The British Schoolof Guangzhou

Newsletter

To download a copy of this newsletter, please visit www.bsg.org.cn

Issue 1 - Term 1 - 2014/2015

T h e B r i t i s h S c h o o l o f G u a n g z h o u

“Studying at Oxford University in the UK this summer has allowed me to meet lots of new friends and learn many new things.” Valerie Lye, Year 11

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Dear Parents,

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As we move ever closer to the October holiday, it is a pleasure to note how well students have settled into the routines of the school. Every year we have new students and new teachers, many of who will be adapting to life in Guangzhou as well as making new friends. For me, an important measure of the success of our school is how quickly these students adapt to their new surroundings and begin to take on the challenge of learning. As the term progresses, I will attempt to learn the names of many of our new students and get their feedback on how well they have settled in.

At The British School of Guangzhou, our stated mission is to ‘create a lifelong love of learning’ within our students and this really is at the heart of everything we do. This year we will be making a real effort to raise awareness of the core values that have helped us to create such a successful learning environment. We ask that our staff apply these core values to their teaching roles and sincerely hope that our students will adopt these values in their future lives:

• A love of learning• Responsibility • Respect • Integrity• Commitment

This year we have set up three specific parent groups to encourage greater parental involvement in our school.

There is no doubt that our school has achieved an impressive reputation within a very short period of time. While we are very pleased with our achievements to date, we are also ambitious for the future. As a staff we have outlined what we feel our school will need to do to become a truly world class international school. I have already received interest from a number of parents who are keen to describe what they would like to

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Important information is often sent via email through school.If you’re not receiving emails, please contact our receptionist, Rainbow Chen, at rainbow@bsg.org.cn

WorlDeDUcaTIon neWS:

4 British institutions ranked in the top 6 of the world’s universities.

SoUrce:The Guardian, UK

clIcK HERE for more InformaTIon.

see as areas for future development. If you would like to take part in this process please feel free to email me.

I was fortunate enough to attend a Secondary Leadership assembly earlier this term. Our teachers have created an impressive number of leadership roles for Secondary students and I will be watching with interest to see how our students deal with their new responsibilities. The progress of our Secondary School has been particularly exciting, with our first group of graduating students leaving us at the end of last year to attend universities across the world. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate staff and students for their impressive IGCSE and A-Level results. They were truly outstanding and show that our students really have demonstrated the values of commitment and responsibility and a love of learning.

Plans for our International Day on the 1st November are gathering momentum. We are expecting a good turnout on the day and will be encouraging everyone to wear a costume that represents their nationality. With over 50 different countries represented in our school, it will be a colourful affair. With outside vendors, lots of delicious food, a British themed pub, performances from staff and students and lots of fun activities for everyone, it will be a memorable day. Anyone who is interested in sponsoring this event or in volunteering their support should contact our events manager, Gemma Campbell, on Gemma.Campbell@bsg.org.cn. There is no doubt that events like this are an important part of the life of our school and an opportunity for the whole community to get together.

I am very pleased to note how many parents and students are making use of the weekend activities that are hosted at our school. Currently we have football, swimming, basketball, karate and Cambridge English classes with numbers growing every week. It is a delight to see our facilities used in this way and lovely to see children and parents making the most of the improved play areas for picnics and relaxation. We are currently distributing a disclaimer, which details the agreed code of conduct for use of the facilities. This will need to be signed by anyone who is planning to attend classes, and as always, we ask that you ensure children are appropriately supervised so that the school is in pristine condition for classes on a Monday morning.

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yDear Parents,

We managed to raise a fantastic 3635RMB for ActionAid from our second-hand uniform stall during Uniform Week.

What a great start to the year! Thank you so much for your donations!

We will inform you of future events where there will be an opportunity to buy second-hand uniform. If you have any uniform you wish to donate to our supply, it would be greatly received.

Thank you,

Gemma Campbell Events Manager

Uniform Sales

Trying to find a convenient place to buy selections of meats, cheese, bread and beverages?

The Butcher Shop will be setting up every Wednesday at 2pm in the reception area of the Nanhu building (South Lake Campus).

It’s open to everyone, so pop by for a browse!

The Butcher Shop

mccawley’s nanhu opensBSG would like to thank the new McCawley’s bar staff for welcoming us over the last month to celebrate their opening.

Conveniently located down Tonghe Road, the bar looks set to be a fantastic social hub for the expat community here.

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The British School of Guangzhou will be hosting International Day on Saturday, 1st November, from 11am-3pm.

Last year, this popular family event attracted around 3000 people from the expat community in Guangzhou. This year should be even bigger and better!

This event is a non-profit event. All of the money raised will be donated to our schools affiliated charities: Action Aid & GETCH

highlights: • Beautiful lakeside location• Food & Beverage vendors from around the world• Live Music & Entertainment on the main stage• Games & Activities for all the family to enjoy (including Splash Zone and Bouncy Castle!)• Prize Draw raffle plus a Fancy dress competition

Ways to get involved:

Become a Sponsor…We at The British School of Guangzhou are excited to present you with a fantastic sponsorship opportunity for our upcoming International Day. As we work to prepare for this, we would like to send out a request to companies, organisations, or indeed anyone with charity on their mind, to please support us through donations or raffle prizes that you feel our students and community would enjoy.

Become a Vendor…We are now accepting applications to hire a stall at our annual International Day to sell or promote your products or services. This gives you ample opportunity to sell your products to visitors from the greater Guangzhou international expat community.

represent your country…Each year we invite parents to volunteer to help decorate or organise a country stall related to their region or culture. Each stall should provide something fun for children to enjoy (a game or something of interest always works well).

For more information, please contact Gemma Campbellat gemma.campbell@bsg.org.cn

International Day 2014

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on reception Graduation

ceremony 2014By: Helen Jones

There was a distinct buzz of excitement in the air the morning of the Reception Graduation Ceremony in June. The children had been having a very busy week preparing for the day by rehearsing their songs and trying on their mortarboard caps and sashes. They had also had their transition morning on the South Lake Campus the previous day and were really feeling very grown-up and ready to graduate. On the big day the children looked extra smart in their school uniforms from the top of their neatly combed and styled hair to the tops of their shiny black school shoes.

Mr Thomas presented the children with their graduation certificate and he was very proud of each and every child as he shook their hand and congratulated them on their milestone. Each child was presented with a certificate and a surprise gift - a school tie to wear with their new Year 1 uniform. The constant click of proud parent’s cameras could be heard as each child was called to the front of the stage.

All classes sang a song, which they had been rehearsing with Miss Queenie, and used percussion instruments to accompany it to showcase their musical skills from their specialist music lessons throughout the year.

Two children from each class were presented with awards for outstanding progress and achievement throughout the year. The proud recipients of these awards were:

reception a –SeahorsesSally Sung (Progress) and Lily Liang (Achievement)reception B- raccoonsBelinda Wang (Progress) and Abigail Cheung (Achievement)reception c- rabbitsAlfie Luo (Progress) and Isaac Ngiam (Achievement)reception D- DragonsSophie Hu (Progress) and Isabella Ling (Achievement)

Finally, the ceremony ended with the whole year group singing “Year One, Year One” (to the tune of “New York, New York”) together on stage. Yes, they were at last ready to farewell their Foundation teachers on the Lakefront Campus and were ready “…to be a part of it, Year one, Year One!”

To all the Year One Students on Hillside I wish you all the very best now you are in Key Stage One but I do hope that you keep in your hearts forever the happy memories of your time in Reception.

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on playgroup

By: Katherine Weir-Davis

BSG Playgroup is now into its seventh year and we are hopeful that this year will bring as many new families to our community as in previous years.

Children can enjoy playing with a large choice of toys, developing their creativity, confidence, building their physical skills and most importantly, learning to socialise and interact with other children.

With a padded ball pool, slides, stage area, trampolines, cars, and many other fun-filled activities, our play area is an ideal place for children to enjoy themselves whilst developing at the same time.

With the children happy, this gives parents the perfect opportunity to relax a little and meet new people. Snacks are provided for the children and parents can enjoy a fresh cup of tea or coffee in our coffee shop that has full view of the Activity Room.

So, what are you waiting for? Come and join us on Friday mornings for a pleasant and relaxing experience for both children and parents.

When:Every Friday, 9:30-11:30am (except school holidays)Who: Children aged 4 years and below and Parent/s (children must hold an international passport which should be brought along on the first visit)Where:The British School of Guangzhou,Lakefront Campus, Tonghe Road, 828, Nanhucost: Free of charge

For more information, please contact Miss Kathy at Katherine.weir@bsg.org.cn or telephone the Lakefront Early Years Campus on 020-3725 9376.

