Secondary School Newsletter
News from the BMS Secondary School April 2016
Update
Dear BMS Parents and Students,
I hope our April Newsletter finds you well and that you enjoyed a wonderful break with family and friends!
We are now in the final stages of finishing the school year and are actively preparing for the academic year 2016/17. As you will read below, our Secondary School is buzzing with preparations for an intense period of examinations, including IGCSE, MSA, and for the first time the Grade 12 IB DP Examinations. Our priority is of course the successful preparation of students for the DP Examinations and I would like to encourage both you and your children to seek out the support of our staff in the coming weeks in order to use the remaining time to best prepare our students. In addition, we are finding time to enjoy a series of active school community events, ranging from camp week to a formal dance on April 22nd for our Grade 9-12.
In addition to the full academic agenda in the coming weeks, I am very happy to report on the development of our first-ever BMS Graduation Ceremony on June 3, 2016; a significant milestone for BMS and a very proud moment for our entire school community. I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight a Save-the-Date mailing that awaits our Grade 12 parents in due course, namely, the details about our Graduation Ceremony with all important event details.
Please enjoy reading our Newsletter and should you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
With regards,
Silke Friedrich
Executive Director
News from the Middle School
Dear Parents and Students,
April is a busy month for Middle School with many different events taking place!
Firstly, Camp Information evenings will take place for all parents and students who have signed up for these trips. These are valuable meetings to learn more about the Camps and meet the Trip leader. The information evenings will take place as follows:
Grade 6 Thursday 14th April 6pm in the Mensa
Grade 7 Thursday 14th April 7pm in the Mensa
Grade 8 Thursday 7th April 6pm in the Mensa
Grade 9 Thursday 7th April 7pm in the Mensa
Grade 10 Thursday 21st April 6:30pm in Room 4.04
Please be sure to review the letters regarding these Information Evenings emailed to parents before the holidays. We ask that you review in particular the Behavioral Agreements and Medical forms that need to be completed and returned to House Tutors as soon as possible.
For Grade 9, April will see them leaving for their Camp to Rome. We wish them a safe trip and a very enjoyable time. An important note for our Grade 9 students: internship work placements that commence on 20 June for two weeks should be finalized in the next days. If any students have not completed this then they should contact Ms Petricic as soon as possible for further assistance.
IGCSE and MSA Subject Expo
Grade 8 students are cordially invited to take part in an information evening on April 27, 2016 from 5:30pm- 7:00pm in the Mensa the IGCSE & MSA expo will take place. This is a very important event for both Parents and Students as they learn more about the courses available in Grade 9 & 10 and have a chance to speak to the IGCSE & MSA teachers to help make informed subject selections.We look forward to your participation!
MSA and IGCSE Examination Period
Grade 10 will commence their study leave for their IGCSE and MSA exams on Friday APril 22nd, with the first exam early the following week. Parents are encouraged to help motivate Grade 10 students to revise and also to arrive early for every exam. Students have been give a copy of the exam schedule and relevant times. It is important to note the the exam dates are set by Cambridge Exam Board and that several exams do fall on German public holidays. We apologize for this inconvenience but ask in advance for your understanding with this important examination period.
During the IGCSE and MSA exams, students are not required to attend normal lessons. However, Mr Mercer will be sending out a Revision Class schedule and students are strongly encouraged to attend. Grade 10 teachers will also be available should help be required. It is recommended to email them in advance in case they are invigilating. The Library will also be open for Grade 10 students who would like to study in school.
The exams for Grade 10 finish on June 6, 2016, this is followed by Camp until June 10th. All students will be expected back at school on Monday, June 13th. A special schedule is under construction to help Grade 10 finish MSA courses and to prepare for Grade 11 as well as their entry into the IB DP years.
Please find here a link to the MSA, IGCSE, and DP Examination Schedule:http://metropolitanschool.com/fileadmin/user_upload/images/PDF/Announcement/Grade_10_and_12_Examinations_June_2016.pdf
Spring Formal Dance
We look forward to welcoming our Grade 9-12 students for a formal dance on April 22, 2016 from 6:30pm to 10:30pm in the school cafeteria. Students can purchase their tickets starting on April 13, 2016 and are a total cost of 14 Euro per person, including all drink refreshments and a buffet of finger foods and dessert. Students DJs will supply the music for the evening´s entertainment and dancing. Students should dress in semi-formal attire (no jeans or t-shirts, please!). We look forward to an evening´s celebration in our school cafeteria which will be transformed for the evening´s dance. Stay tuned for pictures from the evening!
