it, many of us thought the best part was the Tesla Bobine where we got to experience some static electricity and some of us got a new hairstyle as a result! At the end of the week, we’ve taken part in a Science Fair organised in the Primary School where we got to showcase our own experiments while sharing with other classes. Science is fun!
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Year 6O Scientists In Year 6O we have, quite literally, had a blast during our Science Week! It was our chance to show off the scientists in us as we embarked on researching and finding interesting experiments that we could show to our classmates. We had ‘Walking water’, ‘Self-inflating balloons’, ‘Homemade compasses’, and much more! Tudor managed to turn our school playground into one giant cloud using his dry-ice experiment. In addition to our own scientific experiments, we also had the chance to go to Casa Experimentelor where we were able to investigate a variety of different experiments that had us all amazed. Some of us were brave enough to lie on a bed of nails, where others had their hair restyled by Static Electricity. We even got to see a lightning bolt inside! All in all, we had a brilliant science week that was, not only a lot of fun, but also expanded our knowledge of our amazing world.
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WHITEBOARD- Primary School
Interview - Jack Oldham By Abby Opperman (Year 6) Our new teacher in Year 6 is Mr. Jack Oldham who comes from a small village in Yorkshire, England. He has spent 4 years teaching in England, and the last 4 months at an International School in Iasi, Romania. What would you say is the best advice your parents ever gave you? I would say it is the advice that brought me here; don’t let anything stop you from doing the thing you want to do, there is always a solution. Where does your surname originate from? It comes from a town in England called Oldham and it means low land by a river. What do you find most appealing in a student? I like a hardworking, determined and inquisitive student with a good sense of humour. Which part of teaching do you love the most? I like hearing what children think, some of the things children say are amazing in every sense of the word and I never get bored of it.
Why did you decide to become a teacher? When I was younger I coached cricket to children and because I loved it so much I decided to volunteer at a primary school. I enjoyed that even more, so it was clear what my career was going to be. If you could get an airplane ticket to anywhere in the world where would it be? This is a tough one because I love to travel so much, but if I have to choose I would want to go to Australia to see the Great Barrier Reef. What are the top 3 things on your bucket list? 1. Travel the world as much as possible. 2. Drive the car of my dreams which is a Lamborghini. 3. Learn Romanian as quickly as possible. What do you find to be the most difficult aspect of teaching? The one I find most difficult is saying goodbye to a class at the end of the year.
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IBSB ALUMNI
ALUMNI
Life at University of South Hampton By Thomas Ferfelis
Finding the right university isn’t something easy; it requires a lengthy process that very few people focus sufficiently on during this critical transition in life. Think about it, your degree will last around 3 to 4 years and that is a significant amount of your life being spent at university, so you might as well research your choices so you can find your right fit. My process of universities was ‘truly amazing’ as put by Mr. Lee. I basically created an excel including all universities in the UK. I took out everything outside of England whilst also eliminating London. Next I took out any university that didn’t provide business or management related courses. At this point I had eliminated about 300 universities from the 500 available in the UK. Finally, look at your grades and be realistic - I knew getting 3 As or better was too much for me, however, at the same time, I knew anything less than 3 Bs was too low for me. Once that was done I had 80 universities. I placed importance on my uni to have football so therefore I prioritised that by looking at football teams that I could play for in the area and the football level the university had which led me to my final 20 choices! I checked every university’s modules for my subject and looked at the city details of each one so I could narrow it down and visit 10 of these institutions in November. By doing so I ended up having a great offer by the course director at Southampton, because he got to know me personally and liked me as a candidate. Originally I had ignored my university, but Southampton is the greatest choice and I regret nothing. This was all thanks to my sister who questioned my decision of not including this university on my list – after reconsideration I ended up here. The moral of this story is that, even with great preparation, you can lose the chance of a lifetime. So do the preparation, question yourself and do it once more to ensure a choice suited to your needs. Socialising as a general concept is not easy for everyone. But at any university I assure you that everyone is quite socially challenged to some degree; everyone in the first week usually ends up being overly friendly and sometimes this can even get suffocating.
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This usually lasts for a whole semester and slowly people reveal their true nature leading to loss of contact with many of those initial friends by the second year.I knew this going in, so I didn’t try to create a huge amount of friends, as I knew that these superficial relationships would be a waste of my time. Instead, I joined a variety of different societies including the chess, football, Greek society and many others – this allowed me to mingle with different people of various courses and degrees. Keeping active and busy is essential to not becoming nostalgic or even lonely. My Tips: What I have learnt? • In my experience I have found British people to be quite cold, especially in comparison to Romanians. • Follow all your lectures and tutorials: prioritise your duties as a student – most courses have 20 hours per week, this is nothing in comparison to the 40 mandatory hours you have to attend in school. • Expect socialising to be different to Romania’s: England has its own traditions when it comes to partying and entertainment, I myself find that Bucharest is on another level and can’t compare to what I’ve experienced in England. • The free time: do something with your spare time, don’t become lazy. I recommend you read and revise two hours everyday and pick up some new skills/hobbies (such as cooking or learning a new language). I love my university, my course and everything that Southampton has offered me so far as a student. However, even I admit that Istruggled in my first year to constantly revise for exams and write all my essays whilst finding useful things to do in my spare time with the right people. I hope this “life-story” comes in handy, and if this article has not answered your questions about university, please send in questions to Maria Ion who will in turn give them to me and I’ll answer by emailing you directly. Goodluck with your final exams.
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ALUMNI
Life after IBSB By Stergios Mallioglou
First semester exams are finally over and the battle-worn faces of students are once again bearing smiles. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the library is actually empty for the first time in months. Still in shock from the brutal exams and countless all-nighters, this is the moment in a university student’s life where confidence is at its highest. Two simple reasons for this are: firstly, we can now enjoy a sleeping session (or “sesh” in uni slang) for more than 3 hours. Secondly, and most importantly, the money that has been saved on small meals, coffee and/or red-bull for revision can now be used for relaxation and proper fun. At last, with some free time not spent on coursework, I shall try and highlight some major experiences and thoughts on university life so far. G oing to university is a great step in one’s life. Anyone that has been through this life changing experience may know what it’s like, but everyone else prepare for a controversial “truth-bomb”. I found through my experiences that students tend to leave high school with a certain confidence and relatively set ideas of who they are. Along with other students, I found out, that I couldn’t have been more wrong about my perception of life. Depending on how you play your cards, an entire cosmos full of endless possibilities unfolds itself right before your eyes. There are no routines, no limits and the only thing standing between you and the shape of your future is yourself. This may sound scary and overwhelming but I can tell you that with an open mind it is the very opposite. Every obstacle and every hard-earned success helps shape your future. Every independent choice made, will bring you a step closer to being a complete person, and every failure will only make you stronger. I do wish I could say (like many adverts do) that university is mostly fun and games, but the truth is, that the rewards you get are only a reflection of the work you put in. I am currently in my second year, studying Robotics Engineering at the University of Plymouth and if at this point you are thinking to yourselves “You get to play with robots every day… and get a degree for it!?” Then the answer is yes… to a certain extent! At least when you get past all the physics, the computer code, and at times some admittedly obscure maths, the results can be pretty entertaining. I love everything about my course, the ups, the downs, the pressure and above all the content. international british school of bucharest
It is a demanding degree that requires a lot of devotion and dedication but at the same time I found that passion makes every boring task and annoying aspect of it effortless. Students are presented with the opportunity to explore a field of interest with experts and like-minded peers (who by the way, in second year feel more like family), to break out of their comfort zones and really understand what makes them unique. Academics aside though, I found that the strongest emotion among students is pride for their uni. It doesn’t matter if it’s big, small, at the top or bottom of a league table; it is theirs and it’s the best there is. Much like in the American system (that we know from movies), everyone is encouraged to be a part of social groups aka. societies (the correct term as described here in the UK. None of this frat and sorority nonsense). These are troops of companions who are there for each other throughout all uni experiences. These include but are not limited to: trips, sports events, cheeky pub crawls and all around “bants” (fun times with friends where teasing is appreciated but not obligatory). Belonging in a society doesn’t really make any sense and it can’t be explained, but you simply know when you’ve found “the one”. It often gets loud and competitive, but at the end of the day you make friends for life. All in all, it’s an amazing journey with a lot to offer. Be passionate and get inspired. Days will be rainy and morning lectures impossible to wake up for, but it’s all worth it for some of the best memories you will all carry for the rest of your lives.
