ACTIVITIES & ATHLETICS

Season 1 (11 weeks)

24 August 2026: Panthers pre-season try-outs begin. In season teams will host open gym/field sessions.

31 August 2026: ECA registration opens via BBIS SchoolsBuddy platform.

14 September 2026: Season 1 ECA’s begin. Only registered students will be able to participate.

ECA’s will operate from 15:00 until 16:15. Some Secondary ECA’s will continue until 17:30 and will be advised by the ECA coach. Students will need to arrange their own transport should they continue to this time.

ECA late bus (16:30) will begin operation. 

4 December 2026: Season 1 ECA’s finish.

Season 2 (10 weeks): starts 4 January 2027, finishes 19 March 2027

Season 3 (9 weeks): starts 5 April 2027, finishes 11 June 2027

Registration for Panthers athletic teams and ECAs is only done online, and information about available activities and timings can be found on our school's website. The registration platform for Panthers athletics and ECAs is called SchoolsBuddy and you access SchoolsBuddy through iSAMS. You need to register while using iSAMS on your browser; registration is not possible while using the iSAMS app.

1. How signup works

• This signup requires you to make choices and submit these choices to the school for your activities for this period. The school will then allocate activities based upon your selections and the group's size.
• There may be options for each day. Only select options for a day if you want to take part in an activity for that day.
• Once you have selected your choices, please click REVIEW & CONFIRM to see an overview of your preferences before clicking the COMPLETE AND SEND ALL TO SCHOOL button.
• After you have sent your choices to the school you will not be able to edit them.

2. Make choices

• Preference selections are limited to Weekly.
• WEEKLY: Select up to 5 top preferences for the week. Make your first choice 'preference1', your second choice 'preference2' and so on. You may only select ONE 'preference1', 'preference2', 'preference3', etc across the week. The system will not let you select P1 twice in the week. To change your P1 choice first untick the current P1 choice.
• When complete, move onto the next day.

3. Submit to school

• To save your preferences to complete later choose SAVE FOR LATER. If you want to review all of your choices click REVIEW & CONFIRM.
• If during review you want to SUBMIT your choices to the school click on COMPLETE AND SEND ALL TO SCHOOL button. You will need to agree to terms & conditions set by the school.

4. Await allocation

• When the signup period closes, school staff will begin the task of allocating students their preferred choices where possible. Following allocation you will receive an email notifying you of your allocated activities. You can then use SchoolsBuddy to view all of these activities in your SchoolsBuddy diary.

Join Requests

After the allocation, parents will be notified through SchoolsBuddy of the confirmed ECAs for their child(ren). “Join requests” will then open, allowing parents to see the remaining spots available for ECAs. The join requests go directly to the ECA leader who accepts the join requests (based on any open spots) in the order they were received.

Our ECA programme can be categorised as follows:

Arts and Performance: Promoting visual, auditory and movement expression. Originality, collaboration and perseverance and important skills here. Examples on offer include BBIS Co-Curricular Instrumental Music Programme, the Berlin International Music Project, Musical Mania, Choir, Orchestra, music ensembles, rock band, dance, Drama Production and more.

Create and Innovate: Encouraging students to unleash curiosity, generating new possibilities and alternative ideas. Students are encouraged to be original and adaptable and to improvise working with a range of materials and contexts. Examples on offer include coding, calligraphy, Lego, Minecraft, Art around the World, Python Beginners, Robotics, STEM, gardening and more.

Mind Matters: Requires students to inquire, question, make connections and extend their understanding. Students focus on problem solving, analysis and evaluation in a variety of different settings with age-appropriate support. Examples on offer include Chess, Math Club, Board games and more.

Wellness for Life: Develops an understanding of the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind. The value of self-discipline, awareness and confidence are important aspects of these activities as students pay attention to their bodies and minds and the connections between them. Examples on offer include rock climbing/bouldering, yoga, recreational sport, karate and more.

Lead and Learn: Communicating and leading through collaboration in diverse settings. Students assume shared responsibility and resolve issues whilst working with others. Flexibility, adaptability and cooperation are required here to develop trust and influence as a leader. Examples include: MUN, United World Schools, Green Team, Student Athletic Council, Student Council, Gender and Sexuality Alliance, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award and more.

Representative Sport: BBIS belongs to the German International Schools Sports Tournaments and the European Sports Conference. Participation in representative sport promotes confidence, resilience and commitment throughout a wide variety of competitive environments. Commitment, dedication, responsibility and sportsmanship are cornerstones of our programme and essential components of sport. Examples of opportunities for our Under 14, Junior Varsity and Varsity teams include football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, track and field, swimming, cross country, table tennis and tennis.

The ECA programme is conducted during lunchtime and after school hours. The schedule varies based on the activity.

Lunchtime ECAs: Secondary; held anytime within 11:05-11:55.
After school ECAs: Primary Grades 1-5; 15:00-16:25. There are no ECAs for Early Education students until Season 3.
After school ECAs: Secondary; starting at 15:00 and ending from 16:15 or depending on the activity until 17:30 (coaches will confirm this).

Open communication is essential for a successful extra-curricular experience. Please keep your contact information updated, and regularly check emails, newsletters, and the school's online platforms for updates and announcements related to the programme.

We encourage parents to engage in meaningful conversations with the ECA leaders to stay informed about their child's progress.

If you have a comment or concern, please direct your comment/concern to the ECA leader or the Activities Coordinator directly. For any questions regarding a specific ECA, please contact the ECA leader directly.