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By: Victoria Whieldon

Can you remember your very first day at school?

You may have felt excited, scared, curious, confused, and many more emotions! At BSG we work extremely hard to ensure a smooth and enjoyable introduction to school right from the beginning. A collaborative effort from the staff and parents is essential as we get to know the children and they get to know us.

For our youngest children it is a huge adventure as they kick start their learning and this year’s Pre-Nursery children have done brilliantly so far!

Our Teddy Bears haven’t needed many cuddles, our Bunnies have ‘hopped’ right into action and the Ducklings are off to a ‘quacking’ start!

The children have been busy learning the classroom routines, making friends and trying to do new things for themselves for the very first time. For many of our children, BSG is also the first English-speaking environment that they are stepping into which makes it a more exciting challenge than ever! We have no doubt that the children will rise to this challenge and their development will flourish in the months to come. We may be the smallest in the school, but we mean business!

pre-nursery: Small but mighty!

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on an end to a Beautiful year:

The pre-nursery family picnicBy: Monica Daryani

The concept came about from a Pre-Nursery mum that we hold a ‘picnic’; a typical English one, to celebrate with children and families the end of a beautiful year in Pre-Nursery.

With a lot of collaboration and parental support, teachers and parents put their ideas together to what has started, for me at least, a tradition to be followed in the coming years! Colourful picnic mats galore, woven picnic baskets, authentic food from different countries, summer dresses and hats and bunting are just a few of the things we saw. This was truly an English style picnic topped with a carnival ambiance at our very own Lower School football field.

Sunshine, music and the laughter of children and families filled the air with joy. Parents and teachers set up little booths for children to either create and devour their very own ‘cake pops’ or have their favorite cartoon character tattoos stamped on their hands!

What captured the moment for me was having polaroid photos for each family as a keepsake. A parent that had a child in Pre-Nursery a few years ago asked why we didn’t think of this earlier for her now older daughter. That for me summed up that it indeed turned out to be a beautiful end of year celebration and a memory to be cherished by all.

We wish all of our Pre-Nursery children the very best for the new school year and we are ready to embrace yet another beautiful journey with our new classes.

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Our new children arrived for the first day of school a little shy. Some children were even nervous. However, life in The Fishes, The Pandas, The Butterflies, The Ladybirds and The Dolphins has quickly made our children realise that there is nothing to be shy about. There just simply isn’t the time!

The new term began by using the book ‘Owl Babies’ by Martin Waddell. The children enjoyed listening to the story about the three little owlets waiting for their mother to come home. The children went on to create their own owls using feathers, card and googly eyes.

The story underlined for the children that just as the owlets mother returned, they too would be reunited with their loved ones. Our children have shown great confidence and adaptability by quickly adjusting to flying home on the bus and being met with warm embraces.

Well done The Nursery 5 on leaving your nests, many for the first time.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful school year.

The nursery five

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on hippoland!

By: Sophie Corr

At the end of the last academic year, all of the Nursery children had the most amazing opportunity to head out to Hippoland - a fun-filled, age-appropriate water park.

This was our final farewell family day and what a great day it was. All children were asked to invite a parent to come and enjoy this event together with their classmates. The morning started with a journey on the big buses. Once we arrived we got changed and enjoyed swimming in the pools and shooting down the slides.

The morning ended with a picnic lunch. This was the first time that we had gone to Hippoland and judging by all the happy parents and children, it will not be the last!

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By: Alfred Creissen

Dear Parents,

It has been a fantastic start to the academic year at the Lakefront campus.  It has been lovely meeting all the children for the first time. The children returning after the summer break had the biggest smiles and the new children were happy to see other children enjoying their return to the school year.

It has been lots of fun learning new skills these last couple of weeks through play and exploration. I have enjoyed seeing the children moving with ease out of their comfort zones, beginning to make friends in the class and from other classrooms.

During our outside continuous provision, we will facilitate the children’s development with the tools and activities that they will need to push their learning forward. This gives the children the opportunity to explore the world around them in a safe and controlled environment. The children are encouraged to follow their interests and develop their own learning journey. It is wonderful to see the confidence that the children are showing when exploring the learning environment.

Collaborative planning in Reception brings together the skills and expertise of all the teachers. We are lucky to have specialist lessons with Miss Lou, teaching Physical Education, and Miss Queenie teaching music.

The children are beginning to understand their capabilities and developing as independent learners.  It can be a long day for these young children.  Therefore, it is important to allow them to go to bed early, and making sure that they are able to have enough energy to be the best that they can be.

I am pleased to be part of such a successful school, where the teachers are positive and always happy to help. I know that we are going to have a great deal of fun to challenge and support the children, and developing their passion for learning.

a fantastic Start in reception

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By: Gavin Fleck

Last year on the Lakefront campus marked the beginning of an adventure. We began to focus on exploring the great outdoors. Children began to participate in activities and learning specifically designed for the outdoor learning environment. We explored our use of play in the early years. By the end of the school year we even decided to remove playtime on the school timetable!

Traditionally we have viewed the outside space as the ‘playground’, where children go and play. There is still great merit for a playground, particularly with the older year groups, who need a break from their studies. The children who follow the Early Years curriculum view the outside and play in a very different sense. The children actually play all the time. They are learning through play in their independent and focused activities. Research has found that children of this age acquire greater knowledge and understanding through play based learning. Additionally in the Early Years curriculum, the outside area is viewed as an additional classroom where children can go and learn through play in a different setting.

On the Lakefront campus, the children in Pre– Nursery, Nursery and Reception are all given the opportunity to freely choose whether they are learning in the classroom or in the outside area. The school has worked hard over the summer to provide outside access and additional resources for the children. The teaching staff has also worked tirelessly to provide an environment that inspires and promotes learning in a fun way. We still have a few issues to work out; the rain plays havoc with our timetable, but we are working towards providing the children with a truly rounded and rich curriculum, with play and the outside environment at the heart.

So next time you visit the lakefront campus, perhaps you will see some little explorers having a fun adventure, learning in the great outdoors.

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on The Great outdoors

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By: William Tame

English as an Additional Language is a programme that is designed to help students quickly develop their English language skills, build their confidence and understand school life.

The British School of Guangzhou offers opportunities for many international students to join EAL, which has been developed for children who don’t speak English as their first language and aims to help students understand the teacher or specific subject vocabulary more easily. EAL also encourages younger learners with a social confidence boost to make friends or talk to people.

The primary focus of EAL in Early Years is to enhance speaking and listening.

At the Lakefront Early Years Campus, we use a curriculum called Kid’s Box, in which the children truly learn new vocabulary covering many topics. Some of the topics in the beautifully designed Kid’s Box include; my name, colours, numbers, my school, my family, my toys, my clothes, animals and much more.

Speaking and listening are the most important skills to develop in a child when they are learning a language and EAL lessons are designed to introduce new vocabulary and encourage children to speak English.

Young children learn a second language if it is fun, so we play interesting games in the EAL classroom to aid in the learning of unfamiliar vocabulary about many topics. Various activities such as telling stories, sharing pictures, drawing art and singing songs, really focus children on the subject. Young learners have boundless energy, so chants and rhymes with movement and dance always work well too.

an Introduction to english as an additional language in early years

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Sometimes a little role-play, being a host, giving and following instructions goes down a treat, whereas group and pair work make the social learning fun too.

All of these activities provide an enjoyable way of revisiting words and give students an opportunity to use them in a memorable way. As time goes on, their confidence grows and spreads out into their other lessons and they’ll also expand their knowledge about the world we live in.

EAL often facilitates rapid progression in language acquisition and it will give children many benefits, including improved confidence. By learning everyday English grammar and English expressions, it really helps students interact with their teachers and make new friends in the classroom. It allows them to express themselves properly to get the best out of their education potential and perform well in lessons.

Once students have the basics of English, we work on giving them more advanced knowledge to improve their spoken English. Children enjoy their time learning to speak English at the Lakefront Early Years Campus and EAL students will find that they are able to function independently in the mainstream classroom and study better.

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By: Sophie Corr

All of the children in Lakefront Early Years Campus have been learning all about the traditional harvest festival known as Mid-Autumn Festival. We shared the story about the beautiful lady who went to live on the moon, created cards and sang moon-related songs. On the last day before the festival all of the children came into school wearing their beautiful traditional Chinese clothes, they all looked so beautiful! If you are still feeling in the festive mood then why don’t you make these simple moon cakes at home with your child?

