From the Principal’s Desk, 25th July 2019
Dear Parents
I thoroughly enjoyed the Key Stage 2 assembly this morning and felt inspired by the message Ms. Kiley presented to the students about talents.
As much as academics is an important part of any school, I was reminded by Ms. Kiley’s message that each and every student has other talents too. These are the areas of interest that come naturally to a person, whether it be a love of music or the performing arts.
These are also the areas in which we should offer additional encouragement, so that our students are not lost under the load of factual information they are plied with on a daily basis. Children need to play in the sand, climb trees and explore outside, rather than relying on technology for entertainment.
Here are five reasons why outside play is fundamental to the growth of our children:
- Sunshine: Vitamin D is essential for the development of the immune system.
- Exercise: Children are so happy when they are outside running and kicking balls. It gives them renewed energy and focus.
- Risks: Often times we as parents are too anxious and we want our children to be safe. Keeping them away from risky situations may dampen their bravery and confidence. Yes, they might get hurt, but the lessons we learn from failure are as important as the lessons we learn from success.
- Socialization. Children need to learn how to work together. They need to learn to make friends, how to share and cooperate and how to treat other people. If they only interact in very structured settings, such as school or sports teams, they won’t — they can’t — learn everything they need to know.
- Appreciation of nature. So much of our world is changing, and not for the better. If a child grows up never walking in the woods, digging in soil, seeing animals in their habitat, climbing a mountain, playing in a stream, or staring at the endless horizon of an ocean, they may never really understand what there is to be lost. The future of our planet depends on our children; they need to learn to appreciate it.
(Dr Clair McCarthy, Faculty Editor Harvard Health)
A reminder that school photographs will take place on Monday the 29th and Tuesday the 30th of July. A letter has been sent out on Engage.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
Regards
Edna
Our Visit To The Koeberg Visitor Centre Was Fantastic!
On our arrival we were briefed about the station and introduced to the safety measures that have been put in place to keep everyone safe, as well as the contribution Koeberg is making towards the environment.
In the well-equipped auditorium skilled and experienced staff members introduced us to Eskom, the Generation Division and Koeberg Power Station by means of a video and an informative presentation. Eskom’s Education Programme aims to educate school children about the value of electricity and the important role it plays in bringing so much comfort into the home.
The exhibition explains everything from how a nuclear reactor operates, to waste and radiation, not forgetting safety precautions and Koeberg’s commitment to the environment. Furthermore, it aims to bring awareness to the fact that ‘flicking a switch” is so quick and easy one almost never considers the hugely positive impact electricity has on our daily lives…
It was a fascinating visit as we moved back in history and looked at the development of mankind until present day. Our host engaged our learners with some gripping questions and she had a brilliant way of dealing with them. She did a great job explaining the process of how electricity is made at this power station. We were also encouraged to visit the private reserve surrounding the power station and were pleasantly surprised to learn about the hiking trails that take visitors through pristine Fynbos and Strandveld which are ideal for bird watching.
The Year 9 to 12 students experimented with the numerous models which explain how ‘Energy makes thing happen”. Thereafter we were allowed to relax and eat our packed lunches on the breezy deck overlooking Koeberg’s Nuclear plant and the blue ocean.
The students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the field trip and the opportunity to learn directly from the source.
Riaan Vosloo
High School Teacher
A Taste For Science
The Year 6 classes recently experienced their first taste of high school.
The students had the opportunity to conduct a very “hands on” investigation on digestion in the mouth. They used pipettes to examine what happens when they put a drop of Iodine on a piece of bread from the packet, and a piece that they had gently held and chewed in their mouths for three minutes. The experiment was conducted because Iodine is able to determine if starch is present in a food or not. Overall, the students really enjoyed themselves and we would like to thank Mrs Goch for allowing us the use of her laboratory. #sciencerocks
Marisa Esterhuizen
Year 6 Teacher
Let The Hunt Begin!
This term we have started off with developing our map skills in Geography and so the students are creating as well as designing their very own treasure map in Art. This includes designing a detailed map key, drawing interesting landmarks and creating a name for their Island. It is an exciting process that will end off with staining the maps using a wet tea bag, slightly burning the edges and then rolling it up into a scroll, to create an old effect.
The year 3 students are thoroughly enjoying embarking on this adventure and can’t wait to show their parents the final results.
Our class is close to completing the drawing part of their treasure maps and including lots of detail into it.
Mrs Alexia Holmes
Year 3 Teacher
Our Year 2’s Maths & Science Week
This week our Year 2’s got to have some fun with all sorts of different Maths and Science activities. Our Science activities involved all sorts of fun experiments such as “Rainbow Walking Water” with water, food colouring and paper towel, “Rainbow Candy” with smarties and water, “Rain Cloud” with shaving cream, water and food colouring and “Elephant Toothpaste” with soap, yeast and food colouring. So much fun was had experimenting with different colour mixing, creating clouds and watching rain fall through. Getting to watch the colour slowly soak off of the smarties was a particular favourite!
