ISA 2020
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships – Michael Jordan
On Friday, 14 February the High School students took part in our annual inter-schools athletics meeting in Malmesbury. ISA has become a tradition between 5 Independent schools since 2015 and this year a 6th school joined.
Like every year before, the high school athletes trained for weeks leading up to the event, making sure to increase their strength and decrease their lap times, everyone pushing themselves harder to achieve their personal best.
Cheerleaders worked tirelessly on making sure that the students learned the pavilion formations, songs and war cries, while our fabulous dancers choreographed their own performance for the day.
Hours and hours of preparation and dedication was put in leading up to the day and it definitely showed.
Our athletes did well in all their events and the school placed 2nd for the Cheer and Spirit Cup. Athletes that placed 1st and 2nd in their respective events at ISA will compete at the Northern Zonal Competition this week and we wish them the best of luck.
I would like to congratulate the students for their outstanding behaviour on Friday. They displayed excellent teamwork, sportsmanship and made the school very proud.
PROUDLY BIS!
Yvette Fourie
Head of Sport & Extra-Curricular Activities
Shades And Tones
The High School Art students discovered the magic of creating colours in a variety of shades and tones.
Learning how to mix colour is a matter of knowing the right steps and with practice, the process becomes almost instinctive. Having some knowledge of colour theory is good, but in practice, when you pick up your paintbrush, the theories do not help that much.
Colour theory helps us to understand the possibilities of colour in art and design and appreciate the different ways that artists use colour. The effects of light fascinate some artists; some are interested in the symbolic meaning of colour; and some use colour to express their emotions.
Colour theory in art can be summed up under three headings: Colour as Light, Colour as Symbol and Colour as Emotion. A knowledge of Colour Terms helps us to express how this visual element is used in art and design. It gives us the vocabulary to clearly state our feelings about an artwork or design.
Understanding the placement of the colours on the colour wheel will help you to name any given colour. The name of a colour is called “hue”. In painting and drawing, artists name their colours as “red-violet,” “blue-green,” “yellow-green,” etc.
Do not confuse the commercial names of wall paint colours with “hue,” because they do not necessarily tell you much about the colour and they are often misleading.
Students used scientific thinking to observe, predict and compare, and they experimented with cause and effect. “What will happen if we mix all three primary colours together?” “How much yellow do you need to add to make green?” “Can I make the exact same colour twice?”
They used problem-solving skills and came up with ideas for what to do when the colour they were mixing did not turn out quite the way they had hoped. The students used mathematical concepts such as more and less, and devised ways to measure how much paint they were adding.
When mixing colours and painting, students used a multitude of fine motor skills like squeezing, pouring and mixing, and worked on controlling those skills. It is not always easy to pour just a little bit of colour! They had hands on learning and experience with primary, secondary and tertiary colours, as well as tints, and shades. “What happens if you add white?” “What about when you add black?”
The Year 8 Art students also learned how to create form by acquiring the skills to do different shading techniques. Once they realised it is a matter of seeing lights and darks, and all the tonal varieties in between, they produced drawings that made us all very proud.
Riaan Vosloo
High School Art Teacher
BIS HIGH SCHOOL INDUCTION DAY 2020
On the 14th of January 2020, we held our annual Induction Day to familiarize year 7, 8’s and new students with the school and the matric leaders for the year. The matric class guided the new recruits through team-building activities which cemented early friendships and mutual respect.
The day started at 09h00 with an introduction and warm welcome to the students embarking on the new chapter in their lives. After that, we delved straight into the first activity of the day; Team building. The students were split into four colour coded -red, blue, green and yellow- teams with two matric leaders per team and continued to spend 30 minutes on choosing appropriate team names and to get to know the members of their group.
Of course, the new students were shy at first, but it didn’t take long for them to relax their guard and have fun with their peers.
With team names and introductions complete, the first clue for a Treasure Hunt was given out and teams raced to solve it as quickly as possible; the promise of a prize igniting everyone’s competitive spirit. The aim of this game was to acquaint the students with their future classrooms and teachers whilst making it fun and inclusive for all.
After the treasure hunt and prizes were awarded (amidst loud cheering), the students were given a 30-minute break to cool down and relax. Lunch packs, which included a small water, a muffin, a hotdog and a small packet of chips, were given to each student. Music was played during the break and students could mix and chat amongst themselves and with matrics, allowing everyone to wind down and get proper rest for the next few activities.
After the break, students were given the choice to either go play a few games of soccer, which brought out a playful and competitive spirit within the students, or to stay within the senior hall and join a few rounds of musical chairs, which was fun but also exercised their coordination and concentration — both activities were a lot of fun and elicited many laughs and giggles from the students and matric leaders.
After the fun and laughter, the students gathered on the field to join a game of Red Rover. This allowed students to get some energy out of them while taking away the fear of being new to the school and allowing everyone to play together as a unit. This brought a lot of laughs and cheers when the students won to get through with the few catches.
This was followed by an official tour of the high school building and classes with introductions to their future teachers and classrooms. They were also shown their lockers and homeroom teachers.
As the morning drew to a close, the matrics took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the students by calling individuals up and asking them a few questions about themselves. This allowed the seniors to get to know the juniors on a deeper, more personal level and established a bond of great benefit to both parties.
We trust that the students had fun and made a few more friends within their peer group! We hope that they enjoy their year and that they know the matrics are there to help them through the new chapter in their lives.
