Download it - The British School of Bahrain

21 st February 2011
Dear BSB Parents,
We opened school today, a day late after half-term, and were glad to welcome most of our students despite
the unsettled times that Bahrain has been experiencing during the half-term holiday. There are some students
who, for one reason or another, did not make it back in today and we hope that they will be back with us
soon.
It is impossible to predict how quickly Bahrain will return to stable normality but we will continue to open
the school as long as we judge the conditions to be safe for our students and teachers to make the journey to
school and back. I know that all the students and teachers I spoke with today were very glad to be back to
school.
Virtual school
Your children’s safety is our first priority and, like everyone else in Bahrain, we are monitoring the situation
closely. However, we also want to ensure that your children’s education is disrupted as little as possible,
given the current circumstances. A group of teachers is currently working on setting up a way of connecting
all Junior and Senior students with their teachers by digital means so that if some students are not able to
return to school for a few days, they will still be able to access the work that their classmates are covering
during school. We are using a digital platform called wikispaces to provide this communication channel. We
will be sending you a separate email later today with details about how your children can access their
accounts on wikispaces.
Checking your emails
It is very important at the moment that you check your email and the school website at intervals during the
day for updates from us about arrangements. If you do not receive this newsletter in your email inbox, that
means we do not have the correct email address for you. If this is the case then please contact Ms Faour at
edp@thebsbh.com to update your contact information. We have had difficulties sending bulk text messages
during the past few days so we are using the website and your email as our primary means of communicating
with you.
Public information about planned demonstrations in Bahrain
There are travel advisories and information about planned demonstrations on both the British and US
Embassy websites.
British Embassy in Bahrain Website:
http://ukinbahrain.fco.gov.uk/en/
American Embassy in Bahrain Website:
http://bahrain.usembassy.gov/demonstration.html
22 nd February: Early Closure
We are intending to open school, as usual tomorrow, but we will be closing early on the basis of information
we have received about a demonstration planned for tomorrow afternoon in the Geant/Lulu area that is likely
to cause serious traffic disruption. We are taking the precaution to close early to ensure that all students will
be able to get safely home before the demonstration starts.
All after-school activities, including tennis, are cancelled for tomorrow.

The school will close as follows tomorrow:
Infants: 12.00 noon
Juniors: 11.50 a.m.
Seniors: 12.15 p.m.
If your children do not go home by bus, please make adequate arrangements to collect your children or have
them collected at this time tomorrow. I do not want a number of children waiting after the end of school for
late parents or drivers.
The new Sixth Form Centre.
The exciting news I have for you this week is that we will be opening the first phase of our new Sixth Form
Centre on Tuesday, the 22nd of February, at 6.00 p.m. We unveiled the plans for our new Sixth Form Centre
to our Senior students before half-term and they are eagerly anticipating being able to occupy their lovely
new space towards the end of this week.
The new Sixth Form Centre provides an attractive and modern dedicated base within the school for the
BSB’s Sixth Form students. The centre has been designed to function both as a common room and an
informal study centre. It features an open-plan communal area with a stylish eating area, providing students
with an ideal place to relax during breaks and to have a snack. It is also a fully equipped study area that
affords students facilities to work individually or in groups during study periods.
We want our Sixth From students to meet their full potential and providing them with inspirational facilities
is part of our commitment to delivering an all-round, outstanding Sixth Form programme in Bahrain. Our
school's ethos is to provide an environment which supports individual success and we want our Sixth Form
students to enjoy their chosen study options in bright, spacious and comfortable surroundings.
22 nd February: Annual Sixth Form Options Evening for Year 11 students and their parents
Despite our early closure tomorrow, we are still planning to open the Sixth Form Centre tomorrow night at
6.00 p.m. The opening will be followed by the annual Sixth Form Options Evening at which our Year 11
students and their parents will be able to find out more information about the AS and A level courses we
offer, as well as information about Sixth Form life at the school and the university entrance process. Mr. Nick
Atkins, the Head of Sixth Form, will give a presentation on the Sixth Form programme and then students and
their parents will be able to meet with the Heads of Departments to find out further specific information
about the courses we offer at AS and A Level. Our Sixth Form prospectus will also be distributed that
evening.
