QuIET MEETING
Quaker International Educational Trust (QuIET), the trustees of BHS, held a meeting at the school on 23 January. QuIET is a UK registered charity whose directors are responsible for the safe keeping of the school. The trustees expressed their gratitude to Dr. and Mrs. El Khoury and the Board for the school’s welcome and hospitality. Staff members, students, the Parents’ Association, and old scholars joined in helping trustees to learn about developments at BHS.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Three BHS teachers participated in workshops at the International College on 16 January: Farha Al Bitar and Laure Boustany attended “Means to Serve the Language” (in Arabic) and Waad Saad attended “Teaching Methodology & Management of Educational Technology”.

The Head of Infant Section and Nursery Nada Bu Jawdeh attended the Reggio Emilia Workshop in Dubai on 24-26 January.

On 30 January, the Head of Science Department Assaad El Helou attended a workshop organized by CIE in Amman, Jordan on student-centred education in science. The seminar was conducted by a leading science educator from the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, and focused on activities that challenge students, enrich students’ experience of science, and can be integrated into the school curriculum.

Many BHS teachers participated in various workshops at the International College on 30 January. Emilie Abou Abdallah attended “Creating a Culture of Thinking (latest research in teaching and learning)”; Karla Baaklini, Garabet Kourjian, Zeina Ghosn, Khaled El Hilli, Rima Alawar, Micheline Sawaya, and Cynthia Jalikian, attended “Engaging Troubled Teenagers in the Classroom (strategies to recognize, manage, and engage students in distress)”; Liliane Alam went to “Creating a Simple Grade Book with Excel”; and Micheline El Ghossein participated in “Thinking Skills are Basic” (in Arabic).

IT Technician Youssef Abi-Haidar has passed his third CISCO exam of the ISCW course “Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks” with a score of 924/1000.

EMERGENCY SMS MESSAGES
On Monday, 25 January we sent SMS text messages to families regarding early suspension of classes and Nursery. These were sent to one person in each family - the person (mother or father or guardian) specified by parents in the most recent Family Data Update returned. If you didn’t receive a message, or wish the message to be sent to another cellular, please inform the Registrar, Betty Ajhar (ext. 249).

HOLIDAY
On the occasion of Mar Maroun the school and Nursery will be closed on Tuesday, 9 February 2010.

REGISTRATION
We are now accepting applications for the academic year 2010-2011. As we have limited available spaces, first priority will be given to siblings of students already attending BHS. Second priority will then be to children of BHS old scholars. Thereafter priority will be given to early applicants. If you are considering applying to BHS, we encourage you to do so no later than the end of February 2010. Late applications will be reviewed and acceptance will depend on availability of places.

SCHOOL FEES
Parents who have not yet paid the second instalment of tuition and bus fees, which was due on 5 January, should do so immediately. If you have any difficulties, please contact the Bursar.

UPPER SCHOOL NEWS
Secondary Section
Assemblies: The International Programme curriculum aims to raise a global citizen through the rich courses that are offered mainly: Peace Studies, Human Rights, and Modern World History. During QuIET’s annual visit to the school, Vice Chair Helen Griffith addressed Secondary students during assembly on the importance of studying peace as a subject matter. She said: “We hear, teach, and read about wars and their consequences. Peace is rarely taught as a value and a way of life”. She urged BHS students to be advocates of peace and human rights. Principal Dr. El Khoury asked students to think of global disasters as a means of change. He reminded them of the individual’s role in making a difference. The assembly was also a memorial for the Haiti earthquake victims. The students’ minute of silence was to honour the souls of all those who passed away in Haiti and all over the world. Then HoS Ghada Yared read a short poem written by William Penn on the meaning of death.

On 1 February, Waznat, a career guidance institution represented by Dr. Ghassan Costantine, launched the Career and College Guidance Programme during assembly. Students will be helped to choose the right career, major, and university. And since the process requires the direct involvement of parents, Dr. Costantine will arrange for meetings with parents and one-to-one meetings with students.

Clubs: On 19 January, the School Band prepared a short PowerPoint presentation on the Haiti disaster. The band directors Micheal Maroun and Elie Tawil (Sec. 1 LP) and Hersho Barazi (Grade 11) announced their first concert which is to take place on 19 February at 7:30 - 9:30pm in Dobbing Hall. Tickets will be sold for 10,000LL and the money will be donated to the people of Haiti through the Red Cross. The Learning to Serve Club will also be selling cotton candies, and the raised money will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Centre. The International Community Club will prepare a short presentation on the Haiti disaster. The Prom Committee took advantage of the cold weather and held a Hot Chocolate sale on 28 January. The Environmental Club is coordinating with one of the NGOs for a Tree Planting Day.