Ingredients:  1/4 cup sugar  2 egg yolks  1/2 cup salted butter  1 cup all-purpose flour  1 cup strawberry (or your favourite) jam (traditionally red bean paste is used so if you want a more authentic version, you can use a can of red bean paste instead of the jam).  Directions:  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  2. Combine the butter, sugar and 1 egg yolk and stir.  3. Mix in the flour.  4. Form the dough into one large ball and wrap it in plastic wrap.  5. Refrigerate dough for half an hour.  6. Unwrap the chilled dough and form small balls in the palms of your hand.  7. Make a hole with your thumb in the center of each moon cake and fill with about half a teaspoon of jam.  8. Brush each cake with the other beaten egg yolk and place on a cookie sheet. (We didn’t have a brush to do this, so skipped the brushing step)  9. Bake for about 20 minutes or just until the outside edges are slightly brown  10. Makes 24

mid-autumn festival

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On behalf of the Primary team, I would like to welcome you a new school year and this edition of the newsletter. I am delighted to report that we have had a cracking start to the year. Yes, it has been busy, but it has been worth it. The new Hillside building is up and running and developments to the South Lake Campus are really paying dividends for maximising student learning opportunities.

Thank you to those who attended the Orientation Day at the start of the year. It was great to see so many new, as well as familiar, faces at the event. Those that attended were able to meet some of the new teachers at the school. Thank you to the parent community for being so welcoming to our new staff, it really makes a big difference.

I would also like to introduce you to our new Deputy Head of Primary, Mrs Christine Haslett. Along with Mr Andrew Cunliffe and myself, Christine will form part of the Primary Senior Leadership Team. She comes to us with over eleven years experience working in the UK, four of which were working as a Deputy Headteacher. She has already introduced the literacy curriculum to staff and we are busy rolling out reading and writing developments. Christine’s main role will be to support the continued improvement of teaching and learning opportunities.

I am also pleased to report that once again our students attained some amazing results in the end of year SATs. In particular, our Year 6 students, who have now moved on to Year 7, scored some really impressive results.

In summary:

- 95% of students achieved a level 4 or above in reading and maths - the expected benchmark for this age group.

- 71% of students achieved a level 5 or above in maths, attaining more than the required level for their age.

- 56% of students achieved the highest level possible in the Spelling, punctuation and Grammar test.

- level 5 writing results are at an all time high for the school.

a message from the head of primary

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a message from the head of primary

In summary, we are delighted with all our students’ attainment.

Particular mention must go to Shaun Lye and Vincent Chen, who both scored the highest levels possible in all subject areas. They truly are outstanding students. Congratulations!

I’ve had plenty of feedback about your thoughts and feelings on how our school is developing, and I continue to encourage you to communicate with us. We will be having our first Parents Support Group (PSG) meeting on Monday, 20th September. Big thanks to those that have been in contact to volunteer to be part of this group. Thank you to those that have also volunteered to become Parent Reps. I look forward to the continued support from our parents - a definite strength in our school.

Please continue to monitor blogs to keep up-to-date with class and school events. We have an exciting year ahead of us!

Kindest regards,

David Laird

“95% achieved a Level 4 or above in reading and maths.”

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By: Aimee Bainbridge

Thanks to a very big letter from a very sad dragon, the children in Year 1 have been working hard to restore Fairyland to its former glory. They’ve made beanstalks and rainbows, fairies and gingerbread houses. They’ve learnt how to write in sentences by making “Missing” and “Wanted” posters and even learnt to describe their feelings by putting happy thoughts in to magic boxes. As if that wasn’t enough, they have also been making character hats and reading absolutely loads of fairy tales!

With any luck, their hard work, super sentence skills and impressive knowledge of fairy tale plots and characters will have the friendly dragon smiling from his castle again in no time!

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Welcome to fairylandBy: Douglas Allan

Welcome from high up above!

The new KS1 building for Year 1 and Year 2 is now completed and I am sure everyone will agree that it looks fantastic. Not only this, but children, teachers and parents are all extremely happy with the smooth start to the year. We thought we should take this opportunity to share with you some of the positive experiences and opinions from the people who work and learn here.

Chloe from the Monkeys class commented on the new building by saying, ‘It’s so beautiful and fun,’ and when DuoDuo from the Turtles was asked what she thought about the building, she stated that she simply likes, ‘the playground and everything!’

Chris from the Giraffes class had great things to say about the playground - ‘It’s fun jumping down the ledges.’ As did Prajit from the Alligator class, who stated that the monkey bars and adventure playground ‘allows me to swing like a monkey.’

Kyra from the Dragonflies loves the lunch hall and being able to select what she eats. Titan will be pleased to know that her and the other children ‘like what they make every time!’

All in all, we have had a very successful start and we are all sure that this will continue into a long and successful academic year.

In addition, the children parents and teachers are all certain to be in possession of leg muscles to rival Mr. Ruck come June 2015!

A final thing to remember: we can see everything from up here!

high Up on hillside

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By: Andrew Cunliffe

To some, 13 may be considered an unlucky number, but this year, 13 Year 2 children reached for the stars and launched themselves on the first steps to academic success. At BSG, we recognise that each child can achieve success in different learning areas and at different times; using the correct pencil grip, perfecting a swimming technique, learning the times tables or even how to ride a bicycle. However, it is with academic standards that we truly judge ourselves, and each May, all children in Year 2 take SAT tests. These standardised UK tests measure attainment in core curriculum areas and provide an accurate international comparison for us as a school, and also for parents and children to measure progress and success.

This year, we are delighted to share the success story of the lucky 13 who outshone all others by achieving a prestigious Level 3 in all subject areas: reading, writing and maths! As a school community, it is wonderful to see how we can support each and every child to succeed in different aspects of their lives, and I am truly thrilled by their achievement. Now the bar has been raised, it is time to focus on raising standards even further in 2015.

Well done to; Rou Yu Yap (not pictured), Sophia Geng, Jason Liu, Homi Pan, Kelvin Shen, Preston Zhong, Juanita Lopera, Katherine Chen, Fiona Liang, Priya Panicker, Ericsson Lin, Jonn Teoh and Minnie Yeung on their amazing achievement.

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celebrating SuccessBy: Katherine Champness

You know physical activity is good for your body, but you might not know that there are four different types of exercise. Each type helps your body in different ways. In Year 3, we have been learning how to keep our bodies fit by doing a variety of physical exercises. Now it’s time for us to teach you how to keep fit!

1. Aerobic activity gets your heart pumping and your lungs working harder. It also may make you sweat. Aerobic exercise helps your mind and mood, too. How? It releases “feel-good” chemicals into your body. Aerobic exercise should make up most of the one hour you spend on physical activity every day. What counts as aerobic exercise?

Here are some activities to try:

• Skateboarding or rollerblading• Canoeing or rowing• Fast walking, hiking, jogging, or running• House cleaning or gardening• Dancing to music• Playing tag or jumping rope• Basketball or volleyball• Biking• Tennis, hockey, or football• Swimming

2. Muscle strengthening gives you greater power, but you don’t need big heavy weights. Even climbing on the monkey bars makes you stronger. Do muscle-strengthening activities at least three times a week.

Here are some activities that build strong muscles:

• Rope, rock, or tree climbing• Running or rowing• Push-ups, pull-ups, or sit-ups• Tug-of-war• Gymnastics

Keep fit Kids!

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Here are some activities that build strong muscles:

• Rope, rock, or tree climbing• Running or rowing• Push-ups, pull-ups, or sit-ups• Tug-of-war• Gymnastics

3. Bone strengthening exercise helps your bones grow and keeps them strong. You should do these exercises at least three times a week.

Bone strengthening activities include:

• Jumping rope, hopping, or skipping• Running• Hiking• Gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, or

tennis

4. Stretches make your muscles more flexible. They can help you reach, bend and turn better. Being flexible can help you avoid getting hurt. It’s good to stretch your muscles both before and after sport.

You can do special stretching exercises like toe touches or side stretches, but other physical activities are great for flexibility too.

Try:

• Yoga• Martial arts• Dance• Gymnastics

Exercising raises your body temperature and gets your heart pumping. It really is thirsty work! When exercising make sure you stay hydrated by drinking water.

There are all sorts of ways you can get active. You should do 60 minutes of exercise each day. Why not start out by just dancing to some music? The first step is to just start moving.

