The Eagle Beat
December 2, 2022
December
2 Drama Performance 6 PM
6 PSG and Director Coffee 9AM
9 Winter Bazaar
9 Winter Program 6 PM
14 Aristocats performance 3pm
16 Half Day – 12 PM Dismissal
16 End of Quintile 2 & Term 1 Ends
19 - Jan 6 Winter Vacation – NO SCHOOL
Director's Message
Dear QSI Community,
The week flew by the staff and students. It is so great to return to the 5 day routine of school on campus. While the professional development from last week is always needed to update our lessons, there is nothing better than seeing the students and staff work together on the lessons and projects.
We are happy to share that we inducted new members to the National Honor Society. This is an academic organization that is founded on students who display excellence in Scholarship, Service, Leadership and Character. We had a fantastic induction ceremony with a guest speaker from the US Embassy, Mr. Berdy, and a nice reception in the library.
This Friday we will also host our upper division drama production. Many of the students juggle their other student responsibilities of sports, student government, Model United Nations, community service and – don't forget – their homework. It is fantastic that the students find the time to practice their lines and commit a play to memory. We are happy to see their dramatic performance.
Next week we are very excited for the school’s upcoming performances. The students have been working hard on their musical pieces and the dance routines. The Winter Program is on the 9th and begins at 6PM. Depending on the age of the student, distance of your housing, and personal needs of your child, the school understands if you feel the need to pick your child(ren) up before 4 PM to allow time eat snack/dinner, travel and other needs. This is a frequent question I have received in the past with evening performances. Since this is our first large indoor event during the winter months, we want to be flexible with the day as much as possible. School buses will depart at the same time on this day. Also on the day of the Winter Program, the school will have a Winter Bazaar. This is a time the school has some outside vendors on campus to share some local products for the upcoming holiday. This is a long tradition that is coming back after the COVID years. Please see Mrs. Holmquist’s note on the Winter Bazaar for more details. I personally am excited to explore the Winter Bazaar. This is another positive symbol that the BIS community is returning to the pre-covid traditions. Yeah!
I mentioned in an earlier newsletter that Dr. Craig was planning to visit in December. Due to reasons beyond his control, Dr. Craig needed to reschedule his visit from December to January. He will be visiting Baku on January 16 to January 18.
If you have any questions regarding the newsletter or other matters concerning your child’s education or safety, please do not hesitate in contacting me directly by visiting me at school, e-mailing me at brian-garner@qsi.org, or requesting a video conference call.
Sincerely,
Dr. Garner
(Please click to open the Eagle Beat from your email and the video will play)
A note from the Director of Instruction
I'm looking forward to tonight's drama performance "The Surviving Christmas App." I've seen the actors hard at work to prepare for the event.
Next Friday, we have the winter concert at 6pm. In conjunction with that, we are setting up the BIS winter bazaar in our cafeteria. We have over 20 vendors signed up to come in and set up stalls from 10am until the concert starts at 6pm. Parents are encouraged to come in and shop.
I'm already starting to think about term two elementary activities that will begin after winter break. Our activities evolve as student interests change. In the term 2 and 3, keep an eye open for Make Do, Sphero Coding, and Aqua Pod Water Rocket Design. Click on the links to see what is coming.
https://www.make.do/pages/what-is-makedo
https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/ucd_bottlerockets_activity1
https://stemeducationguide.com/classroom-activities-sphero/
I hope to see you at the upcoming events!
Katie Holmquist
Counselor's Corner
With all the exciting performances going on before the winter break, I thought I would use this opportunity to talk about Performance Anxiety. Nobody was born a great performer with total comfort on stage. Public performances take practice, just like any skill to get better at. Some of the skills and strategies we can start to build to reduce stress and anxiety related to Performance Anxiety are:
- Exercising beforehand will make you much more relaxed
- Practice controlled breathing to slow your heart rate
- Remember nobody is perfect. It is OK to make mistakes
- Redirect negatives thoughts and keep a positive mindset
- Focus on the positives
From the classroom, Ms. Oksana's Russian class
The class is utilizing the platform lingua.com, which offers texts and exercises. These exercises test reading comprehension, improve ability to interpret vocabulary, provide cultural information, and help to build a sophisticated understanding of useful vocabulary for real-life situations. There are four levels of Russian from A1 to B2 with a great variety of topics. The educational technology software company that develops languages offers the tool to build the foundation of a new language or brush-up on the skills someone used to have. The students love the platform and enjoy utilizing it!
Class Representatives from PSG
2yoc – Caitlin Eyvaz
3yoc – Nino Tulleth
4yoc – Aisha Abdi and Andie Hanna
5yoc – Melissa Bisset
6yoc – Sujita Sakya Mahat
7yoc – Aisha Abdi and Leo Gioffre
8yoc – Amina Akhundova, Varvara Leventopoulou, and Nino Tulleth
9yoc – Melissa Bisset and Kate Lennard
10yoc – Leyla Mestoeva and Larisa Shunina
11yoc – Ilhama Khanaliyeva
12yoc – Jackline Castellano
13yoc- Sinura Mustafayev and Ulker Shafiyeva
Secondary reps – Hijram Wood-Woolley and Irina Mohorea
Lunch Menu for Dec 5-9
BIS Important Contacts
School phone number: +994 12 440 66 16
Director of Instruction: Katie Holmquist- katherine-holmquist@baku.qsi.org
Counselor: Michael Lewis- michael-lewis@baku.qsi.org
Business Manager: Parviz Hasanov- parviz-hasanov@baku.qsi.org
Secretary: Gunay Ibrahimli- gunay-ibrahimli@baku.qsi.org
Nurse: Sevda Kerimova- sevda-kerimova@baku.qsi.org
Security/Bus: Hayyam- hayyam-gadjiyev@baku.qsi.org
Lunch: Natavan Hatemi- natavan-hatemi@baku.qsi.org
Parent Support Group (PSG)
How do I stay informed about PSG?
PSG has a WhatsApp group that all parents are welcome to join. This group is used to communicate information as well as gather feedback throughout the year.
Please use the link below or the QR code to join the group.
Want to stay connected with BIS?
BIS WhatsApp Group
This group will be used strictly to communicate general information from BIS to parents. Announcements, updates, reminders, and the weekly newsletter will be sent via this group.
The group is set up as a one-way communication tool, so participants only receive messages but can not respond in the group. This allows BIS to communicate information without the distraction of numerous responses.
To join the BIS WhatsApp group, use the link below or the QR code.
Instagram Nametag
Baku International School
Email: baku@qsi.org
Website: baku.qsi.org
Location: Darnagul Qasabasi Str. Ajami Nakchivani Block 3097 (1.94 mi) Baku, Azerbaijan AZ1108
Phone: +994 12 440 6616
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qsi.baku