BIC Sa Porrassa Secondary and Sixth Form News (06/17/22)

Ms Alison Colwell, Principal

Dear families,

One of the many strengths of our school is the internationalism that runs at its very heart. From the celebration of countries and cultures (our students represent over 45 nationalities), to the high quality teaching of languages that lies at the heart of our curriculum, to the promotion of festivals, events, traditions and the cuisines of numerous different countries, our internationalism is as important to us as our focus on British high standards and values. This was also evident in the recent school trip to Paris, which was a wonderful opportunity for our students learning French to get an insight into this amazing city and to practise their French. I went along for part of the trip, and it was joyous to see the students enjoying a wealth of activities and experiences - huge thanks to the staff who accompanied and especially to Mme. Etienne who organised the whole event with exceptional thoughtfulness and attention to detail.

With two weeks left to go, we will, at the end of term, say farewell and thank you to a number of colleagues, but in advance of that we introduce in today's newsletter the new staff who we are very much looking forward to welcoming to our school next term.

Enjoy your weekend,

Alison Colwell

Principal

Baleares International College, Sa Porrassa

New staff:

We are delighted to introduce our new staff members who will join us in the next academic year 2022-23.

Ms Alexandra Tomlinson, Head of Secondary

The privilege of learning in an international setting.

I often speak of what we do at BIC to ensure that our students leave our school as confident Global Citizens, respectful and understanding of other cultures and able to communicate with them all.

That this contributes to world peace may seem unattainable and a pipe dream but I am reminded of the story surrounding Thatcher and Gorbachev´s first few meetings, the outcomes of which were instrumental in ending the Cold War. As a result of both parties´ mutual commitment to understanding there followed vigorous debate, frequent agreement and mutual learning. Thatcher reported back that there was someone that, “we could do business with”.

I would like to think that our young people, not just when they leave, but also throughout their time, demonstrate those skills of debate, agreement and mutual learning in all aspects of their interactions with each other and those outside of the school. They are in a privileged position, using the leadership attributes we imbue them with here at BIC as well as their knowledge of their fellow students’ international backgrounds, to use their skills to bring about prosperity, peace and understanding within their own lives and communities.

Alexandra Tomlinson

Head of Secondary

Mr John Barter - Head of Sixth Form

New Internationalism

I recently attended a conference at EU Business School in Geneva for careers and university counsellors. The key focus was on preparing students for a 21st century global economy; preparing young people for team working, independent thinking, innovation and creativity. The aim was that these young people should be fast acting, independent of mind and prepared to do things differently. One thing the Business School was doing (and they recognised that many other global universities were doing the same) was delivering their courses in English, as the common language of business. Through this medium, the other skills would be developed.

It made me think of our Sixth Form here at BIC, as our mission and strategy are very much the same. I remembered the ‘criticism’ of one young person who joined Year 12 last September, a month or so later. Whilst she loved the school (the teaching was excellent, she was enjoying all of her subjects and she was making lots of friends) and whilst she recognised that her English was improving daily, she had hoped that the students would be speaking in Spanish at breaktimes and this would help her to learn the Spanish language. She had been disappointed to find out that the students spoke in English in their lessons and in their non-lesson time. She recognised that this was due to the international make-up of the student body in the Sixth Form; truly international in composition, the English language brings the students together and gives them their commonality. We did manage to provide beginners Spanish for this student (and some peers), but it emphasised how well BIC would be preparing our students for life after school by immersing them in the English language despite their different backgrounds.

The most recent analysis I did of the Sixth Form showed me that, although 33% of our Sixth Formers are from the UK, the other 67% comes from 17 different nations and from 5 different continents. It really is true to say that English binds them together. I still remain in awe of them as they often speak their home language (or home languages, as several have parents from two different nationalities) fluently, but then speak Spanish with a good deal more flair that I could ever aspire to (and some of them are totally fluent), as well as being fluent in English. They can move between several languages in a short conversation. It seems to me that they are so well-equipped for the new internationalism of the 21st century.

So when jobs, like the following, are advertised I am thinking that BIC Sixth Formers can be front of the queue:

‘Ideally, you have a Master or PhD degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field. You have strong analytical skills. You speak English fluently, any additional language is a plus. You have the ability to effectively work with multicultural teams across different time zones.’

https://www.energyjobline.com/job/senior-software-developer-m-f-d-fur-siemens-logistics-gmbh-8797312

‘We are looking for people who are open-minded and curious, who optimistically face changes and want to work in an international, diverse team. Employees who unlock their full potential within their team. Who set high standards for themselves to make things better and demonstrate willingness to fill Vorsprung with life, every day again. Who want to take responsibility for their work, for Audi, for society, and for the future. Fluent English (as well as knowledge of another language if English is your native language, preferably German).’

https://www.audi.com/en/career/graduates/audi-global-graduate-program.html

John Barter

Head of Sixth Form

john.barter@balearesint.net

Whole School House System news

House Points Totals Update - Term 3

House Points Totals Update - 2021/22

A message from your Heads of House

Maths department news

Key Stage 3 Problem of the Week

There is only one Key Stage 3 Problem of the Week left for the 21/22 school year. The competition for top spot this term is tight with Carlitos and Samuel very close. Every problem counts!

