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.
Read MoreSports 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).
Student wellbeing is at the heart of the Brillantmont experience and Mrs Brown works hard across the team of staff, ensuring that every BM student feels happy, secure and at home.
Julianne successfully organised and hosted a conference at Brillantmont in May, welcoming others from international schools to explore the question of 'The impact of Behaviour and Wellbeing on Educational Outcomes', with Pastoral Care experts Professor Stan Tucker and Dr. Dave Trottman from Newman University, UK.
Julianne reflects, "Educational research in the area of social and emotional wellbeing in schools has established a strong evidence base for linking wellbeing and academic achievement. An important research report in this area, in the UK, was: "The impact of Behaviour and Wellbeing on Educational Outcomes" (DfE Research Report 2012), which found that "Children with higher levels of emotional, behavioural, social, and school wellbeing, on average, have higher levels of academic achievement and are more engaged in school."
Nonetheless, social and emotional wellbeing is often considered as a personal issue. NAPCE partnered with Brillantmont to run a one-day conference focusing on "Contemporary Issues in Pastoral Education and Care". The aim of the conference was to encourage a more proactive, integrated, whole school approach for social and emotional wellbeing where health, boarding and academic colleagues would have a space to reflect on these important issues together and consider other possibilities for wellbeing practice in their schools.
The diverse mix of participants suggests that pastoral care issues are a concern for everyone who works in the school context."
One thing is for sure -organising conferences such as this, provide opportunities to share and exchange ideas and maybe find new perspectives, as we strive to keep student well-being at the very heart of all that we do here at Brillantmont.
"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.
Read MoreWe'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
Read MoreBrillantmont teachers are always using different resources in order to fully engage and stimulate their students. In the Maths Department, some classes are signed up to the online iMaths and my iMaths platform. Through a variety of activities, games and quizzes, students can extend and reinforce their maths skills, consolidating their in-class knowledge. Their teachers can even set and mark homework through it. Students receive clearly explained feedback on their results, helping them and the teacher evaluate areas of strength and areas which need further work.
Cooking up a cultural feast!
This week saw our first international evening of the new school year. What better way to learn about a country's culture than through its food! At BM international evenings pave the school year and our students are always very excited and proud to be able to show-case their country to others who might know very little about it. They work together with our chef and our kitchen team to cook delicious food for over 100 people and put a lot of thought and energy into the little details.
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