International Boarding School in Berlin, Germany

BBIS Berlin Brandenburg International School GmbH:
Berlin Brandenburg International School (BBIS) is a private, state-approved, coeducational, English language day and boarding school serving the internationally-minded community of Germany's capital region and beyond. The BBIS campus is located in the village of Kleinmachnow, bordering the southwest of Berlin, on a large, quiet, wooded hill along Machnower lake. Founded in 1990, BBIS is an International IB World School authorized by the IB organization to teach all four IB programs. BBIS is truly an international school, with 680 students representing 58 nationalities. Classes are small, usually with fewer than 18 students. The boarding school, located directly on the BBIS campus, houses 25 international students from grades 9 through 12.

BBIS is the first International Baccalaureate (IB) school in the world to be fully authorized by the IB organization in Geneva, Switzerland to teach all four IB programs covering the 3-19 age range. The school is also fully accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA).

Our Mission:
BBIS is an inclusive school committed to inspiring students in pursuit of lifelong learning. Building bridges among cultures, we celebrate diversity in a caring, internationally-minded community. We empower young learners to fulfil their unique potential as we guide them to become responsible, compassionate global citizens.

Our Faculty:
BBIS teachers are certified, experienced professionals from 20 different countries, with the greatest representation from the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany. BBIS employs 96 full-time teachers and 16 teacher assistants, ensuring that class sizes are no larger than 18 students.

BBIS Boarding School opens its doors to international students from 9th to 12th grades whose families are not moving to Berlin but are internationally minded and intent on offering their children schooling in an international English language academic institution located in the middle of Europe. Our international community prepares young people for a global social, academic and work community. *EU citizens as of 12 or 13 years of age may also apply.

Currently, 25 students from Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Iran, Mexico , Romania, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the Ukraine, and the USA have joined our boarding community.

These students focus on the three main goals in our boarding community:
- embracing a healthy lifestyle
- achieving their academic potential to the fullest
- sharing cultures and fostering international understanding.

All of the boarding school offerings including the living space, duties, projects, daily routines, and after school and weekend activities are conceived to further these goals and provide the students with a nurturing and safe environment.

Young people in Europe grow up speaking many different languages and experiencing a wide range of cultures. At BBIS Boarding School students acquire excellent English language skills and can learn German at the same time.

IB programs for boarding students: Middle Years Programme (MYP) for grades 9 and 10; Diploma Program and Career-related Certificate Program for grades 11 and 12
Languages of instruction: English

In grade 12, students have the opportunity to earn the IB Diploma, a qualification recognized by universities and colleges throughout the world, or the IB Career-related Certificate preparing them for studies in business or professional training after leaving school. IBCC students can also go on to the American university system.

Specific support is provided for students with special needs and those for whom English is not a first language.

BBIS is a fast growing international school that is committed to providing an inclusive after school programme for students of all ages. Our programme changes from term to term, with some activities continuing, whilst others stop and new ones begin. We aim to provide our students with a balanced and varied programme throughout the year. BBIS staff members and external instructors offer their time to the programme, enabling us to constantly expand and adapt to the growing needs of our student body.

Each term, a wide range of activities are offered and we strongly encourage our students to make use of that variety. This gives them the chance to have fun while meeting new friends, sharing and developing passions, integrating into our international community and meeting people from other cultures. The extracurricular activities take place in the afternoons, usually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday or, in some cases, at lunchtime. Activities like sports, art, drama and music might have weekend activities as well.

About 50 ECAs are offered at BBIS each term (autumn, winter and spring), both sporting and non-sporting, including sailing, soccer, basketball, badminton, volleyball, karate, archery, swimming, Drama Club, Instrumental Ensemble, Human Rights Club, Student Council and Newspaper Club.

BBIS Boarding School offers comfortable student rooms with biweekly cleaning and linen service, full meal service, comprehensive pastoral care and homework support. The morning and evening routines are supervised as well as the weekend time which regularly includes outings and activities. The Boarding Guidelines provide the students with a general framework for their time in Berlin-Brandenburg. These guidelines outline our expectations regarding common values, acceptable behaviour and goal setting.

Daily Schedule on School Days
07.15 Breakfast in the boarding facility, room check
08.00-14.55 School day including a warm midday meal at school
15.00-16.30 ECAs at or outside of school
18.00-18.30 Evening meal in the boarding facility
19.00-20.30 Supervised study session in the boarding facility
20.30-22.00 Group evening or free time
22.00-22.30 Room check and saying "good night"
22.30-06.00 Nightly quiet time Sundays through Thursdays

Weekday afternoons are filled with art, music, drama and sports activities. The weekends provide time for more activities and excursions into Berlin.

“Culture Night” takes place during one or two evenings per month throughout the year to celebrate each of the cultures represented in boarding. Students from one country cook a typical national dish together with the other boarding students and prepare a presentation and/or an activity for the boarding group. While the boarding group dines at a decorated table, music typical for that country contributes to the ambiance of the evening.

Overall, the BBIS boarding community gives students the professional and reliable support they need to feel comfortable and accepted at their “home away from home.”