Lower School

Each year when I sit down to reflect and write the annual report I am struck by just how lucky I am to work with such an amazing team of teachers and leadership who share a joint vision for our school.

An integral part of life at ISB is our thriving internship programme. We have been fortunate to have hosted outstanding student teachers from Germany, Spain and Italy who carried out their internships over a period of 4 to 6 months.

This is a mutually beneficial partnership between ISB and the student teachers, who gain on the job training and experience of an international curriculum which differs hugely from their home country.

Our teachers and students benefit from more individualised instruction and having an extra pair of hands in the classroom which allows them to plan more varied and differentiated learning experiences.

One of our core values at ISB is community and this year we have continued to build on our relationship with the care home in our neighbourhood.

All Lower School classes have visited the residents at various times throughout the year to participate in joint activities such as Christmas crafts, baking, playing games together as well as joining in the special parade to mark Norway’s national day. Language is no barrier and the joy on the faces of the elderly when they interact with our students is testament to the importance of this core value.

After a break of four years due to the move to our new campus and a pandemic, we were finally able to host the ISB Art Meander once again. Our new school building meant that we had different areas to exhibit the art produced by our students and the aptly titled exhibition, Hidden Spaces, Mysterious Places did not disappoint.

The scope of talent and creativity amongst the student body was evident in every nook and cranny and students took great pride in showing their masterpieces to their parents. None of this would have been possible without our two extraordinary art teachers, Christy Dayhoff and Solveig Wivestad, who together with some Grade 10

Grades 1-5 students curated the entire exhibition.

Enrolment has continued to grow across the entire school and after receiving feedback from the joint accreditation, we took the decision to split the principal and coordinator roles. This will ensure that curriculum development in the PYP programme will be driven forward with greater purpose under the watchful eye of our newly appointed curriculum coordinator, Camilla Martinsson, who is also one of our most experienced PYP teachers.

Next year our focus will turn to further developing our Outdoor Education programme in the Lower School and taking the learning outdoors (even in the Bergen rain) .

Each child, each parent, each employee makes up an important part of the tapestry of ISB and it is a joy to work here. I would like to thank all of our community for contributing to yet another inspiring and purposeful as well as warm and caring year.

Warm regards

Leanne Hagen