British International School of Cracow

From the Head of School The reports should have been given to your
children during this week. Please look at them and
Dear All,
read carefully. If you have any questions regarding
reports please contact directly subject teacher,
I would like to welcome on board our newly
homeroom teacher or the management team
appointed librarian Mr Karol Górka. Mr Karol has
(Head of Primary Mr Neil Hugo, Head of Secondary
got Master degree in Philosophy from the
Dr Fran Marchadour-Tunstall or Head of IB Dr
Jagiellonian University and he received full
David Twigg). Let me express my words of
teaching and librarian qualification from the
gratitude to all teaching staff of BISC Krakow for
Pedagogical University in Krakow. We wish him all
completing the mission of writing half-year reports
the best and we hope he will finf BISC a happy and
on time.
peaceful place to work.
We are all devastated by the most recent news
We have also appointed two new Designated
about the gigantic earthquake, which hit Turkey.
Safeguarding Leads; Ms Marta Mleczko (Art
Our thoughts and prayers are with millions of
Teacher)and Mr Mark Elliot (EAL Coordinator). If
Turkish families who were directly and non-
any students feels sad or upset, frightened or
directly affected by this natural disaster. If you
scared or if someone said something unkind or you
would like to help them, you can contributing
are in trouble and want to talk about it – this is
financially and donate money using the following
what Designated Safeguarding Leads are for. Ms
link: https://www.siepomaga.pl/en/pah-
Marta and Mr Mark together with Ms Monika
turcjasyria. These operations are monitored by
Zabowka (ALN Coordinator) and Ms Agnieszka
Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) https://
Larysz (school psychologist) are here to help you.
www.pah.org.pl/en/ – the organization which we
trust 100% and we did collaborate with them on
I would also like to
many occasions in the past.
address your
attention to Parent
Remaining
Teachers
sincerely yours
Association – our
Dr Stanislaw Kwiecinski
internal
organization
chaired by Ms Meda
Felecan. A group of
brave people who scarify their free time and
helping to organize and monitor many school
events. Bake sales, balls, field-trips, Halloween and
carnival parties , charity funds and much, much
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
THE HEAD OF SCHOOL MESSAGE Page 1
more . If you feel that you could contribute and
PRIMARY NEWS Pages 2 - 4
got engaged , please do not hesitate and contact SECONDARY NEWS Page 5
Ms Meda directly via schoology or email UNIVERSITY NEWS Page 7
meda_felecan@yahoo.com SCHOOL CALENDAR Page 9

BISC NEWSLETTER Pg 1
 Primary News
FS1 News
Last week, Little Frogs learned all about cold places
on our planet . We explored the ice cubes and
even built our very own igloo! This was a
wonderful way to learn about our planet’s coldest
places. We also celebrated Chinese New Year with
our own Chinese restaurant.
FS2 News
In FS2 we have been having fun measuring
different lengths using nonstandard units. We
have learned that to get accurate results we need
to start at one end, eave no gaps, stop at the end
and use the same tool the whole time.

Xian Nian Kuai Le

新年快乐

Year 1 News The Bake Sale

was fun.
Year 1 brought in baked goods to raise money for
an Orphanage in Krakow. All
together, Year 1 raised zl 644
for the orphanage. Year 1 also
completed an art project
competition where they made
up their own animals with
features that they thought
could help the animals survive
in the Amazon forest. Well
done to Victoria for winning
the competition!

BISC NEWSLETTER Pg 2
 Year 2 News ICT Corner
This week in Maths, Year 2 have This half term, the students from Year 3 and 4 had
been looking at 3D shapes. We the opportunity to learn how to create a movie
had lots of shapes we could using the application
touch and feel and we worked Powerpoint.
out how many They learnt and developed
faces, edges the ability to insert
and corners titles with styling. They also
they had. We explored how to insert
also cut out 2D pictures, animations,
nets which we then folded into transitions, background and
3D shapes. timing setting.
We have also been learning to The suggested theme in Year
tell the time with an analogue 4 was the EU countries.
clock. We started easy with Students were asked to
o’clock and half mention 5 elements: the
past and soon name of the country, the capital city, the official
we will be language(s), the currency
moving on to and the flag.
more difficult As part of the curriculum,
times such as Year 3 children had to
quarter past familiarise themselves with
and quarter to the 2D and 3D Shapes.
the hour. The other themes varied
according to students’
choices and preferences
Year 3 News such as hobbies, winter
sports, at the zoo or in the
We have continued to look over the myth of farm.
Theseus and the Minotaur in English this week. We
have looked at alternative ways of telling a story
and decided to draw a comic strip to show the
Year 4 News
events of the myth. We have been doing a lot of great
deal in Year 4 recently, from
finding fractions of amounts,
learning about common and
proper nouns, investigating gases
and how oxygen is used up when
things burn. We have celebrated
birthdays and visited the local museum to stand
face to face with real Egyptian mummies. Wow!
That was just the last two weeks
We enjoy Maths
in Year 3

