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JANUARY 2020 • ISSUE 14
ISB Go Green! PAGE 47
Experts from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) visit ISB PAGE 49
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Appreciating the Old and Welcoming in the New Let us start the New Year with a thankful attitude for all the great things that happened in 2019. Lumina Schools celebrated 25 years of excellence in education this year. The 25-year anniversary reunited teachers, parents, alumni, students and friends from around the world who attended the event at the Athenaeum in Bucharest. It was the perfect opportunity to go through the reminiscences of our amazing journey together.
SİNAN KOŞAK / DIRECTOR
JANUARY 2020 ISSUE 14 International School of Bucharest’s Periodic Magazine Director SİNAN KOȘAK director@isb.ro Editor MADALINA CIOC admissions@isb.ro Design ANDREI BRAN it@isb.ro 1R Sos. Gara Catelu Str, 032991, Bucharest, Romania (+40) 21-306 95 30 info@isb.ro www.isb.ro
I would like to congratulate the first IB cohort for their exam results and wish them all the best in their new journey. 38 ISB students got the IB Diploma with a Diploma average of 31 points, 40 points being the highest score obtained. Moreover, seven of our students were awarded the distinguished Bilingual Diploma. This year, our bright graduates have been accepted in prestigious universities in Europe and USA. ISB welcomed this term a team of experts from the United Nation Economic Commission for Europe, Environment Division. We were the only private school recommended by the Ministry of Education in Romania to visit, as part of their Environmental Performance Review Programme in Romania. As ISB has been actively involved for 4 years in the international ECO School Programme, the two experts were interested to find out more about things we do in school and how we integrate environmental education for sustainable development in our community. The students’ human rights projects, the mosaic made out of bottle caps during art lessons, the Global Perspectives research assignments, the paperless day in school, the simple collection of plastic, donations of books and presents to
less fortunate communities and the initiative to collect signatures for a clean environment, are just a few examples of the topics discussed during the visit. We are very proud of our community which is contributing to this program and we will continue to develop it for a better and sustainable life on Earth. A big thank you to our Eco School Committee for their efforts and involvement to “ISB Go Green”. The safety of our students is a top priority at ISB. I am happy to announce that our leaders have successfully completed the safeguarding leadership training. Thank you to our new Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Camelia Howard for the training sessions provided to all our staff. We are always looking to raise our standards at ISB. We have two very important visits coming up in March, the British School Overseas (BSO) inspection and Council of International Schools (CIS) pre-evaluation visit. We have been continuously working for meeting the international standards of these two very prestigious institutions and I am very thankful to everyone who has been helping with the preparations. Last but not least, I’d like to let you know that we are very proud to be the only Regional Hub for the National Professional Qualification Programme (NPQ) from Best Practice Network and their courses are now being held in our school. I am glad that we have started a senior leadership course with 14 candidates. I am very thankful for the support of our entire community throughout 2019. May 2020 be a year filled with inspiration and peace for all.
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ISB Primary Overview MUSTAFA SOYDEMIR HEAD OF PRIMARY
ISB Primary is a wonderful place where children come happily to school in the mornings and leave with a smile on their face at the end of the day, having made tremendous progress with their learning.
At ISB, we achieve high academic standards, but we are also focused on helping children develop their social and emotional skills. We are a creative school and provide plenty of opportunities for public speaking, performance (including drama, music and dance) and sports. We complement the curriculum with a wide range of extra-curricular activities, excursions and residential trips, including a residential trip in June for Key Stage Two. Our pupils become fluent users of English and also have the opportunity to learn other languages such as French, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish and, brand-new this year, Spanish. We have a range of cultural diversity amongst our students with a community
from 40 different countries. Cultural diversity is embraced and celebrated through major events such as International Day. Our motto, ‘Learn, Respect and succeed’ captures the community focus of our school. Additionally, we embrace a learning culture and community where children can take risks without fear of failure and be proud of their efforts and achievement. We are committed to building strong and positive partnerships with parents and the local community. This is why we have introduced our home visit policy with our parents to build a strong communication link between
home and school. Research shows that home visits improve communication and relationships between parents, teachers, and students; they reduce absenteeism, improve students’ academic performance and have a positive impact on teachers’ job satisfaction. Our positive and challenging teaching programs allow all students to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to become confident, independent learners. An inclusive approach exists where students with special needs are supported in their education within mainstream classrooms. These areas of development, when coupled with the
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core elements of our curriculum, which is dynamic and evolves to meet the needs of the students and current educational thinking, prepare children for the educational opportunities beyond their Primary School years. It is important to us that our pupils are safe, supported, healthy, active and happy. We believe all children are capable and our goal is to provide our students with an English-language education in a supportive, academically stimulating and multicultural environment. To accomplish this, we provide units of study and activities in a caring and positive atmosphere taught by highly qualified teachers. We focus on the child’s
needs and the continuous growth of the whole child, we foster positive goals and beliefs, encourage responsibility and global awareness and challenge thinking so new connections can be made. Moreover, we engage children in the learning process and consider their interests and provide joyful, positive learning experiences indoor and outdoor. To support our students to develop skills to be independent and caring adults and contribute to global society, we have just introduced #active20@isb to our students. Dedicated to learning and overall wellbeing, the Primary School teachers recognise individual needs and
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giving special attention to cognitive, physical, artistic, social and emotional development which is emphasised throughout the learning environment. Our teachers benefit from a range of courses and training to upskill and maintain current practice in education. It is our honour and pleasure to partner with them as we continually strive to meet the highest standards for our students. Our responsibility is to create a nurturing, safe, enriching environment that challenges students while making learning fun. Each child here is unique, with special talents and gifts to be celebrated and encouraged.
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EarlyYears Foundation Stage Makes Room for Adventure CLAIRE O’BRIEN, FOUNDATION 1 TEACHER
The main purpose of the Adventure Room is to provide a “Continuous Provision Curriculum” in Early Years, to offer the children a constant environment that is safe for them to explore, whilst challenging their learning.
There have been some exciting changes taking place in the Early Years department recently. You might have noticed our outside area has had some improvements that include a natural looking fenced area, as well as a role play kitchen. We are continuing to add some new areas to the outside during the school year.
different aged children to socialise and work together on activities. To give you an example, during International Week, the children got involved in some wonderful craft activities that had been set up and planned using all of the space in the Adventure Room, which gives the children the opportunity to interact with each other and different teachers.
One of our big changes has been the ‘Adventure Room”. This room is used by all three classes at various times during the day. Sometimes there is a mixture of age groups using the room, which allows a great opportunity for
The main purpose of this room is to provide a “Continuous Provision Curriculum” in Early Years. The purpose of an effective continuous provision is to offer the children a constant environment that is safe for them to
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Learning about Autumn There are lots of things to their keep learnexplore whilst challenging us busy at school ing. It allows children the freedom to explore and become independent in making choices. An important part of the Early Years is to support children in becoming active learners; continuous provision allows children to demonstrate this aspect and teachers can closely observe this during their play. Play supports children’s learning and development across all seven areas of learning including the characteristics of effective learning (How children learn).
We enjoy many different activities.
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Making Music in the Early Years VICTORIA SUTTON DEPUTY HEAD OF PRIMARY
‘Music can spark creativity across the curriculum, encouraging young people to be inquisitive, disciplined and determined.’ (Arts Council of Great Britain, 2013)
Exploring a bear tambourine.
Music plays a huge part in all of our lives. From jingles which accompany adverts, to popular sound tracks, to films; from songs of celebrations to dance music - music is a fundamental part of our lives. From their very earliest months, babies respond to music and at ISB, we recognise the value of music and it forms an integral part of our EYFS curriculum. Songs are used for daily routines such as lining up, musical instruments are used to provide focus and attention and children have the opportunity to explore instruments freely. As well
as this, the children have a specialist music lesson each week where we focus on building their skills, knowledge and understanding. In Rainbow Class (Pre-Nursery Class), the children are often enthralled by songs and music. They listen carefully to music of different kinds and they particularly enjoy joining in with repetitive action songs, using different parts of their body to respond with great enthusiasm! These songs also help the children to learn key vocabulary, as well as improve their physical co-ordination skills. We model using simple
words to describe music such as loud and quiet, fast and slow. In addition, a range of classroom percussion instruments provide lots of interest and stimulation including different shakers, bells and woodblocks to tap and explore, sparking their natural curiosity and enthusiasm. When children reach Sunshine Class (Foundation Stage 1), children’s motor skills have developed so they are able to manipulate and play a wider range of instruments with more accuracy. They can clap or play an instrument in time to the music they listen to,
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Dancing is a wonderful way that young children enjoy responding to music!
keeping a steady pulse. From the age of 3, children may imitate and copy rhythms and patterns, and they can explore how sounds can be changed. They can join in with ring games and move more rhythmically in time to the music. Children of this age have clear preferences and express which songs they like the most. Star Class (Foundation Stage 2) make huge progress in their music making skills. By this age, children are able to play together co-operatively. They can control instruments to make them play at different speeds and volumes with
skill and understanding, exploring the different sounds they can play. Songs still form the heart of music learning at the age of 4, and children are able to sing more complex songs, adding their own accompaniment. Children can also imitate simple patterns of melodies. Their wide repertoire of songs and knowledge of music enable them to create their own ideas during role play and stories. At ISB, we place a high value on music and aim to encourage all children to develop a love of music. Music can ‘spark creativity across the curriculum,
encouraging young people to be inquisitive, disciplined and determined.’ (Arts Council of Great Britain, 2013). Creativity is a vital element to encourage in education and one which equips students with the ability to tackle problems confidently, to find alternative pathways and to be able to express their thoughts and feelings in a positive way.
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Developing Effective Learners in Year 2 PRICILIA NZUNGI, YEAR 2 TEACHER
In Year 2, the journey in developing effective learners starts with our cooperative learning strategies where all children participate in class discussions, decisions and learning.
According to Education Endowment Foundation, an effective learner refers to the approaches which support pupils to plan, monitor, understand and manage their own learning, all which help develop an inquisitive and self-motivated learner. Here at ISB, developing such learners starts from a very early age, where the children are fully engaged in their learning and so enjoy it. In Year 2, the journey in developing effective learners starts with our cooperative learning strategies where all children participate in class discussions, decisions and learning. In the classroom, Year 2 teachers encourage many talking opportunities such as Think-Pair-Share, Rally Robin or Rally Coach, which are proven to be excellent
Using class resources like super adjective mats to support our learning and edit our own writing.
methods in promoting communication and critical thinking. These talking opportunities allow children to share their thinking with each other, listen to others, question each other and even teach others, leading to a boost in confidence and constant participation and engagement in the classroom. A very successful method in developing effective learners in Year 2 classroom is that of using the Rally Coach technique, where after the teacher has modelled the task, the children become teachers/coaches themselves. This child-favoured method implies that each partner coaches the other partner while they complete a similar task, thus using the targetted vocabulary, techniques and resources to guide each other and
listen to their thinking process while correcting it/praising it along the way. By constantly using these strategies throughout all subjects, children remember the vocabulary and techniques and so use them when having to do the tasks independently, creating the effective learners which plan, monitor and understand their own learning. Another way Year 2 staff support their children become effective learners, is by providing a resourceful classroom. In our classrooms, you can find a target vocabulary section for each subject, where every time the class is taught a new word, it is written there. In this manner, and in line with the National Curriculum requirements, children are introduced to new and varied vocab-
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Working together and using the class displays to create effective sentences.
ulary, which builds upon their knowledge and so exposes children to rich and challenging language which they can then use in their own writing, or explanations. Furthermore, the children are surrounded by resources to help facilitate their learning. Resources such as the checklist, allow children to evaluate and
assess their work before handing it in; our word mats help children when editing their writing by giving them more effective synonyms to use; and our math number lines or hundred charts help children when they get stuck in a task - all accessible to children at any time, encouraging them to become autonomous in their learning.
