School year 2005-06

Don’t forget that our Christmas production this year will be on Monday, December 19th at 17.00. This will be for our Years 1 – 6 and will be held at the theatre DE KAM in Wezembeek, Beekstraat 172, 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem, Tel 02 731 43 31. We would ask everyone to note that the venue is different to last year. This theatre can be reached via the 39 tram from Montgomery or the 30 bus from Kraainem Metro. In either case the name of the closest stop is Marcelis.

The PTA would like to thank all parents who have ordered customised labels during the past few weeks. This was a successful initiative that, while adding that special touch to your holiday packages and letters, also raised 193€ for PTA funds.

All library books should now have been returned to school, but if you do have a book still out could you please send it in on Monday so that we can confirm that it isn’t missing.

If anyone thinks that they may be leaving at the end of the spring term then we would like to remind everyone that the deadline of 90 days for giving written notice falls just after the Christmas break. This will be on Saturday 7th January, which is 90 days before Friday, April 7th, the last day of the spring term.

The PTA Tea towels are available to buy in school and you will also have a chance to buy some at the theatre on Monday evening. They contain the individual pictures of every child in school and make great presents for extended family members. They cost 6 € each or 2 for 10 €. They are selling steadily so please try to get your orders in as soon as possible. On Monday and Tuesday you can also obtain copies of the Lions Club CD that our School Choir is singing three Christmas songs on. These are 10 € each.

To aid our planning for next academic year, we would like to ask if any parents have any updated information about their likelihood of leaving in the coming months, further to our survey in September 2005. We are keen to keep parents who are enquiring about places for next year informed of the changing situation because, as things stand, we are going to have very few available places for the next academic year, starting in September 2006. We would be grateful to be informed as early as possible, if children are going to be leaving at the end of this academic year in July 2006. We understand, of course, that many people do not know a definite answer to this question at the moment but we would be grateful to know if you are already certain that you will be leaving Brussels.

This year’s Key Stage 2 residential field study to Rippledown House will be slightly earlier this year. Our Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 children will be leaving for the UK to Rippledown House, near Dover on Monday, 27th February returning to Brussels on Friday, March 3rd. Further details about exact cost and travel times will be circulated as soon as possible and hopefully before Christmas.

Tuesday of next week is the last day of this Autumn term and school will finish at 15.25. So far nobody has requested a garderie service for this last day and so we are not anticipating that there will be a need for a garderie service on that day. Please let us know if you think that you might have difficulty picking up your child by 15.25. Please note that after the Christmas break next term starts on Wednesday, January 4th, 2006. After school clubs will not start until the second week of term in the week commencing Monday, 9th January.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“Experience is the comb that nature gives us when we are bald”. - Belgian Proverb

There will be another Coffee Morning tomorrow, Saturday 10th December for the parents and children of our Year 2 children. This will be at school between 10.00 and 12.00.

Our Christmas production this year will be on Monday, December 19th at 17.00. This will be for our Years 1 – 6 and will be held at the theatre DE KAM in Wezembeek, Beekstraat 172, 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem, Tel 02 731 43 31. We would ask everyone to note that the venue is different to last year. This theatre can be reached via the 39 tram from Montgomery or the 30 bus from Kraainem Metro. In either case the name of the closest stop is Marcelis.
Our Reception and Nursery classes will be having their performance in school on Thursday 15th at 12.00.

The PTA Tea towels are now available in school and they look really good containing the individual pictures of every child in school. They make great presents for extended family members and they cost 6 € each or 2 for 10 €. They are selling quickly so please try to get your orders in as soon as possible.

We have a new minibus driver from this week onwards. His name is Tomak and he will be driving the dark green minibus from now on, both before and after school. He speaks, French, Polish and a little English. Please note that there will be no after school clubs for the rest of this term as next week is the last full week before the Christmas break. Consequently all the minibuses will be early minibuses except for Monday when we have a staff meeting.

This year’s Key Stage 2 residential field study to Rippledown House will be slightly earlier this year. Our Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 children will be leaving for the UK to Rippledown House, near Dover on Monday, 27th February returning to Brussels on Friday, March 3rd. Further details about exact cost and travel times will be circulated as soon as possible and hopefully before Christmas.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare”. - Dale Carnegie

There are two Coffee Mornings coming up in December. Tomorrow on Saturday 3rd December between 10.00 and 12.00 the Stannard family will be hosting Parents and children of Year 1. You should have already received directions and contact details on paper earlier this week. One week later, at the same time but in school, Anne Catuogno will be hosting a Year 2 Coffee Morning.

Our Christmas production this year will be on Monday, December 19th at 17.00. This will be for our Years 1 – 6 and will be held at the theatre DE KAM in Wezembeek, Beekstraat 172, 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem, Tel 02 731 43 31. We would ask everyone to note that the venue is different to last year. This theatre can be reached via the 39 tram from Montgomery or the 30 bus from Kraainem Metro. In either case the name of the closest stop is Marcelis.
Our Reception and Nursery classes will be having their performance in school on Thursday 15th at 12.00.

