Australia in Year 3
‘G’day mate!’
This term, Year 3 are focusing on Australia in Geography and History! We are looking at their indigenous people, historical development and the differences between South Africa and Australia. This is a very exciting unit and the students have already started designing Aboriginal dot paintings and will also be delivering a poster and short oral on an Australian animal of their choice.
In the meantime, students have gone ahead and designed their very own Australian flag. They had to make particular use of significant elements in the current flag and Aboriginal flag and then combine these with their individual, creative flair. We then roped in another teacher to choose the top 5 designs and each student had a chance to ‘pitch’ and explain their designs to the class. The students had a democratic vote to choose their favorite flag and ended off by making a tally chart recording the results of the class vote.
Well done Year 3’s! Some very ‘ace’ Aussie designs indeed!
Mandy Goch
Year 3 Teacher
Playing with Poetry in Year 2
‘Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
Year 2’s made up poems,
All about shoes’
I recently read that poetry is an essential language tool for children. From a young age, children learn nursery rhymes, short poems and songs which most love to sing and perform actions along to.
“Poetry is essential for children because it is “the best words in the best order.” The rhythm and rhymes can help children develop a love for language—and a love of reading. Once kids begin flexing their writing muscles, poetry can spark their creativity and let their imaginations soar!”
J. Patrick Lewis
Last week, the Year 2s worked on creating their own poems about shoes. Children brought their favourite pair of shoes to class to speak about why that pair is their favourite. We reminded them about different adjectives – describing words that involve colour, size, and good or bad feelings. We were so impressed with what the children created!
Gillian Baker
Year 2 Teacher
Learning New Languages in Year 1
Students at Blouberg International School learn a number of languages from Year 1, including Spanish, German and Afrikaans. One of the benefits of learning another language is improved academic performance in areas such as Maths, reading comprehension and vocabulary tests.
In Year 1 the focus is on having fun while learning a new language. In our lessons the students learn poems, sing songs, listen to stories and role play. We try to encourage the students to speak to each other in Afrikaans, practising the new vocabulary they learn.
Language learning tip: We find it to be very beneficial when our students use their newly acquired Afrikaans to converse to Afrikaans speaking members of the community, read Afrikaans stories and watch Afrikaans programmes on television.
Nelson Mandela is believed to have said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”.
Mrs Ann Cordner
Year 1 Teacher
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
Growing Artists From Fynbos
The Year 9 and 11 Art and design students enjoyed a field trip to the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. The vast and beautiful gardens are situated on the side slopes of Table Mountain that hosts South Africa’s most famous fynbos fauna and flora.
The steep mountain paths and shady tunnels through parts of the “forest garden” gave us not only a good workout, but allowed us to observe a wide variety of wild flowers and grass species. In art we encourage students to use all their senses when gathering and collecting material or ideas for their art concepts. They were very fortunate to experience South Africa’s national flower, the King Protea and took many photo’s as reference for their art topics.
The highlight of the day was a walk about over the famous Silver Slangboom bridge that towers over the tree tops and gave the students a different viewpoint on a vast pallet of treetop colors. An indoor glass house hosted indigenous succulents, bonsai trees and bulbs where the students could sit quietly and observe the plants and create drawings from these first-hand studies.
We concluded our outing with a visit to an art exhibition of local artists’ work where students learnt how to read paintings and distinguish between the mixed media that has been on display. They gathered enough visual evidence for their upcoming photographic art exhibition. Watch this space!
Ms Ilse du Plooy
High School Art Teacher
The Nursery visits the school library
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” — Walt Disney
The Nursery had a fun filled day at the school Library. Mrs M showed the little ones around the Library and explained what she does in the Library as the Librarian. She showed the big children’s books and where to find the little children’s books. The children learned how to hold the books and to turn the pages gently. They were very excited to choose their own books and read them. Mrs M sat down with them and read a ‘Peppa Pig’ book out loud. They then went outside and sat on the benches in the outdoor reading corner. They had a wonderful time and we look forward to learning about books and visiting the Library again soon.
