From the Principal’s Desk, 7 May 2020
Dear Parents
We celebrated our teachers this week and a big thank you to everyone who left them a special message on our Facebook page. It was wonderfully encouraging to see how much they are valued and appreciated.
This week we sent out a second letter explaining the plans and proposals that management are considering should school re-open in June. The measures which need to be in place require careful thought regarding planning and implementation and unfortunately, no simple solutions exist yet. For public schools, Years 7 and 12 students are critical for academic advancement but for us, the focus is on Years 10 and 12 as these two grades write their external Cambridge examinations in October.
There is also the reality that even if the government allows schools to re-open soon, some parents might not feel comfortable sending their children back to school. Our management team are therefore working on plans for hybrid-teaching. Similarly, we might have staff members who cannot return to work just yet as they are high risk individuals and this needs to be accounted for in our planning. These are just a couple of the issues that we are considering.
We will be prepared, with policies in place, to ensure the safety of staff and students when we return to campus. As per the letter I sent out earlier this week, we have already begun purchasing the necessary supplies (hand sanitizers, face masks, thermometers etc.) and have begun drafting a Covid 19 Policy Document.
During this difficult time, let us remember to be kind and encouraging to one another. We all need a bit of motivation in our lives and hopefully the later start to the school day, and the opportunity to exercise, will give us the boost we all need.
I would like to wish all the mothers a happy Mother’s Day this Sunday. I hope you will be spoiled and feel appreciated for all you do!
Kind regards
Edna
Year 2 Experi-buddies Inting
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time” – Thomas Edison
In science, this term, our Year 2’s are learning about all the wonders of electricity! We are so excited for fun in class and exciting new experiments.
This week we enjoyed a visit from the Experi-buddies team. Our Inting started with a small demonstration from the team where we learnt about what Electricity is and who Thomas Edison was. After this we got into batteries and how we can use them to power up light bulbs, set off buzzers and even power up a small fan.
Our favourite part was when we got to go back to our tables and start experimenting with our own batteries and light bulbs. We learnt about open and closed circuits and exactly what we need to make the light go on. We also learnt about solar power and how that works, after experimenting with light switches too.
It was so much fun learning about things we are able to find and observe in our everyday lives!
Visit the link to learn more about Experi-buddies:
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
Year 7 & 8 English – Assignments
What makes a good assignment?
This term, the Year 7 and 8 students had to complete a creative assignment for which they had a variety of options from which to choose. These ranged from practical tasks supported by explanatory theory, including dioramas and masks, to written assignments like articles and essays. All were aimed at revealing student understanding and interpretation of a literary text.
The Year 7’s focused on the drama Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, and the Year 8 students centered theirs around the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Goulding.
Having taught English for many years, I have seen students produce assignments that were of the highest standard, with insight and creativity beyond their years. In stark contrast to this, many students put little to no effort into their work, belying their capabilities.
I am pleased to say that the majority of students at Blouberg International School had my soul singing with their astute, inspired and detailed projects. What is more important is that they took on the challenge and were, through their intensive efforts, beaming with pride in themselves.
One might wonder what it takes to produce a project that will bring a teacher to joyful tears.
Beyond carefully following the instructions and ensuring that all of the necessities are included – which will certainly result in a good mark – there are a few ingredients every student could add to their scholastic recipes.
Below is a list of strategies every student should attempt when tackling their next daunting assignment:
- Begin with the task as soon as it is assigned. Even if you work on it a little every other day, this will provide ample opportunity to clarify concerns you may have with your teacher or to correct any mishaps that may arise.
- Pay attention to the instructions. Use it as a check list to ensure that you have included all of the elements essential to the task. Tackle every objective.
- Use the resources your teacher provides, but conduct your own research as well. There are many reliable sources online.
- When compiling your research data, use only key words and phrases from your sources and rewrite information in your own words unless quoting. Always cite your sources. Your teacher wants to test your skills and understanding, not that of a university graduate – or a parent.
- Include your own opinion, but ensure that it is backed by fact. One should not have the opportunity to question your ideas, they should clearly link to accurate information.
- Thoroughly edit your assignment to safeguard against any trivial errors.
- Work as neatly as possible. A task that is well-organised and tidy immediately appears of a higher quality and will be more pleasant to assess. It is arduous for teachers to mark work that is illegible or poorly structured.
- Use your own initiative, be as creative as possible within the task framework and go the extra mile. Teachers revel in the little details you include and enjoy it when you think outside of the box, sometimes astounding us with components beyond that of the grade requirements and insights we might not have considered.
Students who used all or most of these strategies in this term’s assignments deserve an honourable mention:
– Catherine Fortuin 7B designed a beautiful diorama for which she created clay figures on a stage setting in the throws of an important fight scene between Romeo and Tybalt. Her talent and attention to detail is admirable.
– Marco de Mattos 7A cleverly included a public announcement and advert with his article about the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
– Maya Mthwana of 7A designed a well-written, neat article, closely adhering to layout requirements.
