Welcome to School Year 2024-2025!

Dear BSM Family,

Mabuhay! Welcome to School Year 2024-2025. A very special welcome to our new BSM family members! To each and every one of you - I hope you all had a fabulous break and are looking forward to a super year.

As you may already have seen and experienced, our incredible BSM team has been hard at work over the holidays with refurbishments and improvements. You will find refurbished Primary and Senior Cafeterias (FoodiE Bistros), bathrooms and change rooms around the school, the Senior School Assembly Hall (no longer can we call it the bunker!), floors, walls, classrooms, laboratory prep rooms, ICT in El Nido, Main Building offices, the Main Hall ceiling..and so much more. Sixteen major projects in all. On behalf of all of us, a huge thank you to our COO Maita Borromeo, Operations Manager Dee Trovela, and their teams.

Last week, teachers and academic staff were at school preparing for our students’ return and the year ahead.

We also competed in our traditional Amazing Race and am pleased to share that our staff teams contributed to House Points:

^{Tap left or right to see more photos}

The top team on Friday was TEAM PANALO (the English translation is Team Winner or Winning Team) from Mindanao.

The overall combined points from Friday are as follows:

Just like last Friday, our return this week has reflected a wonderful energy and positivity across the school.

As I shared at our opening assembly, just like the recent Olympic Games’ athletes, we will face challenges this year and we will also celebrate triumphs. There is a Japanese Proverb which says: "Fall seven times, stand up eight."

As with those phenomenal Olympians, let’s not allow our challenges to define us, rather to be humble in our success, cheer for the success of others and continue to get up when we’re down.

I’ve borrowed the following from the opening speech by Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 Olympics Organising Committee and adapted it for us here at BSM -

Discrimination, conflicts and challenges around the world are not about to disappear,

At BSM, our Purpose and Values provide a platform to prepare our students to face these challenges,

I am reminded by our community spirit how beautiful humanity is when we come together.

And for the next school year, we can represent the best version of an international school community.

As a community we must embrace shared goals and create deep connections; connections of meaning.

Together, we ensure that BSM is a welcoming place, a place of true belonging. Let us embrace our BSM Core Values of Respect, Integrity and Kindness because, through that, we strengthen our community and the opportunity for a strong and healthy environment where all can flourish.

Our students remain at the centre of our community and the centre of our purpose, and I urge each of them to appreciate the opportunities they are given and grasp them with both hands.

Here’s to a fantastic year BSM!

Martin van der Linde

Head of School

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NOTICES

Whole School Photograph - 22 August 2024

Dear BSM Families,

We hope you’ve had a great first week back. Please be advised that our Whole School Photograph will be taken on Thursday, 22 August at 8.15am.

We ask that you plan your travel to school so that you arrive with sufficient time as we will be unable to wait for any late arrivals.

All students must be in proper complete uniform to be included in the photograph. Please refer to the Uniform, Dress and Appearance Code in the Family Portal for guidance on daily uniform, permitted hair accessories and note that students won’t be able to join the photograph if they attend in PE or House uniform. Students who have PE later that day should bring their kit to change into. For more information, please refer to the Whole School Photo Guidelines attached here.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Communications and Marketing Team