Therefore, in our Year 2 classrooms, you can find various approaches which all lead to support engaged effective learners who can: plan their work meticulously; monitor own and each other’s work; demonstrate an understanding by sharing and being inquisitive; and manage their learning through the resources provided. All because, at ISB, we enable students to succeed.
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Year 3 Our First Residential Trip CATHRYN QUINN, YEAR 3 TEACHER
For children, residential trips offer a unique opportunity to claim their independence, make their own decisions and build new friendships. Here at ISB, we acknowledge and embrace the importance of outdoor educational learning. Towards the end of Term 3 all of our Key Stage 2 students are offered the opportunity to participate in a 2 night residential trip. This experience is particularly exciting for our Year 3 students, as it is their first time away from home, with their teachers and classmates. Year 3 spend their 2 night residential trip at the wonderful Club Vila Bran. Club Vila Bran is a mountain resort nestled in breath-taking scenery, with an abundance of outdoor learning opportunities. The 3 hour journey from Bucharest to Bran allow the children to see Romania’s beauty away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The accommodation is safe, clean and spacious. Meals are served in a traditional restaurant with views of the magnificent Castle Bran.
Relaxing in the grounds of Bran Castle.
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Exploring Bran Castle.
Within the resort, the children have access to a large variety of activities. There is archery, mini golf, tennis, football, shuffleboard, squash, a theatre, horse riding, a playground, a mini zoo, a games room and themed evenings. We loved the outdoor swimming pool with views over the mountains and listening to traditional music around a campfire as the sun set. Before heading home, the Year 3 children visit Bran itself. They climb the steep steps to Dracula’s home and get the chance to explore this iconic and historic castle. It is a perfect end to a wonderful first residential experience for our students. More than just a fun ‘school trip away’, the residential trips allow children to
connect with the outdoor world and learn powerful and inspirational lessons outside the classroom. As well as the physical health benefits, school residential trips have been proven to have a positive effect on children’s self-esteem and confidence levels, thereby improving their emotional health and wellbeing. For children, residential trips offer a unique opportunity to claim their independence, make their own decisions and build new friendships. Undoubtedly, a school trip can bring about positive, long term change for pupils and teachers both in and out of the classroom.
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Under the supervision of the teachers, children select the task which will adequately challenge them.
Choice and Challenge Self-selecting the Difficulty of Tasks in Year 4 TONY DEARE / YEAR 4 LEADER
At ISB, we believe that when children feel a sense of ownership over their work, they are more motivated and engaged, thereby making them better learners. In Year 4 we use a teaching strategy known as the ‘Chilli Challenge’. This concept involves the teachers providing a ‘menu’ of learning tasks which are each individually graded with an increasing level of difficulty
or ‘heat’. Following the teaching input, the children are asked to reflect and evaluate their level of understanding and confidence before self-selecting which chilli heat (task) they would like to attempt.
Relishing the opportunity to choose their own work, we have found that children in Year 4 nearly always select a task with an appropriate level of challenge. Of course, teachers evaluate each pupil’s selection of challenge
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Chilli Challenges are shared with the children with the Learning Objectives during the teaching input
and can guide, encourage or direct the children where necessary. But as Peter Anstee, an English teacher and author of the ‘Differentiation Pocketbook’ explains, ‘if students are given a choice, they challenge themselves more than teachers do’. As all children are working toward the same Learning Objective, tasks often closely resemble one another with varying degrees of difficulty. For example, during a recent Maths lesson on Time, Chilli 2 tasked the children with reading time on a clockface to the nearest five minutes, while Chilli 3 challenged pupils to read time to the nearest minute. Similar tasks allow for an open and fluid learning environment in which the children can freely change between tasks and therefore the
level of challenge. For example, in a Maths session, a child lacking confidence may initially choose the Chilli 1 activity, but soon find that they are growing in confidence and ready for a greater challenge. Rather than simply continue working at a level that isn’t providing adequate challenge, the child can easily switch to Chilli 2 or 3 and therefore, continue to make good progress. On the other hand, a child who ambitiously chooses to begin with Chilli 3, but hasn’t quite grasped the learning concept, may be asked to try a couple of questions from Chilli 2, until their learning has been consolidated. The child will often then return to Chilli 3 with a better understanding and greater confidence thus allowing them to excel. Although the most obvious subject,
Maths isn’t the only area of the curriculum in which the Chilli Challenge is effective. Year 4 children at ISB are also encouraged to reflect and then self-select their level of personal challenge in subjects such as English, Science, History, Geography and Art. By encouraging the children to have a sense of control and agency over their work, we are developing their independence, confidence and determination and helping to instil a love for learning.
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Ready for a long stay
Outdoor Explorers Enjoying What We Have SCOTT CABLE / KS2 AND YEAR 5 LEADER
The students responded positively to the cold, cloudy weather and rather than becoming despondent, they wiped the water of the slides and swings and had fun. Whether it is a longer trip by bus to a special outdoor environment, or simply walking and enjoying different areas in and around the school campus, students (and teachers!) of all ages love the opportunity to ‘escape’ the classroom and
learn outside. Outdoor learning provides a great range of benefits to students. Simply being outside and being exposed to nature helps reduce stress and improves moods. Outdoor environments require students to be physically active and
greatly encourage teamwork and communication skills. They also provide meaningful, hands on learning experiences, where students can see their learning in action. Crucially, outdoor learning helps show students clearly that learning takes place at all
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Adapting to our new classroom
times and in all environments, and is not just confined to the classroom and the school day. In Year 5 we have already experienced these benefits during our first trip to Baneasa forest, where we had a brilliant day conducting minibeast hunts, building shelters and playing a variety of team games. Not only did the students showcase their scientific and environmental knowledge, they also showed great collaborative skills and a real sense of adventure. In particular, it was great to see students working together with new people for the first time and forming positive
relationships. Throughout the trip, you could see many smiling faces, and this positivity of course filters back into the classroom and helps with ‘normal lessons’ more than the students are aware of. As well as exploring natural environments around Bucharest, the local school environment also provides many exciting opportunities. We are fortunate to be located next door to Pantelimon Park, which provided the location for 5C’s class reward. The students had a great morning enjoying a range of physical activities including climbing the giant
spider’s web, testing every piece of equipment in the playground and playing football. The most pleasing thing on this trip was seeing every student fully engaged and enjoying each activity. Nobody was left out of any games and it was a real team bonding time for all the students. They also responded positively to the cold, cloudy weather and rather than becoming despondent, they wiped the water of the slides and swings and had fun. Wherever we go next, we cannot wait for our next chance to go outside and explore together again!
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iPads and interactive class activities are used successfully during maths lessons.
Digging Deeper into Maths EMMA LOUISE CLARK / YEAR 6 TEACHER
At ISB, we are working to ensure that ‘digging deeper’ tasks are built into every aspect of a maths lesson, so that all children (not just those who finished first) are being challenged to an appropriate level at all times. Children are often identified as gifted mathematicians at a young age because they are quick to learn and apply facts, and can work speedily through a set of questions. Historically, these children have been pushed on too quickly, missing out on opportunities to deepen their understanding and experience a
rounded curriculum. These children often find themselves struggling as they move through their education, when maths becomes less about recalling number facts and more about problem solving, analysis and logic. When ‘life without levels’ was implemented in the UK, meaning that children would only be taught
objectives within their year group curriculum and would no longer be moved on beyond their year group, challenging our more able mathematicians had to be approached differently. In response to these changes, the term ‘digging deeper’ was introduced across many UK schools as part of an approach to
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inputs, where, for example, teachers offer open ended questions for those children who have grasped the lesson input quickly. How many different ways can you find to….? Could you ….. a different way? Can you see a pattern? What would happen if….? Have we found all the possibilities? How do you know? Do you think we’ve found the best solution? Lessons may be differentiated by outcome, meaning that the activities happening in the classroom are varied and are set at a level of challenge which is appropriate for each child at that time. At other times, lessons may be differentiated through access and support, where all children are working towards the same outcome, but some children are working independently and others are using concrete resources in a guided group, for example. Some children are working independently, while other are using concrete resources in a guided group.
teaching for mastery that focuses on spending longer on specific objectives. The purpose of this is to ensure that children develop a deep understanding of a concept and can apply this understanding to fluency and problem solving challenges, before moving onto the next objective. Moving away from fixed-ability groups also plays an important part in this approach to teaching for mastery. High expectations in maths should be related to all children and this can be difficult to achieve in fixed-ability groups. Research suggests that putting limiting assumptions on
a child’s ability to learn can have damaging effects on attainment and attitudes towards learning. Working in a mixed-ability setting doesn’t mean that lessons are not differentiated, though. What does challenge and differentiation look like at ISB? At ISB, we are working to ensure that ‘digging deeper’ tasks are built into every aspect of a maths lesson, so that all children (not just those who finished first) are being challenged to an appropriate level at all times. This could be during whole class teacher
Another important aspect of this approach is to create an inclusive classroom environment, where children feel confident to share their ideas and safe to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning journey. We also work hard to promote resilience and perseverance in our children; as in any subject, the best learning happens when children spend time struggling through a challenge for a while before they reach a solution. To summarise, taking the time to ‘dig deeper’ within each year group’s objectives enables children to become more adaptable and resilient mathematicians, developing the necessary skills to become life-long learners.
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Each class will log in their activities in the “My Activity Passport
#active20@isb VICTORIA SUTTON / DEPUTY HEAD OF PRIMARY
This year we have introduced a brand new challenge in primary - #active20@isb! This exciting idea provides the opportunity to develop so many of values which we wish to support in our children Why have we introduced #active20@isb? At ISB, we aim to give each child a broad, balanced education where children enjoy excellent, creative learning. We promote an enjoyment of learning, creativity and excellence, whilst working in close harmony with
our diverse community. This year we have introduced a brand new challenge in primary #active20@isb. This exciting idea provides the opportunity to develop so many of values which we wish to support in our children. We want children at ISB to be curious about the world, to be happy and healthy and to
have a ‘can do’ attitude to challenges in life. As well as this, we want to provide children with a rich, engaging and exciting range of learning activities, both in the classroom, through enrichment opportunities, and with home learning. With #active20@isb, the primary team have worked together to
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Some examples of activities are: - Make a puppet (Year 1) - Go bird watching (Year 2) - Eat something you have grown (Year 3) - Choreograph a dance (Year 4) - Make and launch an air powered rocket (Year 5) - Make chocolate (Year 6)
How does #active20@isb work? Each child has their very own copy of ‘My Activity Passport’ which they will keep with them throughout their time in ISB Primary. Each week, the children are given the opportunity to reflect on any #active20@isb activities they have undertaken at home or at school. For older children, this involves uploading evidence and thoughts on Class Dojo. Our younger children use a book to record what they did and to reflect on it. The students are enjoying exercising their minds as part of an #active20@isb challenge.
develop a wide range of challenges which will appeal to our children from Year 1 right up to Year 6. We have included activities which complement, enhance and strengthen children’s learning, many of which can be pursued at home or at school. But many of these are activities which wouldn’t normally form part of the children’s experiences - they include places, people and activities they wouldn’t normally see or do. We are passionate about #active20@isb because we believe that children’s education isn’t just about classroom learning: it’s about character,
wellbeing and achievement.
