#English Middle & Senior School Blog

6 Oct 2015 | Comunicacion BDS
6 Oct 2015 | Comentar

Round Square Singapore Conference: Tuesday 6 October

[gallery link="file" ids="30269,30271,30272,30273,30274,30270"] Today should have been service day for the WHOLE school and for the foreign delegates. Unfortunately a bad haze in the sky, caused by large scale tree burning in nearby Sumatra and a prevailing wind that brought the air contamination ever closer, made the school cancel their massive plans for the day. UWCSEA students therefore had classes while the delegates and lead pupils worked inside school helping Primary and Junior School pupils with their service projects. Others helped young handicapped children, who visit the school weekly, with physical education while Franco and Ignacio were busy with a group of elderly citizens talking and playing games. An omission from a previous report was that on Sunday afternoon Federico Johansen gave a service presentation to Round Square Heads and reps about our Germinare experience (Note: see slides). It was well received and a number of schools questioned Federico afterwards. His talk was one of four; the others coming from projects in China and India...well done Federico. NEW!  Below, the album of who our students have lived with these last few days i.e. host child, brothers/sisters, parents, plus the other foreign visitor/s. [gallery link="file" ids="30278,30279,30280,30281,30282,30283"]
5 Oct 2015 | Comunicacion BDS
5 Oct 2015 | Comentar

Round Square Singapore Conference: new report (Monday 5 Oct)

[gallery link="file" ids="30260,30259,30258,30257,30256,30255,30254,30253,30252,30251"] The conference finally started on Friday when our delegates met with others at the Dover Campus of the UWCSEA...United World College of South East Asia. This is one of two school campuses run by the United World Colleges in Singapore, slightly bigger than the other with a capacity of 3000 students! Our delegates met with students from all over the world, participated in some activities and then took part in an informal gathering where dancing and singing groups welcomed us. Argentine music and dance played a part in this ceremony. At the end the delegates left with their host families...all six of our delegates in homes with at least one other foreign delegate. Saturday morning started with the official opening of the conference at which the Headmaster of UWCSEA and King Constantine of Greece welcomed all. Later there was a fascinating keynote lecture by given by Tim Jarvis (explorer and Antarctic adventurer who had followed the route taken by Ernest Shackleton when he unsuccessfully tried to cross the frozen continent but managed to save the lives of all his team). Our pupils then took part in a tree planting ceremony and Luz was BDS's representative at lunch with the King and Prince Alexander. In the afternoon "baraza" discussion groups saw the delegates, for the first time enter interactive groups with others from across the globe. Sunday morning began with a scintillating keynote address from Kavita Ramdas, an Indian lady committed to advancing women's rights in India and elsewhere. I suggest to all that one Googles her...a great opening speech for the day. There then followed more "baraza"* group discussions before an enjoyable a BBQ lunch and then for the pupil delegates a free afternoon with their host families. Today, Monday all delegates have enjoyed a "Discover Singapore" experience in which they have moved around the city on public transport enjoying the different areas of interest...a full and tiring day. We adults ended the day 63 floors up at the top of 1 Altitude, the highest building in Singapore...impressive! Steven Page - Headmaster & Rector *Note: "Baraza" is a Swahili word that means a deliberation meeting held by a collective group of a people; a public meeting held in order to discuss important matters affecting the community. (Sources: Baraza.org - Online dictionaries (Oxford,  The Free Dictionary).  
1 Oct 2015 | Comunicacion BDS
1 Oct 2015 | Comentar

Singapore Conference: Thursday

[gallery link="file" columns="2" ids="30159,30160,30161,30162,30163,30164,30165,30166,30176,30175"] Today we followed another tourist route this time around Marina Bay, the traditional dock area. As in most cities this part has been totally renovated with a mixture of recreational areas, fantastic sky scrapers, tourist attractions and the remains of some old buildings. At one time we found ourselves walking the track, the starting grid to be precise of the recent Formula One Grand Prix! Finally late in the afternoon we visited Senosa Island...just before the rain started. Tomorrow the Conference has its induction day...various activities have been arranged as delegates from around the world slowly congregate. Later in the day our delegates will meet their hosts with whom they will stay for the next 6 nights. Steven Page - Headmaster & Rector  
30 Sep 2015 | Comunicacion BDS
30 Sep 2015 | Comentar

