What a vibrant week for our Senior School students. Thank you for your support

Mar 20 2026

Dear families,

I was in school on Saturday, watching BSM Sports Rugby Festival and sitting in on Senior Production rehearsals. At the same time, Mr Wharne was sending updates from the FOBISIA Kidwind STEM Competition in Taiwan, while Mr Hunt kept me informed as our intrepid mountaineers made their ascent of Mt Arayat. Alongside this, we were preparing for the FOBISIA Golf Tournament and welcoming home students from the FOBISIA Drama event.

We offer a great deal, don’t we? And that comes at a cost to you— financially, of course, but also in terms of time and energy for families. I see so many of you at these events, supporting, encouraging, and simply being present. Parenting a BSM student is no small commitment, but I hope it is a deeply rewarding one. We speak often with students about the importance of active gratitude; I hope, every now and then, you feel some of that reflected back to you at home.

For all of this, we are—and always will be—a school first. During the week, we held a remarkable session in which a group of students spoke with honesty and courage to the Leadership Team about their lived experiences in school and what helps them to learn best. It was, without question, one of the most impactful hours of my year so far. It has prompted us to reflect carefully on how we continue to hear, value, and act upon student voice.

Kind regards,

Mark Attwood

Head of Senior School

English: Year 10 and Year 6 bring a haunted adventure to life

Storytelling lies at the heart of Filipino culture. Across generations and across the world, people share the same desire to tell stories that spark imagination and build connections.

This spirit came alive in a unique collaboration between Year 10 and a selection of Year 6 students, who worked together over several months to create an interactive horror story. The older students carefully crafted vivid and suspenseful paragraphs while working with their younger partners to shape ideas and bring scenes to life. Together, they built a carefully structured choose-your-own-adventure story, guiding readers through a mysterious haunted house where every decision leads to a different path.

With support from Mr Wilson, Mr Graham, and Mr Anderson, students explored different approaches to storytelling. They learned how writers build tension, create atmosphere, and use descriptive language to capture a reader’s imagination. The final result was a thrilling interactive experience where students could explore the haunted house and discover multiple endings depending on the choices they made.

A Year 10 student said, “It was very interactive, and I believe the Year 6s enjoyed it as much as we did. With their ideas and our writing… teamwork makes the dream work!”

A student also said, “It was a fun and engaging activity! I would recommend this for the next year 10s, as when your scene comes on the board, you feel some pride.’’

A Year 6 student said, "I liked how we could choose which option to follow and which direction to go in."

A Year 6 student: "I liked spotting my ideas in the story"

At BSM, we are always looking for new ways to ignite creativity, encourage collaboration, and promote a love of reading and writing in all our students. We look forward to developing this exciting project even further next year.

French: Manie Musicale 2026

Manie Musicale has brought a vibrant rhythm to French lessons this March, with students from Years 5 to 8 exploring the richness and diversity of Francophone music from around the world. From catchy pop to powerful rap and soulful classics, students have discovered artists from countries including France, Mali, Madagascar, Martinique and beyond, broadening their understanding of the Francophone world.

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Through listening, discussion and creative projects, students have engaged enthusiastically with the music, sharing opinions, analysing lyrics, and even championing their favourite songs in class votes and predictions inspired by the “March Madness” format. The project has not only developed their listening and language skills, but also fostered curiosity, cultural awareness and a genuine enjoyment of French beyond the classroom.

FOBISIA Kidwind STEM Competition

On Friday-Sunday, 13-15 March, four Year 7 students (Javi, Gabe, Caleb, and Jared) competed in the Kidwind FOBISIA STEM Challenge Competition. The students worked hard in ASA sessions to assemble their wind turbine, learn about energy and test different design aspects to optimise the performance of the wind turbine. They took their wind turbine to Taiwan and competed against eight other teams at Taipei European School. The students demonstrated teamwork, leadership, determination and bravery. They were awarded the judges' award for their presentation skills. This website has more information about the competition.