What is #active20@isb? #active20@isb is a range of challenges for KS1 and KS2. Each year group has chosen 18 exciting and engaging activities to complete throughout the year. As well as these, each class has also chosen one special activity for their class and individual students have chosen one personal activity which they would like to complete. Some of these activities will be explored at school while the others can be enjoyed at home.
Year teams plan some activities to form part of their learning in school while parents are also invited to support this new initiative by looking at the activities suggested for their child’s year and getting active! Photos and written or drawn records can be taken to capture the activities the children do and these can then be printed to stick into students’ reflection books or uploaded onto Class Dojo. Parents can celebrate with their children as they tick off activities one by one throughout the year. At regular times throughout the year, the children will be invited to share their activities with their class. Opportunities are given to celebrate their achievements and to be #active! We are sure that we will all enjoy getting #active@isb!
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ISB Students Celebrate Cambridge Success FLORINA UNGUREANU / HEAD OF PRIMARY SCHOOL ESL DEPARTMENT
Almost 50% of the students passed their A2 Key for Schools and B1 Preliminary for Schools with either Merit of Distinction, while 90% of the students who took the Young Learners Tests obtained the maximum score in their exam. Students at International School of Bucharest have again secured excellent results in their Cambridge English Qualifications. On 7th of September, the students were presented with certificates to celebrate their success.
The internationally recognised exams are widely regarded as the first steps in a suite of exams that students take to enter international universities. The certificates were given out during an Award Ceremony, where parents were
invited into the school to celebrate their children’s success, find out more about the programme and meet th ESL teachers.
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The students are enjoying exercising their minds as part of an #active20@isb challenge.
“Many congratulations to all of those students who successfully passed their Cambridge English Qualifications exams. We are delighted with these excellent results, which reflect the hard work and commitment of both our student body and their ESL teachers. Almost 50% of them passed their A2 Key for Schools and B1 Preliminary for Schools with either Merit of Distinction, while 90% of the students who took the Young Learners Tests obtained the maximum score in their exam. Given that all of the students who sat the Cambridge exams are non-native English speakers, this is an enormous achievement. We wish them well with their continuing education. In the exams, students must show proficiency in reading and writing, listening and speaking. We are very proud of all of our students from English a Second Language Programme, as they all worked hard and proved that they are making huge improvements in their English skills”. -Mrs. Florina Ungureanu, Head of Primary School ESL Department
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Student Leadership in Primary At ISB, we value the qualities that are encouraged through taking on leadership responsibilities. VICTORIA SUTTON, DEPUTY HEAD OF PRIMARY
Being a leader can equip students with a sense of pride (in our school, in their peers and, of course, in themselves); an understanding of how to build and develop relationships within teams and an opportunity to develop a range of effective communication skills. This year in Primary, we have three groups of student leaders: House Captains, Prefects and The Eco School Council. Here is a little about each group of leaders - how they were chosen, who they are and what they do.
We have four ‘houses’ at ISB: Bears, Hares, Lynx and Foxes. All the children and adults in Primary are members of each house and, as well as our House Captains, we have an adult ‘House Leader’: Bears are led by Miss Mitchell, Hares are led by Miss Moldoveanu, Lynx are led by Miss Asmarandei and Foxes are led by Miss Damian. The House Captains (from Year 6) were voted for by their House Teams, following a speech they prepared for elections. House Captains have a variety of roles. Every week, they display the house points collected from
each class. These house points are usually earned through being awarded Class Dojo points for things such as showing persistence, being thoughtful or frequent reading - there are many ways to earn house points! As well as displaying the weekly house points, the House Captains also announce the winning house each week in assembly. The winning house has some extra morning play time as a reward! Finally, house Captains also help the House Leaders to run the House Team events. Each month, the Houses meet together for a House Team Event. In September,
they met for a team building activity so that the children from the very youngest to our oldest children were able to get to know each other. In October, there were the elections for the House Captains while in November, there will be another activity, this time linked with our whole school Maths Week. Moving into the year 2020, we are planning events for World Book Day and Eco events amongst many others. Working together across age groups provides a wonderful opportunity for building on our key aims of Learn, Respect, Succeed.
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ISB has a team of eight Prefects, all from Year 6. To apply to be a Prefect, children were asked to write an application, explaining why they felt they would fulfil the role successfully. These applications were then carefully
considered by the Year 6 Team and eight prefects selected.
These student leaders were voted for within their classes, so there is one representative from each class from Year 1 to Year 6. The Eco School Council Leaders are Miss Mitchell and Miss Damian, and the team is aligned
to the Secondary Eco School Council, led by Mr Avenell, with the whole team co-ordinated by Miss Stanciu.
Our prefects carry out an important range of responsibilities including gallery duty at break times, collecting the registers, distributing the play
Our Eco School Council meets regularly to help to organise eco events in
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equipment at break time and showing prospective parents around the school. They set high standards in their behaviour and provide wonderful role models for the rest of the students.
primary. This year, the Council is working hard to lead our school towards achieving the Green Flag Award. You can read more about the work of this team in the Eco article.
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VI International Tournament Mathematics Without Borders MUSTAFA SOYDEMIR / HEAD OF PRIMARY
The international tournament “Mathematics without Borders� gathered 1.200 students from grades 1 to 12 from 15 different countries for the sixth time in Nessebar, Bulgaria. Participants from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Malta, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Slovenia and Ukraine took part in the prestigious competition. We are extremely proud of our Primary school students who took part in this contest: Amedeo S. (Year 3), Luca B.
(Year 3), Briana V. (Year 5), Giorgio S. (Year 6) and George V. (Year 6). Congratulations to Amedeo, for the gold medal, and to Luca B., for the bronze medal in the World Finals. Amedeo has been awarded as the Math Stars of the Tournament. Prior to the finals, 21.298 junior and senior mathematicians from 20 countries spread over all five continents competed in Autumn, Winter and Spring preliminary rounds and qualified to take part in the World Finals. This year, representatives of the participating countries planted a rose
garden in the schoolyard hosting the prestigious event, as Nessebar is famous for its beautiful roses in many different colours. International School of Bucharest is going to hold the local round and prepare its brilliant students for the upcoming world finals for 2020.
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JANUARY 2020
ISB Secondary School Overview SERDAR SAKMAN / HEAD OF SECONDARY
We have started the 2019-2020 academic year by celebrating the success of our first IBDP cohort. While eighty-four percent of our students managed to get the full IB diploma, 23 of our students scored 30 or above. I would like to also congratulate our highest-scoring student Oana with 40 points. This year we had 56 graduates and through hard work and commitment to taking on challenges and new experiences, we celebrate each of them for their success in a rigorous academic program. At ISB, we expand the teaching and learning beyond the classroom. All interactions that students are exposed to, in and outside of the classroom, can be considered part of their curriculum and this academic year, we have implemented Outward Bound trips to our secondary curriculum. These trips are aimed to help our students build their confidence and help them discover strengths they didn’t know they had. Our Year 12 students have already completed their trip and returned with
activities during the international day help our students recognize that each human being is unique and has special qualities that define him or her. Our students learn that these differences must be openly acknowledged and respected.
their significant achievements. The rest of the secondary students except the exam groups will have their outward bound trips in the upcoming days. We expect and welcome diversity at ISB. We are proud members of our culturally and linguistically diverse community and we use every opportunity to help our students become globally competent. As global citizens, our students have celebrated the international day of 2019. All
2019 awards ceremony was another great event that took place during the month of December. I was privileged and honoured to celebrate the achievements of our brilliant students. Awards were given for the IGCSE achievements, best behaviour, academic achievements, and World Scholars Cup (WSC) winners who returned with 19 Gold and 15 Silver medals from the WSC global round in Yale, USA. As members of the International School of Bucharest society, we nurture global citizens who are life-long learners that learn actively, respect others and succeed in every aspect of their lives and I am proud to be a member of this society.
World Scholar’s Cup
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Profits That Lie Hidden In SOLE Method BOGDAN MANU BUSSINESS STUDIES TEACHER
From noise to music, from music to learning. Information combined with emotion creates long term memory. Imagine you enter a place, and as you are sitting down, you notice a “big question” written on the wall: Should teenagers start their own business as soon as possible? You may consider teenagers creative and willing to start an entrepreneurial experience, or you might remember that they are not legally able to own a company. As you are sharing your thoughts with your colleagues at the table, you start to see other perspectives. You begin to search over the internet for young entrepreneurs and share your findings. You listen to your colleagues’ feedback and identify entrepreneur characteristics, and maybe what it’s their net worth. You put on the table the benefits and the worries about being your own boss. You start hitting the table slowly with your pen as you are preparing your presentation, and you realise the rhythm is coming with the outcome of team research. That’s a rap song telling us about the ups and downs of being a young entrepreneur. From noise to music, from music to learning. Information combined with
emotion creates long term memory. In 1999, educational researcher Dr. Sugata Mitra conducted his pioneering “Hole in the Wall” experiments to study how children learn in self-organised settings. In New Delhi and remote areas of India, students who had little to no formal education were given access to a computer and high speed internet while a camera monitored their interactions. The results were incredible, and almost impossible to believe. Children with little, or no input from an adult instructor, led themselves on a process of enthusiastic exploration, discovery, and peer coaching that resulted in the ability to learn almost anything- new languages, the solution to complex questions, science and math, and more. Fourteen years of research and iteration since then continue to support these startling results. Professor Mitra
has honed this work into a concept of Self-Organizing Learning Environments or SOLEs, which draw on children’s natural curiosity to create a dynamic space for students to learn, interact and develop critical problem-solving skills. Professor Mitra’s vision has earned him the first ever one million dollar TED Prize. Source: startsole.org/ history. As I was applying SOLE methodology, we enhanced students’: • Critical thinking and problem solving • Collaboration • Agility and adaptability • Initiative and entrepreneurialism • Effective oral and written communication • Accessing and analysing information • Curiosity and imagination
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There are five stages in the learning process: 1. Preparation. Before the class arrives, I post the big question in the classroom and make sure 8 internet enabled devices are online (two iPad for each team). I prepare materials for group work. 2. Introduction (2 minutes) I introduce SOLE process and review ground rules. I introduce our big question to the class. Students will self-organise into 4 groups (19 total students). 3. Investigation (40 minutes) Students investigate the answer to the big question using their group’s device. Groups share information only inside the team. 4. Review (8 minutes) Each group has 2 minutes to present their research to the class and discuss. Each group is expected to share their sources, present creatively and not rely on notes. The teacher moderates students’ presentations. Each student works actively in the team, as each team member has equal chances to be picked to present their evaluation regarding the big question. I’m picking up randomly students’ names written on a wooden stick, from my “magic cup” .
