AL ADHA HOLIDAY
On the occasion of Eid Al Adha there are no classes on Thursday and Friday, 26-27 November 2009.

BHS ANNUAL WALKATHON
The annual BHS Walkathon will be held on Saturday, 14 November. Registration begins at 8:30am, and the walk at 9:00am. Come and enjoy the morning!

FAMILY DATA UPDATE FORM
If you have received a Family Data Update Form, please ensure that you check it, sign it, and return it to the school as soon as possible. Please note that we are now addressing correspondence (such as SMS messages, emails, and letters) to one person only - the person (mother or father or guardian) you have nominated on the Family Update Form. Thank you for your co-operation.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Head of Intermediate Rima M. Habib and Head of Infant Section & Nursery Nada Bu Jawdeh attended the Tony Blair Faith Foundation workshop entitled “Face to Faith” at the Metropolitan Hotel on 20 October. The objective of this workshop was to introduce teachers and educational leaders in Lebanon to a programme which, if implemented within schools around the world, would bring young people of different cultures and faiths together to discuss global issues via video conferencing. It was a very exciting workshop and hopefully our grade 9 students will be the pioneers in launching this valuable educational programme.

Lower School Counsellor Rula El Khoury attended a workshop called ‘Restorative Retelling after Violent Dying’ with Dr. Edward Rynearson and Dr. Allison Salloum at Ramada Hotel Conference Centre, in Beirut on 31 October.

ANNUAL TA DINNER
The Teachers' Association is organizing its annual dinner party to get together, welcome new staff, and honour colleagues that have left the school. This event will be held at ZONE Restaurant in Dekwaneh on Friday, 13 November 2009.

UPPER SCHOOL NEWS
Back to School Night
Parents of students in Grades 7, 8, 9, 10 IP and Secondary I IP and LP were invited to the Back to School Night which was held on 21 October. Principal Dr. El Khoury, welcomed all parents in the Meeting House, followed by a word of welcome from Director of Studies Samar Barakat who gave a PowerPoint presentation to parents on how to use the school’s website to access fact sheets and weekly assignments for the subjects their children are taking. Parents then followed their mini-schedules and attended 7-8 classes with their children’s subject teachers in which the syllabus, teaching method, and assessment policy for each course were introduced.

University Orientations
Grades 11 and 12 students in both LP and IP programmes attended the AUB orientation session on 30 October. Other sessions are planned as listed below. Parents are urged to attend.

Dates to Remember
Registration deadlines for SAT:
- Friday, 20 November 2009 - Application deadline for January 2010
- Monday, 1 March 2010 - Application deadline for May 2010
- Monday, 5 April 2010 - Application deadline for June 2010

Secondary Section
On 20 October, as part of the launching of the Community Service Programme for this academic year, Al Amal Institution addressed Secondary students on the services the institution offers to the community.  On 27 October, SOS - Bhersaf displayed a short movie about its duty and mission in society. Both institutions invited our students to visit the centres and provide help and services. Dr. El Khoury reminded students of the school’s motto “I Serve” and emphasized that what unites people in this Global Village is empathy towards humanity.

Community Service centre visits began on Wednesday, 4 November after school. The following centres are served: SOS - Bhersaf, Al Amal Institute - Brummana, Mar Mansour - Brummana, and Dar Al Rahme - Roumieh. Secondary students will be chaperoned by a BHS teacher during their visits. Parents are kindly asked to pick up their child from the school Upper Gate by 5:00pm.

Students interested in overseas universities are working hard to meet deadlines. A representative from Glion University in Switzerland visited the school and introduced the Hotel Management programme. “How to Apply to Universities in England?” is a presentation that was conducted on 4 November in the Library.

The Halloween Party which was held on 30 October was a lot of fun for all students. Special thanks go to Walid Junior Toutounji (Grade 11 IP) and Andro Gedeon (Sec. II IP) for being the party DJs. The Best Costume award went to Francois Jabbour (Grade 10 IP) who was dressed as the secondary supervisor Fadi Badr.

