End Of Term News
I think we can all agree that this term has flown by, and I can’t quite believe that we are already halfway through the year. It has been a busy term with prelim examinations, internal June Examinations and external Cambridge Examinations taking place.
Term 2 reports will be available on Engage on Friday, 25 June 2021. A letter was sent out on Engage explaining how to access your child`s report. If you experience any problems please contact Ms Trindade Camara on 021 557 9071 or at trindade.camara@iesmail.com.
I also want to congratulate our Interact Club on a successful clothing project. Yesterday they delivered 38 bags of clothing to Home of Hope. A special thank you to the parents who donated clothing and other items.
As a staff would like to thank each and every parent for their support during the term and we look forward to working with you in Term 3.
Julian Harrison
Head of Academics High School
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Shadow Puppet Shows
This Term the Year 5’s explored shadows in Science.
Did you know…
“A shadow puppet uses a silhouette to represent the puppet. Long ago, people recorded their history by telling stories. This was before writing was invented. In ancient China and Indonesia, storytellers used shadow puppets to help tell stories. Each Village’s storyteller was known as a puppet master. When he put on a show the whole village would watch. He used his hands and even his feet to make a puppet move. He also added noise effects.”
Year 5NM delved excitedly into the task of planning and preparing their own shadow puppet shows. The students wrote play scripts filled with adventure and mystery. They creatively cut out silhouette characters and props for the setting of their stage. They used bed sheets as their screens and torches, headlamps and lampshades as their light source. It was a massive task of planning and rehearsing to get everything ready.
Storylines included tales of forests and challenges, camp adventures and under the sea mermaids. Careful thought went into the character design. Students were able to manipulate the size of the shadow by moving the silhouette characters closer or further away from their light source.
Lots of fun and excitement was had by all. Well done Year 5!
Nadia Mahomed
Year 5 Teacher
Working With Clay
“There is a relationship between sight and touch, something about eyes being able to see through the fingers touching the clay, about fingers being able to feel what the eyes are seeing without the fingers actually touching it.” – Jose Saramago
During the Term, our Year 2 students learnt about Manipulating Materials in Science. The students were enthusiastic and showed an eager attitude towards this concept, so to end off the Term, the Year 2 students were given some clay to manipulate into making a small bowl, which they would later paint if they wish to.
Clay plays an important role in developmental growth in students from a young age. Manipulating (squishing, squeezing, pulling, pushing, etc.) helps develop a student’s large and small muscles, fosters eye-hand coordination, builds on fine motor skills and it helps teach to them the ability to focus.
The use of clay with infants and toddlers allows for discovery of body awareness as it provides a tactical experience. The older the student gets, the more creative he/she may find themselves when manipulating clay which is extremely important for the developmental growth of all students.
“Learn to humble yourself, you are but earth and clay.” – Thomas Kempis
Erin Hierse
Year 2 Teacher
The Benefits Of Fairy Tales
Fairy Tales are essential stories for childhood. These stories are more than just happily ever after, they portray real moral lessons through characters shown in the stories.
Frequent exposure to Fairy Tales will benefit your child creatively, intelligently and emotionally:
Creative development:
- Imagination – Fairy Tales are examples of storytelling at its best and it is the most effective way to teach a story to all students.
- Diversity – You might find stories which are thoughtful, romantic and even action orientated.
- General Connection – Fairy Tales can bridge the generational gap between students and their grandparents by providing common stories for them to relate to.
Cognitive Expansion:
- Critical Thinking – The language of Fairy Tales is uncomplicated, it’s often easier for students to understand.
- Vocabulary – Students vocabulary grows with every story.
Emotional Development:
- Problem solving – Fairy Tales are often filled with non-examples for students to follow, but it is seeing these characters make poor choices that our students learn of better ways to handle problems.
We learned so much during the last two weeks. We also dressed up as fairy tale characters and pirates. Then we participated in a Treasure Hunt.
