IBIS Independent Bonn International School

The new school year is just around the corner, and as part of our commitment to ongoing professional development, we were delighted to welcome the wonderful Catrina Lowri from Neuroteachers today, who delivered a day-long session to teaching staff on neurodiversity in the classroom.

Catrina helped us understand the wide spectrum of experiences neurodivergent pupils navigate every day. Some children are highly sensitive to loud noises or bright lights, leading to sensory overload that makes learning difficult, while others find social cues or communication harder to read, which can lead to feelings of isolation. Skills like time management can also be a real challenge, affecting a pupil's ability to complete tasks, and some pupils experience hyperactivity or difficulty with emotional regulation, which can make behaviour harder to navigate.

These same pupils bring real strengths to the classroom too, whether that's hyperfocus, creative problem-solving, resilience or a fresh way of looking at things, and it's just as important that we recognise and nurture these, not only for the pupils themselves but for their contributions to the wider school community.

Through group work, data-led discussions and plenty of real-world examples, we spent the day exploring practical ways to remove barriers to learning for neurodivergent students, from simple changes to classroom environments to how we structure tasks and support routines.

It was a genuinely fulfilling day, and we're excited to bring what we've learned into the new school year.

Happy Friday everyone! 😎

That's a wrap on 2025 - 2026! 😎

Last week we celebrated the end of term in one last, fabulous assembly. Along with lots of performances from students, it was an opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to the students who are moving on.

It can be hard to say goodbye, but it is made easier thanks to the strength of the friendships made along the way.

We are filled with confidence and hope for those who are leaving. Thank you to students, their families and staff for contributing so much to IBIS – and remember, you are a part of our community, and will always receive a warm welcome here! 🫶

Wishing everyone a relaxing and very well deserved summer holiday!

Yesterday was transition day, an important moment for our students as they met their teachers and teaching and learning assistants for next year.

Change doesn't come easily to everyone, but it comes to us all, and learning how to react positively to new situations is an important foundation for success at school, and beyond. We understand that 'new' can seem scary, but by exposing children to it carefully and kindly, we aim to reinforce the idea that change isn't just a fact of life, but that it can always be a source of excitement and opportunity too!

It was, as anyone in Europe can attest, exceptionally hot last week. First and foremost, we felt incredibly lucky to have air-conditioning in most of our classrooms, including all 'home' rooms, during this period. It allowed us to confidently welcome children to school, knowing that they would be safe and comfortable despite the weather.

Unfortunately, the heat peaked exactly on our planned Sports Day. As soon as we realised that the weather wouldn't be safe for any level of physical activity outside, we had to cancel the planned activities, including our regular and highly anticipated trip to a local sports stadium.

Thanks to the dedication of our Sports Coordinator, Mrs Salvador, however, we still had an amazing indoor Sports Day at school. In cool classrooms and halls, children were able to participate in athletic activity and competition. Events were scored and tallied, before we came together, as always, to celebrate sporting prowess and fair play in a medal ceremony.

Thank you to all of the students who competed in the best of spirit, and to the staff and our quick-thinking Sports Coordinator who adapted so well to our new situation! 🎖️🎖️🎖️

Our oldest students had an absolutely packed residential last week in England. In London they took in Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, plus theatre trips including a visit to the iconic Globe to watch Much Ado About Nothing. Then it was out of the city for camping, kayaking, SUPing, horse riding and (of course) fish and chips. A brilliant group, making brilliant memories! 😎

We're delighted they had such an amazing adventure, and so grateful to the adults who made it happen.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped us celebrate an amazing school year at our Summer Fete on Saturday. Our community made it special, and it was an absolute pleasure to see so many current and former members together.

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This wonderful event was made possible thanks to:

- Our Volunteer Parent team. We are so grateful for the time and effort you dedicate to our school.
- Our talented students from Dance Club, Irish Dance Club, and the Choir who brought a smile to everyone's face with their performances. Thank you to them, their coordinators, and also to our guests, the Music Sisters - who entertained us with excellent live music, and our friends at the Foundation e.V.
- Volunteers on the day. Thank you to everyone who joined in, had fun and made sure everything ran smoothly on the day!

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The whole school watched the Year 5 Musical yesterday, and it was SPECTACULAR! ✨

Wonderful and confident performances, a thrilling story, beautiful singing and dance sequences that took our breath away. This will stay with us for a long time, and surely with the performers too - they were so impressive.

So much work went into this; lines and choreographies and stagecraft, and through that work discovering new reserves of confidence. It all showed and the applause was long and fully deserved. The audience of parents and families, for the second performance tonight, are in for a total treat.

👏 Thank you to the performers! Thank you for your work and for showing the rest of us how fulfilling and fun it is to be a part of something like this. We are so proud of you all!
👏 Thank you to all of the Year 5 team who helped them to the stage. We are all so grateful for your work and care!
👏 Thank you also to our Year 5 parents, who have clearly worked hard at home to run lines and help with choreography - and of course for their help with costumes.

Access to education is a fundamental human right, and safe infrastructure, something that is easy for us to take for granted, is a vital part of that. We are proud to support the Ukupela Foundation’s ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign, a project dedicated to building safe classrooms for children in Zambia who otherwise have none.

We have been raising funds at school through bottle 'Pfand' donations, as well as directly through the generous support of our parents and alumni. For every 50 cents raised, we are able to ‘buy a brick’, and we are now well over halfway to our target. We are proud of our community, and so grateful to everyone who has already donated.

If you would also like to support this wonderful cause, you can do so via the link below. If you live near the school and would like to make a donation in cash (or empty recyclable bottles!), please feel free to drop by the school office.

Thank you to our friends at the Ukupela Foundation e.V. for giving us the opportunity to support this project. 🫶🧱✨

https://ibis-school.com/raising-money-for-the-ukupela-foundation/

Last week, we held our third annual Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Day. Our theme this year was self-esteem.

For one day we step away from the usual timetable, giving students the space to learn about and explore the theme through a range of activities. After an opening assembly led by our Wellbeing Champions, we heard from Timo Jakobs, captain of Rugby Club Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, who spoke about how positive self-talk and motivation shapes his performances. Students then 'chose their own adventure', picking from nearly 30 activities designed to build a positive approach to mental health and self-esteem.

Thank you to everyone who helped and participated on this special day. It takes a lot of work to organise, and we are especially grateful to our wonderful Wellbeing team for their effort and care!

Year 4 returned to school yesterday afternoon, full of stories about what they had seen and done during their residential trip to Trier.

They have been learning about Ancient Rome recently, and Trier, which is the oldest city in Germany and home to some of the most impressive Roman monuments north of the Alps, is the perfect place to bring that topic to life.