Please remember to come along to the Brussels Christmas Charity Market this Sunday 4th December from 10.30am until 6pm at the Cultural Centre "Elzenhof" Avenue de la Couronne 12-16. "Elzenhof" is a large old house and it is located at the Rue de Trone end of Avenus de la Couronne. The market will have stalls from 20 different charities / organisations and the BISB PTA will also be hosting a stand at this event. You will be able to buy Christmas gifts, eat traditional Christmas foods and learn a little about some of the charities. There is also a garden with play equipment for the children. It would be wonderful to see you there. For more information about directions go to http://elzenhof.vgc.be/html/index.asp or take a map from the school foyer. For more information about the market you can also read the article in this week’s "Talk of the Town" in the Bulletin.

Next week Monday, December 5th sees the start of French Week in school when we will take the opportunity to promote the French language as well as different aspects of French and Belgian culture. We would also like to extend an invitation to parents to come in and watch French lessons being taught on our day for “Portes Ouvertes” next Friday 9 December. Please let us know by e-mail if you wish to take advantage of this invitation.

Please note that there will be no Volleyball club on Thursday of next week as Mrs. Cross will not be in school on that day.

Today we were privileged to have Anne-Louise Sterry, an American storyteller and singer (www.anne-louise.com) come into school to tell stories and entertain every child throughout the school with her songs. The children all enjoyed her performances and many asked about buying some of her CD’s. She has a range of 4 different ones (0-6 years, stories for 5 upwards, songs for all ages and 6 upwards) and these can be purchased for 10 € each. Please let us know if you would like to order any and we will join all the orders together to reduce shipping charges.

We discovered another benefit of our named BISB school bags today. One was left on the public transport system this morning and within two hours the school had been contacted by Stib to let us know that it had been handed in. Contact the school office if you still haven’t got one for your child.

The PTA Tea towels are now available in school and they look really good containing the individual pictures of every child in school. They make great presents for extended family members and they cost 6 € each or 2 for 10 €. We are expecting to sell out within the next two weeks, so please try to get your orders in as soon as possible.

People who made orders via the Red House Book Club last month should have received their order of books today. Please let us know if there has been any problem with you receiving your correct order.

Don’t forget that you have until Friday the 9th of December to get your customised labels in a variety of formats from the PTA. These can be return address labels, holiday or birthday gift labels, book identification labels, or labels with the message of your choice printed on them. Several different borders are available, and you can also have a photo or a piece of artwork printed on the label if you wish (all photos and artwork will be returned to you). This is a great way to give your letters and packages a personalised touch. Each sheet contains 24 identical labels, and the price is 3€ for 1 sheet or 10€ for 4 sheets. An order form with examples will be sent home with your child next week. If you have any queries or would like to place your order via e-mail rather than the paper order form, please contact Diane Pedersen.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely”. - Rodin

Our Christmas production this year will be on Monday, December 19th at 17.00. This will be for our Years 1 – 6 and will be held at the theatre DE KAM in Wezembeek, Beekstraat 172, 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem, Tel 02 731 43 31. We would ask everyone to note that the venue is different to last year. Our Reception and Nursery classes will be having their performance in school on Thursday 15th at lunchtime.

There are two Coffee Mornings coming up in December. On Saturday 3rd December between 10.00 and 12.00 the Stannard family will be hosting Parents and children of Year 1 and one week later at the same time in school Anne Catuogno will be hosting a Year 2 Coffee Morning

We will be sending the orders for extra school, class and individual photographs back to the photographer on Monday morning so if you haven’t yet returned your order form then 09.00 Monday morning is the final deadline for it to reach the school office.

Don’t forget that on Sunday, December 4th from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m the CAF Charity Christmas Market will be taking place at the Cultural Centre "Elzenhof" at Kroonlaan 12-14-16 (Avenue de la Couronne), 1050 Brussels. The PTA will be hosting a stand at this event and therefore it will be well worth making a visit.

If you still have any warm clothing etc. to donate for the victims of the recent Pakistan earthquake that left two million people homeless then you can bring them into school on Monday morning. After that as this is being co-ordinated by CAF and the Kashmir Centre we would ask that you contact www.caf-europe.org or www.kashmircentreeu.org directly to see how you might help out.

This term's ‘Dads Night Out’ will be held next Wednesday, November 30th. Mark Ridyard and the others will be going to "Crosly Bowling and Qzar" . Mark has booked for people to do Qzar (Laser gun battle game) at 8:30pm. The details of the place are: Blvd de L'empereur 36 http://www.crosly.be/FR/qzar.html. We need to have at least 10 people to play Qzar, so please could you confirm that you'll be coming as soon as possible. In case you're running late on the night or can't find the place call Mark on his mobile on 0473 939286

Ena was very grateful and deeply moved by the huge response from the BISB community who contributed so generously to help her afford her air ticket to the Philippines this weekend. The amount raised was enough to cover the full cost of the ticket and she has asked me to send her sincere thanks to everyone who made such a kind donation.

Monday, December 5th sees the start of French Week in school when we will take the opportunity to promote the French language as well as different aspects of French and Belgian culture.

