ISB Newsletter - October 2010

 FUND-RAISING

 University of South

 FOOTBALL and

 INTERNATIONAL

EVENT – a success!

East Europe: Lumina

VOLLEYBALL

FAIR 2010

.

University.

tournaments.

page 3

page 6

page 9

page 11

ISB Secondary

Newsletter volume 1

In this issue Who is the Student Council?.

Fund-raising events Meet the teachers: Mr. Cameron Brunke News about red cards PTA upcoming events Coming soon – ISBMUN Science is delicious in ISB! … and many others

Newspaper team Editors: Clod Mansouri, Beyazit Salgur, Kate Simitzis Reporters: Elisna Nel, Eren Kocatas, Jasmine Al-Shami, Antonio Gheorghe, Sharif Sharbek Technical support: Christian Negut, Adrian Dima

season 1

year 2010

We are ready for action!

Following the elections in September, we are pleased to announce that the Student Council is now up and running. Each form class, from year 7 up to year 13, has designated one or two representatives to be part of the Council. All newly elected councillors have already met on several occasions and chose their leaders.

The president and vice-president will be in charge of running the meetings while a secretary will write the minutes and help prepare the agenda. Also a KS3 spokesperson was chosen to speak during assemblies and inform the student body about the Council’s activity and decisions. (read more on page 2)

7A

Clod, Oana

7B Maria-Christina, Joshua 7C Berk 8A Mihaela, Vlad 8B Antonio, Andjelina 8C Teodora 9A Andrej, Alex 9B Nermin 10 Roberto, Mihnea, Christian 11A Talha, Rachid 11B Ana, Kate 12A Sharif, Elisna 12B Andyka, Diana 13

Chris, Jiayi

Students council message Dear teachers, students, parents, ISB’s 2010-2011 academic year has commenced in full force.

Students are already preparing for their IGCSEs or A-level exams or they are starting to consider their future career options.

The Student Council, however, is working hard to make the school a better place. We have already organized the Pakistan Monsoon Relief, and we took part in the International Week. Our main goal is to have fun while we study hard on the side. Are you in?

On behalf of the Student Council and the newspaper team, Have a great year!

Katy Simitzis, year 11 Student Council Vice-president

We are ready for action!

The new Student Council

Following the elections in September, we are pleased to announce that the Student Council is now up and running. Each form class, from with year 7 up to year 13, has designated one or two representatives to be part of the Council. All newly elected councillors have already met on several occasions and chose their leaders.

The president and vice-president will be in charge of running the meetings while a secretary will write the minutes and help prepare the agenda. Also a KS3 spokesperson was chosen to speak during assemblies and inform the student body about the Council’s activity and decisions.

This year, the councillors have run surveys among their peers and drafted a list of topics to be discussed during the meetings, such as uniforms, lunch time or trips.

Also, for the past two years, the Student Council has been involved in organizing several charity events and this year, one of their first activities was to hold a fund-raising event for Pakistan.

Becoming a representative

To make a good representative, a student must, first of all, listen to the con-

cerns of his/her peers and speak out for them. They will raise issues within the Council, take part in debates. A representative will set an example of both academic and disciplinary behaviour. Some of the councillors talked to us about how they ran their campaigns.

Clod, representative of 7A, said:”I made posters and I gave candy to my classmates. I guess I did pretty well, since I got elected”.

“First, I made some posters with VOTE GHEORGHE ANTONIO, which I gave to everyone in my class and I also offered them candy. I created a website, and on the last day I gave out pens, chocolates and I delivered a speech.”, declared Antonio, representative of 8B. What did teachers say about the elections?

“The candidates were serious and involved, they had good speeches and all the students listened to them and were anxious to vote “ said Ms. Cristina, form teacher of year 7A. Other classes were, unfortunately, not very enthusiastic about the Student Council. Mr. Iain said: “I only had one student who offered to be my form’s representative. However, his speech was well rehearsed and delivered effectively. “ Please remember, if your class is not represented on the Council, it means you are missing a lot of information and also the chance to speak up for yourself.

FUND-RAISING EVENT – a success!

