The St. John’s community enjoyed a screening of the Emmy-award winning documentary “Searching for Augusta: The Forgotten Angel of Bastogne” last night. Martin King, the movie’s producer, was on hand to personally introduce the movie which is based on the heroic actions of nurse Augusta Chiwy during World War II in Bastogne. Mr. King has been on the History Channel and BBC World as a historical consultant. He is also lecturer at the University of Antwerp and has authored five books. The movie won 8 Emmy’s in total and has been seen by many millions of people around the world, … Continue reading St. John’s community enjoys Emmy-award winning documentary screening

The Grade 5 students have been working together in preparation for the St. John’s Climate Change Summit 2016. Each student will be acting as a representative for their home country. The students were shown a video relating to climate change … Continue reading Grade 5 students prepare for Climate Change Summit

In Religious Studies, Grade 8 students asked and named which character strengths Martin Luther, the German monk who started the Protestant movement in the Western Christian Church in 1517, used when he protested against the practice of indulgences in Medieval Ages. In this activity, the students had been prompted by the list of 24 character strengths which are illustrated in colourful cards and arranged in a circle. (Click on this website: https://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths/VIA-Classification for information about the 24 character strengths). To gain some knowledge about Martin Luther, the students had read a short paragraph about the practice of indulgences and had … Continue reading Grade 8 students focus on character strengths

Grade 8 students have been investigating how elements are placed in the periodic table. They found out that most elements are metals. As part of their investigation they were given four unknown samples which they had to identify as metal or … Continue reading Grade 8 investigates Elements and Compounds

On Thursday 21st January, the Varsity Darts team returned home in triumph with the Brussels Cup. In total, 36 legs of darts were played – after 35 legs St. John’s led by 2 points – everything rested on the last of the 36 legs. St. John’s were taken aback at the beginning of the tournament by the clinical finishing of the Laeken team, which by the mid-point had put Laeken in a commanding position, they led by 14 points. It was time to introduce our secret weapon – the coffee machine. From then on, St. John’s staged a magnificent comeback. … Continue reading Varsity Darts team wins Brussels Cup

A group of 30 St. John’s students, from grades 7-11, participated in the elimination round of the Belgian Math Olympiad a few weeks ago. More than 2200 students representing 31 school from around Belgium took part in this round. A total of 13 St. John’s students qualified for the semi-finals which will take place in Louvain-la-Neuve on February 24. Overall, only 13% of those who participated in the elimination round got through to the semi-final, while more than 43% of the St. John’s students scored high enough for the semi-final. Congratulations and good luck to our students in the semi-final! Continue reading St. John’s students excel in Belgian Math Olympiad

The grade 1 students were introduced to Destiny search system in the Elementary School library so that they can begin to understand what the older students do when they are searching for books. The visual search, which is primarily with pictures, allows them to see which books are available. After that point a parent volunteer or Ms. Rutland help them choose an individual book and find it on the shelves. We will not be expecting the grade 1 students to use Destiny, but we will be letting them explore it with the idea that when they get to grade 2 they … Continue reading Grade 1 students explore Destiny search program

The children from Kindergarten enjoyed a fun field trip last Thursday. They visited the Fondation Folon in La Hulpe. Jean-Michael Folon was a local Belgian artist, renowned for his watercolors, illustrations and sculptures. You may have seen some of his sculptures of the man in a hat around the Brussels area. Here are some of the things the children enjoyed whilst we were there: Sarah: “the man in the sky and the stars.” Viktoria: “the moving sculpture.” Iris: “I liked to eat there.” Allis: “I liked the twinkling stars.” Pol: “the man who climbed in the stars.” Sondre: “I liked when the … Continue reading Kindergarten students visit Fondation Folon

Congratulations to Sam on achieving top score in the Grade 9 Investigation. Sam wrote a great report and also made a lovely model of his topic. The brief was: In this Investigation you are asked to research the interesting ways Surface Area & Volume apply to the real world. Think of a gift – how could it be wrapped up, how much paper would be needed and what would be its volume. by Janet Backhouse, HS Mathematics teacher Continue reading Sam wins Grade 9 Volume & Surface Area Investigation

Our students are in for a treat during school time today as they are invited to a special concert by Candy Robbers. The band will play two concerts this afternoon in the theater: the first one for our Elementary students and a second one for Middle and High School. Candy Robbers is a Belgian-American indie pop band featuring a St. John’s alumnus, Axel Olson (class of 2010). When Axel and met Max at a jam session in Brussels 10 years ago, they hit it off immediately. The pivotal moment took place during a trip to London in 2012 when the two … Continue reading St. John’s students are treated to a special concert today

This afternoon and tomorrow, the St. John’s High School basketball teams host the American School of The Hague (ASH) for the first home games of the season. St. John’s has 4 High School basketball teams: JV Boys and Girls and Varsity Boys and Girls. The athletes have been in training for weeks and are eager to play their first games in front of the home crowd. We would love to see the stands full of supporters so stop by if you can this afternoon or tomorrow morning! Here is the schedule: Friday, January 15th 16:15     STJ Varsity Girls vs. ASH … Continue reading First home games for St. John’s HS basketball teams

