BHS MAY FESTIVAL 2010
The May Festival is taking place on Saturday, 22 May 2010 starting at 10:00am. It promises to be a wonderful day out for family and friends, with a variety of entertainment for all ages. We have a great programme including music, dancing, talent shows, bicycle show, hip hop and dance show, face painting, balloon sculpting, henna tattoos, inflatable games, kermess games, and trampoline.

Students have voted to select the candidates for the May Queen. Good luck to: Karen Gholam, Vanessa Kanaan, Christina Nakhle, Simona Sarkissian and Holly Wallace.

There are many terrific prizes to be won in this year’s Tombola. If you haven’t yet bought your tickets, they are available at the Bookshop and will be available on the day. Each book of 10 Tombola tickets costs 10,000LL and individual tickets may be bought for 1,000LL each. A warm thank you to the donors who have so generously contributed the following gifts:

• Sanyo 19" plasma screen
• 2 places at the BHS Summer Camp offered by Brummana High School
• 1 ladies watch offered by Riad Haddad
• 1 Kodak EasyShare C 180 digital camera offered by Studio Robert
• 1 Samsung 1080 cell phone offered by Riquet Cell Shop
• Encyclopaedia Masters of Knowledge offered by Librairie Stephan
• 1 Nintendo DS offered by Najjar Electronics

During the May Festival, the Upper School Arts Exhibition will take place in the Arts and Crafts Block from 10:30am-4:30pm. Visitors to the Arts Exhibition will receive a free ticket to participate in a draw for a prize.

Your help on the day would be greatly appreciated, even for just half an hour. We need volunteers to help on the food stands. If you can help, please contact Mrs. Christina Gaspar on 03-809430, Mrs. Nahida Aswad on 03-276131, or Mrs. Dina Bechara on 03-631363.

The success of this traditional community event depends on the help of all parents. We count on your support to make this a successful and memorable day.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Our Bursar, Raymond El Feghali, is currently in the UK representing BHS at the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA) conference and annual general meeting in Harrogate. The Bursar is attending sessions on “The Economy”, “How To Save A Million Pounds”, “The Singleton Report One Year On - Has anyone listened?”, “The ISC Manifesto: What independent schools expect from the next Government”, “Cost Reduction”, and “Cyber Issues”. In addition, there is a trade exhibition of school suppliers displaying a wide range of products including building materials, software programmes, and items relating to health and safety. The conference is a valuable opportunity to learn about new developments, exchange views, and discuss problems.

Social Studies teacher Samir Ayache attended a workshop at Saint Joseph University on 24 April about teaching as a career and the changing ethics involved in it.

AUB ANNUAL SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY FAIR
On the weekend of 1-2 May 2010 the following students participated in the Sixteenth Annual Science, Mathematics, and Technology Fair that took place at the American University of Beirut.

• Elementary Section: Romy El Hajj, Mary-Rose Khazzoum, Laura Awad, Tiana Hawasly, Maria Habib, and Katelyn Kazan.
• Intermediate Section: Doha Knio, Zaynah Kmeid, Lara Nahra, Martin Njeim, Elias Ghaleb, and Amani Kmeid.
• Secondary Section: Michel Maroun, Christer Sawaya, Ziad Henoud, Christian Tabet, Celia Youssef, and Renee Shalhoub.

Two of the projects submitted won the following prizes:

• Maria Habib and Katelyn Kazan won the 2nd place in the Elementary category (Thermodynamics: Steam Boat Engine).
•  Ziad Henoud, Michel Maroun and Christer Sawaya won the 3rd place in the Secondary category (Let Ball Detector).

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to the following teachers who helped supervise and support the students: HoD Assaad El Helou, Lab Technician Juhaina Abou Fadel, and teachers Samia El Hajj, and Kamal Ramadan. Special thanks to Arts teacher Vivian Schmaissani for the decoration of the school stand.

LAU ANNUAL ARTS & SCIENCE FAIR
We are proud of our students who won prizes in the LAU 12th Annual Students Arts & Science Fair which took place during April.
Secondary Section winners are: Phillipe Riachi (1st high prize in drawing), Pamela Mazloum (1st prize in painting), Myriam Maalouf (2nd prize in sculpture), and Jane Abi Farah (1st high prize in English essay).
Intermediate Section winners are: Yasmine Saad (3rd prize in painting), Grace Abi Abdullah (1st prize in English essay), and Tara Tabet (3rd prize in poetry writing).
The winners received their prizes on 7 May at LAU, Byblos campus. Congratulations to all.