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By: Geraldine Thomason

It has been a fantastic start to the year for Year 4. Already we are well settled and expanding our minds with lots of brain boosting workout lessons. Of course, one of the most exciting elements of learning in Year 4 is using our brand new iPads. The iPads really add an extra dimension to how we learn and are already an integral part of the classroom.

We are enjoying our English topic at the moment, which is based upon the book, ‘The Iron Man’, by Ted Hughes. It is a brilliant book with great vocabulary, which really helps us to visualise the settings and the characters. We have also been able to link this in lots of ways to our topic work on recycling and even to our maths work on 2D shapes.

Look at the shape pictures we have created of the Iron Man using both regular and irregular shapes! In topic, we have been creating our own WEEE (waste electronic, electrical equipment) Men! This helped the children to see how we can help save our planet by taking care of all the electronics we own and disposing of them in a green way. By the end of the topic, the children will have written stories about their WEEE Man, and we are looking forward to some fantastic work!

Iron man in year 4

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By: Alexandra Paul

Over the last two weeks, Year 6 pupils have been working hard and enthusiastically campaigning for House Leadership. First, they had to complete a detailed application form and then candidates had to prepare a 2-3 minute speech to present to their house in assembly on Friday, 12th September.

With a little support from Miss Hardwicke and Mr Moore, Secondary English and Drama teachers, all the applicants presented confident speeches to attempt to persuade their house to vote. Results were very close as all pupils performed extremely well and demonstrated responsibility, commitment and integrity.

After a very successful house hustings, the House Leaders for 2014/2015, as voted for by the pupils are:

romans: Eduardo Bueno and Sabrina ChuSaxons: Leanne Corocotchia and Anna Meansnormans: Mushabe Rutega and Mabel NgVikings: Harry Carlin and Delia Wang

The House Leaders were presented to KS2 in assembly, received a pin badge to wear and special permission to use the coffee shop on Fridays.

In Year 6, all pupils are learning about the skills required to be a leader, and will be given opportunities throughout the year to develop leadership skills.

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house leadersBy: Victoria Brooks

Year 6 couldn’t believe their luck when they saw their teachers carrying big boxes of Malteser chocolates into their science lesson this week. The Year 6 students are busy learning about balanced and unbalanced forces, and what better way to make sure they are focused and listening than chocolate!

During the lesson, the students were tasked to experiment with balanced and unbalanced forces by using straws to blow onto the Malteser to move them. They attempted to create balanced forces by blowing at the same time and keeping the malteser still, as well as unbalanced forces, by trying to push the Malteser towards their opponent.

Their favourite task was trying to blow the Malteser straight up in the air. Lots of students were very successful too! The forces that keep the Malteser in the air are similar to those that keep an aeroplane in the sky. Air that’s moving fast has a low pressure, so the pressure inside the stream of air you blow from your mouth is lower than the air around it. This means that the high-pressure air outside the stream presses in from all sides and keeps the Malteser in place, while gravity is pulling down on the Malteser and preventing it from flying straight up. This is known as the Bernoulli Effect – it’s named after the man who discovered it, Daniel Bernoulli of Switzerland.

Who knew Science could be so delicious!

Scrumptious Science

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prIm

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By: David Mikhail

This first half term has seen the Year 6 students participating in both football and swimming.

All students receive two hours each week of physical education. They are building on the skills learned in Year 5 and we have noticed some potential stars already.

Mrs Samantha Mitchell teaches the swimming and the students have taken full advantage of the excellent facilities at school. All levels and abilities are catered for; from children who are still gaining confidence in the water to those that are competing for places in the upcoming fobissea games.

The Year 6 class teachers teach the invasion games unit and football has proved very popular. We too have seen a great improvement over the first few weeks of this term. The students have learnt many skills and have participated in small-sided games each week to hone their skills in a match situation.

Whilst I have not noticed the next potential Lionel Messi yet; with dedication, practice and commitment, they may just come from BSG!

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year 6 peBy: Samuel Ryan

This week, Year 6 have been looking at the structure of mystery and adventure stories with a focus on extending writing and independently producing their own text. This has been enhanced greatly by the use of the iPads.

Year 6 EAL students jointly constructed with the teacher a text titled, ‘The Cave’. Coupled with own ideas, a story was formed and characters developed. They decided that the setting would be an underground jungle inside a cave on the side of a mountain.

We explored example paragraphs, answered questions and identified the structure of the text. The unit resources were all accessible on their iPads via airdrop and students could then take notes and manipulate the images and texts with the teacher. This produced fantastic student engagement because all the information was at their fingertips within seconds of needing it. Without this integration, students would only be able to look at the interactive white board slide by slide, which can compromise valuable lesson time and hinder differentiation.

In doing this, it was easy for student-led learning to take place and for the teacher to hand over more responsibility to the children; they became the teachers of the classroom, explaining to each other parts of language using the teacher resources on their small displays.

Groups of two were assigned different paragraphs of the text, which they were responsible for producing based on question queues, word banks and model texts on their iPads. This was in tandem with reference points also provided on the interactive whiteboard, and the good old-fashioned hand-written board. Students were all given an equal opportunity for responsibility and they were well aware of what they had to achieve thanks to being able to frequently refer to lesson objectives and success criteria displayed on their iPads.

Once the paragraphs were written, we put them all together, filled in the gaps, looked at any errors and corrected collectively. The whole process ensured that students understood the text type and were able to achieve their learning objectives through application of given success criteria. All students performed outstandingly and truly upheld our core values, leaving the classroom more successful learners of English. Our year 6 students have had a great start to the year and we are all looking forward to seeing their language develop over the course of the year.

Technology in eal

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By: Joe Smyth

A big HELLO from the music department! We have so much in store for our young students this year. Plans are already underway to kick-start a new and exciting whole-school orchestra programme.

Already a reputable music department with a fantastic singing and choral programme, it is our belief that we are ready to up our game and to have an established junior and senior orchestra by the end of the year, linking with the Secondary School. There are many key steps to the success of this ambitious, yet achievable, plan. Students that play piano will have the opportunity of learning a second instrument in school that would contribute to the orchestra programme. Frederick from 5AS is already playing piano at ABRSM Grade 5 and said, “I want to learn other instruments. I want to be able to play the violin. I want to play music with my friends”.

We are also looking to introduce a variety of new instrumental lessons in school for endangered instruments such as the oboe and bassoon. We will be introducing a designated time during the week when the orchestras can meet for extended rehearsals to ensure that everyone achieves their full potential.

Boyuan from 5AS said, “I want to practise flute more and be part of a big group, playing with my friends. I like to perform”.

As we have an industry-rivaling recording studio on campus, we are looking to record a CD to highlight the success of our young people. We aim to take this with us on tour to places such as Hong Kong. There is no reason for us not to think big and go much further afield to Australia or even Europe in the future.

The British School of Guangzhou Orchestra: Coming soon!

prIm

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Sound of music!

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nanhu is alive with theSound of music!

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BanG BanG physicsBy: Chris Wright

On Wednesday, 3rd of September, the A2 Physics class had their lesson in a very unusual location. To investigate the momentum of explosions, they travelled to the shooting range in the Nanhu Amusement park. The students had been learning about the conservation of momentum and went to the shooting range to test how it applied to the gun. It was obvious that there was no momentum present in the gun or bullets before the gunshot, as nothing is moving.

However, for this to hold, there had to be momentum of equal magnitude in opposite directions after it was shot. Everybody excitedly took a turn with a rifle and could all feel the recoil from it as it shot, proving that it had equal magnitude. They concluded that although the rifle did not move as fast as the bullet, it had a much larger mass, meaning that it could have equal momentum.

The students decided to work out the velocity of the recoil. They asked the staff at the shooting range for the mass of the bullets and rifle and an approximation for the speed the bullet would travel. Using these values, the velocity of the rifle was quickly calculated to be approximately 0.1 m/s. Some of the students then calculated the perfect angle to fire the shot at to hit a target.

After our calculations, things quickly became competitive as we all took ten shots at a target. Each shot that hit the target was awarded a score between 6-10, with the 10 at the central chest area of the target. Caleb stepped up first and set an early marker of 86/100. Jolin went next and got a score of 44/100 after deciding to only shoot for the head. Kelly hit the maximum score three times but the rest of her shots let her down. Mr Wright also proved to be inconsistent but was happy with his score of 78/100.

In the end, the star of the day proved to be Jiayi Liao, who took home the prize with an amazing 88/100. The class really enjoyed this memorable lesson, where they got to experience the physics of explosions hands on.