Regular attendance is crucial for the benefit of your child and the success of the programme. If your child cannot attend a session, please notify the ECA leader in advance. Consistent participation helps your child develop skills, build friendships, and contribute to the overall team or group dynamic. Once selected, attendance is a requirement for those taking part in BBIS representative teams and school performances such as drama performances and BIMP.

We expect all students to uphold high standards of behaviour during the extra-curricular activities. Respect, inclusivity, and responsibility are paramount. School behaviour rules apply to all ECAs and athletics at BBIS. There is a separate Student Athlete Code of Conduct that all student athletes and their parents must sign prior to the start of an athletic team at BBIS.

Any violations of the code of conduct will be addressed promptly, and appropriate consequences will be applied. Good people make good athletes!

Your child's safety is our primary concern. We maintain good practice and safety measures during all activities. Our staff and instructors are trained to provide supervision and handle emergencies effectively. Only students who are registered in after school ECAs are permitted to remain on campus after 15:00. After a student’s ECA ends, they are to promptly leave campus and return home.

Primary students that finish an afternoon ECA at 16:15 and if taking the late bus will be escorted by their ECA leader and directly supervised by their ECA leader until the late bus departs promptly at 16:30.

Students are not allowed to remain on campus after school and watch their friends’ ECAs. This includes the sports hall, students are not allowed to be in the balcony/bleachers to watch sport practices/ECAs after school.

Participation in the ECA programme may have associated fees. Please refer to the ECA details during registration for specific fee information.

External Provider paid ECAs must be paid in advance, directly to the ECA leaders.

Internal free ECAs do not have a fee.

Internal paid ECAs have a fee, and the fee is listed in the ECA description. 

Students experience a two week trial with the option of withdrawing from the activity within this time. No fee will be invoiced in this case. To withdraw from an activity, notification MUST be received from the student's parents/guardians. Notification by the student or nonattendance cannot be accepted as notice to withdraw. Schoolsbuddy cancellation is not available to families, this must be done via the ECA coordinator. After this trial period, the expectation is that the student remains with the activity for the duration of the course and an invoice will be issued from week 3 of the ECA season.

PLEASE NOTE: Externally run ECA's are invoiced seperately by the ECA provider. Because these activities represent income for our external providers, the trial week is strictly limited to one week only. 

Beginning on Monday of the third week of the ECA term, the BBIS finance office will begin issuing invoices for the term’s ECAs.

For students that require transportation home in the afternoon, there is a late bus service for Berlin and Potsdam that departs behind House 3 at 16:30 during all ECA terms.

Please note that the late bus only operates in ECA weeks. The late bus is a free service that is covered by the ECA programme.

PotsdamBus transport services follow established safety protocols, and designated drop-off points are provided. Please note that the drop off points for the ECA Late Bus differ for the regulat school transport.

Any questions about PotsdamBus GmbH service:

+49 (0)3 32 03 - 88 49 25
info@potsdambus.de

Late bus schedule schedule

For any secondary school ECAs that end later than 16:25, students are responsible for their own transportation home.

If your child has any medical conditions, allergies, or specific needs, please inform the ECA leader in advance. We strive to provide a supportive environment for all participants.

I am having trouble with my registration. Can you register my children for me?

No. Please e-mail support.schoolplatforms@bbis.de.

We really enjoyed ECA last term. We didn’t see it listed online in SchoolsBuddy. Will it be offered this term?

If you don’t see the ECA, then it is not being offered this term. 

I am really interested in a specific ECA this term and have a few questions about it.

Please e-mail the staff member who is offering the ECA. 

Why are the sports different for each term?

We follow the competition schedule for our conferences when we schedule Panther Athletics during the year. After the conference competitions are over, we are preparing for the next round of sports. If your child wants to participate in a year-round sport, joining a Berlin or Brandenburg sport club might be a good option for your child.

If we want to continue the same ECAs from one term to the next, do we need to sign up again?

Yes.

If we were in an ECA for a term and don’t want to continue, do we need to cancel?

No. Registration starts over for each term.

I am locked out of iSAMS.

Please e-mail support.schoolplatforms@bbis.de for support. 

I have questions about my student’s ECAs.

Please e-mail the ECA leader.

What is an internal ECA?

An internal ECA is run by BBIS staff and any applicable fees are billed directly from BBIS to the families.

What is an external ECA?

An external ECA is run by a non-BBIS staff member. The external ECAs have different fees and payment procedures.

We want to quit an external ECA.

1. Please contact the ECA leader directly.
2. You still may be responsible for the fees, depending when you cancelled.
3. Do not contact the Activities Coordinator; the ECA leader is your point of contact.

We want to quit an internal ECA.

In the first two weeks, you can withdraw free of charge. Cancel directly through SchoolsBuddy to withdraw. After the third week, you will be charged the ECA fees:

I have a question/comment/suggestion for the ECA programme. Is a parent chat group the best place for this discussion?

No. Please use this form https://forms.gle/GmJ6LpUR7DCpQ6R3A for all Athletics and ECA communication for the Athletic Director/Activities Coordinator. Using this form allows for our team to have access to all the questions, comments and suggestions--allowing for better organisation/assistance and ensuring correct information is given out.

We have signed up for Prime Youth, Pottery and Sculpting, or a different external ECA. Do we have to pay for the ECA in advance of it starting each term?

Yes. The external ECA providers have a different payment schedule.

My child is sick and will not attend the ECA today/tomorrow. Who should I e-mail?

If your child is sick, e-mail the ECA leader directly.