Here is Carlitos´solution to last week´s problem. It is fantastic to see a Year 8 student produce this level of work.

Humanities department news

The humanities department would like to celebrate the success of a large number of students for their exemplary work and effort during the recent exam period.

At KS3, students were able to practise important exam techniques that will help to equip them with success in later years.

Leon wrote an excellent PEEL paragraph about the Storming of the Bastille that we studied last term. He had a perfect balance of accurate knowledge and a close focus on the exact question.

Teo in Year 10 structured his work accurately so that he was able to create a clear and well reasoned argument which is essential in GCSE history.

An important part of academic life is learning how to structure work in different subjects. Florian Wiegel has mastered analytical essay writing for GCSE history.

In KS3 geography, students displayed some impressive geographical knowledge and skills.

Lily in Year 9 showed excellent use of resources in her description of a map showing oil consumption as well as her account of the course of the Colorado River.

Sebastian in Year 8 showed excellent knowledge on both the impacts of the Haiti earthquake of 2010 and of the possible benefits of volcanic activity.

Marley in Year 8 proved he has a clear understanding of plate tectonic theory.

English department news

In our study of the media, we have been focussing on different camera shots and diegetic and non-diegetic sound while considering their effect on an audience. Students in Year 7 created storyboards and presented to the class the intended effect of each of the camera shots.

The students in Year 10 are currently studying poetry as part of their poetry anthology unit for the iGCSE English Literature course.

Here are a few superb annotations from some of our wonderful students:

By Daniella and Victoria in Year 10 

Science department news

Our wonderful students have either recently completed their end of year exams or they are completing them as we speak. KS4 students have had the opportunity to complete an in-depth review of their successes and areas for development so that they are able to effectively identify next steps in their learning. KS3 students are trialling a new approach to their end of year assessment and they are completing broad knowledge reviews in biology, chemistry and physics. This has enabled us as teachers to have rapid diagnostic feedback before being able to identify misconceptions in the class and reconstruct the learning in a more accurate way. Here are some photos of our students preparing for their assessment, being assessed, analysing their scores and getting feedback in order to dispel misconceptions and to strengthen learning.

We understand that you are passionate about supporting learning at home. For this reason, we are making the following formative assessments available to all students online. These assessments judge students' recall and understanding against our mastery outcomes in science. Our recommendation is that all students in Year 9-10 complete the biology, chemistry and physics assessments before reviewing the feedback (via email) and addressing areas for development using the linked web pages in the mastery sheet during the holiday. The students can complete these assessments as many times as they want. A record will be kept by science staff helping us to plan lessons that challenge our students next year.

The science refurbishment is picking up pace here in school. Here are some photographs of the journey so far!

Language department news

Students from Year 11 have been working on the II Spanish Republic and the origins and development of the Spanish Civil War. The students have been able to study the details of the Constitution from 1931 .

We have discussed in class the causes of the Civil War and how it developed in the Balearic Islands. We also watched different videos that showed how Majorca was during this hard period. It has been very enriching for everyone to know more about this period of Spanish history.

Video about the Spanish Civil War in Majorca: El desembarcament a Mallorca PortoCristo 1936

Creative Arts department news

DRAMA

Year 7 students have explored pop music from a variety of angles this term, and one way has been using music technology to create pop music using samples and loops. Below are some screenshots of their projects.

Felipe, Christopher and David

Meanwhile, in Year 13, Olivia has been working towards her dance exams next week that she will take with the International Dance Teachers Association. Alongside her Intermediate exams in ballet and contemporary jazz, the Monday ballet club will also take their Grade 3 certificate, and drama students will complete a certificate for monologues they have prepared. Below is Olivia rehearsing her choreography in preparation.

PE

Secondary Sports Day is one week away and students have been signing up for their athletics events and the swim gala. As you will have seen in my letter last week, the event is taking place at Calvia athletics stadium on the outskirts of Magaluf, a short distance from school. Please arrange for your child to go directly to the track at the beginning of the school day by 8.45am at the latest. We will walk back to school following the event.

Wellness and Vegetable Gardens

A HUGE thank you to Esther and her team at Sa Porassa garden centre, who have responded to our request for ´stuff´for the gardens projects at school by delivery a tonne of soil, and 50 wooden pallets which will be used to create all sorts of planting and seating structures for the wellness garden.

BEFORE - thank you Esther!

AFTER - next term, and onwards

The sunflower House competition is growing (sorry…) - first flowers out and the others not far behind!