Jianicia Meintjes (Year 12)
Read more…
AS Level Examination Results 2019
Blouberg International management and staff wish to congratulate all our students who passed the AS matric examinations.
A total of 16 students passed with matric exemption and 13 students with senior certificate pass.
A huge congratulations to the following students who obtained distinctions:
Sreeja Chinthala (Head girl and top student for 2019 – Business Studies, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (5 distinctions)
Kereisha Kumaran – Spanish, History and French (3 Distinctions)
Etseoghena Oyoto – German and Biology (2 Distinctions)
Luke Knowles – Geography
Yovesh Naidoo – Business Studies
Busisa Mvoko – Business Studies
Karla van Driessel – Afrikaans
Lloyd Frank – German
Lwazi Mpofu-Mketwa – Afrikaans
We are also exceptionally proud of Darshan Naidoo (Year 11 Student) who wrote 2 AS level subjects and obtained a distinction for Accounting and Mathematics. We wish him all the best for his upcoming matric year.
Michael Schoots (Year 13 A level student) obtained a distinction for A level Physics (82%) and a distinction for A level Mathematics (91%). Well done Michael!
BIS Management
Read More
First Day Activity
Today was our first day in Year 6.
We did station work and wrote down in our own opinions about what makes a good teacher, what makes us happy, what we thought made a good classroom environment and what a learner is, is not, does and says. We also made a classroom essential agreement, showcasing how we can cooperate with others when working in groups and to show resilience in our school work.
We had a lot of fun settling into our new classroom and we hope 2020 will be an amazing year.
Maia Davies
Year 6 Student
From the Principal’s Desk, 16th January 2020
Dear Parents
Welcome to the 2020 academic year! We are all excited about this year and the changes, both aesthetic and academic, planned.
We received our matric AS results last week and are very happy to announce that 29 of the 32 students who wrote passed matric. 16 students passed with matric exemption.
TOP IGCSE STUDENT 2019!
Chloe Goldman wrote 8 IGCSE subjects in which she obtained 6 A* and 2 A’s. A total of 8 distinctions! We are exceptionally proud of her and are looking forward to more such achievements in her AS levels!
A total of 22 distinctions were achieved across the various subject areas. Top marks were achieved in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, First Language English, English Literature, Spanish Foreign Language, German Foreign Language, French Foreign Language and Music.
We wish to congratulate Ms. Alice Pryor on her excellent teaching skills in English First language. A total of 6 Distinctions were obtained for First Language English and 5 Distinctions for English Literature. Her dedication to her students and her love of the subject area is clearly displayed.
Just a reminder that we are starting renovations on the downstairs bathrooms on Monday, 20th January and request that you remind students to use the bathrooms upstairs. Foundation Phase have a brand new hopscotch-themed play area and the students are thoroughly enjoying the colorful spaces.
Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have a Parent Information Evening on Thursday, 23rd January and we are looking forward to an enjoyable and informative evening.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.
Regards
Edna
Year 3 Rocklands Camp 2019
Our journey to and fro from Rocklands Centre was filled with much anticipation and enthusiasm on Thursday 28th and Friday 29th November 2019. The students entertained one another by singing, chatting with one another, reading and creating their own rhymes on the bus. On the way back due to being so exhausted from all the fun-filled activities, most of the Year 3’s eagerly slept and awaited their arrival to meet their parents whom they missed greatly.
This camp was a huge success as the students not only embraced each activity with such enjoyment but also had the opportunity to develop their team-building, communication, gross motor and cooperation skills. Rocklands camp was a huge success and one that provided the learners with a well-deserved break from working exceptionally hard this year.
Mrs Alexia Holmes
Year 3 Teacher
FS: The Giraffe House Wildlife Awareness Centre
Early on Friday, 29th November the Foundation Stage classes set off in two busses to The Giraffe House Wildlife Awareness Centre in Stellenbosch. The students were extremely excited and thoroughly enjoyed the bus trip.
The centre provides easy access to some of Africa’s fascinating wildlife and bird species. Shortly after arriving we were had an interactive creepy crawly encounter with snakes, a bullfrog and many more. There were shrieks of utter excitement and horror, mainly from the teachers!
Most of the animals at Giraffe House form part of their wildlife education program. The students discovered that Giraffes can reach almost 6 meters, making them the tallest land mammals on earth! The Eland is the biggest antelope whilst the Blue Duiker is the smallest. Another interesting fact they learnt about the Ostrich is that it is the biggest bird. The students were absolutely delighted to discover our national animal, the Springbok, as well as our national bird, the Blue Crane.
High-quality outdoor learning experiences are proven to:
– Develop reflective and inquisitive thinking.
– Encourage holistic development of children.
– Develop resilience and adaptability in occasionally adverse circumstances.
– Allow children to become more able to identify hazards and risks.
– Develop a love, appreciation and respect for nature and all that is living.
– Develop an understanding of how we can look after our environment.
– Develop self-awareness, confidence and self-esteem.
– Develop collaborative-working and communication skills.
– Provide positive health benefits – both physically and mentally – and assist gross and fine-motor development.
– Cultivate a lifelong love of the outdoors.
“Let Nature be your teacher” – William Wordsworth
We enjoyed the outdoors in the beautiful sunshine, whilst experiencing and learning about animals.
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception 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