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art BaselBy: Taku Yamane, Student

The Art trip to Hong Kong Art Basel was an astonishing experience for me. I wanted to share this experience with all the people in Japan too , so I wrote about it to a Japanese newspaper and it got published!

I would like to share my experience with everybody. The Basel was held on two floors of a huge convention center. There were literally thousands of artworks, and it wasn’t even possible to look through all of them during the 3 hours we were there! Many things we saw were beautiful, but what really was cool was that many of the things we saw were things that we had never thought as art: a squashed car, random buckets scattered around and an old man covered in paint, but it was all astonishing.

If you go there, the way you recognise things as art will clearly change. I really recommend you to go to Art Basel. Everybody should have the opportunity to enjoy this!

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moon cake makingBy: Dan Wang

Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in China. It is a special time for families to be together, and if not, people far from home will gaze lonely at the moon and miss their families.

The traditional food used for Mid-Autumn Festival is the moon cake, which is usually round and symbolises reunion. In order to celebrate this special event, a group of KS3 Chinese programme students went to the Garden Hotel to learn how to make moon cakes.

When we arrived at the Garden Hotel, the chefs had prepared all the materials needed for the recipe and were waiting for us. After the chefs’ demonstration, our students couldn’t wait one more minute, and they started a competition immediately. In the end, after a careful review, the moon cake that Christian made was awarded as the best, and the group of Ross, Mike and Juerk had made the most cakes.

Before having lovely Dim Sum, we had a quiz on Chinese culture. Although some students only just arrived in China a short time ago, they surprisingly answered most of the questions correctly. While everybody was full of delicious food, we boarded on the school bus, still with a handful of our cooked moon cakes and went back to school.

During this special time, we have learnt how to cook beautiful and delicious moon cakes by ourselves, and more importantly, we have learnt more about traditional Chinese culture. What a good time at Garden Hotel!

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crime & punishment - Welcome to the realm of eal By: Samuel Ryan

Year 7 were plunged into the depths of their EAL journey with an introductory activity, which involved being accused of a horrific crime.

a snapshot of the activity:

The students had just landed on the Island of Hawaii for their summer break; they were extremely excited to be away from their parents for the first time and ready to enjoy a fantastic beach holiday experience.

It happened in the afternoon at four o’ clock. The friends had finished their day of fun and decided to take a relaxing stroll on the bright white sands of their local beach.

BANG! A gun was fired, they turned around to see an individual on the floor; he had been shot! The friends panicked and didn’t know what to do. They didn’t see anyone with a gun and had no idea how the person had been shot. In the distance, they heard the sirens of police cars approaching.

The police took the poor students into custody, where they were questioned on what they had been doing during the day leading up to the crime. The students, obviously innocent, now had to produce an alibi and prove their innocence!

The outcome:

After coming up with detailed descriptions of times and places in small groups, students played a game in which they took turns to question the accused, taking the role of the police officers and the suspects. Depending on how much of their alibi the students could remember and converse verbally to the police, it was then decided whether they were guilty or innocent.

Why did we play this game? What was the outcome? Firstly, it was a great ice-breaking activity in which new students were placed into a context that they all had to experience and learn through together. This created an opportunity for conversations and new friendships between peers to form. Secondly, it allowed me to assess the Year 7 EAL language needs and observe what they could produce with scaffolding as well as independently. It also created opportunities for self-assessment, allowing students to look back on what they had written and said. The activity also gave focused grammar practice, using primarily the past simple and past continuous tenses, which the students were pushed into using via teacher scaffolding.

After a week of exercises based around this context, I feel that the students now have a better understanding of each other, feel safer to experience and explore English and are more comfortable with their new teacher.

A great start to a great year! Welcome to all on the EAL program this year.

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reSIDenTIal TrIpS SpecIal:SanyaBy: Philippe Demotte

The Year 7 residential trip to Sanya was a fun filled week of team building, kayaking, trekking and surfing. With the beautiful hotel pool and beach as backdrops to the activities, students made new friends and challenged themselves to learn new skills.

One of my personal highlights was the afternoon spent learning to surf. It was wonderful to see so many students take to the water and catch waves. We had excellent coaching from the Insight Adventures team and China’s number one female surfer. Mr Furnis however did not need any help as he amazed us with his pro-surfing skills.

With excellent food and evening activities, we always had plenty to do, and with the warm Sanya sun beating down on us, we were definitely not ‘Frozen’.

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Last year’s trip to Xiamen and Fujian province was a great success and was enjoyed by all. Our trip lasted 5 days and the students did many cultural and sporting activities. We visited several tulous (the traditional housing of the province) and viewed the daily life of the villagers there, we went to a tea plantation to pick leaves and learn about the tea-making process and also we hiked through the beautiful countryside crossing rivers and climbing tea terraces.

The more active students really enjoyed the visit to Via Ferrata – a huge climbing complex – where they scaled several steep rock faces and there was also time for golf at the hotel’s driving range.

reSIDenTIal TrIpS SpecIal:Xiamen

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The annual BSG residential trip to the clean air and empty vastness of Inner Mongolia was certainly a memorable one. The students and staff enjoyed a vast range of activities - sand sliding in the Gobi desert, archery, yurt building, horse riding, cooking and Mongolian wrestling to name but a few.

The hospitality and kindness of the people we met was fantastic. Students enjoyed themselves and made excellent impressions for our hosts throughout the week. Despite the sunburn and tiredness, the trip gave us all some great memories of a great experience.

reSIDenTIal TrIpS SpecIal:mongolia

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reSIDenTIal TrIpS SpecIal:Dali, yunnan

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We had a fantastic time on the trip to Dali last June. We flew into Kunming on the Monday morning and then travelled by coach for 6 hours to be welcomed by a beautiful Bai Style Hotel in the old town of Dali.

The first afternoon was spent on a tour around the town so that we could get our bearings and explore the beautiful buildings that Dali has to offer. Then, as the week progressed we did a variety of activities including a bike ride around the Erhai Lake and a scavenger hunt around the old town to explore the historic sites, little souvenir shops, cafes and architecture in and around the town. We climbed up a mountain on the Wednesday, which involved a cable car ride and a long walk.

The views were beautiful. Unfortunately, the weather turned in the afternoon, but this didn’t ruin the student’s fun and there were plenty of ponchos to go around. On the final day we were immersed into Dali culture and got involved in Tye Dye and cheese-making in a local village.

The food that we ate in the week was traditional Yunnan food in a local restaurant, located inside a traditional Bai style courtyard. By the end of the week the students were exhausted and this was not just due to the late night world cup football matches that a few students decided to watch! We had a brilliant week that strengthened bonds between the students and gave them a taste of culture in another part of China.

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history Trip to GermanyBy: Mark Howe

On 13th June 2014, BSG’s first ever Secondary premium residential trip began, as 42 excited students from Years 9 to 12 and 4 equally enthusiastic staff left Guangzhou bound for Europe.   During the next 12 days, the group visited Nuremberg, Munich, Prague, Krakow and Berlin and each day was packed full of unforgettable experiences, which all of us will remember forever.  As expected, the students behaved impeccably throughout and it was a privilege to be able to share the experience with them.   It is no exaggeration to say that some of them returned not only with lasting memories but also with new friendships as well as new attitudes and values, which will stay with them long after they have left BSG.On Awards Day, it was left to 5 of the students to summarise their highlights of this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

nuremberg (by marc Santos)

In Nuremberg we visited the documentation centre of the Third Reich, where we discovered the different methods of propaganda and rallies that the Nazis used. After which, we had an evening stroll around the old town of Nuremberg, an experience that you could never get here, from the cobblestone paths to the towering monuments. For many of us, it was the first time in Europe and Nuremberg was a city that did not fail to astound us.

The next day in Nuremberg, we had a walking tour of the Nazi rally ground, Luitpoldhain. This ground was massive, which included a marching road that was intended to stretch for 2 kilometres. Then we visited the Nuremberg Court rooms where the 1945 trials took place. It was where the high ranking officers of the Nazi Party were convicted for their crimes.

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What stood out the most for me was the architecture and how this was used as a form of propaganda. It made me realise how, using symmetry and enormous buildings purposely made individuals feel weak and isolated and at the same time made the state seem all-powerful.

munich (by mao lin huang)

After the beautiful tour around Nuremberg, we took a coach ride to Munich - the root of the rise of the Nazis. 

On the first day in Munich, we went to the Eagle’s Nest, which is a birthday present for Hitler. We also had dinner at the most famous beer hall in Germany.

