Secondary Newsletter on Friday, 2nd Sept 2016

Week 6-Stepping up to Challenges

What a wonderful way to end the week-a celebration of who we are, where we have come from and where we are going!  It was so fantastic to see all of the smiling faces in their national dress as our student body paraded through our campus celebrating the diversity that makes BIS the truly special place that it is.  I was touched by Rose’s speech, speaking about her feeling of home and the support that she continues to receive from her BIS teachers and peers.  The International fair that followed shows how committed our community is to BIS and how much they give back to the school and our students.  Our ability to come together, engage with each other’s cultures and share our distinct national pride was so evident during the student’s interaction with each national booth-the passports were a nice touch as well!  Thank you again to everyone who made this such a special event.

Do you have a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset?

Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success—a simple idea that makes all the difference.

According to Dweck, in a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.

So, the question for us as an educational institution, and for you parents at home, is how we instill the Growth Mindset in the students (and children) that we serve?  This is a topic we talk about here at BIS and will continue to focus on.  Please take a look at this quick video describing the effects of a Growth Mindset.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc 

If you have any thoughts, please feel free to pass them on to me.  I love hearing from parents as we work together.

EOTC Week is Coming!

We are less than 2 weeks away from our EOTC Week.  Having had the chance to sit in on each of the planning and parent sessions I am quite jealous of the fact that I did not have a chance to do this as a student and that I am only able to go on one of the trips this year!  Information has been sent out via the Enews and also through our parent emails.  Your students have also been receiving a great deal of information in their Homerooms and during MYP and DP hour.  Please ask them what they are most excited about.

 

12th Grade IB Drama Performance

Killing with Kindness was the name of the production that our year 2 IB Drama students created, produced and performed this past week.  I was fortunate enough to have a very intimate showing where the actors even answered my questions and spoke about their artistic process.  What a testament to the power of the arts and their place in education.  The amount of planning, problem solving, collaboration and research that went into this production was astounding.  Congratulations!

 

BIS Live to Start Again!

After numerous requests from students we are going to be starting up BIS live again in the near future.  For those of you new to BIS, like myself, BIS Live is an opportunity for our students and faculty members to highlight their artistic abilities outside of the classroom in front of a live audience.  If you have a talented youngster at home make sure to encourage their participation.

BIS Goes Global

As part of the 30th anniversary celebration BIS is providing all students with a 30th anniversary commemorative T-Shirt.  We will be hosting a contest for the most pictures taken in different international locations featuring the BIS T-Shirt.  Families will be asked to email their entries to marketing@baliis.net More information will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, keep those selfies coming.

University Fair College Success EduCon on Monday September 5th from 8:50-10:00

         8:50-9:25 Booths in the Library

1. University of Johannesburg, South Africa

2. Echelon Prep

3. Idyllwild Arts, USA

4. IE Business School, Spain

5. University of Montana, USA

6. Missoula College, USA

7. Education USA

8. Rep covering the following ten American universities:

• Adelphi University in Garden City, New York

• American University in Washington D.C., Washington D.C.

• Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama

• Florida International University in Miami, Florida

• Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas

• Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida

• University of Illinois – Chicago in Chicago, Illinois

• University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina

• University of The Pacific in Stockton, California

9:25-10:00 Workshops

1. Emotional Intelligence by IE University – Room 11

2. How to get into Harvard and Oxford – Admission Secrets of World’s Top Universities by Echelon Prep – Room 1

3. 2+2 and the University Transfer System in the USA by North Seattle College – Library

Quick Notes

ASA’s will be cancelled on Tuesday of next week.  This also includes religious classes and any private lessons held on campus.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of BIS and our students.

Kind Regards,

Justin Walsh

secondaryschoolprincipal@baliis.net

Secondary School Principal