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ALUMNI
What is the Military Like? - Liam Hughes By Adriana Bajescu (Year 13) Liam Hughes had been studying in our school from the time he was in year 1. A couple of years ago, Liam left our school in order to attend the army in England, a dream he had been talking about for as long as I have known him. Liam is living his extraordinary life in an intensely physical way and is awaiting great things for his future. Q: What does a day in your life look like? A: A day in my life varies by what duties I have to do on that specific day; it's hard to say. My days start early with a morning parade and then completing whatever task has been allocated to me. Q: What is your greatest success so far? A: My greatest success so far was completing my CSENG (Communications Systems Engineering) course, I am now a class 3 engineer. Q: How about your biggest regret? A: I have no regrets. So far, all of my decisions have brought me to where I am now. Learning from my mistakes helped me to become the man I am currently. Q: What is one new thing you have learnt about the army that you didn't know before? A: The army is easier than I thought but harder in different aspects. You can never really explain it. It is definitely different to what I imagined. Q: How are you dealing with the intense change from IBSB? A: Well I left IBSB a year before I joined the army to move to the UK. This time acted as a trial period as I was attending interviews whilst training and preparing for the military section, I was not attending school at this time. This greatly eased my way into the army, making the transition much more bearable! Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? A: In my spare time I go to the gym to train, but sometimes I watch movies or TV series like everyone else. I mainly just try to relax due to the intense use of energy required in the military. Q: Has it been easy for you to fit in? A: Like most recruits, it takes time to adjust to that way of life but over time i found it easy to fit in and now consider it more of a home than my actual home. Q: How do you maintain your fit lifestyle? How many calories do you eat and burn a day?
I go to the gym around 5-6 days a week. The hours of training vary by what I do. I try to keep my cardio up to a high level as I have to pass certain tests. Q: What are your long term plans? A: I only plan to do 4 years in the military then see what else awaits me. I plan to use the skills I achieved in this trade to broaden my horizons and maybe even start fresh with something else. I plan to move from the UK and travel somewhere else. Q: Where are you going to be based next and how are you feeling about it? A: I'm going to be based in Stafford, a 16-signal regiment, by the middle to the end of the year; I’m looking forward to it.
A: I maintain a fit lifestyle by my nutrition and daily physical activity. The army does have scheduled PE sessions but it mainly encourages you to do your own fitness in your spare time as it is your responsibility to keep fit.
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SCHOOL VIEWS
SCHOOL VIEWS
Applying to Oxbridge By Maria Ion (Year 13)
As many people know by now, Dilara Yildiz has been accepted by the prestigious University of Oxford – in order for our students to gain insight into the process I decided to interview her. What were the interviews like? They were extremely challenging, but I had fun. They asked me things that I had never heard about, and they really challenged what I had written in my personal statement. You could tell that they cared more about how I thought things through, and not what I already knew. I had only two interviews that week, but I know some people who have had as many as six. Besides that, it was really nice meeting the other people who were interviewing at the college, and it gave us a chance to get a feel for what it would be like to actually live and study there. What are you most looking forward to at Oxford? I am really excited to be surrounded by other students who are passionate and motivated about their subject, as well as professors who are world-renowned. Also, I heard that Malala Yousafzai has an offer for next year, so the fact that I might have the opportunity to talk to her is absolutely amazing. Do you have any wise words to future students that will apply to Oxbridge? I think the most important thing is to be passionate about the subject you are applying for, and make sure that it shows through your personal statement. If you get an interview, prepare but don’t overdo it. Chances are, you will be asked about topics you don’t know in addition to questions about your personal statement; they aren’t trying to test your knowledge, but rather your thinking process. Also, when preparing, make sure to know your personal statement and the reading materials you included extremely well, and that you can defend the points you included.
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How come you applied to Oxford? What was your motivation for applying? Ever since I moved to Europe, I have planned on attending a university in the UK. Oxford just seemed like the natural choice because I fell in love with the course that I applied for. Also, I visited the university last summer and it was amazing, I could really picture myself studying there. How did the process of applying to an Oxbridge university differentiate from applying to a normal university? For starters, the personal statement is completely different. Oxbridge don’t really care about extra-curricular activities, unless they relate directly to your course. What they want to see is evidence of passion and knowledge. It is also important to include analyses and opinions on outside reading that you have done on your course to really show that you are interested enough in your subject that you are willing to work on it during your free time. How was the experience of the Oxford test you had to take? What did you have to do? Each subject requires a different test; I had to take the Oriental Language Aptitude Test. In it, you are given two pages of sentences in a made-up language. They translate a few of those sentences for you, and based on that, you must detect patterns to decipher and translate the rest of the paper. I thought that I hadn’t done well because I had only completed half of the test in the 30 minutes that we were given. However, I still scored around a 50%, which shows that they were looking for quality over quantity.
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“The Antidote Against Fear” By Ms Barbu & Ms Croci (The Social Sciences Department) From the 13th to the 19th of March Bucharest hosted the 10th Edition of the One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. I look forward to this event every year, with excitement and curiosity, to see what themes and categories the organisers put together this time, and most importantly, what exceptional stories about human life they will tell to the young Romanian public. 58 documentaries from over 40 different countries were presented this year and the theme of the festival was FEAR: the paralysing, self-defeating, mind-obliterating sentiment that slowly creeps into our lives and unleashes our demons. Fear stares silently at us, fear whispers, fear shouts out in the loud speakers until our reptilian brain goes amok under the deafening sound of panic over the overwhelming and pervasive perceived threats: of conspiracy, of foreigners, of change, of poverty, of governments, of corporations, of disease, of war, of difference, of deviance, of the unknown… and the reaction is always destructive to the self and to others. STOP! Have no fear! There is no reason to be scared. As a child I was impressed with this warning by a wise fictional character: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” I have grown up convinced of its validity. (Of course it makes more sense to quote Yoda, the Star Wars Jedi in this context than to make reference to religious scriptures – after all, you too, my unknown reader, could think that I am a religious fanatic and run away scared). Fear is a dirty screen filtering perception, through which reality appears as grotesque and monstrous. Nevertheless, there are therapeutic solutions to phobias, and there are antidotes to combat rational fear, too. These are: awareness, inquisitiveness, communication, and understanding to name only a few. And this is exactly what we usually do in our department, by disseminating knowledge about the workings of the human mind, about meaning, identity, and social institutions. We are guides leading our pupils from their own comfortable corner of reality to the dark place in their mind where they can confront with their own stereotypes and anger, and safely back equipped with the tools of empathy, tolerance, and communication. Thus, the Social Sciences Department decided to give IBSB pupils an immunisation scheme against fear this spring. We extended an invitation not only to those studying Social Sciences but also to everyone else interested and we got our visual vaccines, hoping to understand the world in which we live a little better. Here are some impressions from the One World screenings:
Romanian soccer, the goalkeeper, born with only one hand, and the players, some of them Roma, prove that it is possible to live together guided by their shared passion.” Our student’s view: The motto of the Fratia Football club says it all: “Give up hostility. Love Brotherhood.” There is a phenomenal sense of camaraderie, equality and dedication to the club’s values; the players are “idealists to the bone, until the end”. They work and sacrifice for passion, not for fame, nor for profit, but purely for playing football. On the field they have achieved complete fairness, and they are proud to have built a sportsmen community that does not see disability, age, or ethnicity as barriers to achievement. I have been impressed with how much dedication the players, coach, and owner have put into their passion and with how much satisfaction they derive from being part of this club. They definitely set an example. Nevertheless, I wondered if by looking at this story we could understand what changed in the competitive sports arena that spoiled this pure fair-play ethos. Can you tell? By Loren Badarni (Year 12) NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM | Miroslav Janek | Czech Republic | 2016 One World synopsis: “To society, I’m disabled. To me, society is disabled,” says one of the protagonists of this film, reductively seen only as “autistic.” Filmmaker Miroslav Janek decides to approach his subjects not as children with Asperger, but as complex human characters who are neurodiverse in a world set up for neurotypicals. Thus, autism stops being a medical diagnosis and becomes a fascinating way of thinking that takes effort to decipher. Shot over two years, the film is a beautifully crafted, intimate observational portrait of five youngsters who, apart from loving Tarantino or The Little Prince, playing classical music or writing long stories in English, can explain clearly how their brains are differently wired and how that affects them. The unique aesthetic of the film adds to its immersive power, aiming to slowly shift the perspective of a majority who determines what is “normal.””