The Prefects for the 2009-2010 academic year are: Ziad Al Khoury, Michael Bu Fadel, Majd El Ashkar, Georges Neaimeh, George Abou Khalil, Christina Nakhle, Catherine Ramia, Andrew Barakat, Eddy Labaki, Isabelle Rita Atallah, Tamima Ballouz, Olivia Joyce Jabra, Deena Darwan, and Joe Al Adem. They will be meeting with the Principal every two weeks.

The annual Careers Fair will take place on 11, 12, and 13 November. Prominent figures from each career field have been invited.

Intermediate Section
The Intermediate Advisers for this academic year are as follows: Grade 7: Karine Chebly, Aline Alam, and Joan Zakhour. Grade 8: Wedian Nasr, Diala Habib, and Zeina Ghosn. Grade 9: Lara El Feghali, Mayssaa Haidar, Gisele Tannous, and Khaled Al Hilli. The advisers have met with most of their students in one-on-one appointments and will continue doing so throughout the year. This time is used for adviser and student to get to know one another and a time when concerns are expressed on both sides. Parents are urged to maintain regular contact with their child’s adviser.

On 23 October the Mid-Quarter Progress Reports went out to all the grade 7 students, new students and students on academic or conduct probation. With the report, a letter was sent to parents to be signed and returned to the Intermediate Supervisor.  The Intermediate advisers have read through the report comments and are following up where necessary.

A list of the Intermediate Teachers’ Office Hours has been sent to all the parents. The weekly hours listed are times when parents have the option of calling the school to make an appointment to meet one-on-one with teachers to discuss any concerns or queries they may have.

In an effort to keep parents up-to-date with their child’s academic progress, a minimum of one Head of Section Stamped Test per subject per quarter will be sent for the parents to sign and return.

A joint Upper School Halloween party was held in Dobbing Hall on 30 October. The 114 Intermediate students who attended this party from 7 to 9pm were followed by the Secondary Section from 9 to 11pm. Grade 9 had the special privilege of attending the Secondary Section party if they wished. A special prize awarded for the best costume was won by Hala El Khoury grade 9. Special thanks go to Crepaway Restaurant for their generous donation of two dinner vouchers to the winner.

We are pleased to announce that Michael Patrick Azar, a grade 8 BHS student, participated in the Middle East Karting Championship held in Egypt in July of this year. Michael, who represented Lebanon in this event, came in 3rd place and has qualified to participate in the 2010 championship. Congratulations, Michael, and good luck next year.

LOWER SCHOOL NEWS

To highlight the importance of dental hygiene, Dr. Elsie Zalzal explained to LE students how to care for their teeth through proper cleaning and healthy eating. She also taught them how to handle emergency situations until they get to their dentist’s clinic. Thank you, Dr. Zalzal.

Certified dietician Sally Sawaya Riachi gave a detailed presentation to Elementary students about healthy eating habits at school and at home. She not only engaged the children in a Q/A discussion, but also involved them in taking the responsibility of making their own fun healthy sandwiches by following the easy guide chart she had prepared for them. Thank you, Mrs. Riachi!

Joining the scouts can play a part in overall welfare, development, well-rounded growth, and responsible citizenship.The scouts Chiefs, Tony Hajj, Roy Younis, and Fadi Abou Jaoudeh, were happy to explain the scouting activities of Brummana One Scouts.

They gave interesting snapshots of many adventures and dreams which came true for scouts last year. Papers were passed to all the students to write down a dream that they’d like to realise. All students were invited to join the scouts by attending the first meeting on Saturday, 31 October and filling out a form. Thank you, Chiefs.

As part of the safety procedures at BHS, the first fire drill of the year took place successfully on 29 October in the Lower Elementary. The UE drill was postponed due to rainy weather.

Grade 1 students are learning problem solving strategies. Each student wrote a own story problem and asked a friend to solve it. They also enjoyed learning about the seasons and the different changes that take place.

A word of thanks goes to Gem Haswany in Grade 1B for stocking the LE aquarium with lovely fish. That’s a thoughtful and beautiful contribution, Gem, thanks.