From now until Friday the 9th of December the PTA will again sell customised labels in a variety of formats: return address labels, holiday or birthday gift labels, book identification labels, or labels with the message of your choice printed on them. Several different borders are available, and you can also have a photo or a piece of artwork printed on the label if you wish (all photos and artwork will be returned to you). This is a great way to give your letters and packages a personalised touch. Each sheet contains 24 identical labels, and the price is 3€ for 1 sheet or 10€ for 4 sheets. An order form with examples will be sent home with your child next week. If you have any queries or would like to place your order via e-mail rather than the paper order form, please contact Diane Pedersen in the evenings.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“In regione caecorum rex est luscus”. (In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king). - Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch author, philosopher, & scholar (1466 - 1536)

If your child will not be in school for the last few days of this term because your family are departing for an early start to the holiday before December 20th then please let us know as soon as possible. Similarly if you are returning after January 4th in the New Year we would like to be advised.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the highlight of the social year, the PTA Quiz night this Saturday, 19th November at 19.30 for 20.00. If you want to take part then it is still not too late. Come along as an individual or as a member of an organised team (4, 5 or 6 people). There will be a small charge of 5 € per head to go towards PTA funds if you order your tickets before the day or 7€ on the door.

Many thanks to the many parents who have already donated clothes etc. as donations to Pakistan after the recent earthquake that left two million people homeless, co-ordinated by CAF and the Kashmir Centre. The groups are collecting tents, sleeping bags, blankets and warm clothing, particularly jackets, sweaters, socks, shoes, hats 'and anything else that will keep a body warm in the cold'. Winter is drawing near and hundreds of thousands of people are in dire need of basic protection. You can send in your donations of clothes to school and we will pass them on. For more information, visit www.caf-europe.org or www.kashmircentreeu.org .

From now until Friday the 9th of December the PTA will again sell customised labels in a variety of formats: return address labels, holiday or birthday gift labels, book identification labels, or labels with the message of your choice printed on them. Several different borders are available, and you can also have a photo or a piece of artwork printed on the label if you wish (all photos and artwork will be returned to you). This is a great way to give your letters and packages a personalised touch. Each sheet contains 24 identical labels, and the price is 3€ for 1 sheet or 10€ for 4 sheets. An order form with examples will be sent home with your child next week. If you have any queries or would like to place your order via e-mail rather than the paper order form, please contact Diane Pedersen.

A very sincere thank you to everybody who forwarded their best wishes, get-well cards and personalised pictures after my eye operation this week. Everything went very well and I am literally looking forward to seeing you all in school next week.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese”. - G. K. Chesterton

CAF - Children are the future

Please note that the school is closed this Friday because of the national holiday. Similarly the school will also be closed next Friday, as this will be a staff in-service day.

If your child will not be in school for the last few days of this term because your family are departing for an early start to the holiday before December 20th then please let us know as soon as possible. Similarly if you are returning after January 4th in the New Year we would like to be advised.

The highlight of the social year is rapidly approaching! This will be the PTA Quiz night on Saturday 19th November at 19.30 for 20.00. If you want to take part then you can come along as a member of an organised team (4, 5 or 6 people) or a couple or even as an individual. In previous years the majority of people coming along to participate in the fun have not been in a team but have come along as individuals or couples. Everybody is very welcome, the questions will be suitably international and it doesn’t matter if you think that you’re not good at quizzes. Most people aren’t and that just adds to the fun and variety! To facilitate the creation of teams beforehand, please let us know if you are intending to come along either as a couple or an individual. There will be a small charge of 5 € per head to go towards PTA funds if you order your tickets before the day or 7€ on the door.

This year the BISB PTA has decided to support the charity CAF (Children are the Future) which is Brussels based www.caf-europe.org They support projects in Africa and India that are child based and they are currently raising funds for two schools with no roof or desks in need of urgent repair. This Christmas CAF are organising a Charity Christmas Market to help raise funds for both themselves and other charities or organisations which would like to have a stall at the market. This will take place Sunday, December 4th from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Cultural Centre "Elzenhof" at Kroonlaan 12-14-16 (Avenue de la Couronne), 1050 Brussels. Entrance is free. For more information and directions to Elzenhof, visit http://elzenhof.vgc.be/html/index.asp. BISB is going to have a stall at the market and we will split the income between the school PTA and CAF. We plan to sell packaged cakes and biscuits, crafts and face painting. What we need now is some parent volunteers to help make the crafts and man the stall on the day. We plan to hold at least 4 morning craft making sessions at Mrs. Morris' house. They will be on Wednesday mornings from 9am from now on. Don’t worry if you are not good at craft making, as they will be very simple activities. We are also looking for people who have good ideas for easy to make crafts who can’t come to the mornings but are able to make something to sell at home. Nearer the time we will need cakes and biscuits to sell and people to paint children's faces on the day. Please, contact us if you are able to help in any way.

Another way that you can help is that CAF and the Kashmir Centre are collaborating on a drop-off site for donations to Pakistan after the recent earthquake that left two million people homeless. The groups are collecting tents, sleeping bags, blankets and warm clothing, particularly jackets, sweaters, socks, shoes, hats 'and anything else that will keep a body warm in the cold'. Winter is drawing near and hundreds of thousands of people are in dire need of basic protection. You can send in your donations of clothes to school and we will pass them on. For more information, visit www.caf-europe.org or www.kashmircentreeu.org.