On the second day we had a walking tour around the historical Munich. But the afternoon was the most unforgettable part of the trip. It was Dachau Concentration Camp. Where thousands of innocent people were murdered and lost their lives. Where they lost their dignity and have no rights. It was the first time that I realised being alive is the luckiest thing a person can ever have. That I have a family, I am loved, I eat well, I sleep in warm beds, and I am alive. 

prague (by andrea Solis)

A city untouched by modernization, with castles submerging us back to the past. A walking tour of 3 hours was not enough to see everything that Prague had in store for us; from the indescribable view from a bridge, to feeling like royalty in the palaces of monarchs.

History was everywhere and in everything we saw.

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Lidice. A memorial site of a town that was wiped off the face of the Earth, just because a man thought that the life of one Nazi was worth the life of innocent thousands.

Peace. Peace is the first thing that came to mind when I saw the site. Green grass rolling over hills, you could never guess that a village filled with people used to live there. People with lives, going to school and raising families, much like all of us in this room.

There stood a statue in the site, in what seemed to me the centre of it all. Never mind the peace, there was no peace there. The looks of hundreds of children facing something coming to them. That something could have been anything; death, reality or their fate.

I sat there not knowing what to think. Their hopes and dreams erased in a single swipe. Dreams, that we still have.

From this part of the trip I learnt - don’t let life just pass you by, you never know what life will hit you with.

Krakow (by Debbie lee)

The next city we vistited, Krakow, was the one we were anticipating the most. There waited Oskar Schindler’s factory and of course, Auschwitz, the main Nazi death camp in which 1.1 million Jews were murdered.

Since Mr Howe had shown us many pictures of Auschwitz and repeated with much emphasis that Auschwitz was going to be the experience of a lifetime, some of us were quite worried that it may not live up to our high expectations. I was afraid that while my other friends would be saddened by the camp’s heart-breaking history, I’d be indifferent to it.

But when the time came, Auschwitz put my doubts at ease. The scale of the camp was unimaginable. Even though it was right there in front of us, its magnitude was unbelieveable. It was as if time had stood still and we were returning to that moment on the timeline, feeling their sorrow and suffering through their hardships. The second I saw the shaved hair of the victims from decades ago, I felt as if they had survived the test of time to remind us of just how much damage a war could leave behind. Each one seemed lost, abandoned and that’s when I truly understood just how many had shed blood upon the ground I stood on.

This was truly an experience I was glad to have had and I think I’ll stay forever changed because of it.

Berlin (by Ivy Byereddy)

By the time we got to the much-awaited city of Berlin, we’d had our fair share of audio guides and tours. For a group of people who had already fallen in love with Europe, Berlin was a whole new high. Mr Howe’s favourite city soon became ours too.

What I found most interesting about this city was how effortlessly it combined its own fascinating history with a modern buzz. From free time in the main shopping street, climbing to the top of the Reichstag, to our visit to the soviet secret police prison where our guide was a former prisoner, we enjoyed every minute of it.

Most of all what I’ll miss about Europe in general will be the fresh unpolluted air and blue skies.

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Student leadershipAs part of the continuing growth and success of the secondary school, this year one of our key priorities was to increase the amount of student leadership positions available to our students. During the first 3 weeks of term all secondary students have had the opportunity to apply (via written applications) and attend interviews. We are delighted to announce that, after much deliberation and some very difficult decisions, all of these student leadership positions have now been filled (see overleaf).

We would like to congratulate each of these students for being selected for their role and we are very excited about the contribution they will make to the school this year.

1. project management: Leadership often entails ensuring a team complete a task done by a set time and to a certain standard. This gives an appreciation of designing, planning, monitoring and evaluating the project. This also teaches students about responsibility and accountability.

2. emotional IntelligenceSuccessful leaders need to be able to motivate others to work. This requires a high level of emotional intelligence (an understanding of what motivates and inspires other people) and very good interpersonal skills. We believe that this skill will be refined through practise.

3. Self esteem and self confidenceConfidence is built by success. This is particularly the case when it comes to successfully completing a challenging task. Our staff seek to find a balance of supporting our students to ensure they succeed as well as giving students the freedom to experience setbacks. Evaluating why a task has not gone well provides the most useful lesson for our students.

In addition to the formal Leadership positions, we are also keen to promote leadership in lessons and other extra curricular activities. Students can display leadership through managing school projects, throughout their interactions with others, in sports and the arts. We challenge our students to accept the responsibility of leadership and believe that those who embrace this can have a transformative experience.

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position Student(s) appointedHead Students (x2) Debbie Lee & Advaitha Byereddy

Co-Chairs of Nordstar Ivy Byereddy & Davy Yung Nordstar Secretary & Comms Anjelica Polychronopolous

Co-Chairs of Charity Committee Debbie Lee & Manzar Ul HaqCharity Committee Secretary & Comms Ann Yu

Charity Committee Fundraiser Ashish TelangSaxon House Ambassador Jan Janeczek

Saxon House Senior Captain (M) Andrew DingSaxon House Senior Captain (F) Bethany JayesingheSaxon House Junior Captain (M) Ishaan SharmaSaxon House Junior Captain (F) Marlie Greenhill

Norman House Ambassador Emmelyne LiNorman House Senior Captain (M) Max SiegelNorman House Senior Captain (F) Keisha RutegaNorman House Junior Captain (M) Peter ChongNorman House Junior Captain (F) Eunis Chung

Roman House Ambassador Valerie LyeRoman House Senior Captain (M) Jackson LiuRoman House Senior Captain (F) Bianca ChainaniRoman House Junior Captain (M) Duncan LauRoman House Junior Captain (F) Angel Lee

Viking House Ambassador Tyrek Richards-MorrisViking House Senior Captain (M) Justin LiViking House Senior Captain (F) Sarah RyanViking House Junior Captain (M) Henry WongViking House Junior Captain (F) Rachel Moon

Listening Ear (x4) Brenda Lye, Kotaro Hayashi, Yan Zino & Jessie NgSenior PE Leader (x2) Izabela Silva & Leroy LiJunior PE Leader (x2) Neil Verdiana & Phoebe Neel

Head Learning Rep Kate KieltyDeputy Head Learning Rep Sum Yi Yu

Learning Reps (x11) Lisa Riensche, Yanly Ying, Amy Wong, Lynuelle Corocotchia, Judy Huang, Seung A Shin, Ellen Kim,

Minjae Kim, TaeOh Kim, Javier Martos &Lucas Bachmann

Head Literacy Leader Apple LeeLiteracy Leaders Eeshta Suresh, Haerin Yeo, Angie Wong &

Charlene LimBSG Backstage Editorial Assistant Anjelica Polychronopolous

BSG Backstage Junior Editorial Assistant Tae LeeBSG Backstage Creative Designer Caleb Habos

Production - Assistant Director & Stage Manager Kwezi Rutega & Toluwani OmibiyiProduction – Technician Taku Yamane

Production – Lead Designer JaWon Kim

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Scholarship at oxford UniversityIn June, Valerie Lye, Year 11, was awarded a place on a two-week UK summer scholarship programme at Oxford University. Her application to the programme was so well received that she was offered her courses for free.

Valerie is one of The British School of Guangzhou’s most outstanding students and was chosen for showing academic excellence, leadership and a fantastic contribution to the school community.

She chose to study two courses: British Culture and Economics and Business Studies.

We are very happy at BSG to hear that Valerie, one of the youngest students on the programme, achieved significantly high results.

In her own words…

“Studying at oxford University this summer has allowed me to meet lots of new friends and learn many new things about universities in general. also, I really enjoyed the experience of being a university student for two weeks, as well as learning about the subjects I chose. furthermore, I also gained important knowledge on how to apply for UK universities and the requirements needed. I would say that this was a life changing experience as I acquired a lot of knowledge and a better understanding of university life.”

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a message from our new head Studentsadvaitha Byereddy

My name is Advaitha Byereddy and I have been with BSG since 2011. I’m currently studying in Year 12 and taking Maths, English Literature, Chemistry and Physics at AS-level. I’m very interested in Human Rights issues particularly relating to health and education and in my spare time I like to play tennis, read thrillers and watch crime shows.

The close-knit community at BSG has provided me with a homely atmosphere for the past three years. For this, I have only my passionate teachers and supportive friends to thank. They genuinely make my life complete.

Before coming to BSG, I had never felt excited about getting up and going to school every morning, but now I wake up ready for another fulfilling day at school. Whether it is a science experiment, a university talk, a house football competition or auditions for the school production, there’s just so much happening around school that not a day goes past without something to remember.

