Today, for our Middle School Assembly, we are honored to have Mr. Chuck Parker, a Veteran who graduated from the United States Military Academy, who served in Vietnam in 1971, worked at NATO and as a Foreign Area Officer with the Soviet Union. Mr. Parker will discuss with the students that, on any given war, an international school is likely to have students from the countries on both sides of the war. Points of interest and discussion include: “Why should international school kids commemorate Veteran’s Day?” “What should we take from recalling these soldiers’ experiences?” “What do international students lose when they … Continue reading Veteran discusses country connections in international schools with students

Grade 8 art students had the opportunity to meet our visiting Belgian artist Mathieu Weemaels in person. They were able to share with him their observations about his work, reflect on what they have learned from analyzing and interpreting his paintings and pastel pictures and ask him about his ways of working. Mathieu explained how he started out as an artist in the technique of bande dessinée, but gradually he realized that he needed to be true to his own self. His passion was rather to show the quiet nature of humble ordinary objects. His paintings all have in common … Continue reading Learning from a visiting artist in grade 8 art

What a super learning opportunity! HS art students accompanied by their art teachers enjoyed a 4-day trip to London to experience some of the current art exhibitions. We visited Tate Britain where we saw the Late Turner installation, lunched at the Chelsea School of Art (now part of UAL) then on to the Tate Modern where the highlight was the Malevich exposition. At the Victoria and Albert, we had a close look at the works of John Constable; we were able to compare and contrast the two greatest landscape painters of Britain, Turner and Constable. At the Courtauld Galleries we … Continue reading London Art Trip provides students with great art experiences

 Come support the Fall ISST Athletes  and show your school spirit at the Lion’s Pride Rally on Tuesday, November 4 at 15:00 in the Sports Arena. The athletes will participate in their end of season tournaments this coming weekend: Cross Country in Vienna, Boys Soccer in Brussels, Girls Soccer in Frankfurt, Boys Volleyball in London and Girls Volleyball in Paris. Show your school spirit! Spirit Wear will be on sale Monday November 3rd in the sports foyer.  Elementary students will be able to wear their spirit wear that day as well or their PE shirt. GO LIONS!   Continue reading Join the Lion’s Pride Rally on November 4

Today, Bilaal in Grade 11 will travel to Beijing, China to take part in the 12-voice Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) Honor Jazz Festival. Bilaal will be part of the Vocal Jazz Choir as a tenor. He was selected by audition in May, from students who auditioned from international schools throughout the world. As well as making music, Bilaal will have the opportunity to visit many cultural sites, including the Great Wall of China. On Friday 24th October, Bilaal will be part of the Combo Concert and on the Saturday the full concert with the Honor Jazz Band will take … Continue reading St. John’s student selected to take part in Honor Jazz Festival in Beijing

On Tuesday October 14th, the High School French department held a DELF award ceremony.  The DELF (Diplômes d’Etudes en Langue Française) is an official certificate, issued by the French ministry of education, to certify French skills of foreign candidates. It covers four levels, from A1 to B2, defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for languages. St. John’s is the only international school in the Brussels area to offer the DELF exam. Last year, St. John’s served as an examination center and hosted the exam session for students in grade 9 and grade 10, at different levels: A2 (elementary), B1 (intermediate) and B2 … Continue reading St. John’s students obtain DELF diploma

Yesterday afternoon, the Parent Teacher Program (PTP) organized a teacher appreciation event in honor of World Teachers Day. Delicious snacks and drinks were offered to the teachers, on behalf of the St. John’s parents “in recognition and appreciation for your dedication to making our children better citizens of the world.” We thank our teachers for their commitment and dedication to St. John’s students. We also thank the PTP and the volunteer parents who organized the event, and all St. John’s parents for their ongoing support of the school!     Continue reading Parents show teacher appreciation at World Teachers Day event

This past Saturday, October 11, our Varsity girls soccer team spent the afternoon running a clinic with the U-13 girl soccer players from the Brussels Sports Association (BSA). The clinic consisted of four stations (shooting, crossing, ball skills, and passing into space) which the girls rotated into before ending in a mixed scrimmage with our varsity girls and BSA players. It was a great afternoon enjoyed by everyone. Continue reading Girls Varsity soccer players run clinic for BSA U-13 team

We have the pleasure of welcoming Christopher O’Shaughnessy back to St. John’s on Friday, October 10 to speak to our Middle School students. Chris is a passionate and diverse speaker who uses a unique blend of storytelling, humor, and provocative insight to engage and challenge his audience. Addressing topics ranging from the benefits of intentional community interaction and cross-cultural intelligence to bullying and character development, Chris communicates with energy and personality. The goal of the presentation “The upswing of being a Third Culture Kid (TCK)” is to equip students with a definition for the unique experience of growing up between cultures and provide a framework … Continue reading Expert speaks to students about growing up as a Third Culture Kids

Design Technology in the IB program is the science dealing with the sustainability of products and manufacturing. The students study the impact of materials, the methods of reducing waste, and lowering energy use and the impact of globalization. One of the topics is  ensuring the lifetime of products is extended and in these photos the students were measuring teachers and students to estimate the sizes required for an adjustable product to accommodate the 5-95th percentile of our High School 16-year old to adult population. By Angie Slann, High School Design Technology teacher Continue reading Examining the lifetime of products in IB Design Technology

This past weekend St. John’s hosted the ECIS 7th Triennial Librarians Conference, organised by our Elementary School Teacher Librarian Dawn Rutland. Over fifty-five International School Librarians from around the world attended the “Making a Good Start” to the IB Extended Essay Workshop which is in its fifth year of successful implementation at St. John’s. Fostering sound research practice is a top priority for School Librarians around the world hence the importance of getting the balance right in the design and delivery of learning opportunities. Conference participants learned about the origins, development and impact of the St. John’s High School Library’s … Continue reading St. John’s is a global leader in preparing students to become passionate researchers.