September 2018 saw the launch of our new coding classes in our mathematics and technology department. In partnership with TechSpark Academy and EPFL, all of our grade 8 and 9 students are now learning computer programming as part of their core Brillantmont curriculum. These courses have been met with great enthusiasm by our students. Brillantmont is the only school in Switzerland to make such a course a compulsory part of the learning programme. Isn’t that a fantastic opportunity?
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Today is a big day! It's the day we welcome back boys and girls from all over the world to start the new school year. The transition into a boarding school abroad can be daunting and even scary. It's normal to feel a bit anxious and apprehensive about being far from family, maybe for the first time. Here, we share some advice to help make this new stage in your lives as smooth as possible.
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For several years Brillantmont International School has been working in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. Every year students do year-long fundraising activities and thanks to the generosity of our school community (who have enjoyed many bake sales, tombolas, pizza evenings and more) over CHF.4000 was raised. The highlight of the club however, is the building trip which sees students head to exotic desinations like Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia but also closer to home. This year students returned to Portugal, a country to where BM students have been several times in the past. Too often, we associate poverty with developing countries, yet, it is prevalent in the just around the corner, as our students saw.
They headed to Braga in Northern Portugal, where they helped build a house for the Alves family. Sakura and Sofia explain; "After arriving at the site we were lead by Joaquim Alves to see the place were he is currently living. He showed us to a garage, where he lives with his wife and his 19 year old daughter. The space was really crowded, and he showed us all the pills he has to take because of his kidney problems. After seeing his current living conditions we got the motivation we needed to continue with our hard work to give Joaquim his dream house. "
Taking learning beyond the classroom is very important and at Brillantmont, the teachers like nothing better than to show new cities to our students, so they can discover them together. With that in mind, a small group of students headed to the German capital, Berlin - a city which has played a key role in modern European history.
Their busy schedule had a fun edge as they had a cross-city treasure hunt, with specific information to seek out during their week.
The students stayed in Alexanderplatz, which bears witness to Berlin's political upheavals. Since German reunification in 1990, this famous square has had a huge overhaul, bringing it in line with the modern city but there is still lots of evidence of it's chequered history.The architecture was radically modern for the time and designed to impress the world. What better place to immerse the students in this exciting city?
Accompanied by Maths Co-ordinator, Mr Kennedy (and German teacher, Mrs Kottsieper) Mathematical skills were tested, as students measured angles between monuments and over the course of the week mapped and calculated angles and distances between famous sites. A city bike tour was another great way to explore the city, as well as having fun!
The group packed it all in - Panoramapunkt, Potsdammer Platz, the Reichstag, Angela's Merkel's apartment, the Victory Column, Checkpoint Charlie, sections of the remaining Berlin Wall, Berlin TV Tower and encounters with all sorts of famous figures, including a famous mural of Brezhnev kissing Honecker.
For Valerie, one of several graduates, it was her last Brillantmont trip, so was particularly special, now that "the end is upon us!"
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The Brillantmont Summer Course kicks off in a few weeks and we are very excited to welcome students from all over the world to the Brillantmont summer family. The BM summer school is well known for creating a great balance between studying and having fun. Maybe your child is considering starting boarding school and you want them to get a taste of what it is like to live away from family, or maybe your child has been going to summer school abroad for a number of years already and can’t wait to go back again. Whatever your situation, our Summer Course has something for everyone. Click below to watch the link to our Summer Course film.
Sports are an important part of Brillantmont life and provide students with much-need time out from their studies, a chance to think about something else, as well as to get fit of course! The sporting year at Brillantmont is rich in diversity as we aim for students to try many different sports. With an excellent range of sports facilities on campus, plus those of the city and lakeside, the programme is varied and fun.
Sports teach students perseverance, how to work as a team, how to take the lead, how to develop strategies and above all, sports celebrate friendship, which is at the heart of boarding school life, as Maria, captain of the volleyball team explains, “Being in this team allowed me to meet an amazing group of girls whom with I have shared laughs, cries, stress, nerves, disappointment but mostly satisfaction and joy. We all have grown closer together and improved infinitely together as well, getting to know the sport better than I thought I would. I have experienced teamwork like I never had never before, and a unique sense of belonging and unity.”
The 1st term sees students getting back into shape after their long vacation and with the ski season on the horizon, the focus is on developing physical strength through ice skating, running by the lake, urban workouts or specifically targeted exercises. The 2nd term focuses more on team sports, playing lots of volleyball (we are proud winners of the inter-school cup), unihockey, basketball and football and the swimming pool. The highlight has to be the week long ski week to Zinal, summed up simply by Nina, “Ski week was one of the best weeks in my whole BM life. So happy I went. I had a great time.”
As temperatures rise, students head outside, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, playing more tennis, beach-volleyball by the lake or in the athletics stadium.
Living in the city means students can enjoy famous Lausanne sports events, such as the Midnight Run, where hundreds of Father Christmas figures run through the old town. Over a third of the school ran the popular Lausanne 10km and 20km, with fantastic results and we have the fun filled Colour Run to look forward to in autumn.
Sports are a great way to forget the stresses of the day, to disconnect from academics for a while and to enjoy developing a new skill.
Brillantmont is very proud that our Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Care Coordinator, Mrs Julianne Brown, is on the National Executive Committee of NAPCE (The National Association of Pastoral Care in Education- www.napce.org.uk).
"A while ago, we shared our preparations for Geometry Week at Brillantmont International School. It's in full swing and the students continue to be engaged in interesting and exciting new ways of connecting maths to the world around us. All this week students at Brillantmont are improving their geometry skills and getting to grips with abstract concepts. Every year our mathematics department joins forces with a different department and asks students to consider the links between subjects. This year we are connecting the dots between mathematics and art. Students have been learning about geometry and creating designs using abstract compositions and impossible shapes.
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We're always thinking cross-curricular at Brillantmont and trying to find ways to engage the students in Maths by thinking creatively. We are currently in the throes of the "Splat competition", which is a regular annual event for which students can win a prize by completing as much of the booklet as possible. The Brillantmont Splat Challenge 2018
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