I’m thrilled to have been given the opportunity to represent BSG as Head Student this year. I hope to do justice to this role by being an impeccable example to all students. I’m extremely excited about the coming year and all of the opportunities I will get to represent the school.

Debbie lee

I am Debbie Lee in Year 12 and I have been studying in BSG for 5 years. Currently, I’m studying Mathematics, History, Chemistry and Physics for my A-levels. While engaged in my academic study, in my spare time I also enjoy baking, playing basketball and of course, watching Korean TV shows.

Life in BSG is a fantastic one – and an exceptional one. Our school provides an intimate, delightful environment as well as unlimited opportunities for us students to achieve our goals.

Over the years, I’ve seen our school grow massively, and I am deeply honoured to be one of the representatives of this beautiful school. As one of the Head Students, I understand that leading the Sixth Form together with Advaitha and our leadership team is a thrilling undertaking. With that in mind, I want to contribute as much as I can, especially through illustrating our five core values. At the same time, I’m excited to learn as much through this experience as I think it will help me to become more mature and more prepared for future challenges which may lie ahead of me.

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By: Iain Ruck & Mark Howe

The British School of Guangzhou are extremely proud of the achievements of our A level and IGCSE students. These results mean that the school is outperforming many of the most established and prestigious schools private schools in the UK and internationally and adds to the school’s reputation as an academic robust institution.

I.G.c.S.e (International General certificate of education)

In the UK, 6.7% of all examinations are graded as A* at BSG this figure is 53.8% which means that a student is 8 times more likely to achieve an A* at IGCSE at the British School of Guangzhou rather than the UK. 100% of all students managed to achieve 5A*-C grades (with an English Qualification and Maths) and this is the most commonly used measure of performance of schools in the UK and, again, puts our students at the top of any international or national league tables.

a level:

Our students performed remarkably well again here with 50% all exams being recorded as A* or A compared to 26% in the UK. Our A level pass rate was 100% and as a result 88% of students managed to get into their first choice University, including 50% of students getting into universities in the top 30 in the world.

examination results“50% of our graduates were accepted into some of the top 30 universities around the world.”

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awards Day 2013/14Congratulating those students who have achieved exceptional results and represent the best of our student community.

Outstanding Students2013/14

Key Stage 2Shaun Lye & Irish Cheung

Key Stage 3Lynnuelle Corocotchia & Bethany Jayesinghe

Key Stage 4 & 5Debbie Lee & Marc Santos

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aWar

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ay W

Inn

erS name of class / year Group name of award name of Student Winner

Class 1GF Academic Achievement Isabelle TengClass 1AB Academic Achievement Katrina(Zirui) ChenClass 1JC Academic Achievement Yuhan Ke

Class 1 MC Academic Achievement Sarah(Siyeon) KwakClass 1GF Progress Award Lucas(Sanghyun) WooClass 1AB Progress Award Kimberly LiuClass 1JC Progress Award Chloe(Yi) Zhuo

Class 1 MC Progress Award Elaine ChenYear 1 PE Selina ZhongYear 1 Chinese CFL Duo Duo DaiYear 1 Chinese CAL Yamone PalmgrenYear 1 EAL Sunny (Ze Xi) ChenYear 1 Music Leanna (Yin Ying) LiYear 1 PIMs Deborah (Zhi Ying) Chin

Class 2AC Academic Achievement Avril KongClass 2KC Academic Achievement Rou Yu YapClass 2DA Academic Achievement Homi(Hao Min) PanClass 2WG Academic Achievement Bern-Jonn TeohClass 2AC Progress Award Aparajitha Zhi He ZhangClass 2KC Progress Award Shirley (Sui Yuk) YungClass 2DA Progress Award Yoyo WuClass 2WG Progress Award Clara(Hyunseo) Roh

Year 2 PE Osman Khan MianYear 2 Chinese CFL Rou Yu YapYear 2 Chinese CAL Juanita Abril LoperaYear 2 EAL Clara(Hyunseo) RohYear 2 Music Bern-Jonn TeohYear 2 PIMs Minnie Yeung

Class 3TM Academic Achievement Ellery WuClass 3DB Academic Achievement Sophie(So Hyun) LeeClass 3CH Academic Achievement Calvin YapClass 3TM Progress Award Shawn (Cheng-En) ChouClass 3DB Progress Award Ewan KieltyClass 3CH Progress Award Enni Chen

Year 3 PE Eric SunYear 3 Chinese CFL Federica YeeYear 3 Chinese CAL Sophie(So Hyun) LeeYear 3 EAL Rachel (Seoyoung) ParkYear 3 Music Sophie(So Hyun) LeeYear 3 PIMs Hugo Inanaga

Outstanding Choir: Boy Ericsson(Jia Hong) LinOutstanding Choir: Girl Rou Yu Yap

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name of class / year Group name of award name of Student WinnerClass 4AP Class Outstanding Student King Fu ChiangClass 4AC Class Outstanding Student Mila CarpanoClass 4MM Class Outstanding Student Oliver WhitehouseClass 4NT Class Outstanding Student Nicole XieClass 5VB Class Outstanding Student Hannah TeohClass 5BS Class Outstanding Student Thea Gabrielle AlvarezClass 5CW Class Outstanding Student Terry(Chung Kwan) ChanClass 6MC Class Outstanding Student Rune RonnowClass 6JS Class Outstanding Student Elizaveta (Lisa) Shatovkina

Year 4 Chinese First Language Alisha LoweYear 4 Chinese Additional Language James(Jumin) KimYear 4 English Additional Language Elisa ZanlierYear 4 Physical Education Jasmine DewarYear 4 PIMS Jack(Yan Wei) LiangYear 4 Music Lulu(Yuen Lo) TsoiYear 5 Chinese First Language David(Ju Eun) LeeYear 5 Chinese Additional Language Min Ji WooYear 5 English Additional Language Steve(Ji Hwan) ParkYear 5 Physical Education Harry CarlinYear 5 PIMS Leon PalmgrenYear 5 Music Sheena(Shinye) LingYear 6 Chinese First Language Grace(Zhongyi) CaoYear 6 Chinese Additional Language Elizaveta (Lisa) ShatovkinaYear 6 English Additional Language Gibum (Robert) RohYear 6 Physical Education Jurek JaneczekYear 6 PIMS Sean(Jun Hyun) LeeYear 6 Music Angela(Min Gyeong) Kim

Outstanding Junior Choir: Boy Jorge NavarroOutstanding Junior Choir: Girl Alisha LoweOutstanding Song Leadership Helen(wing yu) Wong

Fobisia Outstanding Athlete: Boy Shaun LyeFobisia Outstanding Athlete: Girl Lisa ShatovkiaPrimary Student of the Year: Boy Shaun LyePrimary Student of the Year: Girl Iris(Yuet Yee) Cheung

Secondary award categories

year 7 year 8 year 9 year 10 year 11 Sixth form (yr.12/13)

chinese first language Monica Mok Emma (Xiyue) Mo Tim C. Huang Valerie Lye Davy (Man Tao) Yungchinese additional

language Rachel (Seo Ha)

Moon Rikke Ronnow Keishanyu Rutega Suah Hong Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee Carol (Jia Lu) Ye

modern foreign languages

Yu-Ling (Nana) Chang

Miguel Andrew Santos Lisa Riensche Emmelyne (Zi Qi) Li Advaitha Reddy Byereddy

mathematics Shing Tak Lam Donggyun Huh Lucas Bachmann Mao Lin Huang Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee Avinash Kundnanienglish Angel(Yu Hsuan) Lee Savana Shefer Lopez Angie (Yuet Yan) Wong Valerie Lye Advaitha Reddy Byereddy Anjelica

Polychronopoulosenglish additional

language Selina Shih-Yu Wang Kelly Yang Kitty (Hui Ting ) Su Cindy (Bao Yi) Lin Gordon Wong

psychology Anjelica Polychronopoulos

Science Andrew Chen Eeshta Suresh Kate Kielty Mao Lin Huang Advaitha Reddy Byereddy Kelly (Yuk Lam) Wonghistory Angel(Yu Hsuan) Lee Rie Ronnow Yanly (Yan Tung) Ying Jan Janeczek Brenda (Jee Ching) Lye Linda (Heesun) Kim

Geography Caitlin Jones Joomi Shim Kate Kielty Valerie Lye Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee Anjelica Polychronopoulos

