Wooden bike builder
In memory of Kalpna Mistry, 1980-2008
Our esteemed friend and colleague Kalpna Mistry, a Global Studies teacher at BIHS, passed away earlier this week and will be sorely missed. She was working on a Fulbright Grant in the Philippines this summer and passed away there on August 4. She received great medical care, surrounded by friends from her scholarship program. She will be remembered for her dedication to education, her deep love of her students and her great intellect.
The Berkeley High School Health Center has been notified and counseling is available at 664-6965. We are in the process of setting up a BHS memorial service once classes begin.
Ms. Mistry's family has asked that no flowers be sent; instead a foundation has been set up in Ms. Mistry's name through the Berkeley High School Development Group. Donations can be sent to BHSDG, P.O. Box 519, Berkeley CA 94701-0519, with Kalpna Mistry Memorial on the memo line. Additional information can be found on the family's memorial website.
Ms. Mistry's many friends and colleagues have also established memorial pages honoring her on Facebook and Blogspot. Anyone who had the pleasure to learn from and work with Kalpna is welcome to post their thoughts and memories on these pages.
New BIHS home on the web
To provide a more dependable website and mailing lists as we launch the first year of International Baccalaureate programs, we've moved the Berkeley International High School website to a new web server with a new address:
berkeleyihs.org
You're already looking at the new site, but since you may have simply been redirected here from the old address, please make sure to update your bookmarks to point to the new site.
BIHS, an International Baccalaureate World School, offers every student the opportunity to challenge him or herself to reach the very highest level of academic achievement. Our students will become intelligent, engaged, energetic and passionate about their own learning.CAS student guide, tracking forms now available
With the arrival of summer comes the beginning of the IB Creativity, Action, Service program (CAS) for BIHS students in the class of 2010. CAS is a core element of the IB diploma programme that encourages student participation in artistic pursuits, sports and community service, thus fostering awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena. Incoming juniors can get a head start on their 150 required CAS hours by taking part in projects and activities as soon as the last exam ends in June.
To help launch the program, the BIHS Summer 2008 CAS Student Guide (PDF) has a full description of the goals of the CAS program, as well as questions and answers about CAS and information on recordkeeping of CAS hours. In addition, students can download printable forms (PDF) to record individual CAS activities and keep track of long-term projects and activities. For questions over the summer, you can contact the CAS team at bihscas@gmail.com.
The books of summer
To prepare for next year's freshman English classes' focus on storytelling, the BIHS English teachers have assembled a reading list for incoming freshmen. The reading assignments, which include one novel, one memoir, and one epic or myth, are posted online, and are also available en español.
For next year's sophomores, 10th grade summer reading choices include fiction and nonfiction books as well as alternative media (movies, audio recordings, even a TV option). And as befits an international high school, the selections span the globe, from the Americas to Asia, Africa and Europe.
Stay up-to-date on school news — join the E-trees
To stay current with everything that's going on at Berkeley International High School and in the larger school, all BIHS families should be signed up for both schools' E-tree mailing lists. Find out how to subscribe.