This week, the Middle/High School Library and Learning Commons hosted the Extended Essay Celebration event for the IB subject group “Individuals and Societies” (Business & Management, Economics, Philosophy, History and Geography). During the first part of the evening, each of the 30 students gave a 90-second presentation of their essay, including their topic, research question, research approach, analysis, conclusion and the most important sources they used. Following the formal part of the evening, about 50 parents, teachers and interested Grade 11 students circulated to discuss with individual presenters to gain a greater insight into their research.  Many good conversations were … Continue reading Seniors celebrate their Extended Essays with parents and teachers

Normally, everybody wants things to go their way all year long. My perfect year would be to get my family and friends together and have a wonderful family reunion. It’s nice to be with your family because they are easy to talk to and they comfort you. Having to take a risk on something you never thought of doing is awesome! You get to experience the feeling of trying something new and being very proud that you accomplished it. I am curious about all the places, cultures, and traditions I had not discovered yet. I love travelling and learning about … Continue reading “What a perfect year looks like” – a 5th grader’s perspective

In our first and second grade Dual Language Program (DLP) classes, the students were focused on learning how to use the new French online exercise program “WAZZOU”. The second graders were proud to mentor the younger students on this new program. They explained to the first graders, in French and English, how to access the program and how to navigate the platform. Continue reading Second graders serve as mentors for new French program

  The St. John’s school production of “Les Misérables” this weekend drew rave reviews: “To all involved, thank you for an unforgettable performance. It showcases St. John’s talent for bringing out the best in every child.” “Brilliant show, better than Broadway” “The talent was amazing, the performances fabulous, the scenes super, the lighting perfection… This was a FABULOUS production.” The show featured 48 MS and HS students, 11 ES students (of which one with a lead role), 8 teachers and 2 parents in the cast. Behind-the-scenes, there was a production team of 46 people (and many more “unofficial” helping hands) to make everything run … Continue reading St. John’s production of “Les Misérables” draws rave reviews

Last Wednesday, the Grade 8 Social Studies core classes visited the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp. It shows the story of the migration of 2 million mostly East Europeans (Russia, Ukraine, and Poland) from 1873 to 1934 to North America, the story of the shipping company (Red Star Line) which transported them, and that of the city and harbour which temporarily welcomed them on their way to their final destination. The museum’s building is the same building that was used to control and check the sojourners before boarding the ocean liner. The big story and the multiple little stories … Continue reading Grade 8 students visit museum on migration

In our “How we organize ourselves” Unit of Inquiry, we focused on how people depend on one another to live. We learned about how food is produced and distributed to consumers. We also enjoyed a day on Ferme de la Vallee, a local farm where we learned how to make bread and butter. The farm is situated in Vieux Genappe. The farmers raise about 400 cattle at the farm, we saw pigs, sheep and goats. We fed the animals and enjoyed being farmers for a few hours! The Grade 2 team Continue reading Grade 2 students enjoy being farmers for a day

St. John’s International School participated in the worldwide drawing festival “Big Draw”. The theme this year was “Every Drawing Tells a Story”. Parents of Kindergarten students enjoyed “The Drawing Race” at the Back to School Night. They had 5 minutes to draw their favorite children’s story on a 4 meter long paper. Their own children discovered and colored the stories the next day during art class. This project is based on inter-generational transmission which is the core of storytelling. The result of this parent-child collaboration is currently exhibited in the PAC foyer. By Marianne Behaeghel, ES Art teacher Continue reading St. John’s participates in the worldwide “Big Draw”

St. John’s International School is the only school in Belgium accredited to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). The PYP is a curriculum framework designed for Elementary School students. It prepares students for the intellectual challenges of further education and their future careers, focusing on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. In promoting this aim, the program is committed to developing the attributes of the IB learner profile among its students. The learner profile describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. They … Continue reading St. John’s only school offering IB PYP Program in Belgium

Nurse Caroline gave a presentation to Middle School students recently about an amazing personal challenge she completed. She was one of 68 amateur cyclists who took on the epic challenge of a 5-day, sponsored cycle ride in the French Alps on a route that covered 457 km and a vertical climb of 13,730 meters in total. That’s the equivalent of 4,880 meters higher than Mt. Everest! The aim was to raise money for Le Cure Research Fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London to support their pioneering cancer treatments and to help create a number of Research Fellowships to carry … Continue reading Nurse Caroline conquers the French Alps for charity

The all school production of “Les Misérables” takes place at St. John’s this weekend. All actors, including students, parents and staff members, have worked very hard for months to make this a great production. There are a few tickets left for this weekends’ performances, which take place on Saturday January 9th at 14:00 and 19:00 and Sunday 10th at 15:00. Adult tickets are 12 Euro and student tickets 6 Euro, available at reception. Continue reading St. John’s presents “Les Misérables” this weekend

Emmy award-winning director Mike Edwards and world-renowned military historian Martin King bring to the screen the Emmy award-winning film “Searching For Augusta”, an unbelievable true story that follows the quest to find out the truth about the incredible life of … Continue reading Emmy award-winning documentary at St. John’s on January 28