Principal’s Letter to Parents at the Beginning of the Academic Year 2022-23
Wednesday, 7 September 2022
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Dear Parents,
Welcome or welcome back to Brummana High School! I hope that over the summer vacation, in spite of all that is going on around us in Lebanon, you have had the time to rest and relax with your children before the onset of a new school year, filled with hopes and challenges.
The summer brought good news for many students with some excellent examinations results both in the International and in the Lebanese programmes:
Lebanese Programmes – Brevet 2022
Number of candidates: 44
Pass rate: 100%
Number of very good = 20
Number of good = 14
Two of the candidates were ranked 9th in Lebanon
Lebanese Baccalaureate 2022
Number of candidates: 32
Pass rate: 94%
Number of very good = 5
Number of good = 8
Two of the candidates were ranked 8th and 11th in Lebanon respectively in the Life Sciences programme.
International Programme – IGCSE 2022
Number of candidates: 31
Number of examinations sat: 212
Pass rate (A*-C): 82%
(A*-A): 30%
The results of these examinations were especially pleasing demonstrating year on year improvement
2022: Pass rate 82%
2021: Pass rate 72%
2020: Pass rate 71%
2019: Pass rate 64%
2018: Pass rate 55%
International Baccalaureate 2022
Number of candidates: 12
Pass rate: 100%
Average score: 33.5 points
Previous years’ scores are also worthy of mention
2021:
Number of candidates: 20
Pass rate: 100%
Average Score: 36.4 points
2020:
Number of Candidates: 11
Pass rate: 100%
Average Points Score: 34.1 points
2019:
Number of Candidates: 16
Pass rate: 94%
Average Score: 32.9 points
Students and teachers are to be congratulated for all their sustained hard work throughout the course of the year and for the commendable results achieved in the academic programmes.
The Year Ahead
The year in front of us is not likely to be easy for many, but our focus will be on the education of the record numbers of children in our care. In allocating places we have been careful not to exceed our stated maximum numbers of 30 in a class in the lower school while in the Upper School no class exceeds 28 and the vast majority of classes are much smaller. Where necessary we have created extra classes to reduce numbers and of course from Grades 9 and 10 onwards, when students are selecting subjects, courses or programmes, class sizes become increasingly smaller.
We are proud of the fact that we are able to offer a wide range of courses to our students. Thanks to a generous legacy from a Quaker in England we have been able to refurbish our libraries and this has created extra space and opportunity for our students to read and study. In the Upper School a number of classes will also be held in our library; we have maximized the use of space by installing a glass partition which divides the library into a number of rooms as required for teaching, study and research.
We hope that the year ahead will be an exciting one for the students whom we shall be expecting to work hard, take part in the full range of school life and take on tasks in the school which will help it to flourish and for them to get used to the idea of responsible citizenship, as reflected in our Community Service Programmes and in our Prefect systems operating in both Upper and Lower Schools.
Parents should also note that this year we shall be offering a daily hot meal for our children in the Lower Primary Section which will be served in the school cafeteria.
Covid-19
The Pandemic is still with us, but we are learning to live with it. Students will no longer have to wear masks at school although they may do so if they wish. We shall continue to provide hand sanitisers in corridors and outside classrooms and shall maintain and expect students to maintain the highest standards of hygiene while on the school campus. If you suspect your child has Corona or has tested Positive, please keep him/her at home and inform the School’s medical department, preferably by phone (ext. 233 for Lower School, Ext. 222 for Upper School).
School Tuition Fees
I am grateful to parents for paying their tuition fees and the support contributions required in a timely way. While the increase and the support contributions are never going to be attractive to hard pressed parents, they are necessary, if we are to be able to retain our staff, attract new staff, ensure that everyone has a reasonably comfortable time in a very difficult situation, pay our costs (which other than salaries will amount in dollars to around 1.4Million USD this year) and run the school in as efficient a way as can be managed.
Parents who struggle to pay tuition fees should approach the accounts office or the Old Scholars’ Association in order to apply for financial aid. We understand your needs, but the needs of the school are equally pressing.
Winter Wear
Last winter the school’s fuel costs ran to 250,000USD and they are likely to be substantially higher in the year ahead. This year we need to economise on heating where we can. We are looking to raise funds for solar/photovoltaic panels in order to reduce our electricity costs and we shall limit the hours in the day in which we provide heating to buildings. It will help us and help you as parents of children at the school, if in winter time, when the weather is wet and cold, you ensure your children are warmly dressed in woollen clothes, appropriate to the time of year. Last year too often I found students complaining of the cold when they were dressed for summer sunshine. In my homeland of Scotland we have a saying that ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing!”