CARITAS
The president of Caritas Lebanon sent Principal Dr. Walid El Khoury a letter of thanks for the school’s generous donation of 1,489,000 L.L. to their “Al Karim Allah Biyekrmo” Campaign during the Lent season of 2009/2010.

SWIMMING POOL OPEN
The swimming pool will reopen for this year on 14 May after school. Opening hours are 9:00am-4:45pm Tuesdays through Sundays (closed on Mondays for maintenance). The pool is fully supervised by a qualified lifeguard. Swimming after school hours is free for BHS students. At the weekends and during school holidays, there is a charge of 5,000LL for BHS students and 10,000LL for others.

SATURDAY & AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
All after school activities will end on 21 May, except for Drama. All Saturday activities are already over, due to Games Day and the May Festival falling on the coming 2 Saturdays.

LABOUR DAY
To celebrate Labour Day, the school invited all workers to a dinner at Coq Rouge, Brummana on Friday, 30 April. The evening was a great success.

SCHOOL FEES
The deadline for the final instalment of tuition and bus fees was 31 March. Parents who have not yet paid should do so immediately. If you have any difficulties please contact the Bursar.

Parents of boarding students please note that the deadline for the payment of a deposit to reserve a boarding place for next year was 30 April. If you have not yet paid the deposit, please do so without delay to reserve a place for your child for next year.

UPPER SCHOOL NEWS

Secondary Section
Community Service Activities:
- On 16 May, Secondary students will participate in the “Operation Big Blue” Campaign where they will take part in cleaning the beach at Nahr El Kalb area.
- Pao Ibrahim (Sec. II SE) donated new clothes to SOS children. Thank you Pao!
- Students are still conducting visits to SOS, Al Amal Institute, and Dar Al Rahmeh. Every Wednesday afternoon, they are bringing joy and a smile to the faces of children and the elderly in these centres.

Graduates' News:
- The 3rd of May was the last day of school for graduating students in the Lebanese Programme. They had their water fight under the supervision of the HoS and Head of PE Rabih Aouad.
- On 4 May, the OSA invited all graduating students to the Annual OSA Barbecue Dinner. It took place on the volleyball court. The OSA committee distributed IDs and pins to all graduating students. Dr. Elias Shammas, the OSA President, welcomed them to the association and considered them an asset. Principal Dr. El Khoury invited them to be active members in the OSA and to make a difference in society. The students danced, had a delicious dinner, and took photos. The OSA representatives for 2010 class are: Majd El Ashkar, Lea Nehme, and Joy Chamoun (Sec. III LP), Mary-Joe Raffoul (Sec. II IP) and Lily Chacra (grade 12 IP).
- On 29 April, the Lebanese Programme graduating students organized a football game against their teachers. The students won the game which was judged by students Anthony Soufan (Sec. III LP) and Kareem Chamseddine (Sec. II S).

Assembly:
On 4 May Secondary students enjoyed the PowerPoint presentation of old scholar Ralph Baz who climbed a summit in Nepal and placed the BHS flag there. We are proud of Ralph’s achievement which was sponsored by Brave Heart, one of the prominent NGOs in the country.

Achievements:
- Congratulations to all students who got their acceptances from AUB and LAU.
- Three students should be recognized for their commitment to school culture and motto: Lily Chacra (Grade 12) who helped in preparing for the OSA dinner and who is highly active in collecting plastic bottle caps in order to buy a wheelchair. Abdallah El Jiffry (Grade 12) who applied effective conflict resolution skills while helping out during Field Day. Michel Maroun (Sec. I LP) who is organizing the Talent Show and Band in the May Festival 2010.
- Students whose total average for quarter 3 increased by 5 points or more received a congratulatory note from the Head of Secondary.

Intermediate Section
Report Cards for Quarter 3 were distributed on 3 May. As every quarter, along with these reports a letter was sent home for parents to sign to confirm that they had seen the grades.

Theatre - the Intermediate Section students had the privilege of attending a play performed by the British Salt Mine Group in Dobbing Hall on 4 May. This educational production portrayed the dangers teenagers may encounter while surfing the Internet.

Trip - grade 7 and 8 students enjoyed an educational trip to Arnaoon Green Village near Chekka on 11 May.  Their visit included workshops and hands-on projects on topics such as recycling, organic farming, botanic gardens, and alternative energy.

Brevet students attended their last teaching day for this academic year on 5 May and ended the day with a planned water fight as a celebration. They will be returning for their BHS final examinations on 13, 14, 17, and 18 May. They will be missed and the best of luck to all of them. 

Yearbook pictures - every Thursday, the Intermediate students come in formal wear for Assembly, but on 29 April they looked extra special as it was also the day for their yearbook pictures.