Year 12 IB Business Management students had the chance to tackle more complex questions like: Should entrepreneurs organised as LTD be supported by Government and receive 100 000 euros when starting a new business? Or Should company A change mission statement to satisfy the new potential customers? Students were split into four teams and completed periodically a business journal related to the chosen companies. In our case: Toyota, Samsung, Apple, Walt Disney. As they are progressing through the task, they are preparing for two essential elements of the IB Business exam: • Internal assessment representing 25% of the final grade. • 20 points question from paper two, where students need to choose a company and analyse the impact of two of the following concepts: change, culture, globalisation, ethics, innovation, strategy “In our IB Business lessons at ISB, we tend to apply the theory we learn in real life case studies with large multinational companies around the world, which further helps us to understand and use main business concepts.
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Since the beginning of the school year, we split into groups of 4-5 people and chose a company we should represent - examples of companies chosen were Toyota, Apple, Disney and many others. We then had a few lessons in our groups, analysing the company and its main objectives. We were asked to answer the following question: “Should Company X change their mission statement in order to satisfy the new potential customers?”. This question had to be answered using a complete SWOT analysis and the Ansoff Matrix of the company, followed by a recommendation. In order to answer this question, we had to complete a thorough research on the company and find the potential customers, the company’s mission statement, and develop strategies based on the company’s SWOT analysis. We split the tasks throughout the people in the group and set up a Google Doc to gather all our ideas. By the end of the lesson, one of our group members was asked to present our company, our findings and support the final recommendation. This lesson helped us connect the concepts of the last chapter we studied and apply it on an updated real life case study which also improved our research and cross referencing skills.” -Asal S., Year 12 Student
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The Exciting Part of IB Chemistry LAVINIA ANDORA / HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Year 12 students who are taking Chemistry High Level (HL) need to learn certain practical skills which will help them with their Internal Assessments. One of these skills is using a burette during a titration. The pictures show the students during the first lesson, when they get familiar with the steps that need to be followed to perform an accurate titration. As one of them said, it could be “nerve wracking” at first (Ioan H.). They need a lot of patience until they get the necessary dexterity. After 3 lessons of practicing titrations, the common consensus was that “this was fun”. They are all able to do titrations. Good job!
Y13 practical work for internal assessment
Y12 practical work in Chemistry During the first year of IB, students learn different laboratory techniques and concepts which help them, later on, choose a research question for their Internal Assessment (IA) or Extended Essay (EE). They are encouraged to find the answers to their questions from primary data, which means collecting data from hands-on experiments or simulations. During the October vacation, some of the Year 13 students came to school to finish their practical work for the IA or EE. It is always a pleasure, for any Chemistry teacher, to see the students do all the work by themselves: setting up the equipment, preparing all the solutions, performing the experiment and collecting data. After finishing this part of their work, they need to focus on writing a report in the form of a scientific paper. This is the most difficult part, but I am sure that all the advice given in Year 12 will help them produce a good piece of work. HL Chemistry is difficult, but it prepares the students for the rigorous requirements of the universities which they will all, hopefully, attend.
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JANUARY 2020
Customs and Traditions at the ISB Modern Foreign Languages Week CARMEN ZAHARIA / HEAD OF MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
This year’s Modern Foreign Languages Week theme was “Customs and Traditions”. We wanted to raise awareness of the importance of valuing cultural diversity in a globalised world. A range of activities was offered to our students showcasing the similarities and differences between cultures. Our students decorated an Altar de muertos, the most prominent feature in the Mexican traditional Día de los muertos – Day of the Dead – celebrated on November 2nd, simultaneously with the Christian holiday of All Souls Day. This year it was celebrated on the same day with the Orthodox Saturday of the dead. Julio Cesar, a Mexican artist, was invited to exhibit his work about the Day of the Death. Julio Cesar’s works basically depict a cheerful La Muerte (the two skeletons) and also Catrinas interpretations (the two women with their faces painted). Small personal items that belonged to the artist’s family were incorporated in the paintings, such as old letters and pictures, so that their memory would keep on going through his art. We had two students performing the Sama dance – dervish whirling – an important manifestation of Turkish culture. Our students decorated an Altar de muertos, the most prominent feature in the Mexican traditional Día de los muertos – Day of the Dead – celebrated on November 2nd, simultaneously with the Christian holiday of All Souls Day.
Dervish Dance performed by ISB students
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This year it was celebrated on the same day with the Orthodox Saturday of the dead. Julio Cesar, a Mexican artist, was invited to exhibit his work about the Day of the Death. Julio Cesar’s works
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basically depict a cheerful La Muerte (the two skeletons) and also Catrinas interpretations (the two women with their faces painted). Small personal items that belonged to the artist’s
family were incorporated in the paintings, such as old letters and pictures, so that their memory would keep on going through his art.
Julio Cesar’s works Our students participated in a Romanian pottery workshop held by two artisans who trained them in the art of ceramics. Also as part of Romanian arts and crafts, some of our students discovered and practiced the traditional cross stitch embroidery technique on etamine. Some of our French students visited the French Institute and discovered its attractions, like the “médiathèque”, a fabulous collection of audio /video materials, books for all ages, board games and video games. We also had the pleasure to invite Marina Alonso Abal, Head of Studies at Cervantes Institute of Bucharest, to introduce the DELE programme to our students. Cervantes Institute is the largest organisation in the world responsible for promoting the study and the teaching of Spanish language and culture. It was a fabulous week with multicultural activities that our students and teachers enjoyed. Looking forward to the next year MFL week!
Our “artisans” created clay objects that will be burned in special ovens and then painted.


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International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) at International School of Bucharest (ISB) One of the main benefits of the IB is that it is geared to prepare you for university. It also encourages more mature discussions with teachers, getting feedback and asking questions, allowing students to become more engaged and proactive about improving their work. INSIGHTS ON THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME FROM OANA I., HIGH ACHIEVING ISB STUDENT, 40 POINTS AT IB
From early school years we are expected to finish high school, but how life unfolds beyond that is less certain. As high school has just come to an end for me, I look back on it and see how I’ve changed, both through and alongside my academic life. Through the past four years, I’ve been a student in two different schools with two different curricula. The first one followed the Romanian schooling system while the second one, International School of Bucharest, is part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) organisation. I took the (IB) Diploma Programme, in which six subjects are studied intensively, in English, over the course of the last two years of Secondary School. The transition between the two educational systems caused a bit of a culture shock for me, as the way in which you are examined vastly differs between the two. While the Romanian one focuses more on memorisation, the International Baccalaureate is more focused on applying and discussing the information acquired. Of course, in subjects like Biology there is still a large focus on memorisation, but you are also taught research skills and more practical applications. For instance, the Internal Assessments, works appraised by the teachers in your school, count
these skills, I have no doubt, will prove to be invaluable in the future.
toward your final baccalaureate grade for each subject and play a large part in emphasising the application of knowledge. The task varies from subject to subject but in general it is an investigation on a topic of your choice. For English, we had to produce a piece of writing based on a fictitious work. It was extremely enjoyable to play around with the characters and think about what they would have said or what they were trying to achieve and describe situations not featured in the book. More good examples are the investigations we carried out in biology and psychology. As the career I wish to pursue is in experimental psychology,
These creative tasks were an interactive way of learning how to write essays and reports in a concise manner. Even if it might not work for every student, I found the practice to be extremely helpful in preparing me for the future. This type of teaching would be hard to implement in the Romanian system, as your attention is spread out between a lot more subjects which you may not necessarily like as much. The freedom resulting from this system also teaches you about accountability of your actions. This may not be as fun, but it I believe it’s an indispensable lesson to learn before joining the adult world. The workload in general is heavy, there being weeks or days in which I had to work my fingers to the bone to reach deadlines. Though stressful, this taught me how to effectively manage my time and all that implies. Outside of the schooling system, Secondary School has taught me that mind-set matters a lot and can dictate what you can and can’t do more than your innate talent or intelligence. Towards the end of middle school, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t good at biology. As a result, I felt as if
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no matter how much I learned, nothing would stick and my grades weren’t the best. Before starting IB, however, I realised that there was no evidence to support this. Consequently, I changed the way I regarded my abilities and my grades started getting better and I found myself with a growing love and appreciation for the subject that
I would have been hard-pressed to find before. This lesson has not only helped me develop at school, but also in my day-to-day life, letting myself be challenged. As of now, I’m looking forward to going to university. I’ve been lucky enough to have a family that has pushed me to find something I enjoy doing rather
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than towards a specific career path, and I am extremely grateful for that. As I’ve grown, I’ve realized in how many possible ways my life can go, especially after high school, and although this does seem daunting to me, I’ve found it also helps me strive to do something in my life I genuinely love and can feel proud of.
INSIGHTS ON THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME FROM FILIPPOS GKOKOS, ISB GRADUATE ACCEPTED WITH A BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, USA
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme provides a rich learning experience which is able to conform to every individual’s personal desires. The programme provides substantial freedom and opportunity so that all students feel confident in the pursuit of their goals and are prepared to encounter the challenges of the world with an open mind.
goals. I gradually began to acclimate myself and organize my schedule in order to be more effective with my time, always considering my dedication to basketball as a student-athlete as well. Being immersed in the programme was a full-time commitment and required great responsibility.
My personal experience with the IB programme was both challenging and fulfilling. Throughout the twoyear programme I found myself having to deal with heavy workloads and sleepless nights. At times, the work was overwhelming, but it had to be completed. As a consequence, I developed numerous skills essential to success, such as time management, prioritizing and building a powerful mindset that aligned itself with my
The knowledge I received from the material I studied equipped me with a deep, technical skill set in areas such as Mathematics and Economics, and elevated my work ethic and discipline. The nature of the programme allowed me to acquire knowledge in a wide array of subjects, which was essential in making me a well-rounded student. Additionally, by having the chance to give back to the community through the CAS programme, I developed a sense of fulfilment and gratitude as it allowed me to view the world from
International School of Bucharest would like to congratulate the first International Baccalaureate (IB) cohort for their exam results. 38 ISB students got the IB Diploma with a Diploma average of 31 points (IB Diploma is awarded to candidates with 24 points or more), 40 points being the highest score obtained. Moreover,
seven of our students were awarded the distinguished Bilingual Diploma. This year, our bright graduates have been accepted in prestigious universities in Europe and USA: New York University, University of Miami (USA), University of Manchester, Exeter (UK), Erasmus University, Delft University, University of Groningen,
a different perspective. Overall, I was provided with the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a student, an athlete and an individual. (Netherlands), etc. Congratulations to all our students for their great achievement and of course, to their supporting families and teachers. We wish them all the best in their new adventure and future career endeavours.
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From ISB to Mercedes Formula One CRISTINA / YEAR 12B
We are extremely proud of Cristina S., our Year 12 student. Her story of success through perseverance and hard work is as remarkable, as it’s inspiring. Her idol is the world champion Lewis Hamilton, whom she managed to impress with her own Formula One strategies after many failed attempts to meet him. She also got Toto Wolff’s attention (The CEO of Mercedes Formula One), who asked for her resume for an internship at Mercedes Formula One Team. She hopes one day she will follow Wolff’s footsteps and get 44% shares of Mercedes FO. That might seem like an ambitious goal, but Cristina is up to the challenge and willing to work for it.
Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful Formula One pilots in the world and a 5-time world champion. Torger Christian “Toto” Wolff is an Austrian investor and former Formula One racing driver, who holds 30% shares of Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula One Team, as a Team Principal and CEO. Cristina’s passion for Formula One started when she was 14 and one day she happened to catch a race on TV. At first she wasn’t impressed with what was going on the track, but the commentator mentioned Lewis Hamilton, a name that sounded somewhat familiar. She googled him to find out more
and continued to watch. And so she got “hooked” with this sport. For months, Cristina researched the internet and made notes of every piece of information she could find, including details about key people in Mercedes Formula One and their biographies. Then she started reading about Formula One strategies, and finally created some of her own. She was going to carry that notebook with her everywhere she went. Cristina witnessed her first Formula One race when she was 15, in Hungary. Her ultimate goal, however, was to get to talk to Hamilton and show him her ideas. She designed a personalized,
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hand-made flag to catch his attention. The media saw it as well, and a photo of her flag was posted on the event’s official website. “Everybody was taking pictures, even Hamilton’s PR assistant noticed it and stopped by to check it out. I recognized the assistant from her Linkedin photo, so I called her by the name: Rosie, is Hamilton coming? She said, no, unfortunately not”, Cristina remembers. She was disappointed, but still determined to meet him. The next day, Cristina spotted Hamilton’s bike in front of a hotel and waited around for hours, hoping to see him. At 10pm his bike had disappeared as he had “missed him” through the back door. Another disappointment, but that wouldn’t detract Cristina from her objective. Passing by another 5-star hotel in search of her idol the next day, Cristina saw Toto Wolff stepping out of a black Mercedes. No security team could stop her from following him to the elevator. She stopped Toto right there, introduced herself and started talking. “We talked quite a lot and I was so excited! I showed him my notebook, my strategies for Formula One and he asked me if I had copied them from somewhere. I said, no, they’re original! After this encounter with Wolff, Cristina was even more anxious to meet her idol. The next day, during the race, she managed to slip through 7 security filters using her regular badge. With a little help from Hamilton’s assistant and the Mercedes staff, who were both impressed and amused by Cristina’s determination, she finally passed the 7th gate. Another 6 hours of anticipation were finally rewarded when Hamilton showed up and they started talking. “I showed him my strategies and he was very impressed. We talked for half an hour”. In 2018 Cristina met Toto Wolff again, after he had recognized her in front of a hotel. “He came to me right away, he
asked me how I was doing and what were my plans for the future. I told him I wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania because they have the best business division, and that’s what I want to do”. She also told him that she was interested in an internship at Mercedes Formula One. “Toto smiled and gave me his business card. He told me to send him my resume and he said we would meet again”.
was thrilled. I accepted then and there!”. She was going to find out later that her video resume and the strategies she had created were the reason she was chosen. “We have selected you out of 1.000 candidates. This is the commitment level we want”, they said. “Working there was an amazing experience, one of a kind! I participated in all their meetings and I was there when they won”.
Back in Romania, Cristina made a creative video CV with a Formula One track, using online editing software. “It had to be something original!”. It took a month to finish the resume, then she sent the link to Mercedes. The answer came from Toto’s Assistant, who explained that she was too young for an internship. However, Cristina was invited to work with the strategy department for a week, in the UK. “I
Cristina’s story doesn’t end here; this is just the beginning of a personal journey that inspires us all to keep working hard for our dreams, no matter where we are in life. We wish Cristina all the best in her endeavors and looking forward to hearing of future accomplishments.
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Mihail V., COBIS Student Achievement Award Winner 2019
The COBIS Student Achievement Awards give COBIS Schools the opportunity to recognise students’ outstanding achievements on a global scale. We are very fortunate to have such amazing students at ISB and we are very proud of their achievements. One of these students is Mihail V. in Year 10B.
flected in his sporting prowess and his success in national and international competitions.
Mihail was nominated for COBIS award due to his reliable high academic performance which is combined with an enthusiasm to be involved in the wider aspects of school life, as re-
Which is your favourite subject in school?
Mihail V. wants to go to Harvard Medical School and return to Romania to encourage other doctors to grow professionally. Mihail accepted to answer a few questions for our Insight Magazine.
Since I was young, I’ve always been passionate about Mathematics. Whenever a teacher or any other adult
asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I would respond immediately: “A mathematician”. This year, along with Math, I started to feel a passion for Science in general, and my wish of becoming a medical doctor flourished. Have you already decided on a career pathway? I want to study Medicine at Harvard, in the United States, where I will be able to excel in doing what I love. I made my choice, for now, due to my understanding that this University has the
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best equipment. There is no doubt that I will come back to assist in the country where I grew up, and I wish I could help those in need- to cure the ill, to plaster wounded kids, to help the elderly live a long and painless life. I imagine myself in the future coming back to Romania, encouraging other young doctors to grow professionally. What competitions and special projects have you been involved in so far? One of the projects I’ve completed at school was my participation in the FirSTep International Science competition. I have participated with my teammates for 3 years, winning a Gold medal each time. World Scholar’s Cup is a debate and general knowledge competition in which I participated for the first time in 2018, having gone through all the rounds and winning multiple medals,
with competitors from all over the world. In 2018 I participated at the International Math Competition in Bangkok, Thailand, and I won the Gold Medal for my age group. I also participated in other International Maths Contests, as Noetic (Gold Medal Twice), Math Without Borders and High Four Competition. This year I will complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award bronze level. I also participated in NASA Space Settlement Contest, Owlypia Global Round in Cambridge, England, and I’ve recently joined the Lumina Wolves Basketball team, having been recruited for the team that plays in the Bucharest Tournament. How about Sports Competitions? • Football – together with the team, we won medals each year.
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• Volleyball – this year, we won the silver medal at the AISB tournament. • Athletics – I won at least one Gold medal for each participation. • Cross-country competition- I got a silver medal and a bronze medal all the 3 times I have participated in the AISB competition Basketball – this year, our team won the silver medal at the AISB competition. • Swimming – I got the bronze medal at the competition organised by Avenor School. Which do you think are three characteristics of your generation? Three things that I like about my generation would be: curiosity, creativity and the eagerness to play sports.
At the World Scholar’s Cup, Tournament of Champions, Yale. USA
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A Teenager’s Journey to Incredible India DANIEL C. / YEAR 9B
We left on the 27th of September 2019, destination Uttarkashi – Gangotri, province of Uttarakhand in Northern India, with the goal to reach the Ganges river spring in the Gaumoukh glacier, Himalaya Mountains.
Like any other trip to another country it started in the morning, with a drive to the airport. I knew that it would be a long ride, a 4-hour flight from Bucharest to Doha, Qatar, with a 3-hour stop at the Doha international airport and a 3-hour Flight from Doha to New Delhi, India. In a flight time which adds up to 7 hours, you would expect a big time zone difference, but it is not. Qatar is south enough of Romania that they are in the same time zone and Delhi only has a time zone of plus 3 hours from Romania,
but we still arrived at around midnight. I was accompanied by my mother, my father and friends of theirs which were either seeking adventure like me or they wanted to try something new. The moment I got out of the New Delhi airport, I was overwhelmed. At first I thought I was in a stuffy room, but I was outside. I never experienced so much humidity in the air. We were at the end of the rainy season (Monsoon), still experiencing some showers but hoping for the weather to improve for our hike.
Temperature was around 30 degrees. From there we took a 10 hour bus ride all the way to the Northern city of Rishikesh, where it would be the first time experiencing actual Indian culture for me. What I noticed on the road was the difference in traffic and everything about it. First of all, people were driving on the left side like in England. There was extreme traffic at the time we were driving towards Rishikesh, we never went over 30km per hour. An interesting but scary thing was how there were no
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traffic laws. The people coordinated themselves using their car horns and were always paying attention to their environment. This plus the slow speed made it safer than driving in Europe. When we reached Rishikesh, we had an evening for visiting the town. We saw the people, some of us tried the food for the first time and we bought all kinds of souvenirs including clothing as they were very cheap – India is a big producer of textiles. The next morning we ate and left for Utterkashi, a small town on the banks
of the Ganges River (Ganga for Hindus) at an altitude of about 1300 meters, where we were hosted in a learning place for spiritual people (Gurukulam). The views from the drive in the Himalayas along the Ganga were great and were totally worth seeing, even if we drove for around 7 hours only 180 km. Sometimes the roads were so narrow that we were scared the bus might fall off the cliffs when cars were coming from the opposite direction.
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way to Topovan
Because of the higher altitude, there was less oxygen in the air. This made it hard to sleep (some people even had panic attacks) and harder to do any physical activity. This is the reason why people wear respirators on Everest. The hike took around 10 hours. It was beautiful, with great views everywhere you looked, along the Ganga river which was smaller here and with mount Shivling on the right (6543 m), a sacred mountain for the Hindus, for us known as the “Matterhorn” of India (Matterhorn is a peak in the Alps known as very dangerous to climb). When our hike ended, we reached the Base Camp. This is the place where we would sleep, eat and start our hikes from in the oncoming days. We slept in tents and we
were at an altitude of 3600 meters so it was pretty cold during the night (minus 7), it even snowed once or twice. The next day we took a 2 hour hike to Gaumoukh, in order to acclimatize (get our bodies used to the high altitude). Gaumoukh is the glacier where the Ganga River starts, it is an extremely special place in the Indian culture and Hinduism. The day after that would be the day we would climb to Tapovan, a kind of field at 4400 meters with a great view of some of the highest and least accessible mountains in the world. One of them is mount Meru (6660m), considered by many cultures the center of the spiritual universe; its “shark fin” peak was climbed for the first time only in 2015 after many failed attempts. way to base camp
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Indian Food
The hike started with crossing the Ganga River in a pretty scary cabin which was basically a small cart at about 5 meters over the raging river. The hike up to Tapovan and back totaled to about 8 hours which might seem easy, but with the fast increasing altitude and the cold weather, it was not. We also experienced a rock avalanche on the way, but it was worth it. Even though it was foggy, I had successfully reached the place with the highest altitude I’ve ever been to. Coming down, we went as close as possible to the Gaumoukh glacier where one can see Ganga river springing, an amazing sight. As rocks and ice were falling we had to head back to our base camp.
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The day after we hiked back to Gangotri; on the way we had fun looking at monkeys playing and trying to cross the river. Then we drove all the way back to Uttarkashi, in very old jeeps. In Uttarkashi we spent some relaxing days until we came back to Rishikesh for two more days and then all the way to New Delhi to the airport (where I had my first burger after 2 weeks) and finally, Bucharest, on the 13th of October. It was an amazing and rewarding adventure where I had to overcome my own limits and got to know a beautiful culture with kind people, great food and a country bigger than a continent, hosting some of the most amazing mountains of the world: the great Himalaya.
Topovan
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Duke of Edinburgh Leaders Award Duke of Edinburgh’s International Program received a warm welcome from the ISB teachers. 10 ISB teachers have recently taken part in the training course for Leaders Award.