The first ISB charity show “On Friday 8th October our school held a fundraiser for Pakistan. The Student Council organised a bunch of activities in Secondary School to help raise money.

There was a non-uniform day, a bake sale, hand-made bracelets were sold, a charity show. The most exciting part of the day was probably the charity show. The students prepared for it the whole day hoping to impress everyone, and they did. Everyone who participated did an excellent job. The charity show started off with Chris, Katy and Antonio making a presentation about the situation in Pakistan. Andrea (year 9) sang an Evanescence song, Gabor (year 8) did a magic show, Theodor (yr12) played a solo on the electric guitar, Mihnea (year10) sang a Leonard Cohen song. Year 7A performed a short Drama directed by Mr. Cameron while Sevcan and Andjelina sang a Taylor Swift song. At the end of the show, a raffle was organised and one lucky form class (8C) won a beautiful T-Shirt signed by the teachers.

Everyone contributed, whether they performed in the charity show or bought a delicious cupcake. At the end of the day, the Secondary School had raised about 3623 lei.

We hope that in the future we can do something like this again.”

Elisna Nel, Year 12 Student Council representative NO-UNIFORM for charity “The no-uniform day turned out to be a success. All classes had most, if not all, students pay the fee of 10 RON (100% went to the Pakistan fund) in order for them to wear no uniform. ISB was once again filled with vibrant colours and sparkly nails as laughter filled the hallways again.

The no-uniform day was organised by Miss Daiana, along with several members of the Student Council to help out with getting all the money together. The money raised by wearing no uniform was the main source of the funds raised towards Pakistan’s relief, so on behalf of the Student Council, I thank you all for participating and contributing to such an important cause!”

Katy Simitzis, Year 11 Vice-president of the Student Council

INTRODUCING THE MUN MUN stands for Model United Nations and it’s a world-wide simulation of the United Nations where students participate and get engaged in fruitful debates. All the participants are given a specific country and extensive research is done , investigating the country’s issues and coming up with solutions to world problems. Some of us ( year 13 and 11 students) have already participated in two conferences. The first conference we participated in was held in Bucharest and the second one was in Istanbul during the summer holiday .

We feel that it’s an extraordinary experi-

ence, having the chance to find out what is going on around the world, and also meeting people from different parts of the globe.

Therefore, we are putting a great effort into our project of holding such a conference in our school: “ISBMUN”, giving the opportunity to others to get involved, develop their debating skills and of course have an amazing time.

For more information visit our page at mun. isb.ro

By Jasmine Al-shami

www.isb.ro

Meet the students Chris Caraiani, president of the Student Council FACT FILE Name: Chris Caraiani Born: May 1st, 1993 Nationality : American Likes: Travelling, law, lacrosse, food, music, STEAUA Dislikes: Veggies, football, taking tests, Dinamo Hobbies: Basketball, Lacrosse, hanging out with friends, watching movies - Do you think that it’s a big responsibility to be the president of the Student Council?

- I feel that it is an important job mainly because this position greatly influences the school lives of all students and because it’s my responsibility to improve any and all situations addressed by the Council.

- How did you decide that you wanted to be president?

- I personally felt that I was responsible and experienced in similar projects, enough to be the president. I also felt that the school needed some adjustments which I could bring about. What better job than the student council President, right?

- What other projects did you participate in ?

- I was also the chosen representative in year 12 and took part in many other projects such as CIS, the Talent Show and the End of Year Show. My favourite project is the MUN club.

- How do you think this experience will help you?

- A position which constantly asks for someone to be responsible, organised, creative and out-going can always help me, with anything in the future.

By Clod Mansouri

Drama in ISB timetable If you enjoyed being part of or simply watching ISB drama productions in the past, I am sure you were delighted to find out that, starting this year, drama is part of the course offer in our school. All students in KS3 are now studying it, while older students have the possibility to sit for IGCSE or A-level exams in drama.

They are all preparing with Mr. Cameron Brunke, our new drama teacher. Also, we are looking forward to see drama in the club list as well.

You’ve been tagged!

This year, we have new lunch cards which are not so easy to lose or damage. They display the name and picture of the student and you must always bring it with you when you go to lunch.

But we are not the only ones wearing new shiny tags. Starting this year, teachers and staff were issued ID cards which they will wear all the time. Also, visitors will not be allowed in the school without a visitor’s pass.

All these measures help ensure that our school is a safer and happier environment.

By Clod Mansouri

EDUCARE – up and running EDUCARE is the online page where you can login to see your marks, attendance, homework or test results.

Teachers will keep it up to date so that you will be able to check your homework or average in any subject at any time. The system is very complex and it contains a lot of useful information. The start was a little rough but we are now expecting to see it run well. Passwords and accounts are now available at the Secondary School office.

To access EDUCARE, login on students.isb.ro

Teachers went back to being students for a day On Friday, October 15th , while the students enjoyed a day off, it was back to school for all our teachers. Our school hosted a professional development day for all teachers in Lumina Schools. We had guests from the other Lumina Schools here in Bucharest, ICHB, Spectrum, but also from Constanta, Cluj, Ploiesti and Timisoara.

Some of our former teachers, who are now working in other Lumina schools, had the chance to revisit ISB and reconnect with their friends.

The schedule for the day included department meetings in the morning where teachers had the chance to exchange information and experience about the various subjects they are teaching. They discussed differences between the Romanian and the British curriculum but most importantly, they set the basis for future collaboration for projects or competitions.

In the afternoon, teachers had the chance to join several workshops, where they gained new and exciting knowledge, from first-aid training, to the history of English language and how to deal with difficult personalities. The workshops were organised by various teachers in Lumina schools including Ms. Denise and Mr. Nel from ISB.

ART Works

Meet the Teachers

60 seconds interview with Mr. Cameron Brunke

Reporter : What is your name?

- Cameron Brunke Reporter : Where are you from?

- Wisconsin, USA Reporter : What is your favourite thing to do?

- Going to library on a rainy Sunday afternoon Reporter : Name two things you dislike.

- Economic recessions. Cold soup Reporter : Do you have any hobbies?

- Yes, writing, eating, bicycle riding How long have you been here?

- On Earth? Since I was born.

Reporter : What did you do before teaching?

- I wandered the deserts of Wisconsin before coming to the ISB Reporter : How do you find ISB? -

By GPS. Reporter : What are your future plans in our school?

- To have the best student drama productions in Romania.

Reporter : When is the drama club?

- Next half term Reporter : Name three things that you would like to take on a desert island.

- A sailboat, the collected short stories of Hemingway, a tall cold glass of refreshing lemonade Reporter : What to do with 1 million DOLARS? - I would move to the desert.

Reporter : What is the best job in the world?

- A bartender In Ireland .

By Beyazit Salgur

www.isb.ro

What is the PTA ?

We found out that the PTA is a volunteer, non-profit organization of all the parents and teachers in the school.

Some of them meet regularly to discuss matters of importance about school life and they organize or participate in school events. The PTA is not very different from our own Student Council, it has a president, Mrs. Corina Michaelides, and a vice-president, Mrs. AnnieFrance Goyette . Just like the Student Council, they are interested in improving school life but also in organizing fund-raising events. By far the most famous PTA event, the Summer Carnival attracts students of all ages every year. But this is not all. International week in ISB, especially the costume parade and the international food fair would not be possible without their support.

This year, among other things, the PTA is planning another “shoe-box” campaign for children in need and a charity dinner.

For the future, we are hoping to work closely with the PTA, to support each other in our projects. To this end, in our next issues, you will be able to find on this page more and more useful information about the PTA’s work and progress.

University of South East Europe: Lumina University On 6th October, Ms Denise, Mr Ervin, Y13 and some Y12 students were invited to attend the opening ceremony of the new Lumina University. The university has two faculties: Engineering sciences; comprising undergraduate courses: Information Technology and Telecommunications and Systems, Economics and Political Sciences; comprising two undergraduate courses: Business Administration and International Relations and European Studies.

We were very impressed by the campus, which is a purpose built, modern building in landscaped grounds. The facilities are state of the art: language laboratories, computer science facilities and a wide range of lecture halls and study facilities to name but a few things.

The opening ceremony began with a welcome message from the Rector, Dr Filip Stanciu, and speeches were also made by honoured guests, the Turkish Ambassador and the Mayor of Sector 2. One of the newly enrolled students also made a speech. We were interested to discover that he is a graduate of our sister school here in Bu-

charest; The International Computer High School. We also recognized some of our ex ISB Y13s amongst the new university students.After the anthem of Romania and “Ode to Joy”, which is the anthem of the EU were played, doves of peace and balloons were released as the plaque was unveiled.

We all enjoyed the reception, and the delicious food, and many of our students participated in the campus tour, before we returned to ISB.

KS 3 Assemblies Starting this year, the KS 3 timetable includes 45 minutes of assembly every Monday morning. All students in years 7, 8, 9 along with form teachers and year leaders meet in the theatre and share information about school life and events.

At times, one of the teachers will prepare some instructional material for the students covering topics of importance for our age, such as respect, bullies or friendship.

New reward system The students who have the most green cards are going to be rewarded regularly during these assemblies. So far, they have received brand new PE kits in colours! These come in two versions: blue-grey and orange-grey, so if you want to bring some colour to your school uniform without breaking any rules, keep those green cards flowing!

PS. Special rewards are in place also for the class with the most green cards. So far, year 7C were the lucky winners of a no-uniform day!

Catch somebody doing good We heard a rumour: Mr. Cameron has a little notebook in his classroom! If you catch somebody doing good, like picking litter, sharing, helping someone, you can tell Mr. Cameron and he will write it down. The students who were “caught” will receive certificates and also a very special prize: NO UNIFORM TUESDAY !

By Clod and Beyazit

News about red cards Recently, there have been some changes in the appraisal system used in the Secondary School. We have gathered some news for you about detentions and the green card system.

Behaviour mark

Starting this year, the report cards will also display a “behaviour mark” from 1 to 10. Everybody starts with a maximum of 10 points and may lose points because of red cards or suspensions. The rule is that for every 5 red cards received, 1 point is lost from the behaviour mark. By working hard and receiving green cards you have the chance to regain some of these points. For every 10 green cards, 1 point will be awarded. Keep in mind though, that green cards DO NOT cancel red cards, which means that you still do detention no matter how many green cards you get.

Also, because some students are not showing up on time for detention, the decision is that, if you skip detention you automatically receive another red card.

How will this behaviour mark affect me?

First of all, it appears on the report card and reflects your progress throughout the year. The behaviour mark is also taken into account when you leave for University and you may not be allowed to live on campus if you appear as a trouble-maker.

But, most importantly, the school will apply some sanctions to students with low behaviour marks, such as eliminating deductions and other benefits.

These changes were implemented immediately after half-term so make sure you follow the school rules thoroughly.

www.isb.ro

Year 10 is preparing for journalism While looking for interesting work to display on this page we came across these projects done by year 10. As part of their preparation for IGCSE, they are learning how to write newspaper articles. Below are some of the most interesting examples and we invite them to join the Bulletin team.

Can you eat cells?

Another interesting project that year 10 was involved in was the “edible cell” suggested by Mr. Bogdan Copil, their biology teacher. The task was to build a 3D representation of different types of cells while keeping in my mind one important rule: the cell must be edible!

• “We made the project about specialized cells, such as; motor nerve cell, ciliated cell, red blood cell and muscle cell. We were told that the 3D shape of the specialized cell must be edible (made of food). First we went to the shop and bought onion, lemon, pepper, cabbage and spaghetti. According to the picture in our book we managed to put the products together and try to make the veggies look like specialized cells. While we were working on this project we had a lot of fun and also gained detailed information about the cells. We used our imagination to create the cells by cutting and sticking the products. This project made us learn to work as a group and also taught us about the things around us.”