The Elementary Section has two students of the week per class so far. Starting with Grade 1A: Daniella Georgette Razzouk and Patrick Naufal; Grade 1B: Gabriel Khabbaz and Natalie Al Ashkar; Grade 2A: Juan Pablo Ghantous Herrera and Christina Atallah; Grade 2B: Tina Maria Kasparian and Rami Mezher; Grade 3A: Michel Sadek and Karen Atallah; Grade 3B: Celia Prescott-Decie and Tarek Yared; Grade 4A: Hady George and Jason Soufan; Grade 4B: Nour Abi Fadel and Tatiana Akl; Grade 5A: Yasmina Sara Hage and Vera Nouaime; Grade 5B: Sara Luna Akl and Amy Daoud; Grade 5C: Andy Hanna and Elie Salem. Grade 6A: Joseph El-Helou and Luigi Sciolla; Grade 6B: Tiana Sabbagh-Hawasli and Liana Khabbaz; and Grade 6C: Nawal Al Katoul Al Rahbani and Enzo El Adm.

Finally, sports teacher Jessie Sawaya has initiated football matches between school houses and the first set of results is for grade 6 boys: Rizkallah vs. Waldmeier 3-0; Little vs. Waldmeier 4-1; and Rizkallah vs. Little 2-0. Congratulations to the winners. 

Infant Section

With the beginning of a new month the Infant Section started a new value: "responsibility". Little ones are being given responsibilities in which they can succeed. After reading "The Gingerbread Man" KGII students and teachers prepared gingerbread dough and rolled, cut, and baked the cookies.

Every student in KGII will be given the opportunity to be “Star Student of the Week.”  The star student will be bringing home a paper to have his/her picture pasted on, and to write few things about him/her.

In Language Arts, KGII students have been working on letter sounds and blending sounds together to make new words. Students are becoming familiar with new sight words.

KGII students have made a number of entries in their journal writing with "I see" statements. At the end of each quarter you will receive your child's work. As the year progresses look back at your child’s first entry and compare it with their most recent entry. In maths, students have been focusing on patterning with objects. They have also been creating graphs and practicing counting sets.

KGI students are learning different concepts through hands on activities and projects. In language arts they enjoyed being little authors by doing their own "Nn" book. They also learned what a family tree is by stating who their family members are.

All classes have started to settle into the daily routine. As a class they have discussed the criteria for entering the school and for cleaning up after snacks and lunch.

Library books will start to travel to everyone’s house. When one arrives at your house, please read it with your child and then return it to the classroom so it can travel to a new home.

SHOW AND TELL: Please check the sheet for your child’s Show and Tell Day. Show and Tell is a great opportunity for children to share familiar objects from home with their classmates. It also introduces them to talking to an audience and expressing their ideas clearly. This activity is easier for the child if the topic has been discussed with their parents beforehand.

Reminders: Please label your child’s coats/jackets/long-sleeved shirts with his/her name. It greatly helps us match students up with their belongings at the end of the day.

FROM THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
The yearly medical checkups for UE students commenced in the last week of October. In the following months other Lower School students will be seen by the school doctor.

The preventative measures for H1N1 remain in place at school, with no reported cases. Many thanks go to all parents, staff, and students for cooperating in this matter and ensuring a healthy environment for our school.

THANK YOU TO…
- DoS Samar Barakat, former HoS Gillian Turner, teacher Kathleen Saleh, former teacher Jack Brown, old scholars Hanna and Nahida Aswad, friends Sami Cortas, Laurice C. Sawaya, and Jackie Khattar, and students Hikmat Corbani, Lea Salem, and Tiffany Moujaes who donated various items to the Upper School Library.
- Parent Nahida Aswad and students William and Chloe Atallah for donating books to the UE Library.
- An anonymous donor who gave various video tapes to the LE Library.
- Students Ray Baaklini, Henry Chedid, and Lucas Daniel Schachter who donated various toys to the Infant Section.
- Students Rayan Nasr, Lucas Daniel Schachter, and Patrick Aswad for donating DVDs, a high chair, and a rocking pony respectively to the Nursery.

The Newsletter will be published approximately every 3 weeks. If you would like to receive a free copy of the Newsletter by email, please send an email with “subscribe” in the subject line to: najat.wakim@bhs.edu.lb.

BHS Newsletter
4 June 2010
13 May 2010
23 April 2010
18 March 2010
25 February 2010
4 February 2010
14 January 2010
3 December 2009
5 November 2009
16 October 2009
12 June 2009