Ms Jacky Billings
Nursery Teacher
7 Ways to encourage your child to love books:
1. Start early
Read aloud to your child, starting as soon as your baby is big enough to sit up. A baby might not understand the words you’re saying, but they will benefit from the sound of your voice, colourful pictures and the intimacy of being snuggled in your arms. Make bed-time stories a nightly ritual for toddlers and pre-schoolers, and for older children too, even if they’ve already learned to read to themselves.
2. Provide books, and sing their praises!
Set up a small shelf in your child’s room and fill it with interesting, colourful books. There’s no need to spend a fortune: you can borrow books from friends or your local library, or pick them up in second-hand shops and flea markets. However, encouraging your children to love reading goes beyond merely giving them easy access to books: it’s also important to set an example by praising books, and by showing them how much Mom enjoys reading her own novels, magazines and newspapers.
3. Look after books
A book, no matter how old and tattered, is a gateway into other worlds, and it’s important to encourage children to respect and take care of books. Let your children help you cover treasured books with plastic, and write their names in the front of the books to give them a sense of ownership.
4. Join a library
Visit your local library and apply for children’s borrowers’ cards. Encourage the kids to explore the library, to select their own books and to check them out themselves, which will help inspire independence. Then schedule a visit to the library every few weeks – this is a great way to spend quality time with your little ones.
5. Talk about books
Show an interest in what your children are reading, and encourage them to discuss the books they’re enjoying. Family dinners are an excellent opportunity to open a conversation about reading and stories, and to share interesting facts from novels and reference books. Ask questions about the story while reading to your child. Involving them in the story will make them more excited to read along.
6. Help them find the right books
Once a child has found a book she adores, she’ll want to explore more stories by the same author, or books that have similar themes. Ask your librarian for recommendations, or use the Internet to research lists of books that are adored by children across the world.
7. Let them read what they want
Although it’s important to choose age-appropriate reading material for kids, and to keep unsuitable adult books out of reach, it’s also wise to offer no judgments when it comes to children’s choices. Reading a comic, for example, is better than not reading at all. It doesn’t matter how many times a child re-reads a beloved novel, or if your son sticks only to stories about soccer, or if you think a book sounds dull. As reading skills develop and the children enter the teenage and adult years, they’ll move on to a whole new world of new and interesting topics: science fiction, fantasy, poetry, biography and so many more.
Tips Credit: http://nutriday.co.za/7-ways-to-encourage-your-kids-to-read/
From the Principal’s Desk – 11th April 2019
Dear Parents
Welcome to the second term of 2019! I trust you all had a wonderful break and are ready to plunge straight in to what promises to be a busy term. Easter is also just around the corner and with the slew of public holidays this month, we’ve got a few four-day weeks ahead of us.
During the week of the 15th to the 18th of April we are hosting a Book Week for Foundation Stage to Key Stage 2 and on the 4th of May we are looking forward to hosting another Interactive Open Morning.
“In good schools there is a great deal of fun and laughter, but also a great deal of seriousness, honesty and fairness. There is a kind of security; sense that growing up is something to be enjoyed, not merely got through. There is a feeling of safety and an immense variety of outlets, as if you are surrounded by a thick, firm hedge inside which is a world of beckoning activities and interests.” – Michael Oakeshott (British philosopher)
I’d like to welcome Ms. Sonia Terblanche to our school as the Junior School IT teacher and we are excited about the Robotics Programme she is putting in place for our Junior School students. The addition of Ms. Terblanche to our team enables Mr. Kroukamp to devote all his attention to the High School’s more advanced Coding and Robotics Programme, as well as his Computer Science classes.
I’d also like to welcome Miss Caroline Grix to our High School staff and I am certain she will valuable addition to the Business Studies Department.