Sumeyra Celik 10-A • “I had the opportunity to choose a cell and create one using edible elements. I have created a plant cell. I replaced the plant cell parts with the following edible elements: 1) The cellulose cell wall /cell surface membrane – the bread crust 2) The cytoplasm - the bread (middle part) 3) The starch – ketchup drops 4) Chloroplasts (containing chlorophyll)-green olives 5) Large permanent vacuole –white Greek yoghurt 6) Nucleus-big black olive \](BY: RAMA BIKBACHI, YEAR:10A)”

FOOTBALL and VOLLEYBALL tournaments Between September 27th and October 7th, the PE department organized sport tournaments for KS4 and KS5. The boys in year 11 and above played football on the artificial football pitch while the girls played volleyball. The games took place during lunch times and everyone had lots of fun.

“The football final was very exciting”, said Mr. Murat who was also the referee for the game. “Year 12 and year 11 played against each other and at the end of the game the score was tight, 0-0. We had to go through penalty shots and year 12 won the match with 3-2.”

“The tournament was better than last year as we won the cup”, said Eren from year 12. “However, this year, the games were a little boring and the weather we played in made us play awfully. Anyway, for me, the tournaments or any sport competition are very important so I’m looking forward to see more competitions in our school. The volleyball final was played between year 13 and year 11 and the girls from year 13 were the winners.

FRIENDLY GAMES at AISB This September, our KS 4 and 5 boys were also invited to a series of friendly matches at the American School of Bucharest. We are very proud of them for winning against AISB with 1-0, scored by Eren, from year 12.

Teachers’ games

Not only students are football fans in ISB. On Thursday, September 30th a friendly football match was organised between Primary and Secondary teachers. Although it was only a friendly game we are very proud to say that WE WON !

Also, we are pleased to announce that ISB won the Lumina Schools Football Tournament for teachers.

Girls’ football team

Starting this year, Mrs. Ingrid Stanciu is also preparing a KS3 girls’ football team. They are very ambitious and we are hoping to see some great results soon. The girls have been invited to participate in CEESA (Central and Eastern-European Schools Association) MS GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT and we are looking forward to future events.

The Tournament took place at the American International School of Bucharest between 8 and 10 October 2010, with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, at 8.15am. Teams from Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey and Hungary competed in two groups. The finals were on Saturday around 3pm, followed by the Awards Ceremony. The two days gave our girls the opportunity to share their talents, socialize with others as well as to learn and enjoy themselves.

www.isb.ro

media news Season 2 of The CW’s greatest hit show The Vampire Diaries premiered on September 9, 2010.

The Katherine fight is on the way !

Who gets who ? Will Elena stay with Stephan even though Katherine’s back? You’ll never know ….. unless ….you watch!

The Wisteria Lane housewives are back in the 7th season of Desperate Housewives , in which Vanessa Williams joins the drama on Wisteria Lane . The first episode of the 7th season aired on September 26, 2010.

AGE 2 is a real time strategy video game appeared in 1999.

It is set in the middle ages and contains thirteen playable civilizations.It focuses on building a town,creating armies and destroying enemy units and the players advance through four ages:The Dark age,The Feudal age,The Castle age and the Imperial age.I played this game and I think is a very good game,because its based on real life, you fight with your enemy and you can up grade your soldiers,catapults,etc...

Antonio Nicolae Gheorghe 8B

WHOM DOES THE DRESS FIT BETTER?

Loud is Rihanna’s upcoming 5th album. The album is scheduled to be released on November 12, 2010 in the US. The lead single Only Girl(In the World) was released on 10th of September 2010. R’s inspiration for this record is her ego, she quotes “ I wanted songs that only Rihanna could do , not songs that ke$ha ,Lady GaGa or Katy Perry could just do” Rihanna says ‘ On this record I’m gonna be normal and normal for me is Loud, that’s why I named my record Loud” So …. What do you people expect from this new album ?

Do you think it’s going to be a bomb ? I do!

