PTA News

Dear Parents,

Let’s Hear from Our Halloween Heroes!

Halloween 2024 was a fantastic success at our school, thanks to the hard work and creativity of Nikolett Grosz and her incredible team of volunteers.Your efforts made a real difference—thank you!

Now, let’s take a moment to hear from some of the key players who brought this event to life.

School Halloween Celebration Always Brings Joy and Thrills to Students

Halloween is always an eagerly awaited celebration, especially for children. With its mix of spooky traditions, costumes, and fun, Halloween is a highlight in our school calendar.

This year, we transformed the sports hall on the evening of the 30th, so students arrived the next morning to a festive surprise. Each year group enjoyed a full day of games, spooky decorations, and Halloween excitement in the hall. As part of the Trick-or-Treat tradition, candies and chocolates were shared with all.

The "Guess the Candy in the Jar" game was a hit again this year, and we even added a twist with an eraser-filled jar! Whoever guessed closest got to take the whole candy jar home. The Bake Sale was also a great success, thanks to Sandra and her team, as well as the parents who baked so many delicious treats. And, of course, no Halloween is complete without the pumpkin carving competition! Gabi and her team ran it perfectly, receiving a fantastic selection of carved pumpkins.

This event wouldn't be possible without the incredible help of our volunteers. From planning and decorating to running games, our parent volunteers made it all happen. A special thanks to Sophia and the PTA for sponsoring the event, Julia and Andrea for helping with games and organizing the secondary social, Gabi and her team for the pumpkin competition, and Sandra for managing the Bake Sale.

Thank you all for making Halloween unforgettable for our children! Let’s save those costumes and look forward to seeing everyone again next year! 🎃

Yours

Nikolett Grosz

Halloween in Secondary!

This Halloween, Secondary students showed off their creativity with artistic costumes, exciting competitions, and challenges that kept the Halloween spirit alive! Students put their skills to the test in a pumpkin carving contest, where Tinza from Y7 took home the award for the scariest pumpkin, Ralf from Y12 impressed everyone with his inventive design, and Antonia from Y9 charmed us with her lovely creation.

Special thanks to the high school students who contributed to the creation of the event,  suggested ideas for entertainment and helped them to happen. We encourage more students to initiate ideas and projects for future school events. 

Article by 

Julia Kulish and Andrea Ainsworth

Halloween BAKE SALE

The Halloween party featured an unforgettable bake sale! 

The mums truly outdid themselves with creative and spooky treats that captured the spirit of the event. From ghostly meringues and black spiders to crunchy snakes and creepy cupcakes, they covered every Halloween theme you could think of!

A huge thank you to everyone who baked, decorated, and donated these incredible goodies. 

Your support made a difference, and we’re so grateful!

Next time, we’d love for you to join us as a donor – let your imagination run wild in your kitchen and bring smiles to the kiddies at the school party!

Warm regards,  

Sandra Franco

PUMPKIN CARVING COMPETITION 2024

POV:

I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of Halloween at all in the past. Okay, I wasn’t some nationalist Halloween-denier, but I always felt it wasn’t my cup of tea… until two years ago.

Two years ago, on Halloween morning, I had just dropped off my kids at school in the yard, when a few volunteer parents dressed as witches approached me and asked if I could help them with the pumpkin carving competition. They were few to welcome the kids, encourage them to vote, and manage the administration. 

So, I helped these kind moms, who were working out there in the cold.

Suddenly, the kids started pouring in—tiny witches with sparkling eyes, adorably spooky mummies, and bloody funny Draculas.

And that’s when it all started: 

I fell in love with the whole atmosphere, all the incredibly creative pumpkins, and all the adorable kids in costumes bouncing around us to explain which pumpkin they liked and why.

I kept trying to help the kids, answering a million questions, like how to vote, and I only realized it was already afternoon when the four of us moms were warming up at the reception, counting the votes and tallying marks on a piece of paper.

That day, I decided that, if possible, I will organize this activity in the future, but with some changes.

The how-tos:

• Previously, only the children voted, but now the teachers and BISB Staff have joined in as well, discussing their choices together with the kids, which one they picked and why. It’s wonderful to see that this has turned into a shared activity, allowing teachers to play alongside the children.
• The main goal is to have as many types of pumpkins win as possible, so voting now takes place by category: the cutest, the scariest, the funniest, and the absolute favourite.

• Another important goal is for more children to win. Previously, only 3 children could win; last year it was 4, and this year, 5 children were able to take home prizes.
• Smooth organization: pre-made ballots, administration sheets, certificates, and hopefully quick registration too.
• Place the pumpkins in a weatherproof place and display them in an appropriate and decorative way for transparency.
• Counting votes in Excel with a pivot table, ensuring no errors.
• Involve secondary students and organize a separate competition for them as well. 

The facts:

• This year, 76 kids/pumpkins were joined the competition in the Primary.
• We announced 5 winners,
• who received a Lego prize and a certificate.

Winners by name: 

1.) The cutest category: Linett Baranyi, Y2 Sky

2.) The scariest category: Jasmine Modin, Y6 Amber

3.) The funniest category: Max De Starda, Y4 Lilac

4.) The absolute favourite category: Szonja Boczan, Y4 Lilac

5.) With the votes of the BISB Staff category: Lilien Németh, Y5 Neptune

However, to us, everyone is a winner, partly because each pumpkin was a mesterpiece, and partly because the pumpkins and the whole exciting event brought a smile to everyone's face. Congratulations to everyone!

And none of this would have been possible without the help of the following super kind Witches and benevolent Draculas:

Alexandra Mahr

Andrea Ainsworth

Eszter Grocott Tímár

Éva Cappelli

Éva Modin Tubakos

Julia Kulish

Katre Nommik

Nikolett Grósz

Silvia Baks

Sophia Verykiou

Tímea Pusztai Héjjáné

Balázs Pethes

Bernadett Brandt

Chris Russell

Cleaning Department

Dorka Czollner

Eszter Betlendi

Gábor Pereszlényi

Kitchen Department

Mr Miki Mátrai

Miklós Kispál

Renata Brown

Security Guards

Zsuzsa Szemerey

...and the Families who made pumpkins.

Thank you for all the help, the magical experience, and for making me fall in love with Halloween!

See you next year! 

Boo and hugs, 

Gabriella Petrovits 

BREAKFAST FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

We’re introducing a new format on Parent’s Coffee Morning — now combined with a delicious breakfast from a different country each month! 

This month, we’re starting with a Greek breakfast. 

It’s a wonderful chance not only to meet other parents but also to explore a new culture and start your day with something special.

Bring your appetite and enjoy a taste of Greece with us. Opa!!!

Your PTA