COMMUNITY UPDATE
DIRECTOR’SUPDATE
DearISBCommunity,
WelcometothisearliereditionoftheCommunityUpdate,sharedexceptionallyonaWednesday due to the Learning Conferences taking place tomorrow and Friday across all sections of the school.Theseparent-teachermeetingsareanimportantmomentinthesemester,providingan opportunity to reflect on each student’s progress and to engage in meaningful conversations about learning We wish all families a productive and insightful experience, and we thank our teachersforthecareandtimetheydedicatetopreparingforthesediscussions
Looking ahead, we are approaching one of the most anticipated weekends of the year at ISB. ThisSaturday,ourcampuswillhostthe48thannualISBInternationalFestival,bringingtogether families and friends to celebrate the rich diversity of our community. With more than 25 booths representing cultures from around the world, the festival offers a vibrant opportunity to share traditions, perspectives, and, of course, a wonderful variety of food We encourage everyone to comecurious,hungry,andreadytoenjoythisspecialdaytogether!
We will also begin next week with a celebration of creativity as part of our Senior Art Show. You are warmly invited to attend the opening of ISB’sVisualArtsAnnualExhibition, starting in the Château and featuring student artwork from Preschool through Grade 11. The exhibition culminates in the High School, with the work of our graduating International Baccalaureate DiplomaProgrammeandBTECDiplomastudents,whosefinalpiecesrepresenttheresultsoftwo years of creative exploration I hope to see many of you for the opening of the Vernissage on Monday,23Marchat17:00 Forthoseunabletojointheopening,theexhibitionwilldisplayuntil22 May.
Finally, last week we were pleased to share an important step in the continued evolution of ISB. BeginninginAugust2026,theEarlyChildhoodCentreandElementarySchoolwillcometogether astheISBLowerSchool Thisdevelopmentreflectsaconstructiveandforward-lookingapproach to strengthening the early years of learning, creating a more connected and coherent experienceforstudentsfromPreschoolthroughGrade6 Byaligningtheseprogrammeswithina single structure, we aim to enhance collaboration among educators and provide even greater continuityforfamilies.Atthesametime,thecoreelementsthatdefineanISBeducationremain unchanged, including our strong relationships, our personalised approach to learning, and our commitment to developmentally appropriate practice. This transition will build on and further strengthentheexcellentfoundationsalreadyinplaceatISB,andIwouldliketothankourLower School faculty for their dedication and enthusiasm for this exciting change for the future of our school
Bestregards,
JamesMacDonald ISBDirector
ISBARTS
VisualArtsVernissage
As part of the Senior Art Show, you are invited to attend the opening of ISB's Visual Arts Team AnnualExhibitionintheChâteau,featuringstudentartworkfromPreschoolthroughGrade11 A widevarietyofmediaandmaterialswillbeondisplay,showcasingthecreativityandtalentof ourstudents.
TheculminationoftheexhibitionfeaturesthegraduatingSeniorIBDPandBTECstudentartists The High School will host the Senior Visual Arts students’ final exhibition, celebrating the culminationoftwoyearsofcreativeworkbyourIB2students,aswellasaglimpseofupcoming artworksfromourIB1studentsintheAtrium.
We would be delighted if you could support our talented young artists at the Vernissage on Monday,23Marchfrom17:00.
Theexhibitionrunsuntil22May2026,andisopenweekdaysfrom8:30amto17:00
ExcitingPerformingArtsEventsinMarch
March has been full of energy and creativity as our talented student performers take the stage! Our artists have been working hard to prepare a series of performances that showcase their passion, dedication,andmusicalartistry.