Our student’s view: What impressed me the most in this film was its authenticity. I could relate to each of the characters, children and adolescents diagnosed with the Aspergers’ syndrome, who find it hard to understand social conventions, or make durable friendships, but at the same time have very BROTHERHOOD | Cătălin Farcaș | România | 2016 deep interests, amazing talents, or are full of anger and resentment, just like every other teenager. I have studied the One World synopsis: “It’s not a story about football; it’s a Asperger’s Syndrome in Psychology AS, and I know the story about life,” says the journalist who covered them in the general diagnostic features and the typical manifestations of New York Times. To him, the members of the Brotherhood the disorder, but this film made me reflect on the fact that club, a team in Romania’s fifth division, show the very best of behind every standardised diagnostic label there is a unique Romanian society. They started low, with cardboard shields person, who simply will not fit any general over-simplistic and shorts tied with string. They still have little money, and description. “I am not special. You are all too similar”, one of sometimes even food is a luxury – they keep chickens and the children in the movie says. Perhaps normal people should goats to make sure they have something to eat at the end of be less concerned with conformity... I am really glad the the game. Yet the Brotherhood remains the only club in the Normal Autistic Film won the Teenager’s Jury Prize for the league run on the principles of equality and non-discrimination: best documentary competing in the festival this year! It was race, ethnicity, disability, and age do not matter. definitely my favourite, too. The Congolese coach, the first and only black coach in By Andrei Marin (Year 12) international british school of bucharest
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“The Antidote Against Fear” By Ms Barbu & Ms Croci (The Social Sciences Department) WHITE RAGE |Arto Haolonen | Finland | 2016 One World synopsis: “What is going on in the mind of a young man who plans mass killings? Lauri, a kid who, after his father’s death, became the target of severe bullying in school, isolates himself in rage. At two points in his life, during high school and during college, Lauri fantasizes about committing mass murder. As an adult, Lauri has turned into an expert in human aggression and mass killings, and can now reflect on his own trajectory and on the origins of violence in the world. His voiceover floats over archival footage and understated yet suggestive reenactments in this hybrid film whose assured formal ingeniousness betrays the sure hand of an experienced director. “ Our student’s view: This film is a profound and subjective analysis of the roots of what the protagonist describes as “white rage” - planned, carefully organised aggression. How is it possible that Finland, the country that has reputation of having the best educational system in the world, has not found a way to prevent bullying to start with, and massshootings from its schools, the public asked? Perhaps, as the director explained, the answer is not to be found in the way in which school structures operate, but within the culture that the school is a part of, and even within human nature itself. Explaining aggression becomes an exercise of calibrating our observational lenses: zooming out, schools are simply micromodels of society - they will pick and replicate the power relationships found in the wider community, zooming in you will find the personal accumulated frustrations, anger, resentment, the destructive drive, and the dissociation from the oppressive group that comes to be seen as a “foreign, obnoxious species”. The film raises numerous questions. Is receptiveness and care enough to rescue, not only the victims of bullying, but also the countless victims of their “white rage”? By Petru Galaseanu (Year 12) SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS THE AMERICAN ANARCHIST | Charlie Siskel | USA | 2016 One World synopsis: At nineteen, William Powell wanted to build a new society, so he started by teaching the world how to blow up the old one: he wrote The Anarchist Cookbook, an epoch-defining text which combined revolutionary rhetoric with practical advice about how to make bombs. Described by a FBI memo as “one of the crudest, low-brow, paranoiac writing efforts ever attempted”, the book sold over two million copies and remains associated with decades of violent antigovernment attacks, bombings, school shootings, and homegrown domestic terrorism. After writing the book, Powell left the U.S. and has led an itinerant life, mostly teaching emotional intelligence and advising schools on how to deal with special needs children. Filmmaker Charlie Siskel tracks down the author of The Anarchist Cookbook and asks him to reflect on the dramatic consequences of his youthful rebellion. How does one come to terms with this kind of past?
collective responsibility, about owning and coming to terms with one’s own past. Depending on what you want to focus on, the film provides many issues of debate. Is Powell responsible for all the crimes that were associated with the Anarchist Cookbook? After all, he only collated the information from easily accessible sources, before the internet era. Was his work a catalyst of violence and terrorism? Does the fact that the author dissociates himself from his early writing mean that the work itself will lose significance? And also, how far are our actions a product of the social context in which we evolve? ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE |Alfred Peabody | USA, Canada | 2016 One World synopsis: “Michael Moore recalls that I.F. (“Izzy”) Stone once told him that if he wants to find out the real news, he needs to go to page 17 of any newspaper. The first page, he knew, is always controlled by power: governments, corporate advertisers, and propagandists. Between the 1950s and the 1970s, Stone kept a healthy distance from both political power and mainstream media in the United States. Consequently, he has become a reference point for those who practice today the kind of independent investigative journalism that is both necessary, uncomfortable, and financially perilous. Lesser known than mainstream TV and print stars, these people are always on the front lines of the battle between the public interest and the interests of the power: Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian journalist who, together with Laura Poitras, was the first contact for whistleblower Edward Snowden; Jeremy Scahill, who broke open the story on drone killings; Matt Taibbi, music magazine Rolling Stone’s war reporter; and Amy Goodman, the main engine of the online startup channel Democracy Now!” The teacher’s view: Here is an exceptional story of independent journalists who made it their own mission to impartially report the truth. These are the real heroes of free press, risking it all to bring truth to you, if you want to hear it. Just like little Toto, Dorothy’s little dog, they pull the curtain behind which the Great Wizard of Oz is hiding, disclosing the deceit that we are fed with on a daily basis. Whether you study Sociology or not, I hope this documentary will reveal some commonly ignored facts about the mainstream press, as well as give you a few hints on where to look for accurate reporting. In the best case, the film will inspire you to find the courage to look for the truth yourself. "One World Romania at School" is a project that supports the development of activities on the theme of human rights for high school students and teachers. One World organises screenings of documentary films on human right issues, that are aimed at pupils aged 13 and above. These documentary films increase the awareness of social issues that exist in the local community, and worldwide. The pupils taking part in these screenings have an opportunity to participate in discussions and debates with the directors of the documentaries, or with representatives of charities that have expertise in the issues presented in the film.
The teacher’s view: This documentary tells the viewer a story about the authorship of dangerous ideas, personal, and
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Beginners Guide to Life in the 6th Form By Alex Ciolan (Year 12)
The transition between IGCSE and A-Level is not as smooth as one might think, relocating yourselffrom the secondary school campus to your new little home away from home: Main CODECS. With the new building comes new rules. Firstly, the most loved by students, is the uniform policy; for the first time in your life you don’t have to wear the monotonous school uniform that everyone secretly dislikes. The new dress code is rather well summarized under the term ‘office wear’, meaning we will be left to our interpretation, yet it must be approved by the loved CODECS overseer and thorough uniform regulator; Ms Blessy. The other vital rule of CODECS is noise, or more importantly to everyone, the lack of it. As the teachers will kindly explain, CODECS is in fact a place where students need to become more responsible learning to use their study periods effectively if we hope to pass A Level with high grades. From the moment you step into CODECS you are expected to be mature, and to portray an attitude that both your colleagues and teachers alike can cope with. Being in the Sixth Form, you will notice that study periods will become a feature of your new timetable, a time for you to relax and unwind while preparing yourself for the upcoming lesson, right? WRONG! Study periods are for learning and working ONLY, and teachers will make sure you follow said guidelines by regularly checking on students, always ready to unleash a detention on disobedient students.
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Jokes aside, life in CODECS has its perks. You can feel that you have more liberty than in previous years, as you are treated more like an adult than a student, and thus your needs and wants are treated more seriously. Furthermore, you have more freedom; you are no longer tied to the campus with an imaginary rope; students may choose to leave during breaks to eat at a restaurant or shop for food and drinks, or simply just relax in the park. Excelling students are permitted to miss study periods if situated at the beginning or at the end of the school day; this means the possibility to have an earlier release or late arrival. However, do not abuse this as these privileges can easily be taken away from you, which is not in your best interest, believe me. On the brighter side of things, life in CODECS is much more enclosed and the relationships between the years 12 and 13 become much stronger because of the relatively small environment that CODECS provides. In the two years that you will spend here, you will get to meet, discuss and interact with people you may have not interacted with before, which in the long run will be beneficial as it may build friendships that can last longer than your time at IBSB. With this being said, CODECS can be both heaven and hell for you, depending on your willingness to adapt and alter to the Codecs lifestyle. If you are open to change, then CODECS will welcome you with open arms, providing laughs, thoughts and memories for the two final years of your life at IBSB; my advice is that you should make the best of your time here.
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Work Experience By Lisa Puiu (Year 11) During the final weeks of school, Years 11-13 have the opportunity to find out more about which career ignites the fire of passion in their hearts through the IBSB Work Experience Programmw provided by the school. It allows us, as young, inexperienced students, to get a taste of what our futures might be like. Even if you might not know what exactly you want to pursue, at least it allows you to know what you would not enjoy doing. There are a variety of choices offered by this program, so that no matter what your preferences are, you will be able to find something to your liking. It is the perfect way to introduce yourself into the working world and take a step towards the direction of your dreams. Through my own initiative, I worked as an assistant in a veterinary clinic for a week during the summer vacation. Due to the fact that I was not yet in Year 11, I had to set up the connections myself, I received the documents from school and I was soon able to start working at the clinic. The Work Experience Programmw requires the students, as well as the employers, to comment and report on the progress of their work. What this means is that I had to outline what I was assigned to do each day, and my employer had to state whether or not I managed well or whether I could have done better. Despite all these formalities, I still enjoyed each day and made the most of my time there.
The beginning was a bit slow, I had to adjust to how things flowed: which animals are fed first, how the cages are cleaned, where the medicines are, what they are used for, and so on. I got the hang of it quite quickly and soon enough the awkward atmosphere of acquaintances dissolved into light -hearted conversations and first-hand advice. It was incredibly interesting to learn more about how our companions are treated and how general checks are preformed on them. Since I have always wanted to be a veterinary surgeon, getting the opportunity to talk to and learn from experienced vets brought me closer to my vision and my aspirations. Therefore, I highly encourage my colleagues to participate in the program with a positive outlook, as you never know who you’ll meet and what further opportunities lie ahead. Overall, getting involved in and being enthusiastic about the Work Experience Programme is worth your time and will certainly be beneficial to whichever career path you choose to pursue. I’m already looking forward to all the amazing occurrences and funny stories that will arise from all the different departments!
School Success Starts at Home By Aida Ivan (Student Counselor) Talking to your preteen, handling difficult conversations with your teenager, developing a healthy relationship with a stepchild or a new baby in the house, understanding the feelings and the needs hidden behind the oppositional behavior that drives you mad, concrete parenting strategies, e-safety issues, sibling fighting etc., all these and a lot more are the topics discussed in our workshops. Designed for all children’s needs, from newborns to teenagers, our parenting workshops are educational, supportive and customized to the needs of participants. Workshop sessions offer parents an opportunity to meet other parents, to share concerns and ideas about children and family life and to learn more about child development and positive parenting. Nobody knows everything and every child is unique. Even if all children go through the same developmental stages and face more or less the same problems, the way they handle these problems is different from one child to another and from one parent to another. Coming here and sharing and discussing ideas is a lot more beneficial than reading a book on parenting or watching a TV show. The sessions are run by the school counsellor, one monthly session for two hours (the last Thursday of every month). In these sessions we will guide you in any parenting challenge,
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helping the parents deepen their connection to their children and foster self-love, responsibility, resiliency and self-esteem. They are guaranteed to leave our workshops with new tools that they can begin using immediately, new ideas and new studies to think about and to assimilate. Do you want to have a resilient child with a strong personality and help him build up his self-esteem? Do you want to have a good relationship with your teenager-it is possible, trust me! Learn how to stay connected to him by doing these five simple things for 10 minutes every day: 1. Keep your mouth shut =listening (imagine how your teen will feel after spending 5 minutes with you, and not listening to lectures, judgements or disappointments; 2. Keep your sense of humour intact = perspective (it gives you perspective and objectivity); 3. Keep your ears open =curiosity (ears and mouth cannot be open simultaneously); 4. Keep your heart warm and open = love (love makes you see your child in a different light); 5. Maintain a desire to understand your teen’s world = focusing (give up trying to mold them into living up to expectations, and focus on what it’s really like from their perspective).
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Pi(e) Day By Ioan Constantin (Year 9) Cool Pi Day Facts! 1. Only 47 digits of Pi are needed to circumscribe the universe in a circle that wouldn’t deviate from perfect circularity by more than the distance across a single proton! 2. The record for memorized digits of pi was broken when Akira Haraguchi recited 83.431 digits on July 2, 2005 3. Pi is the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet 4. Einstein was born on March 14th, which happens to be National Pi Day
What is Pi? Pie is an infinite number, starting with 3.14. The last digit we know (out of the first 100000) is 1. Even as we speak, mathematicians are still discovering more numbers. Will pi ever have an end? How can you remember Pi? This is an easy way to remember the first 8 digits of pie, as the number of letters in each word adds up to the next digit in Pi.
Who found Pi? The Babylonians estimated pi to be about 3.125, while the Egyptians estimated it to be about 3.16. But the Ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse is largely considered to be the first to calculate an accurate estimation of the value of Pi What do you use Pi for? With pi, you can calculate the area and the circumference of a circle, the only thing you need to know beforehand is the radius. 1.Circumference = The circumference is2πr 2. Area = The area is π�^2 Also, if you divide the circumference by the diameter, you ‘ get Pi.
What do we do to celebrate Pi Day? 1. Bake pies, that are Pi themed and enjoy them with others 2. You can wear different Pi themed clothes 3. People do different Pi Day contests, for example: Memorising the most digits of Pi, and doing different quizzes about the Pi *For an awesome Pi Test Check out below (answers at the bottom of the page) Q1. Who discovered Pi? a) The Babylonians b) The Egyptians c) The Greeks d) None of the above e) All of them Q2. How many digits does Pi have? a) 1000000 b) 5000000000 c) Infinite d) 100 Q3. What is Pi used to measure? a) Circle b) Oval c) Hexagon d) Tridecagon
Answers: Q1. c) / Q2. c) / Q3. a) international british school of bucharest
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SCHOOL VIEWS
New Teachers in our School By Lisa Puiu (Year 11)
Mr Catalin Voicu (ICT Teacher) What were your first impressions of the IBSB community? “I would say I was very impressed; this was my first experience in a fully international school. Before I used to teach in China, they had the same CIE teaching system however the setup of the school was entirely different; in order to initially get accepted you had to pass a very hard test. The students here are very dedicated and bright probably because of it being a smaller school, so therefore students can get more one on one time with the teachers. All my colleagues are great and my students are delightful and incredibly oriented in life, most of them already knowing what they want to do later in life. This a good place to be.” How do you find life in Bucharest? “Well, Bucharest was my initial home until I spent 6 years abroad in my new home; I’m very torn between the two because they both hold a place in my heart. One change that I have observed is the amount of development in this city. I love this place, and I think that the situation here has significantly improved even though most say otherwise.” Mr Bohdan Pantella (Computing Teacher) What were your first impressions of the IBSB community? “Ah, this is a difficult question... Well, I’ll start with the s tudents. They are very motivated and well behaved (some of them at least), they’re happy to learn; it’s a change from my previous experiences. The parents are supportive and also show a lot of interest in their children’s learning process. My colleagues have been very welcoming from the beginning, they are helpful and they’ve made it easy for me to fit in. At an earlier school, it took the staff three months to finally talk to me!”
When did you decide to become a teacher and why did you choose to do so? “I was considering the idea of being a teacher ever since I was a student. I was a substitute teacher for a while and then I worked in IT for about 14 years but then I returned to my true passion of teaching. I worked five years in England, then 6 years in China as a teacher and here I am now. There is an overwhelming feeling of fulfillment when I teach and a students understand.”
How do you find life in Bucharest? “I’ve lived here for five years before coming to this school, so I still know a lot of friends who live here. I was surprised to find so many new malls opened up and there are Mega Images around every corner now! One of the biggest improvements I’ve noticed are the taxi app services, it used to be so difficult to find taxis and now the closest driver is just a click away from me. Living here is just fantastic, things like transport just seem to work so smoothly.” When did you decide to become a teacher and why did you choose to do so? “So, initially I started off with an ICT course at university and on the first day, our professor told us that if we want to make money, we should get out of ICT. Now what am I supposed to think after a statement like that? I went on to become a technician in a school for a year. After some time, the headmaster asked me if I would like to become a teacher. He told me he’d observed my interactions with the children and said that not many people can communicate like that with them. He followed by saying he would like to qualify me; I was surprised but I accepted. That’s how I ended up being a teacher and I’ve been doing it since 2002.”
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Maldives By Ioana Serban (Year 11) I returned from the Maldives just three weeks ago, but I can still remember every detail of my experience as if it was yesterday. The Maldives are really a paradise; the most idyllic and relaxing place on earth. Some people worry that there’s nothing to do in the Maldives but I never had a dull moment: snorkelling with turtles and other resplendent marine creatures, fishing, a boat trip, all sorts of water sports or enjoying a private dinner on the beach. Of course, the fish and sea-food are incredible; I loved the king fish and the coconut salad. You could barely consider eating something other than the fresh fish. The accomodation is also breathtaking. There are villas with their own private pool and offered us an opportunity to look out across the infinite blue water from the deck on our sunbeds. That’s living the dream. What really impressed me was the water, the crystal clear water here is like nowhere in this world.The incredible beauty, the peacefulness, nature, these are just some words I can use to describe paradise .