Healthy Choice, Healthy Eating Happy School
We have introduced new menus at the cafeteria this week in a whole school initiative to raise our
community’s awareness of the benefits of good nutrition and healthy eating. On the last Thursday before
half-term, our Juniors and Seniors took home a booklet explaining the new cafeteria options and I hope
you’ve had a chance to have a look at it. The Infants have also been doing lots of work on this theme. We
have planned lots of other activities within the curriculum to reinforce the message that “You are what you
eat.” A good diet is central to overall good health and we want our students to have the knowledge about
good nutritional principles so that they can make sensible, informed choices about what to eat for a healthy
body and a healthy mind.

Thursday, 24th February: Nutrition Talk by Alia Almoayed
I’d like to remind you that there is a special event at school for you this week as part of the launch of our
Healthy Eating menus at the cafeteria. On the 24th February, after drop-off time, at 8.15 a.m., there will be a
talk at school for parents by Alia Almoayed, a well-known nutritional therapist in Bahrain. The talk is free of
charge and I hope that you will be able to join us. We’re looking forward to seeing you there! Come along to
the cafeteria for a simple, healthy breakfast and then we’ll go up to the library for the talk. You will also be
able to have a look at the stunningly colourful and bright new look of the cafeteria. Below is a description of
the informative and interesting talk Alia will be giving at the BSB this Thursday:
THE BIGGEST MYTHS IN KIDS NUTRITION, EXPOSED!
Did you know that kids who eat nutritious food have higher IQs, perform better in school, and get into less
trouble with their friends? Also, kids who have a balanced diet get sick less often, they have stable energy
levels that last them through the day, behave better and enjoy a bunch of health signs such as better
digestion and brighter skin. Children’s diets today don’t only affect them in the short-run, but the health
effects last throughout life. BUT parents and caretakers are often confused as to what is good nutrition for
their children. They receive mixed messages from the people around them and the media and end up being
unsure of what to do. Alia will put the spotlight on kid’s health and busts some nutrition myths around
the topic. Learn how to select the health information that really counts and start improving your child’s
health immediately. How to make fussy eaters eat, how to boost learning, how to make healthy food
appealing, and much more. For more information about Alia, visit http: //www.aliaalmoayed.com
I Want Healthy Kids!
Alia is the author of a book called I Want Healthy Kids, on how to raise healthy children and we are selling
copies of her book, at a specially discounted rate of BD7 for BSB parents in both Receptions. We have only
limited copies of the book so make sure you get yours soon.
School Photographer
We have spoken to David Liddle, the school photographer about delaying his planned visit to the BSB at the
end of this week for two weeks. More details about the dates of his visit and his schedule will follow soon.
Year 7 Castle Competition
Year 7 have been studying the Middle Ages in their history classes and one of the topics that they focused on
was medieval castles. This included looking at the very first wooden motte and bailey castles built by the
Normans after their invasion of 1066 up to the huge concentric walled stone castles of the later Middle Ages
with tall turrets and gatehouses. In addition to looking at how and why castles developed students also
examined how castles were attacked and defended and why castles were so important in medieval times.
Students also looked at who lived in castles and how they were a microcosm of feudal society. As a project
each Year 7 student was asked to build a model of a medieval castle, which could be made out of any
material they chose. Some of the models were spectacular and the quality of work this year was very high.
Each History class voted for the three castles that they believed were the best and these went forward to be
judged by Mrs Moffat. The winners Daniela Jurek (7B), Mohammed Salman (7H), Cameron Adriaan (7M),
Alfy Varghese (7D) and Rushad Postwalla (7P) were announced in the Key Stage 3 assembly and received a
prize and the overall winner, Tristen Mommsen (7M), was named 'king of the castle'. Examples of the
students’ work have been gracing the lobby of the school for the last few weeks and have drawn many
admiring comments from both students and parents. Congratulations to all the Year 7 who participated so
enthusiastically.