BISC NEWSLETTER
P
 Year 6 have been
Year 5 News working hard with
batteries, cables, light
In Year 5, we have become bulbs, switches and
'Sugar Detectives'! We buzzers as they learn
looked at how sugar can about electircty.
affect our sleep, energy, Here we see pictures of
weight and most importantly the students trying to
our good and bad bacteria's. design and build their
We noticed that many of our own switches. Much
lunch boxes were filled with frustration lead to failure
'healthy' snacks, we got but each group finished
investigating. We were really the session with success!
grossed out by our discoveries!! Next time you're
enjoying a Kinder Bueno, remember the 11 spoons
of sugar inside :)
Some of our discoveries
were:
One small pack of Oreos - 4
teaspoons of sugar
One tiny ketchup sachet - 1
teaspoon Don’t forget the mid term
Bob the Snail rolls - 3 break
teaspoons
Prince Polo - 5 teaspoons
School is closed
Mon 20th - Fri 24th February
Year 6 News
Year 6 joined Years 3, 4 and 5 to recently visit the
theatre underneath the Clock Tower on the main Our last Golden
Book entrants
square. We were all very excited to descend the
steps into the very intimate theater.
The performers came onto the stgae to perform
for us a very clever and funny rendition of
Thumbelina. The performance was in Polish but
even then I was able to follow the story and learn
some new words in my new home language.
Picture of all of the children who were invited onto
the stage at the end of the show.
Mr Hugo

Date Event Time Location

16th February Last Day before Holiday
17th - 26th February HOLIDAY - SCHOOL CLOSED

27th February School reopens 8.30am

BISC NEWSLETTER
 Thumbelina

Secondary News
Lamda exams
Ten students from BISC
and ISK recently
successfully completed
their online LAMDA Acting
exams. Once again, BISC
hosted the practical tests
which results in a
Certificate and/or Medal
plus detailed written
feedback. The LAMDA
programme also includes
tests in Public Speaking,
Improvisation, Devised
Drama and the Speaking
of Verse and Prose. One thing's for sure, LAMDA is
These exams gave BISC
an excellent way of improving a young person's
presentational skills which are certain to be and ISK students the
needed in later life! A LAMDA qualification can opportunity to
also count towards UCAS points for University collaborate and work
entrance. The LAMDA programme return in together on a common
September and all students from Year 5 project.
upwards are encouraged to enroll. “All the
World's your Stage!"

BISC NEWSLETTER Pg 5
 by the snow and
BISC PRESENTS cold turning both
camps,

TARZAN Auschwitz II in
particular, into a
bleak and
The musical
desolate scene of
barbed wire,
June 2nd, 3rd and 4th 2023 guard towers and
prisoner blocs
More exciting details to follow
stretching into
what looked like
History Trip to Auschwitz Memorial and Museum oblivion.
Twenty-three students from Y10 to IB2 took part Even this wasteland can inspire and remind us that
in a trip to the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum this was a place where languages intermingled
on Friday 3rd (the inscription at the International Monument to
February as part the Victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau is written in 23
of the ongoing languages), where love
translation between communities
project, which could grow (in the
sees BISC beautiful example of
students Edward Galinski and Mala
translating Zimetbaum), and where
documents from nobility towards a fellow
Polish into English for the Auschwitz Museum. Our human being was possible (as in the case of
students were welcomed by the museum staff, Maximilian Kolke, who gave his life so that another
who through their work showed us the importance might live). In other words, Auschwitz is both a
of preserving the reminder of the depths to which we can sink and
memory of the the heights to which we can reach, if we so
camp’s choose.
inmates. As the contact
It was a person for the
strenuous trip. translation
Our students project, I would
were shown how like to thank IB2
the Nazis devised students who
methods of took part in the
torture - both project, and Maja
physical and Gunia in particular for her role in managing the
psychological - project. A special mention goes to Mr Robbie
to fleece Nicholson for his role as proof-reader. I hope that
prisoners, the torch will be passed on to other students, who
torment them too can contribute to the preservation of memory.
and ultimately Should any other student or parent be interested
destroy their in volunteering their time, either on site or online,
very existence. the museum warmly receives any expression of
It was a interest. More information can be found here:
sobering https://www.auschwitz.org/en/volunteers/
experience, Patrick Lagendijk
and was
compounded