Secondary I students received applications for the United World Colleges which offers scholarships to students interested in having an International Baccalaureate. Students should submit their applications to the HoS by 19 February.

Note to Parents: Secondary students are expected to come to school in formal dress every Tuesday because it is the day they meet with their advisors and the HoS in the Meeting House as a community of learners and believers.

Please keep your child at home when he/she is sick even if there is a test on that day. Sick students should not come to school just to take a test. Teachers can arrange for a make-up test at a later date.

Secondary students do not have school on Friday, 5 February as it is a reading day. We hope that they will benefit from that day and study extra hard. Teachers will be at school for any question or inquiry.

Intermediate Section
Assemblies: On 15 January, Grade 9 students read quotes on the importance of avoiding negative influences from people around us. Students were then shown a short animated film on “Conflict Resolution” which was followed by a brief discussion with the students about the main points of the film.

On 21 January, Scouts representatives Hammad Sioufi (Beirut District Commissioner for Scouts) and Tony Hajj (Brummana One Scouts Group Leader) showed a film and gave a talk about the importance of scout life and the values and beliefs they live by. Following this presentation, students were shown an international student film which aimed to raise awareness about the need to help the people who suffered from the devastating earthquakes in Haiti.

On 28 January, the assembly began with a minute of silence in memory of the victims who lost their lives in the airplane that went down near the Lebanese coast. This was followed by a presentation by a representative from St. Jude’s Hospital for Children with Cancer.  The hospital’s situation was described in hope that we will be able to collect donations as we do every year.

Advisory Sessions: Internal Messages and External messages can be a source of negative influences. The aim of two advisory sessions was to help students recognize the negative messages and overcome them with positive questions and behaviour. 

Anger and stress: one advisory session was geared at helping students react positively in situations of stress and anger.

Preparing for the Mid-Year examinations: during the 2 weeks preceding the Mid-year examinations, advisers will be working with students to prepare their study schedules which will help them pace their time and avoid confusion and anxiety during the study period.

Points for Parents: Many students check out books from the Library but forget to return them and thus the overdue fine increases with each week. Please check if your children have overdue Library books to be returned or fines that need to be paid.

Advisers regularly check student homework agendas. We kindly ask you to help by also checking the agendas at home and giving the necessary guidance when the agenda is messy or lacking in written assignments, bearing in mind that English and maths are assigned daily, while other subjects at least twice a week.

PE Department
Congratulations to the BHS Senior Boys Football Team who won an away game 8:4 against Lycee Charlemagne on 15 January.

Bravo to the BHS Boys ’96-’97 Football Team who won an away game 8:4 against the Lebanese Evangelical School, Baabda, on 22 January.

The BHS Boys ’94-’95 Basketball Team won an away game 45:34 against the American Community School on 1 February. Against that same school and on the same date, the BHS Boys ’96-’97 Team also won 37:28. Well done!

LOWER SCHOOL NEWS
Grade 1 students became scientists and role played the different phases of the life cycle of frogs. They even worked on a project to show the development of a frog from an egg, to a tadpole, and finally to an adult frog.

Integrating science with art, Grade 2 students worked on a mural and water habitats. In maths, they loved folding nets to make solid figures.

To widen the general knowledge of our students in the Elementary Section, assemblies in quarters 3 & 4 will be focusing on significant People and Places.

Grade 3B with teacher Marlene Rawady shared an interesting PowerPoint presentation about Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. This presentation was showed to the whole department during assembly time. Students later answered questions about the presentation. Also, every third grader wrote his/her own creative multiplication story in class, and then they solved each other's problems.

Magazine and newspapers articles served as great resources for Grade 4 students who had fun looking up common and proper nouns which they cut and pasted or copied on a chart.

Grade 5 students delved into their dictionaries to see which of the 5 groups would be able to look up the most words that they had found challenging in the selection they were reading. The winning group had 28 correctly defined words within one period. Hurray! The same grade level started presenting interesting book reports with summaries, questions, related artefacts, and challenging words.

Grade 6A, with teacher Rola Issa, had the privilege of presenting a PowerPoint presentation during assembly time on Rosa Parks, the woman who pioneered the civil rights movement for black people and stopped the segregation laws in America. The students are currently researching general information facts in geography in preparation for the upcoming social studies contest in March.

Teacher Youssra Abi-Haidar met twice with all the UE class representatives. They discussed student matters, requests and aspirations. Students wanted to launch a "Talent Show" in the department which their parents would attend for a modest $1 ticket. The money raised would go to support a relief programme that the school would be involved in.