The Advanced Strings Concert took place on Tuesday, 17 March in the ISB Theatre. The evening highlighted the strength and precision of our String Orchestra while also celebrating the versatility of ourmusicians.Theprogrammefeaturedimpressive senior solo performances on string instruments, along with two special vocal performances that addedauniqueandmemorabletouch
There are still several exciting performances to comethismonth:
30 March at 19:00 – High School Choir Concert, ISBTheatre
31 March at 19:00 – VoiceWorks Spring Concert, ISBTheatre
1 April at 19:00 – Jazz@ISB, Café Teatro, Watermael-Boitsfort
Each concert promises a distinctive musical experience, from powerful choral works to vibrantjazzperformances
Tickets for all upcoming events are available at:www.isb.be/tickets
Congratulations as well to our IB Theatre Seniors, who completed their Solo Performance exams last week. Their work showcased impressive creativity, with performances ranging from Musical Theatre to Verbatim Theatre and many styles in between
ATHLETICS
VarsityBoysRugby PlaceSecond
JVGirlsBasketball AreISSTChampions!
VarsityGirlsRugby PlaceThird
U14GirlsPlaceThird, Awarded Sportsmanship! For more information on upcoming games and headlines from the Winter Season,pleaseheadovertotheRaidersDen!
STEMATISB
FamilyMathEventCelebratingPiDayatISB
ISB’sfirsteverfull-schoolFamilyMatheventtookplaceonthemorningof14March,celebrating “Pi Day”. The event brought families together for a morning of mathematical exploration, creativity,andfriendlycompetitioncentredaroundthethemeofπ
Familiesparticipatedinthreemainactivities Thefirstwasthreeroundsoftrivia,wherefamilies testedtheirpidaygeneralknowledge,history,andpopculture Thesecondactivitywasamath chaseinwhichfamiliestraveledthrough12differentstationssolvingavarietyofmathematical problemsandpuzzles Eachcompletedchallengebroughtthemonestepclosertofinishingthe course ThethirdactivitywasaSTEMdesignchallengethatinvitedfamiliestodesignandbuild a “Pi Rover.” Using rubber bands as a source of stored potential energy, teams engineered smallvehiclesandtestedtheirdesignstoseehowwelltheyadheredtothedesignconstraints Families also enjoyed some Pi Day-themed refreshments, including pizza and apple pie, addingtothefestiveatmosphere.
ThemorningconcludedwithaPimemorisationcontest,wherestudentscompetedtoreciteas many digits of π as possible. The winner, a Grade 6 student, impressed everyone by successfullymemorising32digitsofpi!
SilverattheInternationalSTEMOlympiads Ourstudents’passionforscienceisunstoppable!
Congratulations to our Science Club members for achieving Silverin the Science Category during the final round of the 6th International STEM Olympiads.
UpcomingEvents: 18,19,20March:ScienceisWonderful–afreeeventhostedbytheEUCommission 2April:e-NABLEHand-a-thon–ISBhostedeventforMSScienceClub&STEMStudents
AspartoftheCommunityEngagementprogramme,Icame upwiththeideaoforganisingasecond-handBookDriveto support a local charity. I wanted an initiative that truly resonated with me while also making a meaningful contributiontoothers
TheresponsefromISBfamilieswasincredible Thankstothe generosity of our ISB community, Serve the City received 1,670Englishbooksfrombelovedchildhoodclassicstoentire bookcollections
Carrying out this project taught me a lot. It required me to step out of my comfort zone by reaching out to charities, presenting my ideas, explaining how it could benefit them, andproperlydeliver
Two lessons will stay with me from this experience. First, if somethingdidn’tworkinthepast,itmaysimplyneedanew approach Second,asthecoordinatoratServetheCitysaid, meaningful impact doesn’t always require grand gestures. Simpleandpracticalactionscancreaterealchange
IsabellaA.-Grade10
HEALTHOFFICE
InternationalFestival
This weekend, we will hold one of the ISB community's most cherished traditions – the International Festival! Last year’s festival featured more than 20 country booths filled with delicious foods, traditional drinks, hands-on activities, and captivating cultural performances. Thisyear,we’rebringingbackallyourfavourites–theParadeofNations,globalculinarytreats, student performances, and our exciting raffle – along with a few new surprises. Discover everythingyouneedtoknowfortheeventhere
Whatson?
Discoverourcommunityeventsanddon’tforgettocheckthe
aboutouractivities,clubsand,classes!