HSBC Dubai Mini Rugby Tournament
Five of our Junior boys, Lewis Hind, Cailum Lawson, Freddy Myles, Lucas Moes and Jack Bonner were part
of the U10s team representing Bahrain in the above two day tournament in Dubai this weekend.
On day one the team were up against Bahrain's arch enemy the Dubai Exiles, followed by Abu Dhabi and
then Al Ain. A convincing win against Al Ain meant they would go forward to the second day to play for the
plate. A thrilling win against Arabian Knights early on day two meant they were in the plate final against Al
Ain. Another super performance meant that the team have brought the plate home to Bahrain. Well done
boys. There are some VERY tired but happy boys in school this morning!
Seniors’ Hockey Tournament
On Friday, 4th February fifteen students from Years 7 - 9 represented the school in a hockey tournament held
at St Christopher's Junior school in Saar. Despite having never before played together our students acquitted
themselves admirably throughout. The Juniors’ team managed to finish 3rd in their group and the Seniors’
team 2nd. Special mention to Nilushi Dabare, Tristen Mommsen and Niel Marais who were selected for an
exhibition mixed match to round off the tournament. Students who took part each received a hockey stick,
kindly provided by the Bahrain Hockey Association. Great fun was had by all and the organisers were keen
to stress that all our students are welcome to attend the hockey club every Friday at 2.15 p.m. at St
Christopher’s Junior School, Saar.
Juniors’ Ski Trip
During the final week of January, a group of forty two Year 6 and Year 7 students travelled to Switzerland to
experience the daunting challenge of skiing and snowboarding in the beautiful Alps. We stayed in a ski lodge
situated in the village of Les Collons, which is a 2½ hour drive from Geneva, nestled in the heart of the Swiss
Alps. Les Collons is a true alpine experience, blanketed in snow throughout the winter season with
spectacular scenery and an abundance of challenging and varied terrain on which to ski and snowboard. We
could even ski back to our lodge each afternoon. Although it was busy on the weekends, during the week, we
had the mountains and the chair lifts to ourselves, which is particularly comforting if you are new to the
slopes. Many of the students this year were beginners but progressed rapidly throughout the week with
intensive training. The night activities included much laughter and merriment with a different activity
planned for each evening, such as, sledding, murder mystery, mini Olympics, movie night and culminating in
a disco on the final night. The shared experience has been a rewarding one for all. The teachers who
accompanied the trip report that it was a delight to see the children’s enthusiasm for skiing and snowboarding
and the tremendous progress they made during the trip.
Juniors’ Year 6 Debate Competition
Twelve finalists have been selected to have a heated debate in front of the whole of the Junior division.
Controversial subjects to be tackled are: Should schools ban uniforms? Capital punishment, right or wrong
and the final will be: Should zoos be banned? Parents of the finalists are welcome to attend at 8.10 a.m. in
the library on Tuesday, 22 nd February.
Juniors’ Poetry Competition
Every child in KS2 took part in this competition by auditioning in class time and being judged by their fellow
pupils and their class teacher. Those pupils deemed to have clear voices, good intonation, and the ability to
engage their audience went through to the finals which were held on the 7 th February. All the speakers

performed well on the day and it was a difficult task to choose the winners. In Year 3 the overall winner was
Dana Al Tajer 3P with her rendition of ‘My Mum’s a Vegetarian’ by Kenn Nesbitt. In Year 4 Syazana Tiew
4T took the lead with her reading of ‘Being Told Off’ by Fiona Tomlinson. Aaron Abraham, 5R stunned his
audience with a flawless rendition of ‘The Village Blacksmith’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Other
competitors are to be congratulated for reaching the final:- Year 3 - 3 rd place Cooper Haines, 2 nd place Claire
Fernandez; Year 4 - 3 rd place Daniela Akle 4M, 2 nd place Cassian D’ Souza 4B; Year 5 -3 rd place Varun
Anand 5B, 2 nd place Julia Dizon 5R. Year 5 classes demonstrated the skills of choral poetry by performing
class raps. We were proud of all those who took part and made this an entertaining and educational event in
our school calendar.
