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Today we had our year 10 Parent Teacher Conference which was a great opportunity for discussions to be had between parents, pupils and teachers about how they have been doing socially, emotionally and academically in their first year of IGCSE.

This week we have really explored our imaginations as our children, along with a little help from parents, have created some terrifyingly wonderful costumes for Halloween but where do these ideas come from?

I wrote briefly in my blog on the 30th August about student leadership and it is safe to say that ́student leadership becomes the topic on everyone's lips here at BCB. The act of leadership is a personal journey that involves bringing ourselves to our leadership experiences, development and learning (Haber - Curran; Tillapaugh, 2017) . One example of student leadership at BCB is the ́new ́ house captains. This year we have four cats; lions, tigers, panthers and jaguars. Student involvement in this initiative will inevitably strengthen an already tangible connection between pupils and the school ́.

There are so very many reasons why I became a teacher, to contribute to society and community in a meaningful way, to change the life of a child, to open minds, to be a lifelong learner and many, many more but I do get asked why did I want to leave the UK and work internationally?

This week I had the pleasure of watching our Secondary pupils sailing at The Santo Amaro Yacht Club (YCSA) during their P.E lessons. Whilst watching from the dry shoreline I saw our pupils thoroughly enjoying the experience under the watchful eye of trained YCSA instructors.

The culture of learning at The British College of Brazil (BCB) is defined by a feeling that you get as soon as you walk through the school gates. It is a feeling that is not tangible but it is definitely there. When I arrived from Cambodia via Abu Dhabi thoroughly jet-lagged the very next day upon arrival I was faced with a school community that was warm, understanding and supportive.

“Creativity is as important now in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.” ― Sir Ken Robinson

What an amazing Arts Week it has been with the department organizing an array of different activities ranging from Rock ´n Roll to Fashion, Hip Hop to the OPUS woodwind group. The week began with an introduction to the clarinet, oboe, bassoon and flute.....all sounding amazing but my favorite is the Bassoon, what a beautifully deep, rich sound!!! Highlighting just why the arts are important was the theme of the three days and ended with me sharing my perspective on the arts and my journey. Nord Anglia Education has an exclusive partnership with Juilliard which delights me because I am an avid admirer of the arts. People who know me are aware that I was a keen footballer and now a coach but did you know that I was a ballet dancer until my later teenage years. Whilst I was listening to Ms Baldwin speak about the importance of the arts and the journey they can take you on, a journey of personal exploration, I fondly recalled my days on the stage.

"Encouraging a child to go outside in all weather builds resilience, but more importantly, it saves them from spending their life merely tolerating the "bad days" in favour of a handful of "good" ones - a life of endless expectations conditions where happiness hinges on sunshine." - Nicolette Sowder

Sometimes it feels like ages until we have our holidays from school, other times we seem to lots of holidays but the time we spend at school has a huge impact on how much formal education we have and how successful we are in reaching our goals.

Here at The British College of Brazil (BCB) our first ever Year 12 cohort have started their IBDP journey and it is important that they both embrace the first year, have an open mind, take (healthy) risks and enjoy themselves!!!

As teachers we want our students to be curious, to discover things and to investigate. If we want children to be excited about the world around them, they need the freedom to be fully immersed in the learning and to be engaged in following their own unique style they need to be engaged in the joy of doing rather than the final product.

On Monday The British College of Brazil (BCB) hosted a teenage mental health workshop with over 30 families attending hosted by Sandra Baldacci in order to raise awareness of mental well being among our pupils and how the school home partnership can function to look after them.

I hope we all had a wonderful long weekend last week and managed to find time just to be, to be playful and to enjoy a slower pace for a few days. I was fortunate enough to spend time in the countryside and to begin my exploration of this amazing country. I really took advantage of the peace and tranquility that being in nature can bring and I was reminded of a wonderful poem by William Martin*

The highlight of the week in Secondary School was undoubtedly the bake sale organised by Ms. Mendes and the Social Events Committee!

Teaching and Learning at BCB!

Why We All Need Time to be Playful

Why Music education is so important? Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, and life to everything… Without music, life would be an error. (Plato)

The importance of vocabulary