Student Mentoring By Ms Jane Broadhurst (Head of Pastoral Care) ‘The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.’ - Steven Spielberg The IBSB Mentoring Programme is designed to offer additional guidance and support to students who may require it. The Mentor meets with their Mentee regularly throughout the year encouraging students to form a more realistic and effective approach to school life. A Mentor is an experienced and knowledgeable member of the school community who is an older peer, a Prefect or a staff member. Mentors play a critical role in helping Mentees develop a growth mindset by: • • • • • • • •
Listening Being caring, trustworthy and consistent Helping the student to develop socially and emotionally Helping students set realistic personal/academic goals and to work towards these goals Helping the student to work through any challenges that may arise Providing advice in order to help the student become more effective in setting of personal goals Helping to motivate the student when the level of work increases and the demands begin to increase closer to exam time Possibly offering advice in regard to career and university choices, or refer the student to a staff member able to provide effective support in this area
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Geography work- student thoughts By Mr Mark Storey (Geography Teacher)
Contour models
Landscape in a box
The contour line model was a very fun project to make. It helped me learn about contour lines and it was fun to create and even better to look at all of my classmates projects. Kyra
In Geography we had to design our favourite places in a shoe box. In the inside of the box we had to make the background of the place, the view. On the inside of the lid we have to place from our place. We could use whatever material we wanted, I liked it a lot and focused on a beach in the Bahamas Radu
In Geography we made some contour models to understand contour lines better. Contour lines are lines on a map that represent height. The closer the lines are together the steeper the hill or mountain. Overall, I thought it was really fun and I enjoyed the activity a lot! Angi In Geography we learnt how to draw contour lines and what they are. What are contour lines? Do you know? Contour lines are showing the levels of a mountain, they are drawn like a diagram. I liked drawing the contour lines of a mountain and I also liked looking at the projects the other students did, they were all very creative. Alexia I think the contour model project was a fun experience. The contour model was something different, all the models were fantastic and unique in their own way. Many of them are colourful and different shapes. I hope we will get to make a similar project in the future!! Medeea
My landscape work is about the Great Wall of China. It is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tempered wood and other materials. The whole length of the Great Wall is 21,196km. It was made around 207BCE. The Qin Shuang (The First Emperor of China) made people make it, it took more than 2000 years and it was used against the army of Mongolia. It can be said it is incredible and absolutely terrific. The materials I used are paper, a shoebox and some colour pens to colour it. I am pleased that you like it. Kevin Year 7s assignment was to make a landscape in a box. Anywhere, any material, any box. Mine was the London Eye. The London Eye itself was made of cardboard, with a paper cutout stuck to it. It had a toothpick holding it to a foam support behind it. This set up let the wheel spin. There were two other cardboard cut-outs on either side made into a hotdog and hamburger stand respectively. Andrei I really enjoyed this project. The second I heard about it a thousand ideas popped into my mind. All of the projects made were wonderful, the vivid colours, the wonderful places and the brilliantly creative ideas all added up to an atmosphere of happiness and joy.The task was to choose a place and recreate it in a shoebox using cardboard, paper, plasticine … whatever you wanted. The more creative the better. Everyone made fabulous projects!! Maria
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Checkpoint Exams- All you need to know By Mr Ciprian Tiplea (Deputy Head of School)
With many of our students coming from countries around the world, it is logical to assume that parents are not entirely informed about facts relating to the Year 9 Checkpoint Exams that take place each year in April. Some Basic Questions Answered
When are the exams scheduled? Checkpoint exams usually run over 3-4 days and take place in the 3rd or 4th week of April. Below is the Checkpoint Exam timetable for April, 2017, which is typical for a normal exam year:
Monday 24th April: 11:50 P4 Science 1 What are Checkpoint Exams? 13:55 P5 Maths 1 non-calculator Checkpoint exams are an optional exam that students can Tuesday 25th Apri: 10:50 P3 Science 2 take in England in order for schools to assess the overall 14:55 P6 English 1 progress students have made in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8, and 9). Thursday 27th April: 08:40 P1 Maths 2, calculator It is an assessment designed to predict the likely outcome at 11:50 P4 English 2 IGCSE and A Level based on a student’s current level and Friday 28th April: 08:40 P1 English 3 (2nd Lang ONLY) ability. How do students prepare? What subjects are the exams in? It is expected that teachers will be teaching to the National Checkpoint Exams are offered in English, Maths, and Science. Curriculum of England and, as such, they will not really need Each subject has two exam papers. For English there is also to direct exam preparation. Closer to the exam time, teachers the choice between taking the English Second Language or offer students some practice on past papers to help them get First Language exam for more proficient users of English. Most familiar with the format of the exam. students at IBSB take the English First Language Exam. Do the result have any impact on University Applications? Year 9 Checkpoint Results for 2015-16 (Exams from April, 16) Universities do not look at Checkpoint grades and as such they have absolutely no impact on university applications. As you can see from the results below, the students at IBSB, in most categories, have been graded 5.0 or above. When How are the exams graded? viewing these results it is important to reflect that IBSB is a Scores on the Cambridge Checkpoint scale are from 0.0 (the non-selective school, meaning we admit students based on a lowest level of ability) to 6.0 (the highest level of ability) first come first served basis (not ability), which means that • Students achieving less than 2.0 are considered to have a these results also include the scores of students with special basic understanding of the curriculum content and as such learning needs and students newly arrived at IBSB with a low would benefit from more focus on some areas of the level of English. curriculum • Students achieving between 3.0 and 4.0 are considered to English (First Language) Mathematics have a sound understanding of most of the curriculum (overall) Average score = 5.1 (Overall) Average score = 5.2 content. Reading = 4.3 Algebra = 5.1 • Students achieving more than 5.0 are considered to have an Usage = 5.3 Geometry and measure = 5.4 excellent understanding of the curriculum Writing = 5.5 Handling data = 5.3 Science (Overall) Average score = 4.8 Biology = 4.4 Chemistry = 5.0 Physics = 4.8 Scientific enquiry = 5.0 international british school of bucharest
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Prince Charles Dances the Hora as Barrows Triggers Brexit By Mr Kendall Peet (Head of School) On Wednesday, March 29, the United Kingdom’s permanent representative to the European Union Tim Barrows officially triggered the Brexit in accordance with Article 50 of the ‘Lisbon Treaty’ (2007), now known as the ‘Treaty on the European Union’ (2007), by handing EU Council Representative Donald Tusk a letter informing the European Union of the United Kingdom’s decision to formally withdraw from the European Union. Britain is the first country to invoke Article 50. A Brief History of the European Union The ideology behind the formation of the European Union following WW2 was firstly to form a union as an antidote to the extreme nationalism which devastated the continent in the both World Wars, and secondly to form a strong economic alliance to capitalize on a larger common market. In 1957 Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany signed the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community (EEC) and established a customs union. In 1973 Denmark (including Greenland, which later left the Community in 1985, following a dispute over fishing rights), Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined. Norway had negotiated to join at the same time, but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum. Greece joined in 1981, with Portugal and Spain following in 1986. Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined in 1995. Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia all joined in 2004, with Romania and Bulgaria joining most recently in 2007, bringing the total number of members to 28. The European Union (EU) now covers an area of 4,475,757 km2, with an estimated population of over 510 million. It has an internal single market established through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states allowing for the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market. It also has a common currency, the Euro, used in 19 member countries. The Schengen Area
Image: The Prince of Wales meets residents in the Hospice of Hope in the Romania capital
Prince Charles Visits Romania It is rather ironic therefore that on the very same day that article 50 was invoked, distancing the United Kingdom from Europe, that Romania found itself closer to the United Kingdom than ever with Prince Charles touching down at Otopeni Airport on what has become almost an annual trip to Romania since his first trip here in 1998. He was so enamoured by the Romanian countryside of his ancestors on his first trip (Charles is related to 15th century Transylvania ruler Vlad the Impaler through his great-grandmother Queen Mary), that he purchased two properties in Viscri and Zalanpatak, a short drive from Brasov in the Transylvania region. Both houses have been fully refurnished and are open to the public to stay at. You can find out more about staying at one of Prince Charles’s guests houses at the following links: www.greenpearls.com/hotels/europe/romania/hrh-princecharles-guesthouse www.zalan.transylvaniancastle.com
The big point of contention for the UK, which eventually lead to a UK Referendum on EU Membership in 2016 and the triggering Article 50 a year later, is the free movement of people within the Schengen Area. This is an issue that had been quietly simmering with the number of illegal eastern European workers on the rise in the 80s and 90s, and a steady flow of Eastern EU workers post 2004, The problem was compounded by the recent addition of Bulgaria and Romanian and the UK belief that large numbers of immigrants from these poorer EU countries, were pouring into the UK, even though statistics say otherwise. The final nail in the coffin, however, was the Syrian refugee crisis that led to EU Parliament setting quotas for member countries, and with the numbers swelling to bursting at the borders, such as Calais, and the media in a frenzy about the flood of immigrants coming into the UK, the climate was ripe for a successful ‘No’ campaign; and the rest, as we say, is history…or in this case is becoming history.
One the key reasons for his visit was to meet with Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu to reassure Romania that Britain remains a close ally despite Brexit, and to reconfirm the UK commitment to building strong relations. Whilst her he also took time to visit the Vacaresti wetland park, and the open air museum in Heratrau Park, which features rural houses from Romania’s different regions, where he danced the “hora” and watched craftsmen painting eggs and religious icons on stone and wood. He visited Bucharest's historic Old Town learning about its architectural history, and stopped off at several charities, including the Hospice of Hope to speak to workers and the children receiving support. He also headed out of Bucharest to visit Vizuresti village school, a community project including a school, a kindergarten, a community home, a sports pitch and a dispensary where Prince Charles talked to the pupils, to the school staff, made jokes and even spoke French while attending a French class for several minutes.
