Celebrating the Many Nationalities at the BSN: International Week

During the (short) week of 15-17 May, our Junior School campuses, Junior School Leidschenveen (JSL) and Junior School Vlaskamp (JSV), celebrated what has been a favourite and much-anticipated annual tradition at The British School in The Netherlands (BSN) for years: International Week!

Formerly International Day, International Week has taken place at our Junior School campuses going as far back as the 1990s and is a true celebration of the many nationalities, cultures, and languages at the BSN.

Internationally Themed Activities

Throughout the week, we were delighted to welcome parents into the classrooms, where they led workshops and activities for the students, sharing traditions from their culture or country, including art, music, games and sports from different countries.

My children came home talking about new games, foods and elements of their classmates cultures. It's a wonderful way to celebrate all the different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds represented in the community! 

Junior School Parent

In line with their theme for International Week, Play, JSV students had a great time playing International Ambassador-led games from all over the world during break times, including Catch the Dragon Tail (a traditional Chinese game), Keentan (‘Kangaroo Play’, an indigenous Australian game) and Luta de Galo (Brazilian). Staff ran activities such as Indian dancing, martial arts and making Guatemalan worry dolls.

I can't choose my favourite activity; maybe it's a tie: the parade, the breakfast, getting to share a game we play at home with my class, and the assembly, too! The International Ambassadors should be proud of their assembly. You have to be a bit brave to do that. 

Junior School Student

At Junior School Leidschenveen, parents kindly volunteered for an internationally-themed lunchtime storytelling event, where they read stories in their personal language, including Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian and Greek. Students were able to attend a storytime session of their choice in any language! It was a wonderful way to enhance students’ awareness of the different nationalities, cultures and languages at the school.

JSL students were also invited to bring in a book of their choice, in their own language, to read to their peers. The students had great fun sharing books in lots of different languages.

A Culinary Journey Around the Globe

Both campuses were treated to a culinary journey around the world with a shared internationally-themed meal (breakfast at Junior School Vlaskamp and lunch at Junior School Leidschenveen). Each student brought in a sweet or savoury dish of their choice from their culture or country. Students and staff enjoyed sampling each other’s delicious treats.

The International Parade – the Highlight of International Week!

The final day of International Week might be the highlight of the week each year – the International Parade! Both students and staff dressed in the clothing they felt best reflected their nationality, culture or country, resulting in a wonderfully colourful display of the many cultural identities that make up the BSN.

What better way to kick off a long weekend than celebrating our rich and diverse international community!

Claire Waller, Headteacher JSV

A Celebration of Nearly 90 Nationalities

The BSN community is made up of nearly 90 nationalities, and we all benefit from the vibrant and dynamic mix of cultures and backgrounds. Throughout the week, our students have had the opportunity to experience elements of their peers’ cultures, learning more about the culturally diverse world we live in.

Thank you to our staff for making International Week so special and memorable for our students. We’d also like to give special thanks to the parents who volunteered their time to lead enriching workshops and activities for our students.

We can’t wait to do it all again next year!