Martie van Dyk
Pre-Reception Teacher
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From the Principal’s Desk, 17 June 2021
Dear Parents
This may be a long newsletter but contains very important information.
NON-ACADEMIC DAY – THURSDAY, 24 June
Our students have worked hard these last six months and we have decided they deserve some fun on the second-last day of the term. Please find the relevant details for Foundation Phase, KS 1, KS 2 and the High School for Thursday, 24 June.
Foundation Phase:
Foundation Phase students must dress up in any colour of the rainbow. They will participate in creative activities that will take place both indoors and outdoors. Students may be collected from 13:30.
Key Stage 1:
Key Stage 1 students must dress up in any colour of the rainbow. They will participate in art and science activities and a scavenger hunt. Key Stage 1 students may be collected from 13:30.
Key Stage 2:
Key Stage 2 will be holding a Games Day. Students may come to school wearing civvies and will spend the day playing a variety of games in their classrooms. The Games Day will end at 14:00.
High School:
High school students will participate in an Inter-house Winter Olympics. Students need to dress in civvies that correspond to their house colours (Bodiam: green; Leeds: blue; Windsor: red). There are a variety of games in which they can participate. Some games will require students to bring supplies (e.g., tape or scissors) so students should take note of ‘required materials’ when signing up for an event. House points will be awarded to the leading house in each event, as well as the best-dressed house and the house that displays the most spirit. High school students may leave from 13:30.
The Matrics will be selling cupcakes on the day. Students from all phases are encouraged to bring money to support them.
Please note that Covid-19 protocols will be adhered to at all times.
YEAR 6 & 7 PARENT EVENING
We are currently planning a parent information evening for Year 6 & 7 parents and students. This will take place early in the 3rd term. We will communicate details soon.
2022 SCHOOL CALENDAR
This will be circulated to parents by the end of the week. I trust it will help when planning your holidays – Covid dependant, of course.
COVID-19
Let me assure you that all necessary protocols are followed at school, i.e.. wearing masks, sanitizing and social distancing. As the 3rd wave takes hold in the Western Cape, we are on high alert and will do everything possible to ensure our community stays healthy.
Our school term ends next Friday, 25th June and Term 2 work has, mostly, been concluded. We have some other academic and fun activities planned for the remainder of the term and this requires the presence of students at the school.
Before school resumes for Term 3 on Tuesday 20th July, we will make an informed decision regarding online classes. Should the 3rd wave be of such a nature that it poses a risk for our school community, we will not hesitate to consider online classes after discussions with the Board and sister schools.
We will communicate this to parents during the last week of the holidays (12th – 16th July).
Please be assured that the school will do everything in our power to minimize the risks at school.
Thank you for understanding and working with us to fight Covid and the winter colds.
STAFF CHANGES
The following staff changes will come in effect at the beginning of Term 3:
Mr Julian Harrison has a change of title and will now be the title of Cambridge Examinations Administrator.
Mrs Carmen de Villiers has been appointed as High School Coordinator (Year 7 – 12).
Mrs Katherine Nel has been appointed as Key Stage 2 Coordinator (Year 3 – 6).
Ms Yvette Fourie has been appointed as Year 4 teacher in the place of Mrs Marlize Keyser.
Mr Louis Marais has been appointed as Year 7 & 8 Maths and Science teacher in the place of Ms Tayla Shergold-Smith.
Ms Michellene Williams has been appointed as IGCSE and AS/A Level English teacher in the place of Ms Alice Pryor.
Mrs Sheila Marais takes on the portfolios of SRC (High School) and Discipline (Whole School).
FEATURE PHOTO
Our main newsletter photograph features Mrs Avril Lai Wing. Mrs Lai Wing is our Administration Secretary at school.