P4C in the Juniors’
Can you escape your fate?
Children will explore themes of mortality and fate through the story: The man who wanted to live forever.
Children show surprising maturity and resilience in discussing the subject of death, although it is obviously
not one for the recently bereaved. The question of fate invites further questions about how much control we
have in our life, the part luck plays and whether fate is controlled by somebody else. The other common
theme is, ‘Would living forever be boring?’- which groups often think depends on the detail. If everyone was
living forever, so that you retained loved ones, perhaps not- but then presumably there would be no children
either, and everything would end up in stasis. The children always come up with fresh ideas and insights of
original thought, which they are more than happy to articulate.
Juniors’ Sports Day and Guided Tour
The Juniors’ sports day will be held on the school football pitch next Sunday, 27 th February. The Year 3 and
Year 4 students will start at 8.30 a.m. and the Year 5 and Year 6 students follow at 10.30 a.m. As an addition
to our commitment to the home school link, children will give parents a 25 minute tour of their classrooms
straight after the sports day. Parents will have the chance to enjoy the learning environment of their child and
ask their personal tour guides any questions about learning at the BSB. Tea will be provided in A10 when the
children will then go to their break. We hope as many parents as possible will share in this occasion
World Maths Day
World Maths Day has an environmental theme at the BSB this year with all activities focussing around
aluminium drinks cans. As some of the activities are practical, and we would like to do our bit to promote
recycling in Bahrain, we would like to ask every child in Key Stage 2 to bring a carrier bag full of empty,
clean drinks cans to school on World Maths Day – Tuesday, 1 st March. Universe environment will be doing
their bit to help us send all of the cans to the recycling plant on that day.
Reception Minibeast Day
The Reception corridor was crawling with ladybirds, spiders, beetles and caterpillars on Wednesday as the
children concluded their Science topic with Minibeast Day. Dressed in a wonderful array of costumes, the
children paraded around an appropriately damp playground, played a habitat game and enjoyed a selection of
action rhymes and stories about minibeasts. They concluded the morning with a picnic of butterfly cakes.
Many thanks to all parents for providing the costumes and to all the teachers and assistants in Reception for
organising such an exciting morning for the children.

Infants' Sports Day
We could not have been blessed with better weather for the Infants' Sports Day on Thursday. The air was
positively sparkling, with blue skies after a few rainy days! The children walked in convoy to the Batelco
Sports Centre before embarking on a series of team activities. They ran relay races, space hopped, collected
colours and skipped to gain points for their houses. Many congratulations to Griffin house who were the
winners on the day! Next came the excitement of the heats to find the fastest girl and the fastest boy in each
class. Had we been timing, we are in no doubt that some records would have been broken! The morning
ended with a new event for Sports Day; an egg and spoon race for the mums and a skipping race for the dads!
Many thanks to all the parents who took part. You are all absolutely wonderful because, of course, ' taking
part' is what the day is all about! Special thanks goes to Mr. Ahmed Yousif who organised the event so well,
particularly when his newborn son was only one day old. Congratulations Mr Yousif!
Dates for your diary
Thursday 24 th February
Wednesday 20 th April – Monday 2 nd May
Sunday 29 th May – Thursday 2 nd June
Thursday 7 th July
Seniors
Tuesday 22 nd February
Tuesday 8 th March
Juniors
Sunday 27 th February
Monday 1 st March
Infants
Monday 21st February
Tuesday 22nd February
Wednesday 23rd February
Thursday 24th February
Nutrition Talk by Alia Almoayed – 8.15 a.m.
Spring holidays
Summer mid-term break
Last day of summer term
Opening of new Sixth Form Centre and Sixth Form
Options Evening – 6.00 p.m.