This term promises to be a challenging one, but as our students continue to grow academically, so do they grow emotionally and socially, better preparing them for the world beyond our walls.
I would like to congratulate Michael Schoots for achieving the Top Achiever SA Cambridge award for the AS level Business Studies exam in November 2018. This is the second year in a row that one of the Blouberg International students win the Top Achiever for Business Studies and we are super proud of their achievements.
Audrey Lepo also won the Top Achiever SA Cambridge award for French IGCSE.
Well done to both students and teachers who relentlessly encouraged and assisted them in their studies.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend with family.
Kind regards
Edna Carolissen
“I would like to congratulate Michael Schoots for achieving the Top Achiever SA Cambridge award for the AS level Business Studies exam in November 2018. This is the second year in a row that one of the Blouberg International students win the Top Achiever for Business Studies and we are super proud of their achievements.
Audrey Lepo also won the Top Achiever SA Cambridge award for French IGCSE. Well done to both students and teachers who relentlessly encouraged and assisted them in their studies.” – Ms Edna Carolissen (BIS Principal)
High School Second Term 2019
Welcome back to all our students and parents and we hope everyone had an enjoyable and well-deserved holiday.
Term 2 is going to be especially busy as, aside from the usual sports fixtures, this is an examinations term and we urge students to begin preparing as soon as possible for the June examinations. Sport practices will start on Monday the 15th of April 2019 and information regarding practise days can be found in the term 2 planner.
Our Year 9 and 10 students are on camp this week and we hope they are having a wonderful time! A newsletter article and photos of the camp will be published as soon as possible.
The High School will have parent evenings on Monday the 15th of April through to Wednesday the 17th of April 2019. It is essential that parents make a booking, through the Engage portal, with the subject teacher they wish to meet and a letter with instructions as to the booking process has been emailed to parents on Engage.
We want to thank all our parents for their continued support as we look forward to a productive second term.
Mr Julian Harrison
Head of Academics – High School
Sharing experiences across continents – Year 4 2019
The Year 4 students were recently introduced to a class in Pakistan, who was studying water scarcity. They sent us a You tube link showing how certain villages in Pakistan only received fresh water every 2 weeks! Pakistan is set to have NO available drinking water by 2025.
Our class is very excited to share how we as a school and community in Cape Town have put measures in place to avoid our “Day Zero” in 2018. Much preparation, filming and editing occurred and 4 short videos were made. At the same time, the class in Pakistan was doing cultural presentations. They are going to send the presentations to us, assisting our students in learning about them. We also hope to share a Skype conference with them to share what we have learned together.
As an international School we have a responsibility to teach our students how to build diplomatic relationships worldwide. Our students are our future leaders and by empowering them to work together, the future is very bright indeed.
Mrs Carey Schoots
Year 4 Teacher
Jumping into Math! Year 2
Maths is fun!
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” – Benjamin Franklin
With that in mind, the Year 2 classes tackled this week’s Math concept of measuring from a totally different perspective.
The students were divided into three different groups, each group attempting a measurement task using different apparatus.
- One group had to estimate how many cubes would fill different size containers and then check their answer by actually counting the cubes.
- A second group had to measure and design a cardboard house for a soft toy they had brought to school.
- The third group worked on the mat, using their white boards to build a ramp for a toy car. They then used a measuring tape to measure the distance their cars traveled.
There was much excitement (and quite a bit of noise), as the groups worked in the passage to measure how far they could jump. My class agreed that this was the most “fun” two days of Math “ever”. They were so involved in the activities, that they completely forgot that they were actually learning about centimeters and millimeters. It was wonderful to see how they adapted the instructions given to think up new ideas to test their cars, make their houses and hopping instead of jumping.
So the objective of the lessons was achieved, by using a different approach, which kept the students engaged, and asking and answering questions. This approach has proven to be a successful way to improve lateral and analytical thinking and, despite the organised chaos, will definitely be repeated.
Mrs Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher