High School Diploma Newsletter No. 2 / 15 th October 2010 P a g e 1

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1 No. 2 / 15 th October 2010 P a g e 1 Dear Parents, This week we concluded our series of special day trips and activities with an introduction to sailing on the Hermannswerder lake near Potsdam. Our instructor Toni showed us how to get acquainted with the boat s movements, and despite the lack of wind we also made our first attempt at using a sail. It turned out that the weather conditions were actually ideal for the absolute beginners we all are. During the past weeks other special projects included visiting one of Berlin s open air markets and then cooking recipes the students had chosen themselves; also, two weeks ago we attended the YOU youth exhibition at the old Tempelhof air-field which provided an opportunity to investigate careers, amongst others. With quite a few school shows and a GISST tournament coming up, I sincerely encourage the HSDers to get involved and support these events it s a fun way to make more of your school experience, and of course you can earn CAS hours, too. I wish you all a restful break full of beautiful autumn colours! Julia Peters, High School Diploma Coordinator Dates for your calendar 16 th 24 th October: Autumn Break Friday 5 th November: Gala Dinner 8 th 25 th November: HSD INTERNSHIP 11 th & 12 th November: MS/HS Play Passing Places 12 th & 13 th Nov: GISST soccer tournament at BBIS Tuesday 24 th November: Parents Consultation Day (MS and HS) Friday 26 th November: BBIS 20 th Anniversary Celebration at school Teachers in the High School Diploma programme: Mr Dave Dolin / Humanities Mr Burton Chamberlain / Business Studies Mrs Claudia Klooster / Science Mr Konstantin Padioukov / Mathematics Ms Julia Peters / English & German & Projects Mr Harry Klooster / ICT Mrs Leslie Kamphausen, Ms Julia Peters / Internships Mr Steve Gregory / PSHE Mr Richard Reynolds / Design & Technology Mr Steve Vandersteen / PE Ms Sharna Hughes / Educational Aide Instructor Toni, Mr Dolin and the HSD students after a pretty windless but very sunny and enjoyable sailing trip Learning traditional crafts at the YOU youth exhibition with Miss Peters, Ms Kamphausen and a Berlin master builder more news next page Cooking - with some help from the Swedish chef

2 No. 2 / 15 th October 2010 P a g e 2 Mathematics We have continued and finished the study of Financial Maths. Students had time in class to further practice their skills on solving various tasks that involved both interest and conversion from one currency to another. Students also wrote a test on Financial Maths and completed their projects evaluating an offer for a Credit Card from ADAC. English At the YOU youth exhibition - totally engrossed in making mosaics Clearing up the Market Garden for the winter Science Students researched the structure of a leaf using the internet and identified the functions of the different leaf tissues. Practical work included microscopy of the lower epidermis and determining the number of stomates by means of data processing (mathematical manipulation of data). The students harvested the last carrots, radishes, celery, beans and pumpkins and cleared the garden beds to get them ready for the winter. At the same time strawberries, garlic and various flower bulbs were planted for an early spring growth and leftover organic material was removed to the first compost bin. Students evaluated this year s Market Garden project by preparing power point presentations as a group, followed by an individual analysis to suggest constructive improvements for next year. The students had a test on writing successful applications, learnt key vocabulary associated with marketing and continued to read novels or short stories of their own choice on which they have also been assigned individualised writing tasks. As part of the school-wide International Week, they wrote reflections on this year s motto CHANGE and what it can mean for different people s lives. The students also wrote about their favourite experiences at the YOU youth exhibition. Business Studies We have worked hard on an introduction to business organizations. Students should now be able to distinguish between the private sector and the public sector and understand the importance of setting business objectives. Students have also written journal reactions to various business news stories.

3 No. 2 / 15 th October 2010 P a g e 3 Harvesting 100% organic BBIS veggies! Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) In PSHE we have been learning about group work theory and group work dynamics, in particular the work of Bruce Tuckman and his model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Endings within group development. The HSD students took part in a number of management games and activities and explored whether Tuckman s theory really could be demonstrated; this involved them cooperating together, leading and supporting each other through tasks which were purposely designed to challenge the process. After the Autumn holiday we will move onto the role of the individual within groups and how we can influence group work outcomes, either as members or leaders. Design Tech - designing and building compost containers Design Technology In Design Technology we are on the cusp of assembling the compost container for the market garden. Students have been working with great effort and focus using various hand tools, pillar drill, electric hand drill. After the investigation and design phases, the group is making two cube type units for composting the garden waste; the first one we will create on site and evaluate its effectiveness; further improvements to the second unit One of our smaller students produced the largest crops: huge sunflowers, the seeds of which we will be able to use next year Projects Cooking in the new boarding school kitchen - using some of our Market Garden produce By selling produce from the Market Garden mainly the rather delicious potatoes we were able to raise 130 for the Pakistan flood victims. This project included real-life business activities such as logistics, advertising and developing a sales and ordering system. The students also dedicated some of their project

4 No. 2 / 15 th October 2010 P a g e 4 will be made if necessary. We aim to create suitable compost material for the Market Garden in the near future. German After creating their own bilingual recipes, the German B students dreamt about Traumhäuser, learning the relevant vocabulary and writing & recording short descriptions (see one of the dream houses below!). They have also continued reviewing vocabulary and grammar, amongst others using their own individual vocabulary boxes to practice independently. Our German A (native speaker) student has been reading the novel Crazy and using different approaches analytical and creative to develop his understanding of the book. He has also begun practising tricky features of German spelling and grammar by creating a poster explaining the das/dass rule. periods to researching and applying for their internships. After the Autumn Break we plan to carry out two art projects with the support of Ms Chudy, Head of Art at BBIS. PE Unfortunately Mr Vandersteen is sick at the moment; during his absence, Frau Schönwetter is his substitute. The class has continued the unit on personal fitness; using a variety of tests, the students have ascertained the level of their strength and endurance, where possible comparing last year s with this year s results. The goal for this unit is for the students to develop their own individual fitness programmes which can be built into their personal weekly routine. An introduction to sailing at Hermannswerder (whistling for a wind & soaking up the autumn sun!) Mein Traumhaus The Palm Island House / Die Palmstrand Haus Mein Traumhaus ist auf einer Privatinsel in der Karibik. Das Haus ist sehr groß. Das Haus hat ein Kino, ein Boot, ein Schwimmbad, sechs Zimmer, vier Bäder, eine Küche und die Veranda. Ich reise mit dem Boot zu der nahe gelegenen Insel. Jeden Tag gehe ich auf meinen privaten Strand. Mein Traumhaus hat viele Fenster und hat viel Essen. Ich liebe mein Traumhaus. Scott Stewart, Grade 12

5 No. 2 / 15 th October 2010 P a g e 5 We actually get to put up the sail Humanities In Humanities the students are continuing to work on their personal research papers. The rough draft will be due on November 9 th. We will edit and rewrite until November 19 th when the final paper is due. On a personal note: Wednesday, October 13 th I went on a sailing trip with the class. We had a great time in spite of the fact that there was no wind! It was fun getting to know the students out of the classroom, eating sushi (thanks, Hee-Soo!) and being on the water. Getting ready for Halloween (?) with Werner von Siemens masks at the YOU exhibition Mr Dolin and some aspiring pirates of the Caribbean Any questions, comments or suggestions? Please phone or mail me at school: Julia Peters High School Diploma Coordinator Phone: / julia.peters@bbis.de