“Teachers were invited to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Leaders Award training, one Saturday in October. The opportunity to be part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme was one that was too good to pass up on. On Saturday, the 26th of October, around twenty teachers from different schools were introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. We were given some history about the scheme, the different Award levels and what our role as leaders would entail. In order to go out on expeditions with candidates we need to do further training, which takes place in November. I really enjoyed the course and hope to take an active role in our school’s program in the future. It is nice to interact with students in a different setting than the classroom. It gives them the opportunity to show nonacademic skills and other sides of their personalities. I enjoyed the day immensely and look forward to further training and actively participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme.” - Stuart Lee / English Teacher
Being passionate about traveling, seeing and exploring new places, I decided to take part in the Leaders Award course, organised by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). My involvement in this programme came from the desire to initiate and be part of extracurricular projects and activities which help young people and the civil society. I had the pleasure of meeting, getting to know and spending time with participants and finalists of the Award programme, adult volunteers, leaders and mentors who inspire and guide young people. Leaders Award is a programme that offers the opportunity for young people to demonstrate their personal development in a recognised international framework, both through physical and personal activities, as well as through volunteering. - Claudia Hurmuzescu / Primary Teaching Assistant Participant in the DofE Award Leaders’ Course
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From Bronze to Silver to Gold! ALEXANDRU STANCIU GRADUATED ISB IN JUNE 2019
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program trained me as an independent and responsible young man, fulfilling my dreams of adventure and managing not only the three levels of the Award, but also bringing into the program my friends and my brother. My journey began 4 years ago with a group of high school colleagues under the careful guidance of my form teacher, who has been my program leader all these years. It was somewhere at the end of September when the coordinator of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program in the school gathered us in the theatre for a presentation. I was immediately attracted to the program and it only took a few moments to form a team, as my first thought was the 2-day trip I had to organise. I love nature and physical activities, and the thought that I can embark on an adventure fascinated me right away. I followed in the footsteps of each stage, bronze, silver and gold, and finally came to say that I want to continue. I learned to play drums and be involved in the school’s musical band, I improved my skills in football, basketball and swimming, and I also
learned to cook international menus. I took shy steps into volunteering, not knowing at that time what a difference it can make to abandoned children or to young mothers without help. I helped the school’s junior football team to gain confidence and to attend the league matches, being together not only during the victories, but also when the sadness of their loss pulled them down. The involvement in organizing the Apuseni Marathon, my residential project, brought me again close to nature, combining the responsibilities with my passion for extreme sporting events. I cannot say that everything was easy, but the journey in this program helped me discover myself and find out that there are so many qualities inside me that I didn’t even dream about. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program trained me as an independent and responsible young man, fulfilling my dreams of adventure
and managing not only the three levels of the award, but also bringing into the program my friends and my brother. They followed me, enrolling in the program and starting their own adventure. Although I am far from here and not being able to attend the Award Ceremony, as I am a student in Canada, my thoughts go to Romania and the places where I’ve lived in the last 11 years. I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional support, my high school, for offering so many opportunities to students, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International program coordinator, who never stopped believing in us, and my instructors who guided me. My special thank you goes to Her Royal Majesty, Princess Margareta of Romania, for her continuous support of this program in Romania.
One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure TEODORA VARZARU / SECONDARY ART TEACHER
During one of our Art lessons, I was talking to my Form Class students, Year 8S, about mosaics, about how they are being made and which aesthetically pleasing small items we can easily gather to make a mosaic which will also deliver a strong message in the community. The whole class brainstormed the idea and we came up with something we all use on a daily basis: bottle caps. My students decided to make a mosaic out of bottle caps so that we could integrate the eco school concept in our school values, Learn. Respect. Succeed. The premise is to raise awareness
through a permanent visual display that reflects the children’s creative flair and reminds the school community on the massive plastic use and how recycling and reusing may help saving the planet. The entire school became involved and started bringing bottle caps of different colours and sizes to help fabricate the eco mural. As an art teacher, I always challenge my students to think outside the box and I encourage them to express themselves, to “throw” ideas at each other, to play and experiment. My reward comes from being able to witness how they come up with
brilliant, creative ideas and responses. I was so proud to see my students so driven, so focused and engaged in this massive project and I felt happy and honoured to support them. At ISB, we believe that if we encourage our students to have faith and make the right choices as lifelong recyclers, then we can provide them with the tools and resources to influence their future. Our students have the will to drive their own ideas and values forward in an attempt to help decrease pollution levels and focus on saving their environment.
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“The 8S bottle cap mosaic was a project created at first in order to help promote eco school activities. However, as we realised how much time and commitment this was going to take, it became clear that it was fuelled by our own dedication to save the world. It grew bigger and better across the time we were given to complete it, and we were very proud when some students brought 100, 200, and even 300 bottle caps in order to help us reach our final goal.” - Liza G. We brought this project to life because we wanted to embrace the fact that our school is an eco-school, and to spread awareness on how plastic is polluting the earth. We started last year and we were constantly getting bottle caps from everyone, so one of us started sorting them by colour. We sort of improvised, as we didn’t know what to do with the massive amount of bottle caps.” - Tania F. “We started this bottle cap project as a one-time event, but we never imagined that it would get this far. Last year, we had our first key stage assembly, presenting our idea, afraid of what people were going to say, if they were going to love the idea or make fun of it. Fortunately, all the kids fell in love with our project, and suddenly, hundreds of bottle caps started coming in. So we took 5 or 10 minutes, at the end of some lessons, and started placing and sticking the caps. We finished our first mosaic by the end of year 7, with over ten thousand bottle caps. The outcome was incredible, and with your help, we hope to complete the two left.” - Violeta B. “The bottle cap mosaic project created such enthusiasm that we gathered over 2000-3000 caps in the first week. That created a lot of chaos in the art room. The students were always giving the bottle caps to us and we had to sort them out, which was of course taking a lot of our
free time. So we, “the accountancy team”, found a way to sort them out much easier. We invented a system of self-sorting. We taped bags on one of the class walls with tags above them so that everyone who would bring the caps would put it in the bag instead of giving it to us. A sort of creative recycling bins. Now, when we want to make an image and we need a certain colour, we just pick it from the bag.” - Esma K.
“We as a class came up with a very creative idea, which was recycling bottle caps and creating a large mosaic. This huge proiect is a very good way to save the oceans’ animals and the world in general.” -Goinaz N.
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ISB Go Green! GARETH AVENELL / SECONDARY SCIENCE TEACHER
The importance of eco programs and sustainability is becoming a topic that has been moved into the forefront of people’s minds in recent months. On the global stage, Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl, is turning heads with her stance on climate change. The burning of the Amazon rainforest has taken social media by storm over the summer period, and most recently, Trump has started procedures to remove the USA from the Paris Climate Agreement. Far closer to home, the issue of illegal logging in Romania has grown in awareness with protesters taking to the streets in Bucharest.
Wherever you turn, the environment is becoming a hot topic! Environmental sustainability issues are also important to our students at ISB. Indeed, one of the most popular IB courses in recent years has been Environmental Systems and Societies. Students want to know what they can do to protect their future whilst also benefiting from the advantages of living in a modern society. Our school’s eco campaign, ISB Go Green, has been a success throughout the last year and continues to promote sustainability education for students, so that we can all enjoy a shared future
together. Throughout this academic year, the campaign is focusing on a range of issues from agriculture to zero emissions transport. Students are involved in projects such as tree planting, developing greener options for the canteen, and analysing their own carbon footprint. We are discussing relevant issues in tutor time, assemblies and PSHE lessons, as well as through the standard lessons on the school’s curriculum. The importance of education in the global fight against climate change should not be underestimated. It could easily be argued that the
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current technologies that we have in place have not been successful in preventing climate change, and that new technologies are needed. These technologies will come from new minds who have been educated to be aware of the most pressing environmental issues. I’m very pleased to see students apply their learning to developing novel ideas as part of their group 4 IB science projects, PBL projects, and firSTep projects. It is exciting to think that our students will help solve the problems of the future. Our mission with the ISB Go Green campaign aligns with the school’s mission through the lens of sustainability. Students are learning about current issues and future technologies, developing a respect for the environment and the different societies who live within it, and working to succeed in building our shared sustainable future. Learn, respect, succeed.
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Experts from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) visit ISB ISB welcomed a team of experts from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Environment Division. Mr. Antoine Nunes and Ms. Angela Sochirca, Environmental Affairs Officers, visited ISB as part of their Environmental Performance Review Programme in Romania. As ISB has been actively involved for 4 years into the international ECO School Programme, the two experts were interested to find out more about things we do in school and how we integrate the environmental education and education for sustainable development in our community.
The members of the ISB ECO Committee enthusiastically talked about what they learnt during their ECO School Programme and how they apply their knowledge in their day to day routine. The students’ Human Rights Projects, the Mosaic made out of bottle caps during Art lessons, the Global Perspective research assignments or the paperless day in school, the simple collection of plastic or donations of books and presents to less fortunate communities, the initiative to collect signatures for a clean environment, are just a few examples
of the topics discussed during the visit. “We had the amazing opportunity to talk to the representatives of the environmental division from the United Nations about the crisis that is climate change. They were kind enough to answer our questions and help with our research for the global perspectives group project” - Melis Z., Year 11. We are very proud of our community which is contributing to this program and we will continue to develop it for a better and long lasting life on Earth.
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Claire and Anthony O’Brien, the Triathlon Couple MĂDĂLINA CIOC / ADMISSIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
On ISB’s Facebook this year we saw that Mr. Anthony O’Brien completed the Tranfier Ironman Triathlon. For those of you who did not see the item, Anthony took part in an Ironman Triathlon in the Fagaras Mountains. The race was made up of a 2km swim in Lake Vidraru, a 90km bike up to Lake Balea and back and finished off with a 21 km race along Lake Vidraru finishing at the Prometheus statue. We have since found out that his wife, Mrs Claire O’Brien, who also works with us at ISB in the EYFS department, has also taken up the sport of Triathlon. In the last 9 years, Claire has regularly competed in road and forest races in distances ranging from 5km to half marathons. However, after watching her husband race triathlons she has decided to take up the challenge for herself. So far Claire has competed in the Buftea Triathlon and Mamaia International Triathlon. Both events were in the sprint category with distances of 1 km swim, 20 km bike and a 5 km run. What does the future hold for this Triathlon couple? Claire has her sights set on an Olym-
pic distance Triathlon, hopefully in the Fagaras Mountains next summer. This will see her cover 1.5 km in the lake, a 40 km bike, and a 10km run to finish off. However, to do this she insists on a new bike! As for Anthony, he would like to complete his first full Ironman
event. This would mean a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and finishing off with a 42 km full marathon, no mountains this time, somewhere flat like Dubai. Good luck to them!
Health and Fitness Week Wake Up and Shake Up! NICOLETA MOTROC PE TEACHER
It all started as a novelty in Primary during Health and Fitness Week. It was introduced with great success in both Primary and Secondary. We couldn’t have found a better activity for these wonderful children, than Wake Up Shake Up: a “revival” through music, allowing them to enjoy the rhythms of the songs and prepare their mind and body for a new school day. The music
has the power to arouse the will and enthusiasm within us, it can stimulate our concentration by helping us start our daily activity with a positive note and motivates us to do important things for us. It was a beautiful experience, lived joyfully and intensively by both the students and myself each morning, during the Health and Fitness Week. We will surely repeat it.
