Year 2 Design & Technology: Festive Trees
“Design and Technology in primary school develops children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It encourages children’s creativity and encourages them to think about important issues.” https://www.data.org.uk/for-education/primary/
Last week, out Year 2’s got to design and create their own Festive Trees. First, we began the design process by drawing our trees the way we pictured them in our heads. Then, we labelled each part of our tree depicting exactly what materials we would like to make it out of. Colouring in was the next part of the process. We had to display our tree in the colours we wished to build and present it.
Once the design part of the process is done, the constructing stage begins. Each child was asked to bring in the various materials that they chose to use to build their tree. Many different type of materials were used. We had egg trays, cardboard boxes, coloured paper, festive decorations and various other exciting creative materials.
We had so much fun! The most beautiful part is that every single one of them is different and so lovely in its own way.
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
Year 11 Leadership Camp
Written by: Katherine Lott (Year 11)
The year 11 class recently went on their leadership camp at the Big Oak adventures, camp Karmel, in Franschhoek, from the 18th to the 20th of November.
Over the 3-day camp, the class embarked on various team building and adventurous activities, including water activities, cliff diving, blindfolded activities, an extensive obstacle course, and many others.
Through these activities, learners were challenged to get out of their comfort zones, learn new skills, practice teamwork, as well as, of course, have lots of fun! Activities tested the class’s ability to work together, learn more about each other and allowed for self-development and growth.
Accompanied by Mr. Harrison and Mrs. de Villiers, the class also received guidance and skills from their teachers, and needless to say, it wouldn’t have been the same without them.
Being an adventure/leadership camp, the students were able to prepare and practice skills for their matric year 2020 ahead.
Year 4 Bonamanzi Adventure Camp 2019
The year 4’s had their camp at Bonamanzi Adventures Camp this week. They all had an amazing time taking part in each of the team building activities.
Bonamanzi is found on the spectacular Breede River and their fantastic team and facilities make the experience that much more wonderful.
On Monday the 18th of November the very excited Year 4’s hopped on their bus and made their way to Bonamanzi. They arrived and were instantly greeted by friendly smiles and enthusiastic team leaders. The students had the opportunity to go on the river and had a great time splashing in the cool water on a very hot day. They also took part in many team building activities and even created their own team war cries and flags. They went on an educational night walk and observed many interesting parts of nature. A termite mound, beautiful plants, the starry sky and even a few scorpions which shine a yellowish colour under a UV light.
On the last night the students took part in a bonfire and braai. They sang camp songs and really came together as one team! This was a wonderful way to end off the year and has solidified the bond of the group, which is a beautiful thing to see.
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro
Brittney Hakime
Year 4 Teacher
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids
In our class we have been reading stories all about the friends that live in 7 Oaks Village. We have been introduced to Pokey Porcupine, Tagalong Allie and Jumper Rabbit, to name a few.
Each week we read a different story that teaches the children a new skill or habit. These important life skills are beautifully presented in engaging stories to help students understand and learn these vital life skills.
Through these stories the students learn the importance of being themselves, listening to each other and working together.
The students love hearing the new story every week and it is lovely to see them trying to use their new skills in their interactions with their friends.
Monique Crawley
Reception Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 21 November 2019
Dear Parents
It is essential that we prepare our students, throughout their school career, not just to pass their final examinations, but for the challenges which lie beyond the confines of the education system.
The Year 11 students left for their annual leadership camp on Monday and when I joined them on Tuesday, I was immensely proud of the teamwork I witnessed. I saw the students come to each other’s aid in order to conquer the various obstacles set before them; from helping each other navigate the river to leading a blindfolded friend via a safe path, these were only a couple of the skills on display. I watched them with pride, as so many of the students I have known since they were in junior school and have followed their progress as they transitioned into high school and now into the leaders of our student body. They are a keen and passionate group and we have much to look forward to as they navigate their final year.
Our Year 12 students completed their final Cambridge examinations on Friday the 15th of November and we eagerly await the results in early January next year.
We had a fruitful information morning on Saturday the 16th of November and are looking forward to welcoming our new parents and students in the 2020 academic year.