May Festival Preparations - students who wish to present their talents during the festival are auditioning during school breaks. The May Queen nominees gave their speeches to the Intermediate assembly on 29 April and the students voted for the girl they felt should win.

Independent Student Achievements - Congratulations to student Ingrid Aswad (Grade 7 LP) who won first place in the 62 kg category in the Lebanese Taekwondo Championship on 25 April. Her participation was considered as her test for Black Belt which she now holds.

Points for Parents - as the weather gets warmer, students tend to dress more casually. Students need to remember that we have a dress code which includes the following: no bare midriffs, no sports shorts to classes, skirts/dresses must reach the knees, and sleeveless shirts for boys are not permitted.

PE Department
Well done to the BHS Boys Varsity Basketball Team who won first place at the Choueifat International School (SABIS) Tournament on 23 April.

LOWER SCHOOL NEWS
Elementary News
Though students are busy trying to complete the yearly syllabus, some time was dedicated to attending the “Sound of Music” puppet show by the Salzburg Marionette Theatre. The show was exquisitely professional, entertaining, engaging, enriching, and educational. It was worth the trip.

Along the same line of integrated learning, students had the wonderful opportunity to attend the metaphoric play presented by the UK Salt Mine Theatre Company in Dobbing Hall. The play taught the children how to use the Internet safely. They were warned not to give their last name, their address, or their telephone number so they wouldn’t be found and harassed by anyone.

They should always stick to safe sites, and when in doubt, ask an adult. The children loved the interaction with the actors.

The Brummana One Scouts Group proved to be the leading Scouts Association among the schools. It won most of the competition prizes at the Relay which was held in the Jbeil camp gathering for a number of scouts groups from different schools. The prizes were for: The Best Pioneer Project and The Best Parade Model. Congratulations to the children, their parents, and the talented Scout guides for their support and contributions.

As for LE news, Grade 1 students are learning how to tell the time. They enjoyed preparing clocks with two hands. Each student chose a certain time and wrote what he does at that time.

Grade 2 students described Johnny Appleseed and wrote informative paragraphs. They decorated their boards with maths projects to display multiplication concepts. In science, they compared seeds of different kinds of fruits and observed how each fruit protects its seed. Later, they enjoyed eating the fruit salad they made. Yummy!!! The students also prepared a project about the life cycle of the seed - a journey from seed to plant. A very busy lot...

Grade 3 integrated English with Art as they made colourful kites on which they wrote their wishes and gave them to the skies to take care of. Wouldn’t you like to do the same and believe like they do?!!

In Social Studies, Grade 3A students commemorated Earth Day on 22 April by making their own individual cards and signing a pledge they made to protect the Earth.

Grade 3 also held an interesting little contest with teacher Yolande Al-Aswad. The children had to give the antonyms of Arabic vocabulary.

As always, we are very proud of our students’ zeal and enthusiasm to learn and to astound the audience with their knowledge. So a round of applause goes to the first prize winner Michel Sadek (Grade 3A), and second prize winner Jack Bou Jaoude (Grade 3B). Congratulations and keep it up.

Last but not least, we would like to sincerely apologize to Gianmarco Gasparian whose name was mistakenly written as Gianfranco Gasparian. Congratulations again for winning first prize in the Social Studies contest.

Grade 6C student, Karim Lama, has honorably been granted the Black Belt in Taekwondo!!! After the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation met and reviewed the results of the National Red Belt Competition that took place on April 18, they unanimously decided to grant Karim the Black Belt, as he had fully earned it. Congratulations Karim!!

Infant Section
A parent-teacher meeting was held on 7 May. We hope that you were able to get a clear idea from the teachers on how your child is progressing in school thus far, both socially and academically.

KG 1 and KG 2 are busy preparing a class-made Big Book. This is a great way to celebrate children’s art representing each child’s original way of putting together ideas that are uniquely different.

KG 1 and KG 2 students are preparing for our May Festival Show. The little ones are looking forward to show their parents their talents on stage. They will perform dances to “Mama Mia” songs.

Our value for the months of May and June is Happiness. We teach your children that happiness is an attitude of choice. They can always choose to be happy. We emphasize happiness by encouraging them to:

• participate enthusiastically in activities
• express feelings freely whether it is laughing or crying
• enjoy friendship
• have a positive approach towards everyday dealings

THANK YOU TO…
- BHS book supplier Librairie Antoine for donating new books to the Thomas Little Memorial Library.
- Director of Studies Samar Barakat for donating used books to the Thomas Little Memorial Library.
- Students Joseph and Olivia Nakhle who donated used books to the Lower School Libraries.

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