For the secondary school students, the Health and Fitness week was like a continuous competition between the classes, the boys enjoying the football matches organised in between lessons, and the girls managing to learn, in a record time, a dance routine that they proudly presented in front of their peers.
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Athletics Challenge
Why is this so important? Physical inactivity amongst teens and youths has been listed as a leading cause of obesity and preventable conditions DANIEL HOWE / PE TEACHER such as type 2 diabetes. Thankfully, TURGUT DUNDAR / PE TEACHER most students at ISB are very motivated During Physical Education classes in to participate and the PE department the second week of September, ISB is happy to continue to introduce new students participated in a variety of games and exercises to maximize their athletics activities to prepare them movement. for the annual Sports Day held later On the 25th September, all secondary at Dinamo Stadium. Events such students participated in the Athletics as sprinting, long distance running and relay races were the focus, but Challenge during the Health and students also participated in other Fitness Week at Dinamo Stadium. activities to increase their fitness Our courageous students competed levels. Introducing the importance in 100m, 400m, Relay Race and the of physical activity and fitness early Long Jump events with real passion in the school year gives students the opportunity to set new goals for themselves to achieve. Athletics is a great reminder for all of us as to why it’s so important move, highlighting the role that physical activity plays in helping us strive to lead healthier lives. The Physical Education Department at ISB is committed to the improvement of the students’ overall wellbeing and activity levels. We meet with each class twice a week and do our best to motivate them to play, and educate each of them about the importance of cardiovascular exercises.
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and desire to do well. Their athletics skills were shining once again. Stand out performances in 100m were from Octavian and Maria (Year 9) Mihai and Natalee(Year 10) Esat and Sorana(Year 11), Radu and Alexandra(Year 12) Dinu and Kevser(Year 13). Other results to be mentioned are the fastest students in 400m was Esad (Year 11) and the best long jump result from Key Stage 3 students was recorded by George (Year 7). We are very proud of all the students’ effort and achievements. We stand by our students and we congratulate them once more for their hard work!
ISB Eagles Annual Football Competition INGRID STANCIU / HEAD OF PE
ISB Eagles Annual football competition took place at the end of the Health and Fitness week, gathering teams for the U14 age group, from AISB, BSB and Cambridge School. It was the start of the season for the football teams and we are very proud of our players, who understood that training and teamwork
are the keys to success. The surprise was huge when the U14 girls team managed a beautiful victory against the AISB. The dedication that our players have shown made us understand that their passion for football is not just a game, and active participation in training helped them develop
their skills and build their confidence and strengths. The U11 and U14 boys’ teams participated in another competition, organized by AISB, and the results delighted us. We are looking forward to the upcoming Autumn Cup in November.
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An Amazing Outdoor Experience with Outward Bound
At the beginning of this school year, ISB with Outward Bound organised a trip to Sovata. The goal of this trip was to give us a complete camping experience and challenge us to be independent while still having a sense of teamwork. We asked our Year 12 students about their experience: “As we arrived at Outward Bound, we met our instructors and we were split in groups, each group consisting of three teams: navigation, equipment and cooking. After this, we began some activities that were meant to prepare us for the next day’s hike, such as thinking games and resistance training. The next morning, we packed our backpacks and, led by the navigation team, headed towards the camping
site. The journey was tiring for some of the team members, but we managed to get there before sundown. One by one, all groups started to arrive. After the navigation team took care of making the fire, the food team started to prepare dinner. And lastly, the equipment team took care of setting up the tents. Before sundown, the groups collected fire wood, which was later used for preparing the food.
We cooked something simple, such as pasta, bread and jam or vegetables. After everyone was done eating and dishes were washed, some of us went with the instructors at a tree relatively far away from the camping site to hang the food at the top of the tree, so the bear would not come at us and look for food. Throughout the night there were teams that were night watching, making sure that the fire would not die, however due to the cold many
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people were awake, sitting by the fire and telling stories. Eventually people started falling asleep as they stood by the fire, watching the stars shine. On our last night at the Outward Bound camp, we had to set up a play of the most memorable event of our team during the expedition and perform it. The night ended with kürtőskalács and hot chocolate. This trip was a unique experience for most of us, that taught us many things about teamwork, independence and the difficulty of camping and managing to fulfill all our needs in a place where we did not have any resources. As a result of this trip, we also created stronger bonds with our teammates and memories that we will remember forever.” -Asal S. Year 12 “The Outward Bound trip was an amazing experience. The best part about this trip was to have great teammates. Our bond between our friends got stronger, as we helped each other all the time. We cooked our food together and made our shelter for the night. The 12km hike to the camp site was really challenging but worth it, the activities that we had completed the day before our hike were helpful for all of us, and last but not least, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our teachers and coaches who helped us along this trip.” - Meryem O. Year 12 “In Sovata we had a great experience with very enthusiastic teachers who helped us with the activities. The road there was quite long, but it was definitely worth it. We had lots of fun and we bonded more as a class. It is an experience I will repeat.” - Sara M. Year 12
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“Once we got to Sovata, we did a fun exercise which helped us with our coordination. After the activity was over, we had time to unpack and go to our rooms as well as eating lunch. We were split into 4 groups and we did a couple of activities which improved our overall teamwork. Then dinner was served and before going to rest for the day, we made our team flag, which developed our creativity. We spent the next day planning our journey and making a list of the equipment we needed. At 1pm we started our hike, and although it was challenging, we managed to overcome the difficulties. When we reached our camping spot, our knowledge was put to the test. Building the tents, cooking a warm meal and making a fire- all these activities put our teamwork skills to the test. Up in the mountains, each one of the 4 groups was given the responsibility to guard the fire in 2-hour
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shifts. The next day we all packed and headed back to the Outward Bound camp, where we made a play as the final activity. The experience with Outward Bound was a fun one, putting our skills to the test and getting to see how well we overcome each task. The experience was enjoyable and it improved our survival skills.” - Ionel H. Year 12 “The Outward Bound trip gave me the chance to have new experiences, such as cooking on a camp fire, hiking long distances and, most importantly, operating as a team. We had to assign jobs and designate individual tasks together with random team members, which seemed challenging at first, but we’ve managed to get along. Overall, I was happy to see myself go beyond my limits and explore unknown environments. - Adile K. Year 12
“The Outward Bound trip was definitely an experience that pushed us beyond our limits and taught us that with hard work comes the satisfaction of accomplishment, and that can only be achieved through real effort and struggle. The hike through the forest, although challenging, was an opportunity to connect with nature. The trip was also a chance to experience teamwork, as well as learn new skills or apply knowledge in practical situations. My task was to cook for the team, which proved to be a challenge, being away from materials taken for granted in our everyday lives, such as stoves and readily available clean water. Although demanding, after accepting it for what it is, the Outward Bound trip was extremely enjoyable and if given the chance, I would go again.“ - Lydia P. Year 12
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Netherlands University Trip ASAL S. AND LAURA C. / YEAR 12B
During our half-term break, our school organized a university trip in the Netherlands where we visited the cities of Groningen, Delft, Rotterdam, Tilburg and Amsterdam and their highly appreciated universities. The first day we arrived, we visited the University of Groningen where a university representative offered us more information on their courses and then led us on a tour around Groningen. On the second day, we travelled by train to reach the cities of Delft and Rotterdam. At TU Delft we met an ISB
graduate who had just begun his first year and gave us a tour of the campus, while providing us an insight into his university life in the Netherlands. Only 20 minutes away from Delft, there was the Erasmus University of Rotterdam where we met two students who welcomed us on their campus. We also visited the University of Tilburg on our third day, where a Master’s student presented more information regarding their university. We also had the chance to see the campus and all their facilities.
On our last day, we visited Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UVA) and met three ISB graduates. They shared their experiences with us and gave us advice on the application process and housing. After this, we had time to visit all the tourist attractions in Amsterdam. We earned an unforgettable experience and got the chance to accommodate with our possible future university. We also learned a lot about life in the Netherlands, a country with a growing student college society and economy.
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Teacher Training A key factor in using educational technologies BOGDAN COPIL / EDTECH COACH GOOGLE FOR EDUCATION CERTIFIED TRAINER
Every child is born full of creativity. Nurturing it is one of the most important things educators do. Creativity makes our students better communicators and problem solvers. It prepares them to thrive in today’s world and to shape tomorrow’s. But are we doing enough to support young people to thrive? Technology has a tremendous power - it can totally transform and enhance teaching methods and student learning. But what happens when it doesn’t do that? What happens when a bunch of Chromebooks or iPads
are used just as some very expensive digital worksheets? The sweet spot for the transformation is found at the intersection of technology and pedagogy. There are different models looking at this - the SAMR model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) being one of them. It’s describing different stages of using technology for enhancing and transforming teaching and learning. The higher up you move through the SAMR model, the more transformative the technology task becomes:
• Substitution - tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change. Instead of writing an essay on paper, you now write it on a laptop/chromebook/tablet. • Augmentation - tech acts as a substitute, with functional improvement. The same essay is now written in a Google Doc, which adds an extra collaborative layer. The students can get ideas and feedback from their peers via comments, for example. • Modification - tech allows for
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significant task redesign. The essay turns into a blog post. Students now do their research online, they collaborate with their peers in Google Docs, they publish their work for a potentially global audience, and they interact with that audience. • Redefinition - technology allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable. Students can connect with an expert using online video conferencing tools like
Google Hangouts. They now write their blog posts collaborating with other students from around the world. The blog post can now also be turned into a podcast and/or a video. So what does this model have to do with teacher training? Given the already busy schedule and big workload of teachers, it’s very easy to get stuck in the Substitution or Augmentation phases. Going beyond that, in most cases, also requires the teachers
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to dedicate time and focus to learn about redesigning tasks. They need inspiration, case studies, ideas. This is where teacher training can totally up their game. Be it by better understanding the possibilities that technology offer, by understanding the fundamentals on using the Google Suite, by discussing case studies and seeing how tech could help them modify or redefine their tasks, or simply by getting answers to their burning questions.
“The Google training bootcamp was a great way to quickly master the skills I needed to become a certified Google educator. Using Google Ed in the classroom means that my students can collaborate on digital projects more easily and it empowers them to carry out their own research online. They are becoming increasingly proficient with the Google suite, developing important 21st century learning skills. It also plays an important role in our sustainability efforts, as I am able to have paperless lessons.” Emma Louise Clark, Year 6 Teacher
“The training made me feel more comfortable using the Google apps and tools. I discovered interesting features and shortcuts that I didn’t know/use before. It will help streamline my management of paperwork within classroom and use my time more effectively.” Teodora Varzaru, Art Teacher
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Happy Anniversary, Lumina! 25 Years of Excellence in Education 25 years of an amazing journey with wonderful people, great achievements and countless opportunities. This October, Lumina proudly celebrated the 25th anniversary of excellence in education. The 25-year anniversary reunited teachers, parents, alumni, students and friends from around the world who attended the event at the Athenaeum in Bucharest. 25 distinctions were awarded during the festivities hosted by Virgil Iantu, the parent of an ICHB student himself. Outstanding entertainment from
student performers was met with applause, including an exceptional piano recital by David C., a 6th grader from ICHB. We pride ourselves with almost 1.000 medals won by our students in international competitions, and hundreds of students who have been accepted in renowned universities in Romania and abroad.
