Gulf Insider interviews Mr. Mazen Al Sheikh, Secondary School Principal and Ms. Amira Hachem, Curriculum and Training Coordinator of Beacon Private School, Bahrain. Just recently, Gulf Insider spoke to Mr. Mazen Al Shaikh, Beacon Private School’s Secondary School Principal and Ms. Amira Hachem, Curriculum and Training Coordinator, about the advantages of their International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, their learning support program, after-school activities program, yoga & mindfulness program, and their new facilities. What are the school's plans to implement the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program? What are the benefits/advantages of this program? The school plans to start offering the full IB/DP in September 2022. The benefits of this program are: An internationally recognized qualification Highly regarded by the world’s leading universities Possible college credit is given for DP courses, depending on score Encourages critical thinking, inquiry, research skills, service, and global mindedness Subjects are not taught in isolation Mr. Mazen Al Sheikh, Secondary School Principal Tell us about your learning support program. We support learners with different needs and differentiate for our English as Learning Language (ELL) and English as Additional Learning Language (EAL) learners. We have a referral system where teachers can highlight some struggles learners are facing and ask for in-school support. We have a strong team where we can support them both in the classroom as a push in program and/or a 1:1 or small group approach as a pull-out program. We also have learners with IEPs (individualized educational plans) or action plans. We believe each learner has their strengths and weaknesses and we work as a team to best support all types of learners. Ms. Amira Hachem, Curriculum and Training Coordinator The ‘3Cs’, Conceptual, Competency and Character Learning, ensure that we always focus on multiple aspects of learner development: broader grasp and understanding, skills and aptitudes and personal qualities and strengths. What after-school activities does BPS offer? The goal of the After-School Activities Program is to provide opportunities for learners to develop socially, emotionally, physically and behaviorally within a warm and caring atmosphere. The objective is to provide experience for growth in both developmental skills and everyday problem-solving techniques. These can be accomplished through various intellectual and physical activities. We usually have 2 terms of After-School Activities: September-DecemberJanuary-May We usually send a letter to parents mentioning when we are starting the after-school activities and what are the activities offered. The activities we offer are: TaekwondoBalletFit KidsTennisPianoJump RopeQuranDragon BoatModel United NationsTrack & FieldIntuitive ArtWriting & PerformanceFootballFilm ClubChessTabletop role-playing gameDesert Magpies Club What makes BPS special? Our Mindful Sundays & Mindful Mondays! BPS’s vision focuses on enhancing personal development as well as academic and intellectual skills. In an effort to allow our learners to thrive in this challenging world and be better equipped with tools to promote focus, greater self-awareness, emotional regulation and compassion, BPS has been implementing a ‘Yoga & Mindfulness Program’ since September 2018. We offer Mindful Sundays for Secondary School (Grades 6-10) and Mindful Mondays for Elementary (Grades 1-5). On Sundays and Mondays, BPS learners engage in mini-mindfulness techniques such as heart and belly breathing, mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful listening, guided visualizations, body scans, chair yoga, vinyasa yoga poses and mindful journaling! We believe these weekly mindfulness practices help promote improved attention, emotional regulation, positive behavior, skillful interactions, empathy, reduced stress levels and improved resilience. Moving onward into this new academic year, we continue to cultivate mindfulness in our classrooms and aim to extend it to the entire school community, too. Tell us about the new facilities that will be added next school year. We are glad that the construction of the Multipurpose Building will be completed before the end of this school year 2021-2022. These facilities will include a cafeteria, swimming pool, volleyball and basketball courts, training rooms as well as a theatre. We are very excited about the added value these facilities will bring to enrich the intellectual, social and physical learning experiences of our learners. Our learners can start using and benefiting from these facilities as early as September 2022.