The Autumn catalogues for the Red House Book Club with order forms and price lists have already been distributed. We would ask you to use these if you wish to order any books, which should arrive at the school by early December. These prices include all postage and handling charges. Completed orders should now have been returned to school but if you haven’t yet had a chance to look at the order form and make your selection then you can still do so this week-end. Please return the completed order form, together with the payment in cash (in an envelope marked Red House Books, with name and amount enclosed also written) as early as possible next week. The school receives an increased discount on the books it purchases this year as an introductory offer to the new Catalogue that we are ordering from.

Our Year 1 teacher Mrs. Smith has not been in school this week because she has been in the UK becoming a grandmother. Congratulations to all members of her family.

We will be having our first Parents Evening of the academic year on Monday (14th November). This will be an opportunity to discuss the progress of your child and you should have already received your appointment time for this but if not, or if you need to change for any reason, then please contact the school office. Please also let us know if you will not be able to attend on this occasion so that teachers are not waiting in school unnecessarily.

The next PTA meeting will be on Thursday, December 1st at 19.30.

From next week until Friday the 9th of December the PTA will again sell customised labels in a variety of formats: return address labels, holiday or birthday gift labels, book identification labels, or labels with the message of your choice printed on them. Several different borders are available, and you can also have a photo or a piece of artwork printed on the label if you wish (all photos and artwork will be returned to you). This is a great way to give your letters and packages a personalised touch. Each sheet contains 24 identical labels, and the price is 3€ for 1 sheet or 10€ for 4 sheets. An order form with examples will be sent home with your child next week. If you have any queries or would like to place your order via e-mail rather than the paper order form, please contact Diane Pedersen.

On a personal note I will not be in school for the latter part of next week as I will be having a small operation for the removal of a cataract on Tuesday. I expect to be back in school the following week.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers”. - Mahatma Gandhi

The first week after the holiday will be Gold Book Week, which is when the children will do some of their regular week in their special Gold Book that will stay with them as a long-term record of their progress through the school.

Please note that the clocks go back by one hour this week-end to indicate the end of official summer time. This should be done between Saturday night and Sunday morning, technically at 02.00.

Many of the children will be bringing their French books home this week to show some of the work that they have been doing recently. Could we ask that parents make sure that these are returned to school at the start of the next school week?

We will be having our first Parents Evening of the academic year on Monday 14th November between 16.00 and 18.30. This will be an opportunity to discuss the progress of individual children

Please note that next week (commencing Monday 31st October) is our half term break and the school will be closed until Monday November 7th. In the first week back after the break Friday, November 11th is a Public Holiday and accordingly the school will also be closed on that day. In the second week after the break please note that Friday, November 18th is our staff training day and therefore school will also be closed on that day.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut." - Albert Einstein

It is very pleasing to note that practically all of our children in Years 2 – 6 will be taking part in our school choir’s special recording of festive songs for a charity CD organised by the Lion's Club. This recording is to be this Sunday afternoon Oct 23rd at St John's School in Waterloo. Our children need to be there from 15.30 until 17.00 (recording 16.00 – 17.00) on Sunday and if necessary you can find the directions to St. Johns at http://www.stjohns.be/about/directions.htm .

EC-OC (Europe’s Children- Our Concern) are holding their 2005 conference entitled ‘Effects of Nutrition on Learning and Behaviour’ tomorrow Saturday 22nd October at 40 rue Washington, B-1050 Brussels. This year’s conference focuses on a topic that is very much in the news and is relevant to all parents and children – the link between diet, learning and behaviour. Registration and coffee is from 0915 - 09.45 and the conference ends at 16.30. The small charge includes a light lunch. The conference’s key speakers will be Dr. Madeleine Portwood, who is Senior Educational Psychologist for Durham County Council, and Marjan de Boer, who represents the working group on Behavioural Influence of Nutrition of the Food Allergy Association in the Netherlands. Registration is preferable but we understand that it is possible to register on the day.

On a very busy week-end for school related activities Christine Cook, as PTA Reception Class rep, is inviting all parents and children of the Reception class on Saturday 22nd October. She would be very pleased to see all of the children and parents of Lachlan’s class from 15.00 – 18.00. Please phone or e-mail her for directions.

Appointment times will be going out next week for the Parents Evening on Monday 14th November between 16.00 – 18.30. This will give an opportunity to speak to your child’s class teacher but if you would also like to make an appointment to speak with French or Music or English support teachers please send an e-mail into the school office.

We are always pleased to welcome parents into school and have this year already received several parent volunteers in the Nursery, in the library, with swimming, in the computer room and listening to children read. If you would like to come in and assist for an hour or two each week in any capacity then please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you.

Pumpkin Week will be starting on Monday, October 24th, when children will have the chance to sample some Pumpkin soup, and children are requested to bring in an unusual pumpkin for the whole school display table. Therefore you may wish to bring in a pumpkin that is big, small, oddly shaped or just plain funny. Also during pumpkin week we will have a dressing up day on Friday 28th October when children can come into school wearing a costume, instead of their school uniform. The theme for the dressing up will be ‘Harvesting’ so we are looking forward to seeing lots of farm workers, scarecrows, farm animals etc. Please take note that any costumes worn should not be too scary for the younger children in the school. Children should also bring in 1 or 2 € next Friday to enable them to buy some of the cakes provided by the PTA (50 c per piece).

Thank you to those families who have let us know that they wish to have a family photograph when the School Photographer visits the school next Wednesday October 26th. If you wish to have a family photograph, possibly including younger siblings who are not yet at school, please let us know so that we can incorporate this into the schedule.

Some forthcoming dates for your diary, courtesy of the PTA, are as follows

• Wednesday 26th October Ladies Night Out - Restaurant meal at 20.00
• Friday 28th October Coffee Morning at 09.15
• Friday 28th October Halloween Cake Sale at School
• Wednesday 9th November Next PTA Meeting
• Saturday 19th November PTA Quiz

A note with details of the first three of these was circulated today, via your child’s green folder.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me."- Dave Barry (1947 - )

We are always pleased to welcome parents into school and have this year already received several parent volunteers in the Nursery, in the library, with swimming, in the computer room and listening to children read. If you would like to come in and assist for an hour or two each week in any capacity then please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you.

EC-OC (Europe’s Children- Our Concern) are holding their 2005 conference entitled ‘EFFECTS OF NUTRITION ON LEARNING AND BEHAVIOUR’ on Saturday 22nd October at 40 rue Washington, B-1050 Brussels. This year’s conference focuses on a topic that is very much in the news and is relevant to all parents and children – the link between diet, learning and behaviour. Registration and coffee is from 0915 - 09.45 and the conference ends at 16.30. The small charge includes a light lunch. The conference’s key speakers will be Dr. Madeleine Portwood, who is Senior Educational Psychologist for Durham County Council, and Marjan de Boer, who represents the working group on Behavioural Influence of Nutrition of the Food Allergy Association in the Netherlands. Please contact the school office for more details.

As many of you may be aware our music teacher Mrs. Clarke has been working each week with the school choir consisting of our older children from Year 2 to Year 6 for several months now. Mrs. Clarke is very pleased with their progress and the choir has been invited, along with some other international schools in Brussels, to participate in a special recording of festive songs for a charity CD. This is organised by the Lion's Club and proceeds from the sale of the CD will go to several different charities. The date for this recording is to be the afternoon of Sunday, Oct 23rd at St John's School in Waterloo. Our children need to be there from 15.30 until 17.00 (recording 16.00 – 17.00) on Sunday and we would be grateful to know if there is anybody who might need a lift and also if anyone is going there with free seats and therefore able and willing to take other children. We have had one family let us know that their child will not be able to attend but if there is anybody else who will not be able to travel there, or whose children will not be participating in the recording, could they let us know immediately?

Pumpkin Week will be starting on Monday, October 24th and children will be invited to bring in an unusual pumpkin for the whole school display table. Therefore in the next week you may wish to keep your eye open for a pumpkin that is big, small, oddly shaped or just plain funny. Also during pumpkin week we will have a dressing up day on Friday 28th October when children can come into school wearing a costume, instead of their school uniform. The theme for the dressing up will be ‘Harvesting’ so we are looking forward to seeing lots of farm workers, scarecrows, farm animals etc. Please take note that any costumes worn should not be too scary for the younger children in the school.

Thank you to those families who have let us know that they wish to have a family photograph when the School Photographer visits the school on Wednesday October 26th. If you wish to have a family photograph, possibly including younger siblings who are not yet at school, please let us know so that we can incorporate this into the schedule.

If you have to read this newsletter via our web site because you are not receiving it correctly each week via e-mail, please let us know so that we can correct the error. Alternatively if you also wish to receive the newsletter via a second e-mail address then please send this in to us.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me”. - Benjamin Disraeli.

If you are one of the very few parents who have not yet returned your copy of the survey of leaving intentions, then, because we need to make our records as complete as possible, we may well be calling you at some time in the early part of next week. If you are able to hand in this form on Monday morning then this would be appreciated. Please feel free to request a new ‘leaving intentions’ form if you have mislaid the original copy.

As many of you may be aware our music teacher Mrs. Clarke has been working each week with the school choir consisting of our older children from Year 2 to Year 6 for several months now. Mrs. Clarke is very pleased with their progress and the choir has been invited, along with some other international schools in Brussels, to participate in a special recording of festive songs for a charity CD. This is organised by the Lion's Club and proceeds from the sale of the CD will go to several different charities. The date for this recording is to be the afternoon of Sunday, Oct 23rd at St John's School in Waterloo. The precise timing will be circulated next week but if there is anybody who will not be able to travel there or whose children will not be participating in the recording, could they let us know within the next few days?

Every family in the school should this week have received a copy of the Board Report to Parents. This report summarises many of the highlights and achievements of the academic year 2004/05 for all members of the BISB community. If for any reason you haven’t received your copy then please contact the school office.

