Weekly Newsletter (28th of August)

I can’t believe how quickly the weeks are passing by, it is almost September and I have been in Brazil for almost a month. I am continually impressed by the warm welcome I still receive and by the dedication and tireless work by our staff. I have now met in person four BCB children, which was such a delight. Two in school collecting items from their locker and two at the bank as I tried to set up my bank account, another little challenge. The children and their parents were delightful, and it just makes me want to meet everyone more, we will be together eventually, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

Our teachers continue to deliver exciting and appealing lessons and we are continually engaging with Nord Anglia with new resources being developed that will add to this experience. Along with the normal every day, the online support and care for your children, there are also ongoing and regular workshops for parents to support your understanding of how to help your children and what to expect this coming year. I have joined separate Key Stage 4 and 5 meetings in Secondary, with the Key Stage 3 meeting scheduled next week, and also a phonics training session on Wednesday. Thank you to Mr. Holman and his outstanding team in Secondary and to Miss Price and Miss Stocks for their engaging phonics session. Please do watch out for other sessions over the course of the term and year. We are listening to feedback that for working parents these sessions are useful online and so it is another thing that we will consider when we open and can hold sessions in school again.

Facilities Improvement

Last week I promised to share some of the improvements to the Secondary school we have been making. I want to say during the summer, but it is of course winter here, I am still adjusting, so will just say during July and August. The single biggest change is the design and building of our Maker Lab. This is inspired by a space at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, more famously known as MIT. You can see the kind of room in the image with the yellow glass box. Ours will have clear glass to maximize the light in what is becoming the central hub of the secondary school. The other pictures show its progress up to today with the big double doors being moved to the side, although not yet installed, a new Astroturf being laid and the whole outdoor area being improved as a space for our oldest students. This year we will have our first ever IB graduates and so this amazing learning space, a multi-purpose science laboratory and maker space, our Maker Lab, is the perfect development to support the excellent teaching and learning in the school. Mr. Holman will share updates in due course with more specifics about its use and how it will help the students, but I am sure you will all agree this is a fantastic new resource being invested in that will benefit all of your children.

Have a fantastic weekend and enjoy the return of the sunshine!

Regards,

Nick West