Meet the Author - Atharv Shinde!

BISA is delighted to introduce to you our newest, youngest published author - Atharv Shinde, age 9 and one of our Year 5 students!

Atharv's book, titled "The Behemoths : End of Warbringer",  is published and available worldwide on the following websites
http://www.amazon.com, http://www.amazon.in, http://www.amazon.co.uk, http://www.amazon.fr, http://www.amazon.es, http://www.amazon.it, http://www.amazon.nl, as well as on Amazon websites in Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand.
About the book:
Randy Harper is an ordinary 14 year old, up until he encounters his school bullies. That day his life changes for ever…. Before he can digest this new welcome change, he is burdened with the responsibility of gargantuan proportions. It
demands Randy to do something that he has never dreamt of. Randy has to fight - but not for himself. Despite help and support of friends, this fight is not easy. His enemies are unknown to him and are hiding amongst the people he
interacts with on a daily basis. Tough villains and Superhero teams – step into the incredible adventure of Randy Harper to find out more…
About the Author:
Atharv Shinde hails from Satara, Maharashtra, India. He is presently a Year 5 student at Braeburn International School, Arusha, Tanzania. He is an alumnus of Naval KG School, Colaba, Mumbai and Holy Innocents’ High School, Wellington, Tamilnadu.
Like any nine year old he is a fun loving guy and has varied interests from chocolates and ice-creams to astronomy. He loves playing cricket and rounders. Atharv is an avid reader and loves to pen his thoughts. Through his hobby he aims to inspire and inculcate habit of reading and writing amongst the younger generation.
With World Book Day just around the corner on Thursday 7th March, we invite you all to come and meet the author and hear more about his incredible achievement! Congratulations, Atharv - we are so proud of you!

Primary Swim Gala

Second term is known as 'swim term' due to the perfect weather, and last Wednesday did not disappoint with the sunshine and blue skies ready for Swim Gala Day!

Our Primary students had an opportunity to display all they have been learning with Coach Anze with every child in the Primary competing in at least one event for their house team. From the youngest in the school up to Year 6, each child gave their all and showed fighting spirit in their races, cheered on by the classmates and house teams on the sidelines.

It was also an opportunity for our Junior Swim Team to compete in their home pool and show off their developing skills and talents. Coach Anze even got in the pool to race his team!

In the end, it was Kilimanjaro who came out on top for Primary. Congratulations!

A massive thank you to all the parents who came along to join the fun. We look forward to seeing you all again at our next event.

Germany and Poland trip leaves an impression on our students

Twenty-six students and three teachers braved a wintry central Europe to visit several important places in both Germany and Poland over half-term. No sooner had we landed in Berlin, than we were out braving the cold and exploring, beginning immediately with a visit to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag - Germany's parliamentary building. Our focus in Berlin over the course of our visit shifted between Nazi Germany and Cold War Berlin - some standout highlights being the Berlin Wall, the Stasi Prison, Cold War Bunkers, the Olympic Stadium and the Topography of Terror. Our four days in Berlin were extremely rewarding and very enjoyable.
Next, our trip moved onward to Dresden some two hours south from Berlin. Here, we were greeted by our first sighting of ice and snow. Nonetheless, undeterred our students braved this wintry feel to visit Germany's newly-renovated Military Museum and Dresden's old town. Here, they learnt extensively about the Dresden Bombing Raids during World War and about life in post-war East Germany. Our stay in Dresden was only limited to two days as we had to move westwards to Krakow in Poland but the students really did enjoy visiting Dresden.
Our visit to Krakow began with a visit to the infamous Schindler's Factory, where an excellently designed museum introduced our students to life in Krakow both pre-World War Two and during the war. The museum helped to introduce different aspects to the war, for example resistance and survival, whilst informing them about the inspiring story of Oskar Schindler. The next day was arguably the most poignant but certainly the most chilly. Arriving to Auschwitz early morning, we were greeted by considerable snow and bleakness. Our students were guided around both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz Birkeneau and engaged maturely with what they witnessed. Our visit to Auschwitz was complimented on our final full day with a meeting with a Holocaust survivor. She emotively told her story about her survival of the Holocaust from an impossibly unique perspective - something I am sure our students will remember for a long time. - Mr Wheatley

FS1 Delight with their Nursery Rhyme Assembly

'Matilda' may be finished, but that doesn't stop other areas of the school continuing to delight and entertain with their own performances. This week it was the turn of our FS1 class at the Infant School who brought a series of Nursery Rhymes to their assembly in front of an excited audience of their school friends and  mums and dads.

Performing 'Hickory, Dickory, Dock', 'Humpty Dumpty', 'Five Little Ducks' and 'I'm A Little Teapot', complete with accompanying costumes, they sang and acted their little hearts out. Nursery Rhymes are a crucial early step in learning to read and write. Knowledge of rhyme and simple songs are part of the building blocks of reading and it is delightful to see some of our youngest learners so enthusiastic and excited about sharing their learning.

They ended their assembly with a hilarious video of interviews with the children about their favourite Nursery Rhymes and rhyming games which was then emailed home to parents to enjoy!

Well done, FS1!

'Matilda The Musical' - an absolute triumph for BISA!

This week saw the culmination of months of effort and hard work with BISA's production of 'Matilda the Musical' being performed to audiences in Nairobi, Arusha and Dar-Es-Salaam.

Based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book of the same name, Matilda follows Matilda Wormwood, a bright little girl who immerses herself in books. Matilda is discarded and belittled by her dimwitted parents—her father insists on calling her a boy and harps on her “stupidity” for preferring reading to watching the telly—and her hostile headmistress, the outrageous and wicked Miss Trunchbull. Reclusive, but with an ever-growing imagination and sharp mind, and with a caring protector in her teacher Miss Honey, Matilda dreams of a better life, daring to take a stand against unjust forces and to grasp her destiny in her own, tiny hands.

With a cast made up of everyone from Year 7 to Year 13, and an incredible set that was adapted for every different theatre as they toured, this truly was a whole school effort. The cast of eccentric, hilarious and sometimes truly outrageous characters were brought to life by our students and they did an incredible job. Their comic timing and commitment to character was truly delightful to watch.

The musical itself was written by Australian musician-comedian, Tim Minchin, and is filled with catchy songs like 'When I Grow Up', 'Revolting Children' and 'Miracle' which our students clearly loved performing alongside the huge amount of physical theatre and choreography.

The final result was a truly spectacular show that will remain in the memories of audiences and performers for years to come. An absolute triumph! Congratulations to you all.