Please note that after school, even though our Garderie facilities are used by children immediately, we do not start charging for the first hour of Garderie (15.30 – 16.30) until 15.45. This is a concession to parents to cover any problems that they may experience with traffic or public transport delays and compares favourably with other schools that start charging immediately from the end of school.

Pumpkin Week will be starting on Monday, October 24th and children will be invited to bring in an unusual pumpkin for the whole school display table. Therefore in the next couple of weeks you may wish to keep your eye open for a pumpkin that is big, small, oddly shaped or just plain funny. Also during pumpkin week we will have a dressing up day on Friday 28th October when children can come into school wearing a costume, instead of their school uniform. The theme for the dressing up will be ‘Harvesting’ so we are looking forward to seeing lots of farm workers, scarecrows, farm animals etc.

Those children in Nursery and Reception who attend the creative dance club on a Wednesday should wear jogging pants and t-shirts to school on that day, as this is suitable for the club. They do not need special ballet clothes.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Marielle Metzger for her time as chair of the PTA over the last few years. She decided to stand down at this week’s PTA AGM to allow other, newer parents to come forward and be more involved with the PTA. Claire Ridyard, the former deputy chair has now taken over as chair and I am sure that she will continue to enjoy fantastic support from the new committee and the rest of the parent body.

In addition to the PTA committee (Claire Ridyard, Helle Andersen, Liz Huggins and Diane Pedersen) each class in the school has a designated class representative from amongst the parents of that class. Most classes now have a representative from somebody volunteering at the meeting but we are still looking for a parent rep for the Nursery class and our Year 5 / 6 class. This usually involves co-ordinating a termly get together for the class (parents and children) and passing on PTA messages. If anyone is interested then please feel free to send in an e-mail if you would like to volunteer for one of these roles or let Claire Ridyard know.

Don’t forget that the School Photographer will be visiting the school in the last week before the half term break on Wednesday October 26th. If you wish to have a family photograph including younger siblings who are not yet at school please let us know so that we can incorporate this into the schedule.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people”. - Eleanor Roosevelt

The PTA Craft Morning last weekend was very successful and raised over 190 € towards the playground equipment that is the PTA’s current target. In addition the school library benefited because the Usborne lady, because of the book sales generated, provided 130 € worth of books.

We are currently investigating the removal of one or two of the trees in the playground that appear to be dead before they can become any potential risk to children. After this we will be in a better position for the detailed planning of the playground equipment required.

The recent survey of leaving intentions revealed that there would be very few children leaving from either of our current Year 2 or Year 3 groups in the summer of 2006. At this week’s Board meeting it was therefore decided to separate next year’s Year 3 and Year 4 classes into two distinct classes with effect from September 2006.

Further to last week’s announcement about Mrs. Morris expecting a baby, we are pleased to be able to announce that Mrs. Claire McGuffin and Mrs. Pandora McGowan are similarly expecting their babies in the spring of 2006. We would like to take this opportunity to offer the congratulations of everybody in the BISB community to both families.

The results from the June 2005 parental survey linked here once again show a huge degree of support and satisfaction from our present parent body.

The PTA AGM will be held in school on Wednesday, October 5th at 19.30, and this is where the new PTA committee will be created from any parents who wish to be involved. Marielle Metzger, the current chair of the PTA, has indicated that she will be standing down from that position at this meeting, to allow somebody else to take the helm, but that she still intends to be involved in PTA events and functions. So far it looks as though Diane Pedersen will be the only candidate standing for re-election as parent Governor so we will probably not need to have an election for a new parent Governor. Diane only took over from Shoya Yoshida in April 2005 and his three-year term, which she inherited, was scheduled to be ending this September. The scheduling of each Governor’s term is arranged so that a vacancy is automatically generated each year.

Thank you to the parents who have sent in a postcard or a photograph via their child as a small memento of where in the world they were for a holiday this summer. These have been added to the world map on view in the library so if you have something showing the area where your family went in the summer then please send it into school for display next to the world map.

Could we remind parents that placing a small bottle of drinking water in each child’s bag is a good idea as this will minimise any disruption to classroom activities if the children do not have to leave the room to get a drink of water.

One of our newly arrived families is considering buying a house in Brussels and would be grateful for any advice on the technicalities involved from anybody who has been through the process already. Please send an e-mail into the school office if you feel that you could advise about your house buying experiences or could put them in touch with someone else who has bought a house recently.

The School Photographer will be visiting the school in the last week before the half term break on Wednesday October 26th. If you wish to have a family photograph including younger siblings who are not yet at school please let us know so that we can incorporate this into the schedule.

And finally this week’s topical thought for the week is

“Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped." - Sam Levenson

Don’t forget that tomorrow the PTA are hosting their PTA Craft Morning on (Saturday morning, 10.00 – 12.30). This provides an excellent opportunity for parents to get to know each other whilst their children are having fun. Crafts on offer this year include; rocket launchers, photo frames, bookmarks, aeroplanes, diaries, suncatchers and more! As well as all these activities, we will also be running our very successful café again. This year the Usborne book representatie will also be there providing you with a chance to buy English books should you wish to, and as usual the school receives a percentage of the value of books bought as free books for the school. The PTA looks forward to seeing lots of you there tomorrow.