Resident Evil: Afterlife is a Sci-Fi action movie written and directed

by Paul W.S Anderson, starring Milla Jovovich , Ali Larter and Wentworth Miller . RE: Afterlife is the 4th movie from the RE series. In this RE movie, Alice’s clones find Albert Wesker at his headquarters in Japan but all present clones are killed by an explosion. Wesker escapes in an aircraft where the original Alice happens to be in. Wesker injects Alice with a serum that eliminates the T-Virus in her system, eliminating all her supernatural powers and making her human again . He tries to kill her but the aircraft crashes. Six months later original Alice finds out that Wesker is still alive and she realizes that she can’t take him and Umbrella down alone!

Pink or Shakira?

Ashley Tisdale or Selena Gomez?

INTERNATIONAL FAIR 2010 Once again, the International week gave our students the opportunity to promote and share their culture and traditions. International week is an ISB tradition and it is organized every year before the first half-term break. This year there were several events that we participated in. Some teachers organised special lessons during this time to speak about a certain culture or simply to promote multiculturalism. The corridors were specially decorated for this occasion, for example, the Secondary second floor represented China for the week.

The peak of the International Week was the International Fair on Thursday, the 21st of October, which included a food fair, a traditional costume parade and a show.

The food fair was organized by the parents who brought traditional food from different cultures. All students and guests had the chance to try several types of treats and to experience new flavours. Both The PTA and the Student Council organized stands, not to offer food, but information. We handed out booklets about the Student Council and gathered some suggestions for our future activity from the people who visited our stand.

During the costume parade we saw traditional outfits from most countries represented in our school: Turkey, Romania, China, Argentina, USA, India, Hungary and many others. It was very nice to see students and teachers who chose to represent nationalities other than their own for one day, wearing traditional costumes of those countries and having fun.

The International show was organized in the theatre for all students, parents and guests.

The perform-

ers were enthusiastic students who prepared and rehearsed in their free time, but also teachers and some very special guests, the Naframa assembly, a group of professional dancers. Miss Liane’s class showed us a series of International Songs while 3R sang a few songs in different languages of the world.

On Friday, Secondary School organised some more events to celebrate International week. In the morning, Ms. Denise organised the first Spelling Bee competition in ISB and we would like to congratulate the winner of this inaugural edition, Alex from year 9A. During the day, the students had fun in a mini-sports day where they had the chance to play volleyball, basketball, football or ping-pong They also competed against guests from other international school in Bucharest in a series of friendly games. In the afternoon, all classes had the chance to compete in the International quiz organised by Mr. Chris. The winner of this event was the year 10A class. All students were rewarded with tasty treats.

As usual, when such events are organised, a lot of work was done and we want to congratulate and thank all the students who helped organise the show and the Student Council stand. All volunteers were rewarded during assemblies.

www.isb.ro

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Question of the month: What is the strongest word?

Top 10 answers: - What (What is the strongest word. ) – Enkai, year 8 - Arghh! – Andrei, yr 13 - The strongest word is a word that works out – Faraz, year 13 - Galatasaray – Mithat, year 7 - Outrageous – Ece, year 7 - Thunderstruck – Oana, year 7 - Future – Philip, year 13 - Punishment – Melih, year 8 - Believe – Sumeyra, year 10 - Nothing (several students gave this answer)

Don’t miss the next Bulletin: • The International week • Football tournament in Turkey • Book week • Interviews with parents • … and much more

contact us

The International School of Bucharest Sos Gara Catelu, Nr.1R Sector 3 032991Bucharest, Romania

Tel:+4 (0) 21 306 9530 Fax: +4 (0) 21 306 9534 www.isb.ro

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! This year, we are running a newspaper club which is working along the Student Council to create the newsletter you are reading right now. We meet every Monday after school and write about events that happened during the month. We also interview teachers and students and learn how to gather and organize information. Other students are also writing for the newspaper, but they are not attending the club. We are in need of volunteers, so if you are interested to help the newspaper team, please contact Ms. Daiana.

By Beyazit Salgur

Rescue two little kittens!

For the past few weeks, our school has been the home of two stray kittens. They are both girls, very cute, and eat almost everything (fingers included!) and most importantly, they are waiting to be adopted. Let’s try to find them a better home before winter falls! If you need extra information or are willing to help the kitties in any way, contact Ms. Daiana or Ms. Sorana.

By Beyazit Salgur

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