In The News
Jan/Feb Noticeboard: What’s Happening in Beijing
Congratulations to the ISB Boys Basketball Team
In November, ISB hosted this year’s annual Thanksgiving basketball tournament, The
Great Wall Shout-Out. The International School of Beijing (ISB) Varsity Boys team
placed first. Though they dominated the competition, they were tested by both Sha
Tin College of Hong Kong in a round-robin game, and the Concordia International School of Shanghai in the finals.
December Noticeboard: What’s Happening in Beijing
Congratulations to Dulwich College Beijing
Dulwich College Beijing has been named British International School of the Year 2011, which is part of the Independent School Awards. On November 16, the awards ceremony was held on in Birmingham, UK at the National Motorcycle Museum. This award is based on Dulwich fulfilling the criteria of being an inspirational school based outside of the UK that espouses a British education, and has made a strategic or financial achievement of note. For the official submission, Dulwich College Beijing highlighted student efforts that have been made with local migrant schools in Beijing. The school continues to make contributions to the community through student exchanges, field trips, and fundraisers.
November Noticeboard: What’s Happening in Beijing
KinStar Has a New Look as BIBA
KinStar International Bilingual School in Shunyi has enjoyed not only a three-fold increase in its campus facilities, but also a complete change of name to Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA). The newly expanded campus now houses three buildings, each dedicated to their kindergarten, elementary and middle schools respectively. BIBA offers both English (US curriculum standards) and Chinese (Chinese National Curriculum) within a creative and stimulating international environment. Students can supplement their studies with a range of sporting, art and music options. Also worth noting is that BIBA is the Shunyi host school for the International Piano Academy of China (IPAC). For information, call 8041 0390, email Karen@bibachina.org, or visit www.bibachina.org.
October Noticeboard: What’s Happening in Beijing
IAB Welcomes Benjamin Ketz
International Academy of Beijing has expanded its AP program and also welcomes Benjamin Ketz to their faculty. As a chemistry and AP chemistry teacher, Ketz comes to IAB with a BS from Penn State and a MS in chemistry. Most recently, he worked as a polymer scientist for Polymics in the US. As a teacher, he hopes his students not only learn, but learn to think like
scientists.
What’s Happening in Beijing?
Top Marks for YCIS Beijing
YCIS Beijing Year 13 students performed exceptionally well in the 2011 IB examinations. Forty-one percent of students scored over 40 points (equivalent to four A+ at A-Level). This is an impressive feat considering only 4.5 percent of students tested worldwide achieved 40 points or above. One YCIS Beijing student, Helen Leung, scored the maximum points possible (45 out of a possible 45). Students are now fi nalizing their university plans and preparing for the next step in their lives.
Returning to Disaster
After two-and-a-half fun-filled years in Beijing, my family and I decided to return to Australia at the end of 2010. Despite my best intentions, things have not gone smoothly. Plans for the perfect repatriation were shelved within days of our arrival as a natural disaster unfolded around us. We are from Brisbane, Australia's third largest city and the capital of Queensland - a picturesque subtropical metropolis built along the snaking Brisbane River.
When we left Brisbane in 2008, the city was enduring its sixth consecutive year of drought. The city's combined dam levels were less than 20 percent. Four-minute showers, dirty cars and dusty backyards filled with dead grass were the norm. And then ... the worst drought in living memory was broken by the worst flood Australia has ever seen. Three-quarters of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone. To give you an idea of the scale of the devastation, the state of Queensland is two-and-a-half times the size of Texas and nearly seven times larger than the United Kingdom.
What's Happening in Beijing?
ISB String Quartet Plays Music for Charity
Crossroads is a string quartet made up of four ISB junior students: Krystal Koh, Shang Loh, Madi Hockaday and Emily Chang. The quartetvolunteers their skills at company, private, and school events in return for voluntary donations. The group performed at last October's Green Cow Organic Harvest Festival, raising over RMB 2,000. All of the proceeds from this performance will go towards a larger effort to provide the Love and Hope Center with funds to build a heating system at their new location. The quartet hopes to continue their fundraising efforts by playing at events, in addition to providing free performances for the residences of orphanages and old-age homes.
If you'd like Crossroads to perform at your next event or gathering, contact Krystal Koh at krystal_germaine_@hotmail.com. For moreinformation on the Love and Hope Center, visit www.aisee.org.
The World is Flat
Australian Julie Lindsay has been the E-Learning Coordinator at BISS since 2009. A 13-year expat, she has taught in Qatar, Zambia, Kuwait and Bangladesh. In fact, it was her many overseas experiences that lead her to co-founding the Flat Classroom Conference, a unique event for students and educators that aims to create global connections in the classroom via technology. The second of these conferences takes place in Beijing in February, featuring participants from across the spectrum of Beijing's international schools, as well as local Chinese schools and visitors from over ten countries. In the busy lead-up to the conference, we talked to Lindsay to find out how technology is shaping our schools.
Nutrition Facts
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because most people get their fill directly from the sun – its UV rays trigger Vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Inside the body, Vitamin D helps build healthy bones by absorbing calcium and phosphorous; conversely, a deficiency can lead to soft, malformed bones (a condition known as rickets).
It is true that protecting the skin with sunscreen to prevent burning is essential, but short bursts of sun exposure to the hands, face and arms at least twice a week to boost Vitamin D is a good idea. Ten to 15 minutes before applying SPF 15 (or higher) will suffice and is not enough to burn. Meanwhile, this small span of time should ensure that the daily requirements of both children and adults are met (though those with darker skin tones may require longer sun exposure).
A Spring in Your Step
A new study has concluded that seasonal births can affect the energy levels and sporting prowess in children. “Children of the ‘90s,” conducted by Calum Mattocks of Bristol University in England, was one of the largest studies ever undertaken on childhood and followed the development of 14,000 children. The study found that children born in autumn and winter are more likely to be sporty – nine percent more so, in fact, than those born in spring. Summer babies are 4.5 percent more active than spring tots, who have been deemed most sluggish.
The study concluded that the explanation is unlikely to be biological, and more likely reflects the time a child begins school: Children born in spring start school at a younger age and are therefore smaller and at physical disadvantage to their peers. Larger and more adept children seem more likely to be motivated to play sport and keep active, whereas younger kids feel less confident.