Avril started at BIS on 1 March 2019. She was born in Cape Town and is the third youngest of 7 children. She recently celebrated 23 years of marriage with the love of her life, Brent. They have 2 wonderful children, Tamika 22 who’s an internationally certified PRO make-up artist and Mikhail 15, an enthusiastic soccer player who dreams of going pro one day. Avril worked in the corporate industry for many years, one of it being advertising where she worked in reception but also did voiceovers and jingles for ads. However, she always had a desire to work with children and was fortunate to be granted an opportunity to work in the first collaboration school in Cape Town as a remedial support assistant teacher for 3 years before joining BIS as the Administration Secretary.
5 facts about Avril:
- She is a motivational speaker at events, specifically women’s events like church high teas, ladies’ retreats, couples retreats and youth camps, but her absolute favourite is doing stand-up comedy emceeing at events.
- She loves entering competitions and has won quite a few over the years which included 2 big ones. The 1st being Brent and herself being the first runner ups of a SA Bridal Couple of the Year competition shortly after they got married and the winner of the Volvo V40 T3 Sport Pack in the KFM Pumped up for summer competition in Nov 2013.
- Avril and two of her sisters have been an acapella trio since their childhood and have performed at many events over the years. She has also directed church youth choirs and young adult choirs.
- Avril loves camping and the outdoors, especially nature reserves and off-roading.
- She screams blue murder when someone scares her but has the warped desire to explore a ghost house one day!
WEEKLY THOUGHT: Our Reaction to Others’ Actions
“When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.” – Gustave Courbet
Our actions are so often influenced by how we view the actions of others. Courbet understood this and provided some valuable advice in the quote above.
He describes two scenarios in life:
Firstly, when we see a man of worth – an individual of exemplary character – we should make it our mission to equal him. But if we’re very honest with ourselves, this usually isn’t our first thought when we come across someone walking the “straight and narrow” road of integrity and truth. Instead of wanting to imitate such a person, we often look for something they do wrong, or at the very least, remark that we “can’t live up to such standards”. Courbet encourages us to react in a positive manner towards someone displaying positive attributes.
In the second (and perhaps more common) scenario, Courbet states that, when we see a man with a contrary – flawed and perverted – character, we should first look inward and examine ourselves. Do you find this difficult? I know I do! If we’re like most people, the first thing we want to do is to immediately correct someone acting in the wrong way. Courbet, on the other hand, advises us to first examine ourselves. He understood something of human nature that few people do – the fact that the character flaws we so easily spot in others are the very flaws we battle with most ourselves.
In this second, more challenging, scenario, we’re encouraged to react in a positive manner again, even when confronted with someone else’s flawed character. We are to use these instances as mirrors to examine ourselves.
May we consider this French painter’s advice in each of our interactions with others in the week ahead and see if we can apply it. By doing so, we will most certainly continue to grow and develop as individuals.
Let’s always consider Courbet’s advice when working with each other in Prepaid24 and when working with our clients. If we do, we will gain far more than we could possibly imagine.
Have a fruitful weekend and stay warm.
Andre
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Our Values
The year 4’s have been inspired by the Eisteddfod Art competition. For the competition, their art needs to include the Nautilus of the Blouberg International School crest and the values of BIS:
Dedication
Excellence
Respect
Responsibility
Integrity
Stewardship
Leadership
The lesson was a great opportunity to discuss these values with the students and was thoroughly integrated with our Global Perspectives learning outcomes.
Learners also learned the skill of paper marbling, which linked to our Science lessons, where they learned about states of matter and density. It was so lovely to share the skill with the learners as it is a lesson that I remember doing when I was about 10 years old.
Many learners are still busy completing the project and we can’t wait to see their interpretation of it.
You can try it at home, but be careful as you need to use oil-based paint. See the following link.
Marlize Keyser
Year 4 Teacher
Energy Robots
The Year 7’s were given a Science project to create their own “Energy robots”. This fun and integrated project was a means to assess their understanding of the different forms of energy that they had just learnt about in class.