– Mihlali Lumkwana of 7A went to great lengths to create her storyboard for Act IV in Romeo and Juliet.
– Ryan Barker in 8A put great effort into his Lord of the Flies Survival Manual. He’s the one with whom you want to end up stranded on a deserted island.
– Vincent Chamunorwa, 8B, designed an inspiring cartoon for Chapter 11 of Lord of the Flies. He has incredible talent!
– Athena Thomas, 8B, has a gift for watercolour painting. Her contributing explanation as to what Piggy’s glasses in Lord of the Flies represents was thorough.
– Philade Luthango’s poster (8A) about the character, Piggy, immediately caught everyone’s attention due to its bold design and beautiful drawings.
– Layla Moodley, 8A, went the extra mile by designing a symbol to represent each chapter in her plot diagram of Lord of the Flies.
– Taylor Williams, 8A, not only painted an extremely detailed image of the conch from Lord of the Flies, but ingeniously included symbols associated with it and presented her explanation on a creatively designed poster. Her attention to detail is admirable.
– Mia Ross in 8B moulded these fantastic masks to her own face and painted them to represent characters from Lord of the Flies. There is even symbolism in the colours used.
– Oscar Berger, 8B, wrote a fantastic essay in which he explored the theme of Civilization versus Savagery in Lord of the Flies. His oral presentation was accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation filled with bold sub-headings and images to bring his points home. This was a far better option than simply reading out his essay.
There are more students I could individually praise, but alas I will simply state that I am ever so proud of all of the Year 7 and 8 students as I know that they put in their best effort.
Genevieve Kerswill
High School English Teacher
CREEPY CRAWLIES AT NURSERY
The Nursery is learning about Insects this week. They have enjoyed learning about spiders, snails, dragonflies and many more creepy crawlies. They are discovering where Insects live and what they eat. We went on an ”insect walk” around the playground to inspect where insects live and where they are found.
The artwork they created was inspired, having great fun painting little ladybugs. We made spiders out of paper plates and had bubbles of fun experimenting with water-play with “bugs” in soapy water.
The students have been making worms with playdough and cutting playdough with scissors. This strengthens their fingers and grip, and is very good for their fine motor development.
Jacky Billings
Nursery Teacher
From The Principal’s Desk – 30th May 2019
Dear Parents
For the past two weeks our students have been writing examinations and we recognize that a number of students battle with anxiety during this stressful period. I may not be a medical professional, nor any of my teachers, but we have learnt to recognize the signs of examination anxiety. Whether it be a sudden onset of tummy cramps, angry outbursts or just a general sad countenance, it is clear to us when a student is not coping with the pressure of the examination period.
I admit, I am also guilty of turning up the pressure as examinations approach. Cellphones are banned (causing many dark mutterings amongst the older siblings) and speeches of “you need to succeed” ring through the house. I have come to realize, however, that I am fueling my children’s anxiety due to my own fears. University is not always the right path for every child and a university degree isn’t necessarily a measure of success. Every child is an individual, who excels in his or her own manner. Some of the most successful people in our society did not graduate from university. Take Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates or Richard Branson for instance; their success was due to determination, creative thinking and self-belief. Not every venture that these great men undertook was successful, but they used their failures as an opportunity for growth and development.
We have a responsibility towards our children to support them in their endeavors and to manage, teach and guide them throughout their lives.
A reminder about the PA fundraiser next week with Stuart Lightbody. Child-minding services will be available at school.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Regards
Edna
From the Principal’s Desk – 25th April 2019
Dear Parents
I trust you all had a wonderful Easter break and enjoyed some special family time.
Over the past week or so, bullying at schools has been a hotly discussed topic on the news, radio stations and social media. Cyber bullying was identified as being the most prevalent and therefore, of most concern. It has become such an important discussion topic that the Western Cape Education Department is launching several programs to aid schools in dealing with cyber bullying.
Discipline is a responsibility which starts at home. As a school we need to be mindful of the differing rights and responsibilities of both students and educators, whilst at all times maintaining a positive outlook of our school. Positive discipline practices, and the role which parents play in them, are integral in providing a base on which we can expand as the student matures. However, when things go awry it is important to have the necessary support structures in place, not just for students, but for educators and parents as well. We are therefore very grateful to have Mrs. Cindy Arenstein as an addition to our team. In her capacity as a counselor she recently hosted a talk with parents about Protective Behaviours, in what was an incredibly valuable and informative session.
Our unfortunate reality is that social media is being used to lure students into detrimental, and downright dangerous, situations; cyber bullying being just one aspect of the larger problem. WhatsApp conversations, YouTube and Instagram comments are freely used to criticize and belittle others. Most of the time students are unaware that these messages can be used against them if legal proceedings arise.
We are looking into arranging various workshops and talks to raise awareness amongst our students and help them to be cautious when dealing with social media. We ask that as parents you assist us by having checks in place, in terms of the types of media the students are using and the amount of screen time they rack up on their various devices. Further information about upcoming workshops will be communicated soon.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.
Kind regards
Edna