Year 7 Parents’ evening
Juniors’ Sports Day
World Maths Day
KGG Trip to Fire Station
KGS Trip to Fire Station (subject to availability)
KGA Trip to Fire Station (subject to availability)
KGP Trip to Fire Station (subject to availability)
Best wishes
Karen Moffat
Acting Director

21 st February 2011
Dear Parents,
Welcome back....I can truly say that I am so happy to be back at school after what was certainly a unique mid-term
break experience. Getting back to normal routines will be very refreshing!
I would like to start this note off by warmly welcoming our newly elected Interim Treasurer - Maha Sadik! Thank you
Maha for jumping aboard and joining the team - we are all looking forward to working with you! We would also like
to extend our thanks to Lisa Blom, who unfortunately is leaving Bahrain. It is thanks to the hard work Lisa has done
organising our finances that the transition of duties to Maha went so smoothly and efficiently - I think they needed
about 2 hours and it was done! Thank you Lisa and all the best to you and your family with your move and new
adventures ahead!
In addition to electing an Interim Treasurer, we had a very productive general meeting despite the last minute time
change. The complete minutes of our meeting are contained at the end of this letter.
Spending C ommittee for I nfant Playgr ound, Staging and PA System
Since the General Meeting several meetings have taken place. We have had meetings regarding the playground and
have one Company working on a quote for us, while working on securing a couple more. We’ve also had two initial
meetings regarding staging and a PA system and follow ups scheduled for after the break. We will continue to update
you each week on the progress being made! If you have any information or suggestions that you would like to share
with this group please contact Clauss (claussniazi@yahoo.com) or Natasha Haque (tashahaque@gmail.com).
Cake R affle
This Thursday we will restart the weekly Cake Raffle so bring your change on Thursday mornings and buy yourself
some raffle tickets! They are only 100 fils and can be bought at either the Infant Entrance or the Junior/Senior
Entrance. Hope to see you there!
Second-hand School Unifor ms
You can purchase second hand uniforms at anytime by calling any of the following volunteers: Rebecca Myles
(39407210) or Pip Smith (39415974). I would like to take this opportunity to recognise and thank Christine El Said,
who has worked on the Second-hand Uniform project for a number of years! Christine has had to leave her role due to
other commitments, but has left things in two very capable sets of hands with Pip and Rebecca! Thank you for all your
hard work Christine and thank you Pip and Rebecca for keeping the ball rolling!
B SB M er chandise is available for purchase in the Infant and Junior/Senior Reception.
2011 B SB Self Por tr ait C alendar s -50% OF F SA L E 5 B D --> B D2.5- children’s self-portraits from Reception
through to Year 6 are captured in this colorful calendar. With Infants on one side and Juniors on the other, each child
has their self -portrait shown in their birthday month!
• C ar W indow Sun V isor s - 2.5 B D - these blue and silver car sun visors have the BSB emblem on the front and
come in a handy pouch for easy storage.
• L anyards - 1.5 B D - handy for hanging your parent card when coming into the school
• H air R ibbons - 2 B D - dark blue, light blue and white ribbons attached to a pony tail holder.
• H air B ands - 1.5 B D - come in 4 colours: Dark Blue, Light Blue, White & Blue/White Stripes
Warm regards
Clauss Niazi
Friends of BSB Chair