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SCHOOL VIEWS
Prince Charles Dances the Hora as Barrows Triggers Brexit By Mr Kendall Peet (Head of School)
Princes Charles Dancing the Hora
He also met President Klaus Johannis at the 17th century Cotroceni presidential palace, where he was presented with the Order of the Star of Romania, for exceptional service to Romania: in 2015, Prince Charles set up The Prince of Wales Foundation Romania, a charity that supports the East European nation's heritage, rural life and sustainable development. Prince Charles is not the only British royal to have visited Romania recently; his son Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited along with his wife Sophie in 2013 in support of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a programme offered at IBSB to students aged 14 and above to help develop conďŹ dence, leadership skills, and a sense of achievement. www.dofe.org So while there are many questions being raised about how the Brexit will impact on the United Kingdom and Europe, it seems pretty clear that the royal visits will continue and that the ties between the Britain and Romania will continue to strengthen with time.
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Image: Vlad the Impaler briefly ruled Transylvania in the 15th century
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SCHOOL VIEWS
El Día del Libro (International Book Day) By Matei Bitu (Year)
Organised by UNESCO, the International Book Day is a yearly event which takes place on the 23rd of April. The date on which the event is celebrated was selected by booksellers in Catalonia (A region of Spain) as a way to honour Miguel de Cervantes, who died on the 23rd (William Shakespeare also died on the 23rd of April). As its name implies, the event is celebrated all around the world but especially in Spain where lovers exchange a rose and a book at the end of the day. This year our school, along with countless others around the world, participated in the celebrations by reading a short passage from Miguel de Cervantes’ most famous story, Don Quijote. Three year nine students; Orel, Ofek and Matei and their Spanish teacher, Ms Aurora, each read a small part of a chapter of the book. All the passages they read were be added to the ones read by other students around the world and played on a Spanish radio station in Madrid called Círculo de Bellas Artes on the 22nd of April, at 16:15 in Romania.
To finish off, here are some facts about Miguel De Cervantes and his book that you probably didn’t know. • Don Quijote is considered the world’s first modern novel. • Cervantes came up with the idea for the novel while he was in prison. • Cervantes named the main character after his wife’s uncle. • A second part to the story was published as a hoax; it is thought that this is what inspired Cervantes to finish his story. • Cervantes drew from his experience as a slave to write his novel. • Don Quijote helped to establish the modern Spanish language. • The book has been translated into at least 50 languages.
How will you celebrate International Book Day?
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SCHOOL VIEWS
Fair Trade- 6th Form By Maria Popescu (Year 12) Recently, during Year 11’s Economics lesson, they discussed the concept of Fair Trade. Fair Trade refers to a way of buying and selling products that makes certain that the people who produce the goods receive a fair price: Fair Trade brings a better standard of living for poor farmers in developing countries. It consists of a range of products such as food and day to day necessities that are marked with the fair trade logo. During their presentation in the 6th form assembly, they presented a range of Fair Trade products and asked students to taste different types of chocolate to see if they could distinguish between the Fair Trade product and the other ones. They also explained the advantages that came along with purchasing Fair Trade products and encouraged students to search for these types of products. The 6th F orm considered this one of the best assemblies as it was both insightful and interactive, making it more enjoyable and easier to understand the importance of Fair Trade products and how we can all help support this concept.
Arkuda Tavern Review By Andrea Carman (English Teacher) Craving the distinctive flavours and preparation of Greek food but don’t have the time (or money) to jump on a plane to Santorini? Well, take heart in the knowledge that an authentic Greek dining experience is a short taxi ride away. We recently discovered the Greek oasis known as Arkuda tavern, thanks to our Greek friends, Eleni and Argyris. This comfy two level restaurant is fairly easy to spot; there’s a whole lamb turning slowly on a spit over charcoal in the front window. When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by the jovial Greek host and the distinctive aroma of grilling meat seasoned with oregano, thyme, and garlic. The food arrived in a delectable array of colours and textures: crispy coated cheese saganaki drizzled with honey, tzatziki dip, warm pita, traditional Greek salad with a plank of feta, and platter after platter of sizzling meat coated in the house spices with that distinctive charcoal infused flavour. There is live music on Sundays and plenty of fellow Greeks to complete the ambience. Yamas! Address: Arkuda Tavern Strada Mihai Eminescu 38 Live music Sundays only
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GCSE POD By Duncan Gowen (Head of Secondary School) This year IBSB has invested in a new exciting educational resource called GCSEpod. Students when they access GCSEpod can look at and listen to audio visual presentations on their IGCSE courses delivered in a student friendly and accessible manner. The pods take an aspect of a course such as the circulation system in Biology and through a four minute podcast go through the topic. Each podcast can be accessed online and then downloaded so it can be listened to time and time again. So if understanding why the Weimar Republic in Germany 1918-34 failed is presenting some challenges a visit to the GCSEpod webpage will help. The same will apply for problems with Algebra in Mathematics, Energy in Physics, Carbonates in Chemistry and many other areas of the GCSE curriculum. Students in Years 9-11 have all been access to this resource not only to help with revision but also to enable students to get ahead with their learning. So just log on and get podding! Schools that have embraced this resource have seen an improvement in their IGCSE results. There is a certain rivalry developing amongst departments regarding which department receives the most downloads. As I write this the race for the IBSB GCSEpod Trophy is being won by the Mathematics Department but the History Department is only 5 pod downloads behind. There is much to pod for. Secondary School Report This has been a very busy term. Weather wise from a UPK perspective we have certainly experienced four seasons in one term. As I make this observation I wonder what might possibly be the four seasons of the learning cycle. In my pondering I settle on challenge, frustration, disappointment and elation and then I ask what we at IBSB do to help students navigate successfully through the four educational seasons and I can conclude that we can inspire, we can support and we can celebrate. I feel that during this term there has been a lot of inspiring, supporting and celebrating in the secondary school as we continue to build a community of passionate life-long learners. Students have been encouraged to look beyond the boundaries of the school through the dedicated and imaginative work of the CAS group as well as the MUN and Public Speaking Clubs. Non-uniform days, Red Nose Day, countless cake sales and the unhealthy but delightful chocolate challenge have all helped us to think of others. The schools partnerships with the Bruno Shelter, Touched Romania and Santa Macrina shows the school’s humanity and its commitment to making the world a better place. The development of global citizenship continued with many students attending screenings of films connected with the One World Theme. The MUN Trip to the Netherlands was by all accounts hard work but inspirational and clearly enhanced the international mindedness of all who attended. Those students who went on the Netherlands University Trip are clearly aware of and more focussed on life beyond IBSB which is an excellent outcome. In the recent Interschool Athletics Grand Prix competitors from IBSB achieved 5 gold, 11 silver and 7 bronze medals; 23 in total which represents an
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outstanding achievement. We are inspiring and supporting each other in these ventures and celebrating the positive outcomes. In the classroom too there has been much to celebrate. Many students have achieved achievable offers from top ranked universities in the UK, the Netherlands and Canada. The Ethics of Excellence Board is now well established. The work on display is inspiring and is the product of hard work. The poetry written for the COBIS Poetry Competition, the entries for the COBIS Art Competition and the COBIS Science Competition, the work completed to submit entries for the DNA Day Biochemistry Competition and the IGGY Creative Writing Competition all show the commitment of staff and students to both excellence and hard work. The new Academic Support Card System is designed to support the students through the championing of effort both in the classroom and at home during homework time. The introduction of GCSEpod gives students the opportunity to take more control of their learning. The more formal IGCSE, AS and A2 mock examinations has given to students the opportunity to reflect on where they currently are in their learning journey and what they need to do in order to achieve their goal. For staff it has provided the opportunity to identify content and skill areas where the students will need additional support. Staff as well as students have continued to learn and to develop their professional skills. The Effective Life Learning Training Day will in time enable staff to better support students in their learning journey through helping students develop key skills and attributes. In lessons and form time both staff and students are becoming more familiar with the language of life-long learning. In the next few weeks students in Years 7-10 will discover their current life-long learning profiles. Of course there has been much fun as well. Those students who went on the School Ski Trip enjoyed themselves and returned to Romania with wonderful stories and fortunately only a few cuts and bruises. The Spring Ball was a great success. The organisation of the event was excellent and the atmosphere at the event just lovely. The IBSB community continues to inspire, to support and to celebrate. We also continue to reflect in order to develop as a community of life-long learners.
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The DOEIA for Young People By Johanna Croci (Head of Social Sciences) Taking participants on personal journeys to success The Adventurous Journey Section of the International Award for Young People is deemed to be one the most challenging, yet, at the same time, one of the most fulfilling sections of the programme. We take training very seriously here, at IBSB. In the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Club we support participants by offering workshops to build up the theoretical and practical knowledge required in outdoor expeditions. The participants are informed about the different types of journeys they can undertake, they learn about risks, emergency procedures, camping, equipment, navigation, nutrition in expeditions, as well as being trained to offer first aid. First Aid training is a compulsory part of the training for outdoor expeditions. From the 12th January 2017 the participants joined the basic First Aid Course, which consists in 8 practical sessions delivered by Romanian Red Cross specialists during Club time, and followed by an aptitude test. We are pleased to inform you that now all our participants have basic first aid knowledge and a certified diploma to prove it!
