| Established | 1912 |
|---|---|
| Motto | Fac Recte |
| School type | Private |
| President | M. Matilde Villanueva de Green |
| Deputy Headmistress | Lic. Steven Page Lic. Federico Johansen |
| Student's Council | – |
| Location | Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Enrollment | 1030 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Homepage | www.bds.edu.ar |
Belgrano Day School is a private, bilingual and coeducational school located in the Belgrano, 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.
Pupils are of all religious beliefs, however the school has a Catholic orientation. Pupils can prepare for First Communion, attend Confirmation, spiritual retreats and monthly mass. Participation in all religious activities is optional.
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The school was founded in 1912 by the Englishman John Ernest Green. It has grown into a school of more than 1000 students from kindergarten to Senior School.
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.
It is divided in six years, labelled P1 to P6. Students follow a mixed national-bilingual syllabus and the Cambridge International Primary Programme (CIPP)in English, Science and Mathematics. At the end of P6 a theatre play is prepared.
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.
There are teams in rugby, hockey, volleyball and football that participate in interschool matches. 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.
Each section has its own building, entrance and playground and rooms for music, art, computer studies and drama exist. Shared facilities include dining room, library, gymnasium, laboratories, auditorium, equipped music academy and a first aid centre. The twenty-hectare sports fields are 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.
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 among its pupils. One curiosity is that graduated last year Peter Lanzani, famous teen of Argentine soap opera Casi Ángeles.
Old Facrecteans prolong their link with the school through the Old Facrectean Association (OFA), take part in activities like the BDS Club or the Old Facrectean Choir- and keep alive the Old Facrectean Newsletter that is electronically distributed twice a year.