“Science helps children develop vital life-skills such as problem-solving, communication and research. Science is one of the most important subjects a child can learn because of its relevance to our lives and its capacity to apply these vital life-skills to everyday activities”
– Minimegeology
For Maths this week, we had fun testing out different forms of measurement and experimenting with shape in art. One of our Year 2’s favourite activities was getting to play with “Dragons Tears”, using jugs and other measuring utensils to test and compare the volume and capacity of various containers. We learned about what these terms mean and what various amounts of milliliters’s look like. It has been great opportunity to keep the fun in our school work!
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
Manners for Minors In Nursery
In Nursery we have ‘Manners for Minors‘ every Monday morning. Each week the students learn about a variety of manners and new characters.
This week we learned about Caring Kurt and how we care for our mommies and our friends when they are sick. We were taught how to listen to our mom when she talks to us and how to help others when they can’t help themselves.
Miss manners explained manners in the morning. It was fun to dance and sing to the new Mommy song and we read a new book learning about how we have to get dressed, eat breakfast and brush teeth before we go to school.
Boastful Betty, Rodney Rude and Princess Penny are just a few of the other characters that we learn about at Manners for Minors.
These activities are a fun way for our students to acquire the necessary skills to become a well rounded member of the community. Our lives have become so fast paced that we sometimes forget to place emphasis on the basics. Etiquette being a very important basic skill for the next generation, must be taught at home as well as in school.
Jacky Billings
Nursery Teacher
Mandela Day Challenge 2019
Our Year 6 classes coordinated a donation drive for Table View Angels. There was a strong spirit of generosity and competition among the classes to collect the most items for this year’s Mandela Day. Congratulations to Mrs Nadia Mahomed’s Year 5 class, who collected the most products, donating 240 items in total! Many classes not only reached the target of 67 items per class, but went over and above this amount.
Over 2300 items were collected! We had the privilege of delivering all the collected non-perishable items to Table View Angels, feeling proud of our collection initiative and our school.
We would not have achieved our collection goal without the generous hearts of our students and parents, and are blown away by the kindness shown. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our BIS school community for making this year’s Mandela Day a huge success!
Amanda Hack
Year 6 Teacher
A21 Talk About Human Trafficking: Student Responses
On Friday 12th July, it was a privilege for Blouberg International School to receive guests, The A21 Campaign. They shared valuable information about the dangers of human trafficking.
They taught us how to better equip ourselves in harmful situations so as to enlighten us to be as safe as possible when using social media platforms. This can be done by not being easily lured by prospects such as international sporting and job opportunities as well as modeling and scouting — no matter how determined one may be.
The A21 Campaign offers insightful information at various branches worldwide. How can one get involved? This can be done by donating money, creating awareness, inviting people to talks given by victims and survivors and participating in annual charity walks. Word can be spread by reposting informative videos and hosting charitable competitions within your communities and schools.
The motto of A21 is “Slavery Ends Here”. The message that can be learned from this is that whilst modern slavery is the fault of those abused, the rest of society has a role to play in fulfilling our duty as fellow citizens. Make a change today!
– Lwazi Mpofu-Mketwa (Year 12)
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Last week Friday we had A21, an organization which assists victims of human trafficking, visit our school. To say that a lot of us were moved is an understatement. We all gained so much information about what human trafficking actually is and how even when victims are rescued, they are never really emotionally free. It was shocking to learn that only 1% of victims are rescued and that traffickers maintain control by manipulating our vulnerabilities, our desire for food, shelter etc. The experience was stark and eye-opening. However, not everything is doom and gloom. A21 have 14 different locations in 12 countries across the globe. The organization rescues victims of human trafficking and helps them get back on their feet after their traumatic experience.
On the 19th of October, the organization is holding an event called ‘Walk for Freedom’ to raise awareness about human trafficking. Participants walk a designated route, wearing A21 t-shirts and carry placards in an effort to get people’s attention and make the public aware of the reality of human trafficking. The message is that slavery still exists and as a community we need to identify the victims and abolish this heinous trade.
– Etseoghena Oyoto (Year 12)
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Leaders Shape The World
In Year 2 this term, we have started History, learning about leaders and leadership qualities. During discussions, the students decided that there were certain characteristics that good leaders should have. Among these were the following:
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Fairness
- Firmness
- Being a role model
- Inspiring
- Have good ideas
With these characteristics in mind, the students were tasked with researching and preparing an oral presentation, on a historical leader. The students were excited to share their information with their peers and brought photographs and information, which many of their friends were unaware of.
We also discussed how we could be leaders in the different facets of our lives. One does not have to be famous to be a good leader.
To quote from a famous historical leader, “Nothing is impossible, until it’s done” Nelson Mandela
Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher
Countries In Reception
Our class bear, Coco, has been traveling all over the world visiting different countries every day. He has visited Australia, Russia, China, France, England, Spain and America. The students have made their own passports and add one picture every day as we learn about each new country.
We even had an interesting day of listening to different languages; afterward we made a short video featuring a few of our students who speak other languages. Please follow the link to watch our video: https://www.facebook.com/IES.Blouberg/videos/513221689421891/
We will end the countries series with a dress up day this Friday. Students will bring and share treats from multiple countries for everyone to try.
Monique Crawley
Reception Teacher