Friends of BSB
Minute of the Monthly General Meeting
7 th February 2011 at 9:30 in BSB Cafeteria
1. The meeting was opened at 9.30am by the Chair of the Friends.
2. Spending Committee – Clauss Niazi
a. Committee has been set up comprising the following:
i. 2 members of Friends Executive Committee – Clauss Niazi and Natasha Haque
ii. 2 teachers – Volunteers required
iii. 3 other parents – 1 parent has volunteered and 2 others are needed
iv. 2 meetings have taken place with infants teachers to discuss ideas
v. A presentation will be made to parents at the next Friends General Meeting on 07/03/2011 by
Karen Moffat and her team so that all ideas can be discussed
b. Mandate
i. Committee is mandated to have all projects in place and all quotes signed off and money to be
spent by 04/04/2011. Total amount of money to be spent from monies raised as at 30/12/2010 not
to exceed BD 10000
c. Projects to be funded (if viable and orders placed in time) are as follows:
i. Playground for Infant school
ii. Staging for concerts/plays etc
iii. PA system to be used for concerts/plays/events
iv. Other projects if funds permitting where quotes and orders not ready in time
3. Interim Treasurer Election
a. Maha was nominated by the secretary and seconded by the chair for the role on treasurer in the
interim as Lisa will be leaving the island at the end of March
b. The role of the treasurer is as follows:
i. Accepting money
ii. Receipting monies received
iii. Spending money on projects for school
iv. Managing Friends Bank Account
v. Distributing Profit and Loss Account
4. EVENTS/ACTIVITIES
a. Class Links – Class Links are still required for 7M, 8G and 9M and any parent willing to act as class
link for those classes is more than welcome. The class links role is purely a communication one to
forward communication from the Friends and school to the parents in the class via e-mail and to
request for volunteers when required for school functions
b. LPOD - Aleksandra Wormald
i. Tentative Dates for Family Fun Day is either 7 or 14 May
ii.
iii.
Arshad will be helping Aleks with regards to ticket prices and co-ordination etc.
LPOD will be approached to give us better ticket prices – Meeting to be held both with LPOD and
Wahoo
iv.
c. Movie Matinees - Susanne Chabara
i. Movie Matinees were arranged for Y1, Y3, 4 5 and 6
ii. Events were a success raising significant funds for the Friends

iii. If more are to be done then we need more volunteers to help with watching/supervising children
during the movie
d. Second Hand Uniform Sales - Clauss Niazi
i. Significant monies raised from sales of uniforms and this will be ongoing. Co-ordinators are now
Rebecca and Pip and their numbers are available on the news letter every week
e. Merchandise Sales - Clauss Niazi
i. Sales of Visors, Lanyards, Calendars and hair accessories are going well though the number of
calendars sold are not what we expected but we have not lost any money and these sales are
ongoing
f. Cake Sales/Cake Raffle - Clauss Niazi
i. Sales are ongoing every Thursday at drop-off and we make an average of BD 35 every week.
Volunteers are required to help sell the tickets from 7.30 – 8.00 on a Thursday for this term.
g. Parent Education Evening - Karen Moffat
i. Healthy Eating with Alia AlMoayed on 24/02/2011 at 8.15 am in the school. Her book will be on
sale at the reduced price of BD 7 and a simple breakfast will also be provided.
ii. Previous evenings have included Internet Safety and Bullying
h. Parents Night Out/Quiz Night - Arshad Elahi
i. Sarah Allenby and Julia Harrison have volunteered to help Arshad
ii. Tentative date is 14/04/2011 evening
iii. Venue will be either British Club or Dilmun Club
iv. Night will be a dress up occasion and with a game theme TBA
v. Ticket prices etc will be discussed in due course
5. Any Other Business
a. Karen Moffat presented 2 upcoming events at the school
i. Skipping School – Coaches have been invited out from the UK from 14/03/2011. They will be
teaching skipping skills during PE. They have a charge per child which will be subsidized by the
Friends or charged to each parent for that lesson
ii.
Sixth Form Centre – The 6 th form centre will open on 22/02/2011 and all parents are invited to
come along and look. The evening also coincides with the Y11 options evening.
b. Infant Sports Day
i. Volunteers are required to help sell Friends Merchandise and water on 10/02/2011 at Batelco
sports field (opposite the school) from 9 – 11.30. We require parents to help out for an hour shift
each. Please see Clauss Niazi
6. Next Meeting
• The next monthly meeting will be held on Monday 7 March at 7.30pm in the school cafeteria
The meeting closed at 10.30pm with a thank you to all attendees from the Chair