BUSOFFICE
LateBus–SpringSeasonUpdate
TheSpringseasonisapproaching Familieswhowanttheirchildrentousethelatebusmust pre-registerthroughthedesignatedformbeforetheseasonbegins
ParentsmustrecordabsencesviatheBatOnRoutesSafeAppondaystheirchildisnot takingthelatebussoseatsremainavailableforotherriders
Late-busserviceisrestrictedtostudentsinGrade5andabove.
Busesserveonlyexistinghubstops;home-stopdrop-offsarenotavailableduringlatebusruns
ServiceoperatesMondaythroughThursday
Twodailydeparturesareofferedat17:20and18:15
Allinformationaboutthelatebusserviceisavailablehere.
OTHERNEWS
ISBNeurodiversityAwarenessWeek–23-27March
ProjectUnified,aHighSchoolclubdedicatedtopromotinginclusionacrossISB,willbehostinga Neurodiversity Awareness Week from 23 to 27 March. To honour the official Neurodiversity CelebrationWeekthattakesplacegloballythisweek,ourISBcommunitywillcometogethernext weektorecogniseandcelebratethevalueofneurodiversityacrossourcampus.
Throughout next week, there will be themed activities and dress-up days to help raise awareness, encourage participation, and celebrate the uniqueness of every individual in our community
Theweekataglance:
Monday,23March:OddSocksDonationDrive
Tuesday,24March:AutismAwareness–LightItUpBlue
Wednesday,25March:DownSyndromeAwareness–FunSocksDay
Thursday,26March:Shine&Sparkle–CelebrateYourUniqueness
Friday,27March:SchoolSpiritDay
Weencourageallstudents,faculty,andstaffacrossISBtotakepartinthecelebrationsandhelp fosteramoreinclusiveandsupportivecommunity ��
IfyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutProjectUnifiedorgetinvolved,theclubmeetsonThursdays duringlunchintheHighSchool
Let’s come together to celebrate differences, promote understanding, and champion inclusion acrossourcampus!
IMPORTANT
ImprovingthePowerSchoolExperienceforStudentsandFamilies
As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the digital learning experience at ISB, we have recentlyintroducedaseriesofsmallbutmeaningfulupdatestothelearningplatformusedby bothstudentsandfamilies.
Whilethesearenotmajornewfeatures,theyrepresentimportantimprovementstothewaykey pages look, feel, and function. The work has focused on making the learning platform more consistent, easier to navigate, and more comfortable to use across desktop and mobile devices.
Userswillnoticeaclearerandmorecoherentnavigationexperienceacrosspages,helpingthe platform feel more unified. We have also refined the presentation of several commonly used sectionssothatinformationiseasiertoread,formsaremorestructured,andreportsaremore accessible.
Amongtheareasthathavebeenimprovedare:
theHealth&ConsentForm,withaclearerlayoutandbetterorganisation theAttendancepage,withamorefocuseddefaultviewandimprovedreadability the ProgressReportpage, with a cleaner presentation and easier access to grading scale information the Schedulepages, which have been improved to provide a clearer and more consistent experienceforstudentsandfamilies the Historical Report Cards, IB Projections, and Middle School Recognition pages, which haveallbeenupdatedtocreateamoreconsistentuserexperience
Particularattentionhasalsobeengiventomobileaccess,sothatstudentsandfamiliesusing the learning platform on phones or tablets experience fewer layout issues and a smoother overallinterface
These refinements are part of a wider commitment to improving the digital tools that support learning, communication, and access to information across the school community We will continuetomakepractical incrementalimprovementswheretheycanmostpositivelyimpact everydayu
Allpathwaystosuccessbeginhere,atISB’sUpperSchool!
This May ISB is organising an Upper School Open Day event to show parents who are new to BrusselsorinterestedinchangingschoolshowstudentsdeveloptheirfuturesinGrades7to12 ShouldyouhaveanyfamilymembersorfriendswhoarecuriousaboutISB,invitethemtocome learnmoreaboutourpersonalisedpathwaystosuccesson27May Registrationsviatheform here.
Kattenberg19,B-1170Brussels,Belgium +3226614211 reception@isb.be www.isb.be