This coming Monday, the 25th of November, is the primary school orientation morning where students will be introduced to their teachers for the 2020 academic year. It is an exciting time for both teachers and students as we all prepare for the new academic year.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Kind regards
Edna
How to Prepare for Exams
Exams can be stressful, especially if you are unprepared. This article contains suggestions that will help you to be more organized and feel more confident.
In much the same way that you wouldn’t try to find a new place without first getting its location, so you shouldn’t attempt to study without first knowing what papers you will write each day. Download and print your exam timetable and put it on display in a prominent spot. This will help you to plan ahead and avoid unpleasant surprises.
Compiling a study timetable will help you to manage your time. Ensure that you give yourself plenty of study time for each subject. Be prepared to adapt your timetable should something unexpected occur.
Varying subjects and study techniques will help you to avoid boredom. Try summaries, flash cards, key words, mind mapping and mnemonics. It is okay to use a variety of techniques, as some are better suited to particular types of content than others. If you have been making study notes throughout the year and have found them to be effective, use them to give yourself a head start.
Using the correct exam technique and being able to finish your exam within the allocated time are also very important. Practicing past papers will help you to master both, and will also help you to better understand what the examiner will be looking for. The CIE website and PapaCambridge are good places to look.
Finally, prepare a space to study that is comfortable and free of distractions. Try to avoid studying on your bed, as you may fall asleep! Set your WhatsApp status to ‘studying’ so that friends will know that you may take a little longer to get back to them because you need to focus.
I wish you all the best for your exams and I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Sheila Marais
High School Teacher
Using Dialogue in Writing
News from the Year 6 class
In Year 6, students learned to develop their writing through the use of dialogue. Dialogue helps the reader get to know the thoughts and characteristics of the characters. It moves the story along, allowing the reader to relate to the characters while showing how the characters relate to, and influence, each other. Students were taught strategies by Mrs Esterhuizen in the English class to hook their readers using well-written dialogue. Here are two stories from our talented Year 6 budding authors.
Amanda Hack
Year 6 Teacher
Written by Rebecca Wiese
“You’ve got thirty seconds to explain to me what you are doing!” Zoey’s father asked angrily, tapping his foot.
“D-d-dad I, um, I was getting my riding helmet because I, umm, forgot it at the stable this afternoon and I—“ (of course Zoey was lying but her dad didn’t notice.)
“Do you have any idea what you put me and your mother through? We were so worried about you,” he said, his face softening.
“I know, I’m sorry and it won’t happen again. I thought that –”
“No buts young lady,” Zoey’s dad sighed. “Now come home to bed and no more sneaking out understand!” He started to walk to the car.
“Ok, I know,” Zoey sighed moving towards the car. As her dad was driving home he sat in silence, not realizing Zoey was not there.
“Zoey, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be hard on you back at the stables. I just –”
But Zoey wasn’t in the car. She had jumped out without her father noticing and ran back to the stable as fast as she could.
“Ok big guy, let’s try this again,” Zoey whispered, moving closer to her horse Twilight, trying to put the saddle on without the horse being spooked again. But the horse immediately reared and struck her on the back.
“What have you done now, Twilight?” Zoey whispered falling to the ground in agony. And then Zoey’s world went black.
Written by Leah Breet
“That’s too tight,” King Bertie said as the tailor pulled at the strings on his shirt.
“Sorry your majesty, but I need to get this outfit ready before the party tonight,” Sir Cuffman, the tailor, said.
“Yes, you’re right. I wouldn’t want to look untidy for Cameron’s birthday.”
A few hours into Cameron’s birthday party, the King was called into the kitchen. When he walked in there was a glass with a green liquid inside with a note next to the glass.
“Good day King Bertie, I have come up with a new mouth-watering drink just for you. Signed: Chef Herron.” The King read aloud to himself with a posh British accent.
“Oh my, this is delicious,” he said to himself, with wide eyes and licking his lips.
A few minutes later, Sir Cuffman searched through the crowd of people at the party and pulled Cameron aside into an empty room.
“The King is missing.”
“WHAT?!”
“Yes, I last saw him walking into the kitchen a few minutes ago and he never came out, so I went in there and he was missing.”
“Well, have you searched everywhere?” Cameron said emphasising the word everywhere.
“Yes madam,” he said looking down, “but he was nowhere to be found.” Cameron sat down on the chair closest to her and buried her face in her palms.