Please note that the Parents Evening this term will be on Monday, 14th November which is after the half term break. This will give parents the chance to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher.

Our survey of when families might be leaving Brussels indicates that there will be a few school places arising over the next 12 months but still probably less than one might expect compared to an average year. Consequently we can deduce that the high pressure on places throughout the school is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

In this eventful week we would all like to congratulate Mrs. Morris and her husband on the happy news that they are expecting a baby in the spring of 2006. We would also like to welcome Mrs. Smith who will be taking over from Mrs. Morris during her maternity leave.

Could we remind all parents that if they do wish to come into school between 08.30 and 09.00 then they are very welcome to do so but they must park in Place Plasky and not within Avenue Emile Max. If you do take a parking place in the immediate vicinity of the school then this is very unhelpful for other parents who seek to pull in for a few moments to allow their children to disembark. Many thanks for your consideration.

The PTA AGM will be held in school on Wednesday, October 5th and this is where the new PTA committee will be created from any parents who wish to be involved. It is also the meeting when the possibility exists for a new parent Governor to be elected, but this year is slightly different from previous years. Firstly Diane Pedersen is seeking to continue as a parent Governor having only been first elected in April 2005. The reason for this is that the scheduling of each Governor’s three-year term is such that a vacancy is automatically generated each year. Diane took over from Shoya Yoshida in April and his term was scheduled to be ending this September anyway. If you are thinking of standing and you and would like to support the school in this way please let us know by having a nomination paper returned next week. Nomination papers are being circulated next week for return by Friday, 30th September. Please let us know if you haven’t received a nomination paper by Monday. Parent Governors provide support and advice to the management of the school for the benefit of all and a more detailed outline of the role is accompanying the nomination paper.

Please note that the school doors are open from 08.30 each morning as this is the time when a member of staff is on duty to supervise the children in the playground. Any child admitted before 08.30 is admitted by individual arrangement only, because otherwise there is no guarantee that a member of staff will be available for their supervision.

Several class teachers have asked the children to bring in a small memento of where in the world they were for a holiday this summer. These have been added to the world map on view in the library so if you have a postcard or a photograph showing the area where your family went in the summer then please send it into school for display next to the world map.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is

“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” - A. A. Milne

On Monday, 19th September, Melanie Hussell is very kindly hosting the next PTA Coffee morning at her house, just off Square Ambiorix. This will start immediately after the morning school drop-off (approximately 09.15). Anyone requiring directions or a lift can meet in the school foyer at 09.00. This is an excellent opportunity to meet lots of other parents both new and old.

Thank you to the vast majority of parents who have already taken the trouble to complete the form asking for information about the likelihood of families leaving Brussels within the next two years. If you haven’t yet had a chance to complete the form then please try to do so within the next few days. If you have mislaid the form or have not yet received one then please ask for a copy of the form from the school office. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Don’t forget that Sunday 18th September will be No-Car-Day in Brussels. This is an initiative that the school is very happy to promote as we are constantly encouraging the use of environmentally friendly transport methods (bicycles, public transport, walking etc.) for people to travel to and from school. Well over half of our children now travel to and from school by public transport, walking, bicycle or school minibus.

With so many new children starting school this September we have many items of school clothing which do not yet have the name of their owner written in. Could we urge that this be attended to as soon as possible so that if something does go missing then it can be returned immediately?

We had an excellent turnout for the Curriculum Briefing last Tuesday and I trust that everybody who attended found the evening informative. If you were not able to attend then you should have received a copy of the information handout later in the week so please contact the school office if this is not the case.

After the great success of last year’s Easter Activity Morning, the PTA have decided to kick off the year’s social calendar with a Craft Morning on Saturday 24th September (10.00 – 12.30). This provides an excellent opportunity for parents to get to know each other whilst their children are having fun. Crafts on offer this year include; rocket launchers, photo frames, bookmarks, aeroplanes, diaries, suncatchers and more! As well as all these activities, we will also be running our very successful cafe again. This year the Usborne book rep will also be there providing you with a chance to buy English books should you wish to, and as usual the school receives a percentage of the value of books bought as free books for the school. The PTA looks forward to seeing lots of you there on the day.

And finally this week’s thought for the week is
“At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.” - W. Somerset Maugham

A very warm welcome to everybody at the start of what promises to be the most successful year ever for BISB.

Could we remind parents of one or two small points concerning protocol within school?

This year we have introduced a system of separate playtimes in the playground for different classes. Our Nursery and Reception classes will always be together and share the playground with one other class, which will be a different class on each day of the week.