They had to design, draw and then build their own robot that could produce at least three different forms of energy; such as heat, sound or light energy. All of the students really thought “out of the box” and incorporated a range of innovative ideas.
I was extremely impressed by the final products of the year 7’s, they really seemed to enjoy using a bit more of a creative side to learning about energy.
Tayla Shergold-Smith
Year 7 and 8 Mathematics and Natural Science Teacher
Group Work
Group work is so important for students, providing great opportunities for them to develop and practise their skills such as listening to each other, working with others, helping and thinking of solutions
The students have had a lot of fun planning and producing pictures in their groups over a couple of weeks together.
Here are some of their creations:
Charlotte Cronje
Year 1 Teacher
Learning About Frogs In Reception Year
We have been learning about frogs in Reception Year. The students were excited to find that frogs are amphibians and that they live on the land as well as in water. The students loved listening to a song that explains all about the frog life cycle.
See the link below:
https://youtu.be/wGIc7KitJCA
Did you know… an interesting fact about frogs is that although they breathe using their lungs, they can also take in some oxygen through their skin when swimming for longer periods. They are also able to smell better under water than on land.
The students were fascinated to see how a frog can catch its prey using its sticky tongue. We listened to the story of the Wide Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner and made a picture of a wide mouthed frog catching a bug on its tongue for art.
Bronwen Nuthall
Reception Year Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 11 June 2021
Dear Parents
Our high school students have one more week of exams left before they can have a breather. As we wind down towards the June/July holidays and as the Western Cape enters the 3rd wave of Covid infections, I urge our families to remain vigilant with regards to health and safety protocols. If we all follow the necessary sanitizing, social distancing and wearing of masks, we will protect our school and community.
YOUTH DAY
Next Wednesday, the 16th of June, is Youth Day. Let us take time to celebrate our youth. We have such an important task in equipping young people for the future.
It is our goal to ensure that when our students leave school they are resilient, confident, independent, respectful, resourceful, have a positive attitude, adaptable, well-rounded, self-aware, empathetic, critical thinkers, innovative, creative, problem solvers, responsible, good communicators, confident, compassionate, self-motivated, emotionally intelligent, resourceful, free thinkers, good leaders, balanced, flexible, self-regulated, team players, responsible and accountable.
Enjoy the day with your children.
FEATURE PHOTO
Our main newsletter photograph features Ms Heidi La Bercensie. Ms La Bercensie is one of our Music teachers at school. Did you know:
She was born in Port Elizabeth, attended school in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and in Wolfsburg, Germany. She studied at NMMU and UCT, and she currently performs with a few orchestras and in concerts on a regular basis. As much as she has a passion and love for teaching music and making a difference in children’s lives, a huge part of her passion is being on stage and performing!
Facts about her that not everyone knows:
- She loves travelling & experiencing different cultures around the world, and has been to 12 different countries and counting…
- She has a BMusHons; PGCE, an Associate and a Licentiate degree in Clarinet, and Grade 8 in Violin.
- She was invited to and took part in the annual London Notting Hill Carnival, performing as a steelpan player with the London Mangrove Steelband.
- She is an adrenaline junkie and has a goal to go to as many theme parks around the world as possible.
- She started playing in the South African National Orchestra since 14yrs old.
- She loves quad biking, hikes and doing outdoor adventures.
Heidi started at Blouberg International School on the 1st of January 2018.
WEEKLY THOUGHT: History
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” – Aldous Huxley
History. We all remember asking ourselves the question at some point our school careers: Why do I need to learn about that specific event, this famous person or anything else for that matter?
Most of us have a few decades worth of experience behind us and aren’t sitting in school anymore. This being the case, here is another question: Do you still think studying history is a waste of time?
According to Huxley, your answer to this question will put you into one of two categories: You’re either a person that learns from history or you’re one that doesn’t.
Many of our successes and failures in life are a consequence of our attitude towards history and whether we apply its valuable lessons.
Have a brilliant weekend and make an impact.
Andre
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