“We need to send all the knights out to search for him,” she said standing up and leaving the room.
“Uh, y-yes ma’am,” Sir Cuffman said standing on his toes and leaning to her direction.
A few hours later Sir Cuffman and Cameron gathered all the knights and started counting them.
“Uh madam, Knight Felt is not here …”
Discipline 101
One of the most challenging aspects of being a parent or a teacher, is how to discipline a child effectively. It has become more evident with the rushed lifestyle we lead, that if we don’t have some discipline measures in place, both home and school become a nightmare for parents and teachers alike. There have been many articles written about this subject over the years, but I believe that the ‘Constructive Discipline’ approach is by far the best approach. There is documented research showing the benefits of adopting this approach with children.
Below are a few guidelines for constructive discipline, which I have found useful during my years of teaching…
(I find the last one can be the most challenging!)
Principles of Constructive Discipline:
– Create a safe space
– Be respectful and responsible
– Model positive behavior
– Establish rules
– Have clear consequences
– Focus on positive consequences
– Minimise negative consequences
– Practice clear communication
– Listen, listen, and listen!
– Help children solve their problems
– Be consistent
For an interesting read click here: www.selfmanagementforkids.org
Read MoreKim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher
Jolly Phonics Fun
We do our Jolly Phonics lesson in the mornings. Each child gets a whiteboard, marker and duster and comes to the mat. We then write a letter sound down on the top of the board such as the blended sound ‘ai’. The teacher chooses a word. Sometimes they need to ‘unjumble’ a nonsense word to make a real word that the teacher has written on the board. For instance the nonsense word ‘arin’ becomes the real word “rain” when ‘unjumbled’.
Most often during these lessons we use “arm blending” to sound out a word the teacher has given. In arm blending the first sound is on the shoulder, middle sound on the elbow and last sound on the hand. So the word coat can be sounded out on the arm as ‘c’- ‘oat’- ‘t’ …coat. Once the students have sounded out the word together on their arms they are now ready to write the word.
Sometimes we put in sound buttons under the words. Single sounds get one dot below and blends get a line underneath. For example the sound buttons for the word coat would be ( . _ . ) .
We then write a sentence using the word. Sometimes the students have to ‘unjumble’ a sentence and sometimes they write their own sentence. When the students are finished they hold up their boards for the teacher to see and the teacher gives guidance about correct spelling of words and punctuation.
The students find these lessons very rewarding, because even more complex words can be easily sounded out using the arm blending technique. For longer words we use put the sounds in between the shoulder and elbow or between the elbow and hand. For example, the word “throat” will have the letter ‘r’ occurring between the shoulder and elbow and the word “sound” would have the letter ‘n’ occurring between the elbow and hand.
The students always feel a great sense of accomplishment as they begin writing words they could never have dreamed of writing before. They really love showing off their work on their whiteboards to both their teachers and friends and we always end up having a lot of Jolly Phonics fun.
Bronwen Nuthall
Reception Year teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 14 November 2019
Dear Parents
It is unbelievable how quickly this year has passed. With less than four weeks left of school, the last stretch is ahead of us.
We had a wonderful sports day last week Saturday and I am exceptionally proud of how well organized it was. Miss Fourie is an asset to the school and, together with her colleagues, they ensured that everyone had a wonderful experience.
Sport is a reminder of the necessity of healthy living and is therefore integral in a child’s development. The sport at our school has grown tremendously over the past year and we acknowledge and appreciate the parental support which has made this possible.
We are incredibly proud to have such talented students across a range of disciplines. Last Friday’s music evening showcased the talents of our junior musicians; both students and teachers have worked diligently throughout the year and the showcase of talent on Friday night was amazing to behold. This coming Friday will see our high school students perform and I wish to invite everyone to attend the performance.
I wish to remind everyone that Hatrick (our uniform store) will be open until the 20th of December 2019 and deliveries will begin from the 6th of January 2020.
We are planning a range of parent workshops for the 2020 academic year and I would like interested parents to email me with suggestions for topics. We have the best interests of our students and their families at heart and I therefore urge parents to engage with the upcoming workshops. Together we are better and we can achieve more.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Regards
Edna