Earlier this week we circulated the list of extra curricular activities for this term both via e-mail and on paper. The earlier e-mail version contained one or two unfortunate typing mistakes but the paper version is the updated one. In addition to those clubs already released we are also pleased to offer two creative dance clubs, one on Wednesday at 12.45 for Nursery and Reception children and one on Friday at 15.30 for Year 1 and Year 2 children. We are pleased to note that some parents have already completed the paper version and returned it to school but if your child wishes to be involved in one of the creative dance activities then please reply by e-mail or by handwriting the information on the paper version. We would ask that you return this as soon as possible as there is always the possibility that some clubs will be oversubscribed and we may have to restrict places on some activities. Please don’t forget to include the appropriate charge when you return the form.

With so many new children starting school this September we have many items of school clothing which do not yet have the name of their owner written in. Could we urge that this be attended to as soon as possible so that if something does go missing then it can be returned immediately.

We have today sent out (on yellow paper via your child’s folder) a form asking for information about the likelihood of families leaving Brussels within the next two years. We are seeking this information because several of our classes are full and new parents enquiring about places are keen to have some idea of when a school place at BISB might be possible for their child. We would ask that you return this form to school within the next week or so either directly to the school office or into the box provided just inside the school entrance. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

We expect that all parents who drive to school will always park legally and safely. Please note that if you as a parent are dropping your child off at the school but also want to pop into the school, even if only for a few moments, we strongly recommend that you use one of the many parking places on Place Plasky. It is then just a short stroll to get to school and there is no charge for this parking before 09.00. Parents should not park inconsiderately on the pavement at an angle to the kerb and should also not double park outside the school.

Don’t forget that Sunday 18th September will be No-Car-Day in Brussels, see www.dimanchesansvoiture.irisnet.be which is a link that will provide more information. This is an initiative that the school is very happy to promote as we are constantly encouraging the use of environmentally friendly transport methods (bicycles, public transport etc.) for people to travel to and from school. Well over half of our children now travel to and from school by public transport, walking, bicycle or school minibus. As well as this there are several individual occurrences of car sharing and this all goes to help both the smooth flow of Brussels traffic as well as the environment.

Next week we will be circulating a timetable for each class, together with the projection for homework for this year.

Next week on Tuesday 13 September at 19.00 there will be a Curriculum Briefing and chance to meet your child's class teacher if you haven't already had a chance to do so. We look forward to seeing you all there then.

If you have an old shirt or T-shirt that fits your child then could we ask that you send this into school? This would be a good idea to use as an apron during art lessons. Many thanks in advance for your co-operation with this request.

Thank you for those parents who have taken the opportunity this week to return one or two outstanding library books that turned up at home during the summer.

Don’t forget that as from this academic year there is Wednesday afternoon school for all classes from Year 1 upwards. Our Nursery and Reception classes will continue to finish at 12.30 each Wednesday.

We would like to request that children bring into school a plastic drinking cup or similar. If possible this should be indelibly marked with their name so that it can be kept in their tray and used for having a drink from the drinking fountain. It is also a good idea for each child to bring a small bottle of water into school during the warmer weather to avoid too much disruption to class work by going to the water fountain.

After the great success of last year’s Easter Activity Morning, the PTA have decided to kick off the year’s social calendar with a Craft Morning on Saturday 24th September. This provides an excellent opportunity for parents to get to know each other whilst their children are having fun. Crafts on offer this year include; rocket launchers, photo frames, bookmarks, aeroplanes, diaries, suncatchers and more! As well as all these activities, we will also be running our very successful cafe again. This year the Usborne book rep will also be there providing you with a chance to buy English books should you wish to, and as usual the school receives a percentage of the value of books bought as free books for the school. The PTA looks forward to seeing lots of you there on the day.

And finally the final thought for the week this year is

“Education is the best provision for the journey to old age”. - Aristotle

25.08.05  

Dear All,

I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable summer and that you are looking forward to the start of another exciting year for the BISB community.

We are looking forward to seeing everybody again for the start of term on Monday 5th September at 09.00 and as usual we have one or two other events scheduled to get the academic year started in style.

On Friday 2nd September at 17.30 we are having an Information Meeting at school for parents of children in the Nursery both new and current parents.

This will be followed immediately at 18.30 by a Social Reception for all parents and staff, an event which is not intended for children.

Instead on Saturday 3rd September between 10.00 and 12.00 there will be a Coffee Morning for all parents and children so that children can have an opportunity to meet friends both old and new before the term itself starts on Monday 5 September at 09.00.

In the second week of term on Tuesday 13 September at 19.00 there will be a Curriculum briefing and chance to meet your child's class teacher if you haven't already had a chance to do so.

Items of school uniform are now available in school and you can call into school at any time before the start of term. School sweatshirts are available for 20 €, green checked summer dresses are available for 25 € with school cardigans available at 25 € and we now have the new school bags including the school logo which are on sale in school for 16 €. As well as this we have white polo shirts available at 6 € and a selection of grey trousers and skirts.

Our school minibus service is becoming more extensive this year with the addition of our third route covering even more of the city. The rates for this year are the same as last year at 2500 € for both a morning and afternoon service and 1600 € for either morning or afternoon service. Please let us know if you wish to apply for a place on one of the buses as we are looking to finalise the routes as soon as possible.

The date for the PTA AGM will be around the end of September but has yet to be confirmed but we look forward to seeing you soon on one of these occasions mentioned above.