Counsellor Rula El Khoury prepared activities for all grade level advisors to work on conflict resolution management with their classes. The first activity will be: Learning to Listen.

Elementary teachers had a fun but useful workshop with Supervisor/Drama teacher William El Roumouz on how to manage PowerPoint presentations.

Students of the week:
Grade 1A: Rudy El-Khoury and Giorgio Kfoury
Grade 1B: Tarek Khanafer and Sami Rachid
Grade 2A: Rayan Asmar and Gabriella Sadek
Grade 2B: Wadih Bardawil and Anthony Edward Salem
Grade 3A: Karen Aziz and Anthony Boukhalil
Grade 3B: Raji Samaha and Ghalia Al Kadri
Grade 4A: Merhej Abou Samra and Mark Ibrikji
Grade 4B: Yana Lazkani and Kristin Azar
Grade 5A: Anthony Tabet and Laura Lee Karam
Grade 5B: Catherine Al Aswad and David Al Kassis
Grade 5C: Karim Abou Jamra and Karim Zeinoun
Grade 6A: Deema Al Huqail and Carl Hemmingsen
Grade 6B: Romy El Hajj and Kevin Eid
Grade 6C: Micheal Ibrikji and Sami Karim Salame Lama

Best Agenda:
Grade 1A: Tatiana Rousse and Edward Prescott-Decie
Grade 1B: Natalie Ashkar and Kareem Joseph Bouakl
Grade 2A: Rand Haidar and Christina Atallah
Grade 2B: Tia Najjar and Gina Alexandra Chamaa
Grade 3A: George El-Helou and Karen Aziz
Grade 3B: Jack Abu Jaoude and Joseph Shalala
Grade 4A: Dana Yared and Nour Dika
Grade 4B: Jouana Maria Atallah and Nour Abi Fadel
Grade 5A: Maya Abdulnour and Zoe Yasmina Koenye
Grade 5B: Amir Moujaes and Yara Kehdy
Grade 5C: Marina El-Moufti and Jana Zeinoun
Grade 6A: Anna Carina Batrouni and Sherif Saad
Grade 6B: Liana Khabbaz and Tiana Sabbagh-Hawasli
Grade 6C: Nawal Al Katoul Al Rahbani and Lea Corbani

Infant Section
Throughout January, most activities in the Infant Section focused on the most visual aspect of winter, which is snow. They used simple ways of creating winter scenes using construction paper, glue, glitter, cotton, and salt.

Playgroup students have been working hard on the winter season theme. They made igloos, penguins, snowmen and snowflakes.

KG I students enjoyed making their woolly hats and snowmen to feel the winter season.

During their science session KG II students investigated food, water, and air needed by living things to grow. Non living things do not have these needs; they stay the same whether or not they have water or air. So the children planted a seed in one cup and in the other a small pebble to water every day. The observation is still ongoing.

The value for the month of January is honesty. Teaching children honesty is a real challenge given the examples of dishonesty that they encounter every day in the world around them. Your example and your constant feedback about your child’s behaviour can be a powerful influence on your child. Infant Section students enjoyed a puppet show, performed by teachers Laure Boustany and Maya Harfouche, that revolved around honesty.

KG II students listened to the fable,"Stone Soup”. Afterwards they prepared and enjoyed a delicious vegetable soup with their teachers.

The Infant Section celebrated "Fruity Friday" on 29 January. The children and teachers squeezed the oranges to get the juice which is rich in Vitamin C. 

Please note that teaching in the Infant Section commences at 7:45am every day. It is vital that children are in their classes on time and ready to start work for the day. Please be aware of the disruption to classes by latecomers.

BOARDING NEWS
The BHS boarders spent a day exploring the Cedars Forest in Arz on Saturday, 16 January. They also enjoyed a day of snow fun and skiing at the Faraya slopes on Saturday, 30 January.

THANK YOU TO…
- QuIET member Jocelyn Campbell who donated books to the Infant Section and Lower Elementary Library.
- Students Lucas and Eli Schachter who donated toys to the Nursery.
- DoS Samar Barakat, Upper School Librarian Amal Abou Khalil, and students Anthony-Kamil Al Ashkar and Diane Boukhalil for donating books to the Upper Elementary Library.
- Students Alexander and Andrea-Maria Saad, and Lana Maria Chammas who donated books to both Elementary Libraries.
- Old Scholar Talar Kaloustian for donating books to the Thomas Little Memorial Library.

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