One crucial aspect that determines the success of expeditions and that can be controlled by the participants themselves is the quality of planning. The three teams that will be undertaking journeys this summer are looking forward to great adventures. We are in the process of planning training and qualifying expeditions in the Trascau, Aninei, Piatra Mare and Piatra Craiului Mountains, as well as explorations of the Tara Fagarasului and Apuseni Mountains. We are hoping to bring back beautiful stories filled with excitement and wonder, from this beautiful country. As far as the other sections of the Award are concerned, here are some testimonials from our participants: Sorana Cristea (Silver participant): I love Italian and for me, the Award provided the motivation and the structure to start studying this beautiful language. I am working towards my A2 proficiency exam now, which I shall register for at the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest. Studying a skill as part of the Award is very flexible and you are usually very motivated, as you chose to get better at something you are interested in. Another very useful tool is the On-Line Record Book as it allows you to track your personal progress towards the targets you set in each section.
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Cartinel Craiu (Silver participant): Service was probably the most rewarding part of the programme for me. I became a mentor to a student who needed to develop her skills in Mathematics and I supported her by providing additional guidance and practice. In less than one year she had raised from an E grade to a B. I have been really proud of her achievement and I feel that I have contributed to her newly found sense of confidence. I was really impressed when she brought me flowers and a little gift on Woman’s Day as a way to thank me for the work that I had done with her. The biggest challenge that I overcame when doing the Award was organizing my time to be able to balance the academic effort with the activities that I had committed to, especially during the exam sessions. I am glad that I did not give up. Perseverance is easy to achieve once it becomes routine. The same applies to the Physical Recreation section: when I started the Pilates training, I could hardly do 5 exercises of the same kind, while at the end of the programme I could do 20 of each easily (I had chosen to train twice a week); I still do this sport today even though I have officially completed my sections. I think that the good habits that I formed during my participation in the Award are going to stay with me for a long time. Cristina Gropescu (Gold participant): Everyone keeps highlighting how prestigious the Award is, and what good impression it creates in the eyes of the universities and employers. Even though this is completely true, I haven’t joined the Award just to add something that looks good on my CV. I saw it as a journey during which you can learn the importance of communication and the importance of helping each other in need. This has been so far the value added of my Award. Tudor Mihai (Silver participant): I completed all the other sections of the Award at Silver level, but I had a hard time choosing an activity for my Service section. In the end I offered to add subtitles to an educational DVD on signlanguage, something that my colleagues doing volunteer work at the School for the Deaf needed. This has been both something that I enjoyed doing, as I like IT work, as well as something that can be used by non-Romanian speakers trying to learn sign language. Now that this job is done I am considering volunteering for the Sfanta Macrina rescue center for homeless and underprivileged children.
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CREATIVE CORNER
CREATIVE CORNER
Drinking your own Poison By Gekko Ioancio (Year 10)
Year by year we dump more and more plastic waste into our oceans that pollute, contaminate and devastate our marine life and most vital source of life. We have come to a critical moment in our history where it is imperative that we undertake drastic action. If we don’t, our future generations will suffer from our ignorance even more than they already are. This ‘out of sight, therefore out of mind’ reflex is slowly killing us. We make the poison we drink. Information about the amounts of plastic All our lives we have been subject to information about plastics and their effects. Some of us have heard these things over and over again so many times that we are fed up with constantly hearing them. In reality, the facts are far more abhorrent. In the last two years alone we produced more plastic than in the entirety of the past century. Even worse, only half of the total amount of plastics we use are utilized more than once. We only manage to recover and recycle about 5% of thrown away plastic. This means that yearly we dispose of enough plastic to circle the earth four times. What's more, one million plastic bags are used every minute, most of them used to carry items only once. It should come to us as no great surprise when we find out that 80% of pollution enters our oceans from land, meaning that rivers and other water sources carry these wastes from their source to their delta. Scientists estimate that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, according to ecowatch.com. Effects Scientists in the 20th century believed that plastics break down easily and do no harm to the environment. This could be no further from the truth. In reality, plastics don't decompose, but rather break down into microplastics. These microscopic fragments have jagged edges that help toxins set adhere to their surface. Not only do birds eat these and die due to nutrient deficiency, but these microplastics also get consumed by plankton and other small fish. Based on reports made by plasticoceans.com, one million sea birds and 100000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastics in our oceans. It is a very vicious cycle, since the toxins gather up in organisms as we go up a food chain.
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Large fish eats small fish with toxins and now the large fish has toxins. We eat the large fish and the toxins end up inside our bodies. Not only that, but plastics in general contain a toxin called BPA. This toxin has been found in over 93% of American children over the age of 6 and it is known for altering hormones in organisms and even being carcinogenic, as stated by the World Health Organisation, or WHO. What can we do? The first step in fighting the threat of plastics is knowledge. Educating people will surely lead to change. We as the new generation are responsible for fixing everything that is wrong in the world. Encourage people to stop using plastic cutlery. Metal is just as good, if not better. It is reusable, and there is no risk of it ending up in the ocean since metal is always recycled. At school we can encourage our teachers and peers to organize clean-ups. Stop using plastic cups whenever possible, because those are mostly used only once and get immediately thrown away. Bring a glass bottle to school or whenever you need to go somewhere. Glass is so much better in every aspect and contains no toxins. If you see plastic on the floor, pick it up and throw it in a recycling box. Small things like this make all the difference. If you do believe that you are too small to make a change, just remember that every massive movement begins with the individual. As Gandhi said, “if you believe your voice is too small to matter, try sleeping in a room with one mosquito”. Educating ourselves will surely lead to change, and as of now we need education and change more than ever. Our marine life counts on us to save them, and we are intelligent enough to realize that we are the only ones who can stop this poison entering our oceans. After all, we are drinking this poison ourselves.
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SCHOOL VIEWS
Her By Christie Vernon (Year 9) I gripped the rim of the porcelain sink and stared at my reflection. She was pale, the circles under her eyes seemingly purple in the harsh fluorescent light, her freckles like a smattering of black dots. I wrenched my gaze away from her with an almost physical effort. I couldn’t watch her crumble again. I couldn’t look her in the eye. “One last time,” I whispered. “One. Last. Time.” A million thoughts buzzed through my mind. The people I would leave behind. Those who I loved. Those who might end up just like me if I did this. Those who loved me. It hurt to think. I wanted it to stop. I relaxed one hand and reached for the little bottle. It was no longer than my index finger, thin and bright blue. Carefully, I popped the cap off and spilled the contents into my open palm. There were 12 small pills, the color of baked clay. For a moment I simply looked at them, taking in the scratch in the coating of one, and the way they melted a little bit from the warmth of my hand, smearing their earthy color on my clammy palm. I stood perfectly still, not daring to even breathe, feeling as if once I moved, I would be obligated to do it. Once I moved, there would be no going back. Moments passed, although the passing of those few moments felt to me like the pressure of decades. When I slowly tore away to look at the reflection again, she was the same. I had imagined her in my head much differently; maybe as if she had lived more. But instead her dim eyes drilled into my own like always. I hated her. I met her gaze as I lifted the hand to my mouth. My cracked lips parted, a few of the pills slipping in. I choked them down. Then the next few. Until all of them had gone. Only the splash of reddish brown remaining on my skin. Her face was slack. No emotion. A shell made of glass, and already the cracks were showing. I saw her one more time, before we both slipped. And then it was over. *** A toddler crouched with a boy smaller than her, eyes wild in her round face. He began to whimper as she dug her short nails into his fleshy arm. She recoiled from the sound for a moment, and then he took his chance and shoved her as hard as he could. It was her turn to cry out. They were fighting, actually fighting. She was scared. She pushed him, making him hit the back of his head on the corner of the coffee table. He began to scream, and she was ashamed. But it was too late. Mama was already there, and she would be punished anyway. She didn’t have to be. She already regretted it. * A child, barely big enough to be called one, stared up into the branches of the evergreen. Her brother was already almost at the top, even if he was smaller than her. But she didn’t know how to. Her feet didn’t fit into the holes, and she couldn’t international british school of bucharest
reach the branches. But Mama was there, and Mama lifted her up until her feet were planted firmly on the first branch. And then she kept going, even if she was terrified of falling, because she wanted to see the sky. Until she thrust herself past the brother and could see everything. The top of the world. And she wasn’t scared. * The little girl looked down into the plastic box the nurses had put him into. Her new brother. He was tiny and she thought he looked rather like a pink sausage. His eyes were half-shut as if he was very tired. She glanced at the other, who met her eyes with his wide blue ones, and then down again. She could sense Mama and Dad behind her, the warmth of their smiles keeping her safe. She had never felt so much love in one room before. * The girl screamed in fury, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t even know why she was this angry. She couldn’t stop. She wrenched the bedroom door open and stormed out, as if doing so would help her calm down. There in the dim hallway sat the baby. He had just learned to plod around on all fours, and now his large blue eyes focused on her. She was burning, and he just stared. As she took a step towards him, he flinched. Suddenly she could see the fear in his face. He was scared of her.