BISC NEWSLETTER
 University News
Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University (UJ) is a public research
university that was founded in 1364 by King
Casimir III the Great, and is the
13th oldest university in
continuous operation in the
world. The university library is
one of the largest of its kind and
houses a number of medieval
manuscripts, including the
famous De Revolutionibus by
former student Nicolaus
Copernicus. As well as Copernicus, past alumni
include Stanisław Lem, Ivo Andric, Bronisław
Malinowski, Wacław Sierpiński, Karol Olszewski,
Carl Menger, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wisława
Szymborska, among others.
UJ offers BA and MA programmes in Polish and in
English, though the selection of English language
programmes is smaller. There are English language
bachelor programmes in the Humanities
(European Studies; Global and Development
Studies; International Relations and Area Studies)
and in the Sciences (Earth Sciences in a Changing
World). UJ also offers a broader range of English
language MA programmes in the above faculties.
Last but not least, UJ offers two English language
medical programmes that can be studied from
scratch: its Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
programme and its MD programme.
As far as tuition fees are concerned, students who
wish to study English language programmes will
need to pay a tuition fee (which came roughly to
4000 euro per year last year). The MD programme
costs 15,000 euro per year while the DDS
programme costs 14,000 per year. Polish language
programmes are free to Polish students and to
European Union students. The places available on
Polish language programmes are limited however
by a government-imposed quota.
This is why it is important to apply early. For
English language programmes applications start in
early March while for Polish language programmes
applications start in June. For more on the
admission process please see UJ’s online
application system: https://irk.uj.edu.pl/pl/.
Interestingly, Polish students who wish to enter UJ
BISC NEWSLETTER
do not have to complete the full IB diploma
programme provided the student studies those
subjects which a particular programme requires.
For example, to study Biochemistry students need
to completed their studies in two of the following:
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Mathematics. That
being said, the IB diploma programme does allow
the students to keep their options open while at
the same giving them the specialisation to enter
particular programmes.
The admission criteria for the English language MD
programme is more rigorous. Applicants need
evidence of their English language proficiency (the
equivalent of 6.5 at IELTS), a high school-leaving
examination certificate as well as having studied
Biology or Physics and Chemistry. Applicants will
also have to sit an entrance examination,
conducted in English.
UJ therefore provides for many an affordable way
to obtain a university qualification in a prestigious
institution, one of the foremost in Poland. It is
possible for non-Polish students to apply to Polish
language programmes, and the minimum level of
Polish is B2. I for one plan to apply to their
Buddhist Studies programme (the only programme
of its kind in Poland) and the requirement that I
speak Polish at a sufficient level for me to access
the programme certainly will help to motivate me
improve my command of Polish.
P
 Summer School Options
Cambridge, UK English.
My name is Ms Kasia Stepniak and I Dates: 05.07 - 25.07 and 26.07 - 15.08 (three weeks
am an EAL teacher here at BISC but course)
in the summer I work for an To find out more about the courses please contact me at
international summer school for young k.stepniak@bisc.krakow.pl or go to
learners in Cambridge in the UK. This www.bellenglish.com/young-learners/.
year I will be returning to Cambridge There will also be a meeting for all students and
and if any BISC students are interested in joining me to parents that might be interested after half-term
experience living in a British boarding school, here is break.
some basic information about the camp profile. From
my perspective, a summer school like this can be a truly
unforgettable and life-changing experience that can
improve students’ essential language skills, but can also
help them develop life skills and prepare them for their
HAVE YOU HAD AN
learning and work in the future. EXPERIENCE AT SUMMER
The school is called Bell and it’s one of the leading
language schools in Britain with over 60 years of SCHOOL?
tradition. The Cambridge School is located in the
historic centre of Cambridge and offers three separate SHARE DETAILS WITH US SO
courses:
Summer Explorer – This course focuses on developing THAT WE C AN SHARE THEM
core English language skills through project based and
interactive learning and is great for students who want WITH BISC FAMILIES
to improve their English skills and boost their
confidence. It also includes a wide range of afternoon
and evening activities, as well as 3 full-day study tours
to discover some of British tourist attractions. It’s
suitable for students ages 11-17 and all levels of
English.
Dates: 05.07 - 18.07, 19.07 - 01.08 and 02.08 - 15.08
(two weeks course)
Young Cambridge Scholars - This course gives
students advanced university-level learning through a
combination of subject study, an inspiring lecture
programme from Cambridge University lecturers and
educational study tours and activities. It’s suitable for
students ages 14-17 with a minimum B1 level of
English.
Dates: 05.07 - 18.07, 19.07 - 01.08 and 02.08 - 15.08
(two weeks course)
Young Business Leaders - This course will support
students to develop their general and specialist language
skills and enjoy business themed study tours such as
Bank of England or Museum of Brands inspiring them Watch out for Tarzan
to become business leaders of the future. It’s suitable for He could be anywhere.
students ages 14-17 with a minimum B1 level of

Beautiful
Cambridge
What are
YOU doing
this summer?

BISC NEWSLETTER
School Calendar

BISC NEWSLETTER Pg 8