BMS Museum Exhibition Grade 7
Ms. Schillinger, Mr. Saunders, and Ms. Malinowski are currently implementing a project-based learning unit for all Grade 7 History classes, focusing on the topic of the Conquests of the Americas. The Grade 7 students will host a museum exhibition in May for parents to visit the displays they have curated over the course of April. Everything from trailer documentaries, skits, self-made models of historical sources, to newscast footage from the historical events will be featured during the BMS Museum Exhibition. Through the process, students are honing the research skills needed for historical studies and are finding a real-world context to connect their interests and studies with. Look for an invitation for May and stay tuned for pictures from the class documenting their journey as museum curators.
Mr. Philip McCormick
Email: philip.mccormick@metropolitanschool.com
Website: metropolitanschool.com
News from Senior School
Dear Parents and Students,
School is back in full swing with both Grade 11 and Grade 12 busily preparing for upcoming events after a successful Spring Break.
Grade 11 Camp Week Information
All parents of Grade 11 students going on the class trip to Barcelona are asked to attend the Grade 11 Camp Information evening at 6pm on Wednesday, April 13th. We wish to inform you of the camp itinerary as well as the behavioral expectations for this trip, so please make sure you attend.
Upon their return from camp, Grade 11 students will begin their preparation of the Theory of Knowledge presentations, which will be the first assessment component that directly contributes to their final score.
Grade 12 News
Looking back, our Grade 12 art students ought to be congratulated on staging a highly diverse final Art Show covering a wide variety of media and themes (ranging from "Symbolism" and "Separation" to "Transformation"). Please visit our photo gallery to see a few shots of our student´s work: http://metropolitanschool.com/secondary-school/ss-student-life/ss-gallery/
Grade 12 are, of course, in the final straight heading towards their exams, May 2nd to 20th. While we are busy revising and preparing for exams, elsewhere IB examiners are already getting their teeth into marking our students' coursework. Over the past weeks I have submitted a total of 358 pieces of coursework to the IBO, 270 of which used the new electronic upload portal - this makes moderation much easier for IB Examiners, as well as reducing our carbon footprint! Please find here a comprehensive list of all examinations: http://metropolitanschool.com/fileadmin/user_upload/images/PDF/Announcement/Grade_10_and_12_Examinations_June_2016.pdf
May 1st is the deadline for G12 students to inform the school which universities and tertiary admissions centers to send their results to automatically on July 6th. This is particularly important for countries where there are short deadlines to complete the university application for entry in autumn 2016.
Professional Development Days at BMS
Even teachers learn things occasionally! On March 18th all Secondary Teachers participated in a workshop on international mindedness. We explored strategies to include internationalism into our teaching, caught up on Geert Hofstede's 6 Dimensions of Culture and learnt that "ubuntu" is a Nuguni Bantu term that stands for the belief in a "universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".
And finally, a message from one of our Grade 11 students, Carla Dengg:
Dear Parents,
News from our House System and Pastoral Care
There are many exciting things happening within the house system this month!
House Actions and Assembly Activities
In addition, our House and Tutor Actions continue with Air House Tutor Group 4 leading an assembly this Friday on the Bahnhof Mission. The tutor group has raised 45 euros so far the this local charity.
We are also looking forward to our dance battle next week organised by Earth House Tutor Group 4. Looking forward, I am also happy to report that we have arranged an assembly on internet safety and how to use social media appropriately for our students, in hopes of equipping them with the necessary skills to navigate an ever-expanding digital world. In the coming weeks, we look forward to the start of our debating competition with each House being represented by a team of six students across the grades.
Finally, please see our members of the student council in the photo below. We look forward to students sharing ideas with our Secondary School Council and hopefully we can arrange some meaningful events and actions very soon!
Mr. Sebastian Saunders
Please feel free to ask questions or place inquiries.
Email: sebastian.saunders@metropolitanschool.com
Website: metropolitanschool.com
Student Council
Berlin Metropolitan School: Secondary
Email: info@metropolitanschool.com
Website: metropolitanschool.com
Location: Linienstraße 122, 10115, Berlin, Germany
Phone: 030 8872 739 0
Twitter: @BMSSecondary