Belgrano Day School

Belgrano Day School is a private, bilingual and coeducational school located in the Belgrano neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It offers a national and international curriculum for pupils aged 2 to 18 years old. Graduates obtain the national Bilingual Baccalaureate and may optionally sit for some of the University of Cambridge International Examinations (IGCSE, AICE, AS and A levels).

The school draws its pupils from a wide area of Buenos Aires, but the majority come from within the districts of Belgrano, Nuñez and Palermo. All pupils in primary, middle and senior schools belong to a house, "North", "South", "East" or "West" through which internal competitions are organized. The school has over one hundred teachers and support staff from Argentina and abroad. Many are bilingual and approximately fifty percent of the student body are full time pupils.

Pupils of all religious beliefs are welcome. Yet, throughout its history, the school has had a Catholic orientation. Pupils are offered the possibility to prepare for First Communion, attend Confirmation, spiritual retreats and monthly mass. Participation in all religious activities is optional.

History

The School was founded in the year 1912 by the Englishman John Ernest Green. It began with a few students and has come to grow into a school of almost 800 students from kindergarten to Senior School.

Academics

Kindergarten

The implementation of an Early Immersion English Programme as from the age of two, led by fully bilingual teachers, is designed to develop bilingualism, social skills, creativity and self-esteem. The kindergarten has the official supervision of the Ministry of Education. Kindergarten is staffed by often young, and also beautiful, teachers, who have recently completed their studies to become teachers. These members of the staff are comparable in physical characteristics to the young mothers that daily go to the kindergarten to drop off and pick up their young children.

Primary

It is divided in six years, labelled P1 to P6. Students follow a mixed national-bilingual syllabus. At the end of P6, a theatre play is prepared.

Middle & Senior School

Middle school offers a debate club, a creative writing and arts workshop, a choir, the project Jóvenes Negociadores (Young Negotiators) implemented under the supervision of Fundación Poder Ciudadano, and other extracurricular activities. A Psychological Advisor is also present from this stage till graduation.The University of Cambridge International Examinations preparation starts during this period.

Games & Sports

Belgrano Day School has long enjoyed a strong reputation for sport. There are teams in rugby, hockey, volleyball and football that participate in interschool matches. In recent years, senior teams have toured Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Chile. In the latter part of the school year there are athletics tournaments, including an interhouse competition.

Facilities

Each section has its own building, entrance and playground and special rooms for music, art, computer studies and drama exist. In addition there are the following shared facilities: dining room, library, gymnasium, laboratories, auditorium, equipped music academy, a first aid centre, and the twenty-hectare sports fields in El Talar, with seven rugby union and mini-rugby fields, seven hockey and mini-hockey fields, six volleyball courts, plus a spacious open air gymnasium and a snack bar.

The school buildings form the greater part of one whole square between the streets of Juramento, Zapiola, Mendoza and Conesa and all sections interconnect from one playground to another.

Alumni

Belgrano Day School has on record more than two thousand graduates who have left school since its foundation in 1912. Children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Old Facrecteans are currently among its pupils.

Old Facrecteans prolong their link with the school through the Old Facrectean Association (OFA), take part in different activities –like the BDS Club or the Old Facrectean Choir- and keep alive the Old Facrectean Newsletter that is electronically distributed twice a year.

External links

* [http://www.bds.esc.edu.ar Official Site]