BCB Weekly Newsletter (13th of August 2021)

Dear Parents,

Just 3 more days to go and we will fully open for the 2021-22 academic year, the tenth anniversary for BCB!

We have had a fantastic week preparing for the children, with a variety of activities to ensure not only is everything ready, but also for the teachers to be able to collaborate and take part in professional learning activities.

We opened the week with a story, seemingly about a worried student tortoise preparing for their first day of school, only to discover right at the end, the tortoise was the teacher! We all have apprehensions about the start of a new school year, but given a few minutes back into school, these vanish, and it is like we have never been away.

Your children’s health and safety is our primary concern so we have received our normal safeguarding training and re-opening plan so that we follow all protocols, just as last year, to ensure we are all as safe as possible. We ask as ever for your support, trying not to mix bubbles outside of school, just as we do inside. Also, being proactive with your children, if they show any signs or symptoms of Covid, please do keep them at home to minimise any risk of spreading and potential quarantine from school.

I think the highlight of the week for me was the ability to have an open air social on the outdoor space at school and speak to every member of staff in one place, the first time this has been done in eighteen months. It has really helped cement bonds between staff and their year group teams as well as celebrating the amazing work completed by all our local staff. Most of their work is behind the scenes, but vital for the running of a successful school. We are so proud of what everyone has done.

Another good event was a meeting with Inderjit Dehal, one of the Educational Director’s for Nord Anglia, based in the UK, and he shared Nord Anglia’s strategic educational vision. This was useful to increase the school’s understanding and academic association with Nord Anglia, and to help us with our work on developing our own vision, mission, and values for the future. This work will continue through the year, and we will seek your collaboration along the way as school’s are all about partnerships.

Finally, how amazing to welcome all our new students during our orientation session this Friday morning. I think like our worried tortoise, that’s how it started for some, but a few minutes in with their new teachers, everyone was feeling happy and pleased to be at BCB.

Enjoy the weekend and we truly look forward to Monday!

Best Regards,

Nick