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Her By Christie Vernon (Year 9) * She sat on the step, the gray cold of the morning soaking into her. The jacket hanging off her body was too thin, barely providing any shelter from the wind that whistled through her cropped hair. Her back hunched over her book, her legs rose up to her chest; if only she could have made herself so small that she would disappear. She was so small, and so cold. Her eyes grasped at the words on the yellowing page, frantically searching for anything to distract her from the forlorn feeling chocking her. Silent tears dampened her full cheeks. Her mind screamed at her to get up, to move, to talk to somebody. But she couldn’t. * She had moved schools. A teenager now, and taller than half her class, her cheeks no longer full, her eyes set in anxious circles. The speech she would have to give the next day burned a hole in her desk as she glared at it. Images of a silent crowd, of a leering smile, of a disappointed glance; these swirled through her head, painted by fear. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t focus. She couldn’t stop. What made her do it? If she could’ve controlled herself that first time, it would’ve never happened. Instead her trembling fingers clasped it tight. Spidery gashes of scarlet crowded onto her translucent skin. It was as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. And that scared her more than anything.
He was going to say something else, I think, but just then someone gasped loudly. I looked up. Mama stood frozen in the doorway. She dropped the paper cup of hospital coffee she’d been holding and stumbled over on shaky legs. She reached for me with a kind of helpless relief. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry Mama, Dad, I’m so sorry. I don’t – I’m just – I’m sorry.” Sobs racked my body, and they held me. I felt so much after feeling nothing for so long. Shame and guilt and pain and sadness and fear and embarrassment. And love. “Oh honey, we’re sorry too. We failed you, we could’ve done more,” Mama whispered into my hair. “Why did you do it?” Dad found my eyes, and I gulped. I wouldn’t hide this time. “I didn’t want to be me anymore.” The words encircled us, drowning us, clawing us. But we just held on tighter. In that moment we were holding each other up, and if we had let go we would have fallen apart.
* She stared into the mirror. The girl staring back was so small, so pathetic. Pathetic. That was the perfect word. Her arm was covered in silvery scar tissue, her face was drawn by worry. She raised her fingers to her cracked lips, wanting to cover them up. Her skin felt like dried petals under her touch. She should drink more water; it would help her lose weight. She tugged at her jaw-length hair. Nothing could make her pretty. She was smart, and yet had there ever been a stupider person? Remembering Mama’s harsh words she could feel her throat closing up. “You do it for attention, because you think you don’t get enough. You’re like every other spoiled teenager out there: arrogant and selfish. You don’t think about anybody yourself do you?” The girl crumpled. She wished Dad was home. *** My eyes peeled open. The vivid memories that had danced through my mind faded into bittersweet nothings. Blood pounded in my ears. There was something soft under my head. The first thing I saw was Dad. His watery blue eyes focused on my dark ones. His hand gripped mine so tightly it hurt. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he murmured over and over and over. I looked down in shame, and noticed white tape covering a blue plastic top in my arm. A see-through tube flowed from underneath. Panic rose in my throat. “Dad,” I pleaded. “Dad please.” I gritted my teeth and swallowed; I didn’t need to be told where I was. “The Hospital. The boys are at home.”
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SCHOOL VIEWS
The Fetor of Crime By Lena Stefan (Year 11)
“Peace is not the absence of war”. How right that is; and yet why? How does that work? Here’s an example. You take a country. It may not be at war — but it could reek of the corruption that it’s riddled in. It could stink of petty crimes like bag-snatching, burglary; or the stench of domestic abuse, rape and social inequality. It is not at peace. But it is not at war either — it rests between the two boundaries. A loophole: Crime. Now let me tell you a story about a glowing screen. Black words typed on a traveler’s forum: Beware; Bag-snatching; Crime. All words that did not exist before when talking about this particular city, Luang Prabang — except to express its lack of danger; because I remember visiting said bucolic place as a child and seeing for the first time utter tranquility. Front doors were wide open, the living rooms fully visible from the streets with no care in the world — yet now, as I search for my beloved city online, I see tourist warnings and they tell me: “it seems the criminal elements of Vientiane are finding their way up to the World Heritage City.” It is the difference between a country like the United States where the gun crime rate per hundred residents is a hundred and seventy-eight times higher than in a country like Singapore. That ridiculous disparity should tell us something. At the same time, how is one supposed to eradicate crime at such steep figures without proper reinforcement? Should we lock up all the criminals and throw away the key? Should we experiment on them? Or maybe send them for rehabilitation? Perhaps a death sentence while we are at. international british school of bucharest
Despite whatever laws and legislations one may have, how are those laws supposed to take place if the ones with power are so corrupt they completely ignore jurisprudence in favor of profit? So in the end: who are the criminals? It is not an impossible concept, this peace we seek. Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world followed by other Nordic countries and other notable mentions such as Canada or New Zealand. Even with this title of having low levels of corruption, what are those societies’ ways and morals? How happy are inhabitants? It is sadly unsurprising to find that few countries have all of the ideal conditions — Singapore may have little violence and corruption, high average IQ and much success but it lacks happiness. Brazil is rated relatively high “happiness” wise but is notorious for its significant murder counts. So how do we somehow find a way to achieve that community where not only do these many ideal conditions coexist, but so do our different cultures, lifestyles and ethnicities? After all, crime and war exist in many forms. One way to change the world is through changing people’s mentalities. They say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks and while that may be true, that does not mean you should teach a newborn dog the exact same things that you taught the previous generation. If there is anything we, as humans, should have learned from history is that we evolve. It is counterproductive for us to remain at a stasis. We make mistakes; but we should also learn from them and realize that our problems run far deeper than just shallow views on “war” and “peace”.
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CREATIVE CORNER
My Country By Ioana Aizic (Year 7) - Entrant for COBIS Poetry Competition In a wonderful realm, By mountains surrounded, By Black Sea watered, By Danube moated, Great treasures were hiding: Forest with beautiful animals and big trees, Lakes with abundant fish, Sharp rocked, tall mountains. But, Obstacles were hiding around the corner: Envious neighbours, Bloody wars, Harsh diseases! After centuries of bloodshed and fights, The two unions made us stronger, An ally in Europe, Made us into ROMANIA. Decades after, You could only hear whispers, You could only feel fear, You could only try to survive… Dictatorship made people feel They couldn’t be part of this anymore, Tired of struggling to feed their kids, They took bullets for their liberty! Recovering from Communism With small steps, people evolved And in the end… A beautiful and peaceful country emerged.
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CREATIVE CORNER
My Country - Open Doors By Irina Chemencedji (Year 10) - Entrant for COBIS Poetry Competition In a world full of radiance, adventure and glory All doors are open Each with their own path Each with their own destiny Each waiting for someone to pass through Behind these doors is everything The history we learn from The future we can build The impregnable castles built for kings and queens And the bouldered mountains which brought fresh and pure scents into the air Behind these doors is the nature that was painted by the incandescent sun, Its rays brushing on the ďŹ elds of amber wheat, And the wind dancing on top of the crisp cereal. The azure sky splashed with shades of ivory and honeydew, And meadows of crimson poppies tinted on the crude grass. But people close these doors Because they chose to reject the blessing they were given, and live a life with no meaning And once these doors are closed, This world of radiance adventure and glory is no longer, Instead an endless cloud of slate will drift along the sky.
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SCHOOL VIEWS
My Country, How I See It - Through a Lens By Adela Ciobotaru (Year 10) - Entrant for COBIS Poetry Competition
I see a field of never-ending paintings, I see a flair of light pass through my eyes, I see the border line, But I don’t see a limit. I see past the horizon. I zoom in and out, to get a clearer image of what I seek to find. There’s peace and war, There’s love and hate, But no matter how hard I try, I can’t see the light upon the painting. I see people on the busy streets, Down on the pavement, or up in an office. The greys and browns clashing with each other, Busy as it is, it’s not too loud. But there’s not much color or excitement to see. I seek to change the view, But I caught my eye in a web of color and flow. I see a butterfly, a dainty, picturesque butterfly. I imagine the swishing sound of its wings flailing away, But as quickly as my eyes blink, it disappears. I angle myself and try and grasp the edges of brick buildings, With their crimson fillings in their white quadrants. The irrational scribblings on the wall make my head pivot around. I see disrespect and pure annoyance, But I ignore it. I squint my eyes to read the numbers on the tall charcoal time-teller, It’s 11:11 AM. Its engravings on the side popping out in the finest of ways, The lustrous shiny flares stroking the sides of the dense pole, Yet the ancient numerals seem to capture my sight the most. They remind me of the olden times, Those Roman digits. With their I’s and V’s, their X’s and M’s, As I watch people try and struggle to decipher what they say, Trying to see where the arrow-like limbs point. And then out of a lonely corner, I see the azure butterfly which piqued my interest earlier, spring before my amber eyes. It settles down on the lonesome margin of the timemarker, And as a flare of light seizes my lense, With a tap and click, I snap my shot.
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