Lumina successful pathway is due to the support, trust and inspiration of all those who have passed through the halls of our schools to become inquiring and knowledgeable young adults. Since 1994, Lumina Educational Institutions has forged a reputation as a high quality education provider. 25 years of an amazing journey with wonderful people, great achievements and countless opportunities.
International Day Costume Parade
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International Day We would like to say THANK YOU to our very committed PTA for their support this term and for organising the International Day Food Fair. With our community’s help, we celebrated once again this year diversity, inclusion and internationalism with our traditional Costume Parade and the highly anticipated Food Fair. International Day is an important event that celebrates all the 40 nationalities within the ISB community, promoting global values and beliefs. It also provides opportunities for students to learn more about other countries and develop an intercultural understanding. Students, parents and special guests also had the chance to experiment exquisite flavors of different cuisines thanks to our very committed Parent-Teacher Association, who prepared delicious traditional foods from all over the world.
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Halloween Celebration Ghosts and skeletons, evil spirits, witches and scary looking pumpkins invaded the ISB Gallery on the Halloween. We also got to see princesses, fairies, knights and even Darth Vader, all in “spooktacular� costumes. Students and teachers were very creative this year and made quite an impression with their craftsmanship and particularly dark sense of fashion. Special thanks to Ms. Iulia Iordache, PTA member, who took on board this event and who never ceases to amaze us with her wonderful ideas and her commitment.
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We Choose to Thrive in a Mindful School! SIMONA PACURAR / FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH
Today’s fast-paced world is moving and changing more quickly than ever. We all carry so much on our shoulders, whether we’re children, parents, teachers, or others. The pressure can be high and even just growing up and developing a sense of self and belonging – can be tough. Many children are inundated with responsibilities and activities, and end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Feeling stressed activates the sympathetic nervous system, the flight and fight mode, preparing us to run, to escape from dangers real (such as stressing out over a meeting or a test) or perceived (being chased by a lion). In this state we react rather than respond, our digestive system is turned off, and our breathing becomes shallow and rapid as we’re trying to get more oxygen to our large muscles and tissues. But what also happens is we tend to blow off too much carbon dioxide which can induce even greater anxiety. We become worried or nervous, and many thoughts start running through our mind and our productivity decreases. We’re likely to make food choices that don’t nourish our body because we look for things that give us quick energy, like processed or sugar-filled food. These tend to have a negative impact on our microbiome,
Practicing Mindfulness
located primarily in our gut. About 60% of our serotonin is produced in our gut and 70% of our immune system is located in the gut. A sustained high level of the stress hormone cortisol will negatively affect our ‘feel good’ hormone and lower our immunity. As everything is interconnected, the whole system biology will be affected. Children in particular need help and support in learning what is going on in their body, understanding their emotions and managing all the challenges of a fast-paced life. Children
are the future, our best hope, so we need to help them successfully meet these challenges! Teachers and parents can also find it challenging to be fully present and mindful day by day. More than 68% report being burned out or overly stressed. Life can get busy and stressful, sometimes too stressful. While stress is a natural part of life and children and adults alike need to be challenged in order to grow and develop, chronic and excessive stress can be harmful.
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Every time we have a thought, our brain releases chemicals that impact the way we feel. Whenever we have a sad thought, a mad thought, or a hopeless thought, such as ‘I’m an idiot’ our brain releases chemicals that make us feel bad. We feel bad about ourselves, about our ability to do schoolwork/work, our relationships with people around us, and our ability to achieve our goals.
Conversely, every time we have a happy thought, a loving thought, or a hopeful thought, our brain releases chemicals that make us feel better immediately. By changing our thoughts, we change our mindset, our thoughts become our words, and our words become our choices and our habits! Our thoughts have incredible power to influence our mental, emotional, and even physical well-being. Our thoughts can either limit us in what we believe we can do, or release us to develop abilities well beyond our expectations. When we choose a mindset that extends our abilities rather than placing limits on ourselves, we experience greater intellectual satisfaction, emotional Body Combat control, and physical health. But how do we ensure we choose this mindset?
Mindfulness is about cultivating awareness of the body’s signals and feelings, encouraging acceptance of all type of emotions, and developing strategies for calming strong or uncomfortable feelings. Mindfulness is one of the most effective practices to help us calm ourselves in stressful moments, increase focus and attention, ease anxiety, and promote a sense of empathy. It activates the parasympathetic state that allows us to make better choices by activating the prefrontal cortex, the centre for rational thinking. It also helps digestion and assimilation of nutrients that are critical for our physical and emotional health. Mindfulness is about becoming more relaxed and attentive, more aware of our bodies and emotions, helping focus our attention on the present, without judgment, and without worry about the past or future. The easiest and most natural way to focus our attention on the present moment is by tuning into our breathing. When we breathe deeply, we actually drop the diaphragm, a muscle that separates
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the thoracic from the abdominal cavity. As the diaphragm drops down, it drops over the vagus nerve and moves us from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance in as little as 60 seconds. Sometimes when we have many racing thoughts, plans, or emotions we need to pause, to stop, to breathe and take a moment for ourselves and choose thoughts and words that help us feel good! Love and gratitude for ourselves and others never fails, so go with the sure thing that helps you be the best! We can build mindfulness through engaging in activities such as mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful thinking or accessing our inner child and moving like a tightrope walker, thrilling our taste buds with sour lemon, having a happy hum, squeezing and releasing, balancing like a flamingo, or any activity encouraging kindness, focus and calm! All we need is a commitment to the practice and awareness of what we are living, inside of ourselves and all around us! We are in this, TOGETHER! BE CALM and CHOOSE to THRIVE!
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ISB students at the World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champion, Yale, USA
“The World Scholar’s Cup experience was something irreplaceable and magical. Not only did I get the amazing opportunity to spend almost two weeks with my best friends, but I also made new friends who I’ve kept in touch with, even after the final tournament! Not to mention the fact that I got to travel to beautiful places, The Hague and then New York. The Scholar’s Cup also opened up new doors for me, both educationally and socially. Educationally, I was given the chance to unleash my full potential through multiple challenges like Collaborative
Writing, the Scholar’s Challenge, and my personal favourite, the Debates. Debating was a way to stimulate our minds, help us develop public speaking skills, teamwork skills, and help us develop the ability to find pragmatic solutions to real-life problems. Even if we were to lose, we’d still leave the room with gained experience and a new friend. As for the social side, we were engaged in ‘friend-making’ thoroughly throughout the whole of the competition. We started with the
Scholar’s Scavenge, in which we were separated from our friends and paired with a teammate from another country. And then came the Scholar’s Bowl, in which we attended a party in order to see our friends from overseas one last time! The Scholar’s Cup perfectly balanced education and fun, each challenge being tailored for our age. The staff made sure it was worded in a way that would always include a meme, despite the mind boggling questions we were asked every round.
ISSUE 14 • JANUARY 2020
One of the most prominent features of the World Scholar’s Cup was its vast multicultural community! People of all nations gathered up for two things: to learn and to have fun! World Scholar’s Cup encouraged the making of new friendships and a Cultural Fair was organised in each of the international rounds, allowing the Scholars to experience different cultures. WSC was an exceptional experience for me. All of it; from meeting up with a friend I had met over a World Scholar’s Cup group chat, to winning a trophy rewarding my hard work, it truly embodies a perfect learning environment for people of all kinds.” - Liza G., ISB Student
“World Scholar’s Cup was an experience that I’m sure that I won’t forget for a long time. From the events, to meeting the other scholars, to the very end of the closing ceremony, each moment is going to be treasured not only by us, but by every single one of the scholars there. To start off, each event is unique, whether it’s a social event or an academic one. In the first day, we had the “Scholars Scavenge”, the event in which scholars are split from their delegations and countries, and assembled with around 15 others from other countries, to mingle and solve different tasks together. The whole purpose of the event was to bring together scholars from different backgrounds in order to find out different things about each other.“ - Sara S., ISB Student
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ISSUE 14
Upcycling Fashion Show Raises Awareness on Sustainability TEODORA VARZARU SECONDARY ART TEACHER
ISB students showcased their creative upcycle and recycle fashion design. Key Stage 3 students spent their free time fashioning shapes through folding, bending, slicing and cutting paper and card to produce flamboyant design fit for any high-end catwalk. Many of them worked in collaboration and supported one another to think outside the box, in order to create elegance through simplicity. We are very proud of our students, who demonstrate social awareness and a flair for sustainable design.
2019 ISB UNIVERSITY PLACEMENTS Wishing you all the best for your university journey ahead. Cairo American University Chemical Engineering
Abdelaziz
Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest Civil Engineering
Nurefsan
University of Groningen International and European Law
Julia
Delft University of Technology Computer Science and Engineering
Lucian
KU Leuven Engineering Technology
Selim
ASE Business Administration
Sabrina
Tiffin University Business Administration
Andrei
Rotterdam ERASMUS UNIVERSITY International Business Administration
Patric
University of Bucharest International Relations and European Studies
Alexia
Rochester Institute of Technology Kosovo Web and Mobile Computing
Tarik
University of Nottingham Law
Cristian
University of Amsterdam International Business and Economics
Ioana
Hanze University of Applied Sciences Mechanical Engineering
Bogdan
Dimitrie cantemir university English and Spanish
Zeliha
Panteion University of Social Science Politics and Public Administration
Aristeidis
Buckinghamshire New university Sports Business Management
Alexandru
Erasmus University Rotterdam Economics
Maria
ASE Business Administration
Anahita
University of Hertfordshire Multimedia and Sports Jounalism
Fatih
Vancouver Island University Tourism Management
Alexandru
University of amsterdam Business Administration
Dragos
ESADE Business School Business administration
Ingrid
University of Exeter Psychology
Oana-Teodora
University of Hertfordshire Sports Coaching
Yavuz
EU Business School Business
David
University of Groningen Medicine
Mina
University of Bucharest Mathematics and Computer Science
Rabia
Eindhoven University of Technology Mechanical Engineering
Razvan
Ion Mincu University of Architecture Architecture
Esra Nur
University of Twente Computer Science
Georgio
ASE Finance and Banking
Daniel
Romanian American University Computer Science for Economics Engineering
Furkan
Maastricht University Economics and Business Economics
Rong
ASE Cybernetics, Statistics and Informatics
Saadet
University of Amsterdam Communication Science
Xinyu
Babes-Bolyai University Medicine
Kerem
LUISS Guido Carli Law
Aldo
University of Manchester Chemical Engineering
Chaoyu
University of Amsterdam Communication Science
Andreea
University of Carol Davila Medicine
Sali
University of Turin Business and Management
Gian Marco
University of Miami Economics
Filippos
Eindhoven University of Technology Coumputer Science and Engineering
Andrei
Goldsmiths, University of London Design
Mengting
New York University Stern School of Business Business and Economics
Ariana