Appointments
There has been a substantial turnover of teaching staff since last year. I am delighted to welcome many new, fresh, enthusiastic, talented staff to the school as well as the appointment of some current staff to positions of additional responsiblity. I would ask parents to be supportive of our new appointments and welcome them warmly into the Brummana Community. They are, in alphabetical order:
New Teachers & Staff
Name Position
Balsam Hilal > Maths teacher – Upper School
Carol Dallaly > Teaching Assistant – Infants’ section
Carol Jamous > Arabic teacher – Upper School
Christine Dolmayeh > Homeroom Teacher – Lower Primary section
Edite Jeokjian > French Teacher – Upper School
Georges Attieh > PE Teacher
Hayat Cherfan > French Teacher – Upper School
Houssam Hamdane > Business & Economics Teacher – Upper School
Jane King > Volunteer EFL / SFL – Upper and Lower School
Joelle Geha > Counsellor Lower School
Joseph Fares > ICT Teacher – Upper and Lower Schools
Laure Haibi > Sociology teacher – Upper School
Layal Saikaly > Maths teacher – Upper School
Maria El Ward > English Teacher – Upper School
Maya Raad > French Teacher – Lower School & Infants’ section
Maya Rizkallah > Librarian – Lower Primary section
Nadine Naim > Homeroom teacher – Infants’ section
Pamela B Abdel Massih > Teaching Assistant – Infants’ section
Pascale Bou Chahine > Maths teacher – Upper School
Rania Boudiab > Teaching Assistant Infants’ section
Raymond Murr > Substitute Teacher of Civics and History – Upper School
Robert Keyrouz > Chemistry Teacher – Upper School
Rosy Hajj > Choir Teacher – Upper School
Sali Mobarak > English Teacher – Upper School
Saliba Abboud > IT technician
Sophia Youssef > Secretary in the Intermediate Section
Tarek Yared > Philosophy Teacher – Upper School
New Responsibilities for Present Staff
Aline Alam > Head of Secondary Section
> Head of Intermediate Section
Elma Zgheib > Social Studies Coordinator – Lower School
Gisele Hanna > Head of Professional Development and Appraisal
Isabelle Khoury > Head of Arabic Department
Jihane Francis > Head Social Studies Department
Nadine Al Kattah > Assistant to Vice Principal Academic
Najat Wakim > Communications Officer
Pascale Saad > Librarian – Infants’ Section
Perla Semaan > Arabic Coordinator – Lower School
Racha El Murr > Head of the Infants’ Section
Rita Ghaya > Science Teacher – Primary section and Science Coordinator – Lower School
Sports / Activities
We shall be returning to a full programme of sports and activities this year as is appropriate and expect many students to be involved. In the Upper School I shall be chairing a working party to review the Clubs and Activities programme as part of Upper School life with a view to strengthening it further.
If there are parents who would like to volunteer to help with individual sports on a regular basis since it is likely we shall need extra help, over and above our regular coaches, then please email me on david.gray@bhs.edu.lb. We shall welcome your support.
Who to go to?
If you have a serious matter to discuss, probably concerning your child, please note the following:
Health Matters:
School medical department: Dr. Mireille Zalzal (mireille.batrouni@bhs.edu.lb) / Upper School Nurse Ms. Jeanine Razzouk ( jeanine.razzouk@bhs.edu.lb_ and Lower School Nurse Mrs. Marianne Hajj (marianne.hajj@bhs.edu.lb)
Welfare / Pastoral Matters:
Head of Infants’ Section Mrs. Racha El Murr (racha.murr@bhs.edu.lb), Head of Lower and Upper Primary sections Mrs. Shatha Abu Khalil (Shatha.abukhalil@bhs.edu.lb) and Head of Intermediate and Secondary Sections Ms. Aline Alam (aline.alam@bhs.edu.lb), or your child’s Advisor.
Academic Matters:
Head of Infants’ Section Mrs. Racha El Murr (racha.murr@bhs.edu.lb), Head of Lower and Upper Primary sections Mrs. Shatha Abu Khalil (Shatha.abukhalil@bhs.edu.lb) and Vice Principal Academic, Mr. Georges Rizkallah, for all Upper School matters (georges.rizkallah@bhs.edu.lb)
Financial Matters:
Bursar Mr. Raymond El Feghali (raymond.feghali@bhs.edu.lb) or (bursar@bhs.edu.lb)
You may also make an appointment to see a Homeroom teacher or subject teacher during their office hour by emailing the relevant Head of Section secretary.
Development Plans – 2022-2023
The school’s development plans highlight some of the key issues we shall be looking at this year.
Whole School
- The Cambridge curriculum – continue to develop the Cambridge approach to teaching and learning, with a focus on assessment in all grades, and on the use of Cambridge resources.
- Develop a formalised method of target setting and tracking of progress for individual students.
- To review the activities and clubs programme at Brummana High School – Upper School
Infants’ Section:
- Implementation of the Cambridge Curriculum in depth (English, Science and Maths).
- To consider the effective use of Teaching Assistants in the teaching and learning process.
Primary Sections:
- a) To revive work on differentiation in teaching and learning.
- To consider the effective use of Teaching Assistants in the teaching and learning process.
Intermediate Section:
To devise and implement the Junior Prefects’ System in the Intermediate Section.
Secondary Section
To establish peer to peer support for struggling students in the Secondary and Intermediate Sections as an element of Community Service.
I shall report on progress with the plans as the year passes.
Values
And finally what comes last is first. Our values associated with the school’s Quaker origins are Individuality, Respect for self and for others, Tolerance and Peaceful Resolution. We shall be focusing on these with the students this year. Brummana students who love their school and enjoy the freedom to express themselves as they wish in so many ways, also practise our values which are designed to enable young people to go out into the world with confidence and a sense of well being with an outlook that helps them survive and prosper and which embodies a high regard and respect for other people and for the world around them.
I do not pretend that the year ahead will be easy, but we must make it work by working together. Your children have their whole lives ahead of them. Our task is to prepare them well and lay solid foundations on which they can build their lives and their societies in tomorrow’s world.
God willing, and by helping each other, we shall prevail and the school year will go well.
Yours sincerely,
David Gray
(Principal)
P.O. Box 36, Brummana 2761 - Lebanon 
+961 24 960 430 / 1 / 2
info@bhs.edu.lb
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