Round Square Singapore Conference: Wednesday

[gallery link="file" ids="30127,30128,30129,30130,30131,30132,30133,30134,30135"] "A big electrical storm in the middle of the night luckily cleared so we were able to walk around the different zones of the city (Little India, Arab and Chinatown) unaffected by the weather other than the intense heat and humidity! In all we covered about 14km and really enjoyed the three cultural areas. We later walked through the beautiful Fort Canning Park. Apart from walking we used the city's underground system and Federico, having separated from us, used a local taxi to catch up with the rest. Now back at the hotel the delegation is enjoying a well earned swim in the hotel swimming pool." Steven Page - Headmaster & Rector 
29 Sep 2015 | Comunicacion BDS
29 Sep 2015 | Comentar

RS Singapore Conference: the arrival (Tuesday)

0915_Singapore Trip_ Arrival "After 40 hours on the move we have finally arrived in Singapore and more recently our hotel. Most of the students did not experience "take off" in London as with little sleep the night before and a full day in Hampton tiredness finally took over. However, we have arrived in good spirits and somewhat  awed by the heat and humidity and by the lush vegetation that is all around. Now it's off to the showers and/or pool...7pm local time." Steven Page, Headmaster / Rector 0915_Singapore Trip_ first meal First meal... all Asian dishes!
18 Sep 2015 | Comunicacion BDS
18 Sep 2015 | Comentar

The Hague International Model UN

[gallery link="file" ids="30027,30028,30029,30030,30031,30032"] From September 9th to September 12th a group of eleven BDS students attended the 2nd Annual Session THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations) Latin America, held at The British Schools in Montevideo, Uruguay. The theme of the conference was: 'Evaluation of the Development of the Millennium Goals’. Those three days provided our students with the opportunity to think deeply and seriously about important issues. The conference helped to forge a common understanding of this critical and crucial agenda and assist with ideas to influence change and shape the future of Latin America and the global society. They made lots of new friends, learned from each other and allowed their uniqueness to flourish during the debates and in their leisure time. Above all, they had a lot of fun! The students that attended the conference were: Valentina Cappa, Mercedes Mariño, Lucas Reynoso and Ana Paula Velástegui from S5 and Pilar De Salvo, Andrea Erbetti, Milagros Huang, Julieta Perelman, Daniela Riggio, Federico Rojas and Camila Quintana from S4 representing New Zealand and Turkey. Delegates, student officers, School Authorities, teachers, and distinguished guests gathered in the Auditorium for the Opening Ceremony. Before the formal proceedings got under way, a one minute silence was held to honour those who had been lost to war or natural disasters. The official flag bearers then opened the ceremony in true pomp and circumstance as they paraded onto the stage with the national flags of the participating countries, organizing schools, and the THIMUN LA logo. The last day, at the General Assembly Plenary, all the Commissions resolutions were discussed. The third resolution that was passed, tackled one of the most serious worldwide public health issues of the 21st Century, childhood obesity. It was submitted by New Zealand  (Valentina Cappa’s) from the Health and Youth committee. Obesity may cause several types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases amongst others, as well as leading to a low quality of life and low self-esteem. A key point mentioned was that genetic factors are not the main cause of childhood obesity, but a diet high in energy and fat. Germany and Finland took the floor to defend the resolution as they were co-submitters. Congratulations to Valentina and Ana Paula, whose resolutions were the most voted for and to all our participating delegates who contributed to the high level of the conference and made Turkey and New Zealand stand out. Mónica Bruck -Head of Humanities, Middle & Senior