Business Studies Ann (Yi An) Yu Eu Joon Yeoh Stephanie Ang XieInformation

communication Technology

Angel(Yu Hsuan) Lee Eeshta Suresh Jackson (Jie Shen) Liu Valerie Lye Advaitha Reddy Byereddy Nick (Yu-Chin) Chien

art Gordon (Tian Cong) Qi

Rie Ronnow Amy (Yuet Ching) Wong Mao Lin Huang Gordon Wong Jawon Kim

Drama Eunis (Tsz Yui) Cheung

Jojo Guo Bethany Jayesinghe Taku Yamane Kwezi Rutega

physical education (Girls) Rachel(Seo Ha) Moon

Joomi Shim Sarah Ryan Valerie Lye Andrea Paola Solis

physical education (Boys)

Andrew Chen Peter (Ze Jia) Chong Steven (Xiantai) Liu Mahmoud Bella Diallo Philip Sumner Chris (Cheng Ming) Lin

Global perspectives/epQ Ann (Yi An) Yu Andrea Paola Solis Ellen (Joo Yeon) Shimmusic Dawoo Yoon Miguel Luis Alvarez Bianca Chainani Cindy (Bao Yi) Lin Kotaro Hayashi Chris (Cheng Ming) Lin

outstanding members of Secondary choir

Shania Leuthner Joomi Shim Lynuelle Corocotchia Suah Hong Camille Lauras Marc Andrew Santos

KS3 KS4/5Instumental award Lynn Ma Judy Cin Huang

International awardGirls Boys

Senior Secondary Student of the year

award

Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee

Marc Andrew Santos

Key Stage 3 Student of the year

Bethany Jayesinghe Lynuelle Corocotchia

aWar

DS D

ay W

Inn

erS

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Secondary award categories

year 7 year 8 year 9 year 10 year 11 Sixth form (yr.12/13)

chinese first language Monica Mok Emma (Xiyue) Mo Tim C. Huang Valerie Lye Davy (Man Tao) Yungchinese additional

language Rachel (Seo Ha)

Moon Rikke Ronnow Keishanyu Rutega Suah Hong Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee Carol (Jia Lu) Ye

modern foreign languages

Yu-Ling (Nana) Chang

Miguel Andrew Santos Lisa Riensche Emmelyne (Zi Qi) Li Advaitha Reddy Byereddy

mathematics Shing Tak Lam Donggyun Huh Lucas Bachmann Mao Lin Huang Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee Avinash Kundnanienglish Angel(Yu Hsuan) Lee Savana Shefer Lopez Angie (Yuet Yan) Wong Valerie Lye Advaitha Reddy Byereddy Anjelica

Polychronopoulosenglish additional

language Selina Shih-Yu Wang Kelly Yang Kitty (Hui Ting ) Su Cindy (Bao Yi) Lin Gordon Wong

psychology Anjelica Polychronopoulos

Science Andrew Chen Eeshta Suresh Kate Kielty Mao Lin Huang Advaitha Reddy Byereddy Kelly (Yuk Lam) Wonghistory Angel(Yu Hsuan) Lee Rie Ronnow Yanly (Yan Tung) Ying Jan Janeczek Brenda (Jee Ching) Lye Linda (Heesun) Kim

Geography Caitlin Jones Joomi Shim Kate Kielty Valerie Lye Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee Anjelica Polychronopoulos

Business Studies Ann (Yi An) Yu Eu Joon Yeoh Stephanie Ang XieInformation

communication Technology

Angel(Yu Hsuan) Lee Eeshta Suresh Jackson (Jie Shen) Liu Valerie Lye Advaitha Reddy Byereddy Nick (Yu-Chin) Chien

art Gordon (Tian Cong) Qi

Rie Ronnow Amy (Yuet Ching) Wong Mao Lin Huang Gordon Wong Jawon Kim

Drama Eunis (Tsz Yui) Cheung

Jojo Guo Bethany Jayesinghe Taku Yamane Kwezi Rutega

physical education (Girls) Rachel(Seo Ha) Moon

Joomi Shim Sarah Ryan Valerie Lye Andrea Paola Solis

physical education (Boys)

Andrew Chen Peter (Ze Jia) Chong Steven (Xiantai) Liu Mahmoud Bella Diallo Philip Sumner Chris (Cheng Ming) Lin

Global perspectives/epQ Ann (Yi An) Yu Andrea Paola Solis Ellen (Joo Yeon) Shimmusic Dawoo Yoon Miguel Luis Alvarez Bianca Chainani Cindy (Bao Yi) Lin Kotaro Hayashi Chris (Cheng Ming) Lin

outstanding members of Secondary choir

Shania Leuthner Joomi Shim Lynuelle Corocotchia Suah Hong Camille Lauras Marc Andrew Santos

KS3 KS4/5Instumental award Lynn Ma Judy Cin Huang

International awardGirls Boys

Senior Secondary Student of the year

award

Debbie (Sun Woo) Lee

Marc Andrew Santos

Key Stage 3 Student of the year

Bethany Jayesinghe Lynuelle Corocotchia

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Seco

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Insects in art Year 9 Artists were given the opportunity to gather primary source information about the shape and structure of insects from direct observation at Guangdong Insect Research Station.

The staff at the center were very excited to have us visit them and our students were able to look carefully at the insects on display.

Back in the art studio, the processes of decalcomania and collage were explored to produce a possible design for a sculpture that will be created using found objects and recycled materials.

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year 13 Graduation Trip

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University DestinationsThe British School of Guangzhou had the bittersweet experience of waving off its first Year 13 cohort prior to the holiday. Our first cohort had been integral to our community and had given a number of years service to the school. We are delighted to be able to celebrate their academic successes and their acceptance by their chosen universities.

Destinations

The A-Level is the most globally recognised of all pre-university qualifications, having been established 70 years ago. This was proven by the excellent universities our students have opted for, according to the most recent university rankings.

Click here for more information.

50% of our students were accepted into some of the top 30 world universities - an incredible feat. The list of universities includes Edinburgh, Manchester and Durham, very well-respected UK universites. Sydney, Massey and Hong Kong Polytechnic, the latter 3, are prestigious Asia-Pacific regional universities, indicating the global recognition of the A-Level examination. The range of subjects to be studied are diverse, considering the size of the cohort, and they include engineering, geography and economics, psychology and applied psychology, business studies and international business, sports science, computer science and hospitality management.

academic Success

Our students recorded incredible A-Level results and we are so proud of their achievements. 50% of our students recording A or A*, a figure effectively double the UK rate of 26%. Our students worked incredibly hard to reach these levels and this was eloquently

expressed during Carol’s (the former Head Student) valedictory speech, where she particularly identified perseverance and resilience as two essential qualities for success during the demanding A-Level programme. These excellent grades were the most important factor affecting our being able to students to fulfill the universities requirements.

BSG support

The students worked incredibly hard for these results and they were supported by a tireless Sixth Form team that helped prepare them for university entrance. Ms Hearn and Mrs Ellis, in particular, were proactive in providing relevant work experience opportunities, careers advice, the Careers Fair, writing references and offering guidance to our students and they were supported by the efforts of their subject teachers. This year, we are also planning to extend our service by inviting a member of the British Consulate in to talk to parents with regard to student visas, as the process is complex.

We wish our former students every success at university and with their lives beyond this point. We are delighted that the Alumni has been set up as a way of keeping in touch with this group and subsequent leavers from BSG. Finally, we are proud of the foundations that the students, their families and the school have all helped to build and we are confident that these will stand them in good stead for the challenges ahead.

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International DayFamily FunfairSaturday, 1st November11am to 3pmBeautiful Lakeside Location

Traditional Stalls, Games& Live EntertainmentProgramme for all thefamily to enjoy

Food & Beveragesffrom Around the World

Grand Prize Draw withGreat Prizes & Fancy DressCompetition

Market Stalls fromAcross the Globe

Splash Zone, Bouncy Castle,Indoor Supervised CIndoor Supervised Creche,plus many more activitiesfor all ages

OUR STUDENTS SHINEAnother successful year of exam results

www.bsg.org.cn

99%of all IGCSE examinationsgraded A* to C.

88%

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Congratulations to our 2014 cohort of IGCSE and A-Level students for achieving exceptional results in their recent examinations.

These results are significantly above UK pass rates and are equal to or exceed those attained by prestigious international and UK independent schools.

Our Year 13 graduates are now studying at some of the top universities around the world.

The British Schoolof Guangzhou

2014 IGCSE resultsawarded grades A* and A.

of graduates accepted intotheir first choiceuniversities.

BSG

UK

76%

21%

2014 A-Level resultsawarded grades A* and A.

BSG

UK

50%

26%