Dear parents,

Thank you to everyone who gave up some of their time to speak to teachers on the parent consultation days. Not only do we value your partnership, but there are plenty of academic studies out there that suggest that children perform better when their family shows an interest in their schoolwork.

I must apologize for missing the opportunity to wish our Hindu families a happy Holi in last week’s newsletter, and I hope that everyone who celebrated had a blessed day. Holi is surely the most visually striking of any of the holidays celebrated by members of our community, and if anyone has any images of any of our families celebrating the day, then we would love to share some of them on our social media (the same goes for any other holidays or festivals we celebrate please).

Keeping up with the British obsession of talking about the weather has been hard work for us all over the past week! Beautiful spring weather last Friday (perfect for any members of our community celebrating Holi, less ideal for those of us engaged in parent consultations for the day) was followed with storms, gale force winds (and tornados west of the city), and snow for the rest of the weekend. At the time of writing (Wednesday morning), we have beautiful blue skies and sunshine, but the forecast for this evening is reminiscent of that of last Friday night. Hopefully (as is often the case), the reality is not as bad as forecast and everyone has a safe commute home.

This week, Neurodiversity Celebration Week provided an opportunity for our community in both Lincoln Park and South Loop to learn more about how our schools help neurodivergent students to thrive. As well as learning more about the challenges and the many strengths associated with neurodivergent traits, children were surprised to learn more about lots of successful and renowned people, as well as some of their teachers, with diagnoses that include ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia. These conversations prompted students themselves to share some of their challenges and for their peers to demonstrate empathy and support. Opportunities like these are invaluable in creating a culture where each individual is valued and accepted for who they are and a space where they feel they belong.   

Later this afternoon sees both the Lincoln Park and South Loop (High School) Art Exhibitions. If you are able to attend either of these events you will see some excellent artwork created by some very talented students.

The amount of lost property that our children generate is impressive! While our front desk staff determinedly try to reunite students with their belongings, this is often impossible because very few garments (or water bottles, etc.) have the owner's name on them. While I appreciate that some students may feel they are too old to wear named garments, they are certainly not to old to misplace them. Please help us to help your child by labeling any clothing that they might become separated from!

Speaking of the front desk, you may have noticed that we have a new addition to the team this week. It is my pleasure to introduce Valerie Villegas to you all; she will be working alongside Cree Smith and Dave Gardiner to provide a larger team (Dave will also be providing admin support to the school Leadership Team). Please make her feel very welcome the next time you are in the building.

Best wishes,

MIKE HENDERSON

EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL

PRIMARY - UPCOMING DATES (subject to change)

*All parents and caregivers welcome at Stay and Play, Come and Learn, and Class Breakfasts.

• Friday, March 21 – Summer Clubs sign up closes at 10 a.m.
• Friday, March 21 – Early Year Stay and Play 8-8:45 a.m.
• Friday, March 21 – World Poetry Showcase in Gym from 9 a.m. – All parents and caregivers welcome. Tea and coffee available from 8:30 a.m. in the Library. Details in class notes.
• Wednesday, March 26 – Come and Learn from 8 a.m. We also have a special Juilliard Reception Music Come and Learn this morning at the same time. Details below.
• Thursday, March 27 – Mini Eurovision Assembly from 8:30 a.m.
• Friday, March 28 – Year 4 Trip to UChicago
• Friday, March 28 – Early Year Stay and Play 8-8:45 a.m.
• Friday, March 28 – Nursery Breakfast in Canteen 8-8:45 a.m. – Please sign up through MyMealOrder
• Friday, March 28 – Year 2 job fair from 8:30 a.m. in the Gym
• Monday, March 31 – Nursery Trip to Play Street Museum at 10 a.m.
• Thursday, April 3 – Primary Star Assembly at 8:30 a.m.
• Thursday, April 3 – Parent Wellbeing Workshop #3
• Friday, April 4 – Early Years Stay and Play 8-8:45 a.m.
• Friday, April 4 – End of term – No clubs or After School Care today. Pick up from 3 p.m. in classrooms

Dear Parents,

This week is always one of my favorite ones with Poetry at the forefront. We have been hearing the children reading classics, composing their own poetry, and using poetry in walks of school life. Teaching the Year 6’s Drama this week revolved around seeing how different children identified and worked with pieces of poetry. Tomorrow we are delighted to welcome you all to our Showcase from 9 a.m. in the Gym. All year groups will be performing!

This morning our Reception children gave the most wonderful performance in their assembly on a mash up of traditional tales including Dancing with the Stars and Bake-Off, too! We were dazzled with the work the children put into the assembly from their clear lines and speech to a wonderful dance and song at the end. These assemblies really do help showcase the incredible students we have here at BISC-SL.

This week, we’ve been celebrating Neurodiversity Week at school, an important time to raise awareness and understanding about how every brain works differently. Neurodiversity refers to the natural variations in how people think, learn, and process information. This includes conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more.

Throughout the week, Learning Support have been going into classrooms to teach the students about the strengths that come with different ways of thinking, as well as how we can support each other to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. They ended the presentation with an activity that simulated the experiences of neurodiverse individuals, such as tasks that mimic the challenges faced by those with ADHD or dyslexia. By walking in someone else's shoes—like trying to focus with distractions or reading with a distorted text—students gained a deeper empathy for the daily hurdles neurodiverse peers may face, helping to foster a more supportive and understanding school community. Teachers have been encouraging open discussions and activities that promote empathy, understanding, and respect for our differences. 

As you will be aware the Clubs sign up for the Summer Term closes at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Do remember to have a look at the new clubs’ guide which you will have received to see some of the new and exciting clubs on offer. You will also see in the primary Class Notes that our Summer Camp dates, and pricing has been released. We are excited to be able to be an array of activities both inside and outside during the summer and further details will be announced after the Spring Break.

Our star students this week are:

Have a wonderful weekend,

JO GARDINER

HEAD OF PRIMARY

SECONDARY - UPCOMING DATES (subject to change)

• Thursday, March 20 – HS Art Exhibition at 4 p.m. 
• Thursday, March 27 – Tri-M Recital at 6 p.m. 
• Saturday, March 29 – Service Saturday 3 at 8:30 a.m. at Greater Chicago Food Depository 
• Thursday, April 3 – Parent Wellbeing Workshop #3
• Friday, April 4 – Last day of term 
• Sunday, April 6 – Thursday, April 10 - F1 Nationals in Charlotte 
• Monday, April 7 – Friday April 18 - Spring Break 

This afternoon sees our annual HS Art Exhibition, where our IB students: Lola, Giana, Nieves, Bella, Kaitlyn, Chloe, Raymond, Ada, and Maria will be presenting their Artwork through carefully curated exhibitions up at the Roosevelt Collection. This event is one of the highlights of my calendar as we get to see the fruits of two years of work from our IB artists as well as seeing work from our other brilliant art students while hearing some of our talented musicians perform. If you can come along, we would love to see you there! 

Our F1 teams are putting the finishing touches on their F1 in Schools National Finals preparations. If you would like to find out more or feel you could contribute to their fundraising/preparation, please check out the team information below: 

And finally a huge congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the MathCON national finals on Saturday, May 10 at McCormick Place in Chicago: Vincent Gu (Y9), Daniel Guo (Y9), Arthur Lee (Y9), Waldo Wang (Y7), Max Zhang (Y7), and Aidan Guo (Y7). 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, 

NIKKI ABLE

HEAD OF SECONDARY

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