From the Principal’s Desk, 21 August 2020
Dear Parents
As I was looking back through the school calendar for 2020, I was reminded of all the events we have missed over the past few months. We missed the Interactive Curriculum Morning in April, a bi-annual event where parents participate in an interactive learning experience in the classroom. This was also the first year we did not have our Grandparents/Someone Special Day. No school photos were taken in July and the SRC of 2020 had little chance to enact any of the plans they campaigned for.
However, do not despair! We are not going to let the rest of the year pass by without enjoying some of our annual celebrations. Planning is underway for a special Valedictory service for our matric students and even though the matric dance cannot follow the traditional format, that does not mean we don’t have something exciting up our sleeves! We also launched our first Virtual Open Day last week and this week, our very first Virtual Talent Show! We look forward to many entries for this competition as we know how creative and talented our students are.
There is always something to be grateful for and always something to look forward to! Where there is no vision, people perish. Blouberg International staff, students and parents are not without hope, vision, or innovation.
To our matric and year 10 students who started their prelim examinations this week, we wish you all the best and success ahead.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend filled with family time and much laughter.
Kind regards
Edna
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Global Citizenship
The Year 6’s have been learning about what it means to be a global citizen. A global citizen is someone who takes an active role in their community and works to make the planet a better place. The students have gained a better understanding of the world and are learning to get more involved in local and global communities. They have learnt that they have the power to change the world around them and that they can be a positive influence for all of those they may meet. They have the power to create a more positive, fair, safe and secure world for everyone.
Here are a few definitions of a Global Citizen that the Year 6’s came up with:
“A global citizen is a person that helps out with society, takes care of the environment, recycles and treats people the way they want to be treated.” – Treasure Mpofu
“A person that helps the world and other people in tough situations.” – Teeyana Shaik Mahomed
“A person who is dedicated to helping the world and the environment.” – Saumya Maharaj
“A person that volunteers to help the community.” – Wonke Qokela
“A person who takes responsibility for the environment and takes care of others.” – Iviwe Matakata
“A global citizen is someone who plants trees and helps people in need.” – Morgan Glanville
“A global citizen is someone that takes responsibility for their country and environment.” – Joseph Banutelo
The Year 6 students investigated Global Warming and how they can reduce their carbon footprint. They learnt how to be responsible citizens and to help those in their community. The students designed slogans on how to make the environment a better place and are looking forward to discovering more about how to be a Global Citizen.
“To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of ‘otherness‘ and instead embrace ‘togetherness‘.” – Suzy Kassem (US Author & Poet)
Brittney Hakime
Year 6 Teacher
*Masks only removed for the photographs*
“Science is a way of thinking.” – C. Sagan
It was a treat to watch them draw pictures of their favourite animals, work out how to create their habitat and add in all the bits and bobs that they need to make an ideal environment for their animal.
They all came up with so many ideas, and were able to assist each other in ways that could encourage new designs. I saw them make cylinders, cubes and domes. I was super impressed.
They were all so proud of their accomplishments, and I am sure that we can all agree that we are proud of them too.
Wendy Menton
Year 1 Teacher
Pre-Reception – Wild Animal Safari
Our world is filled with a variety of plants and animals and it is important for children to know as much as possible about them. Information about animals helps children explore the world of animals. As children grow, they will be exposed to wild and domestic animals through books, television, zoos, wild animal parks or go on an actual safari. Knowing animal facts will make their experiences more profound and real, which will remain with them all through their lives and enrich their knowledge
Pre-Reception students have been learning about wild animals. A fun approach, to teach the students to identify the different wild animals and to learn interesting facts about them, was to go on an adventurous Safari around the school. Unfortunately the weather did not play along so we had to keep it undercover and inside.
We placed wild animal cut outs around the classrooms and each child got a checklist which they had to tick off when they found the corresponding animal.
They enthusiastically set off with their binoculars they made in class the previous day out of toilet roll inners, to spot the animals in their habitat. Even though we could not go on an outing in these times, we made the best of the situation, much was learnt and fun was had.
- Elephants are the world’s largest mammals living on land.
- A giraffe has four stomachs, which speeds up the digestion process.
- A lion’s roar is so powerful, that it can be heard from eight kilometres away.
- The cheetah is the fastest animal to roam the earth.
- Tigers are excellent swimmers.
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception Teacher
Let’s Light Up Year 4 With Science!
The Year 4’s spent the past few weeks learning about the spectacular Science topic: States of Matter.
They learned about the different phases: solids, liquids and gases; and had to apply their knowledge with some very interesting practical activities. These investigations allowed them to observe matter changing from one phase to another; and they discovered various changes in matter properties such as colour, size, shape and texture.
They built rivers, investigated growing Gummy Bears, made Ice Candles and Mystery Matter; and conducted numerous other exciting experiments.
Take a look at some of the fantastic photos that the students sent in. It is clear that they absolutely loved the “hands on” approach to learning.
A huge thank you to all the students that submitted photos of their marvelous experiments. We are so proud of you!
“Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity.” – Robert Frost
Year 4 Teacher
Keeping Poetry Alive In Year 2
There are a number of reasons why poetry is important for young students. It helps motivate young readers to want to read, it builds on their vocabulary, fluency and writing skills. These skills are crucial in the development of strong readers.
This past week, the students in Year 2 learnt about a poem written by Julia Donaldson, “The Food Train” poem, which brought a lot of fun and creativity in the class when the students were asked to write their own Food Train poems.
The poem uses words about food to make the rhythm of an old-fashioned train. The students therefore needed to create their own poem using different food names from their kitchen to recreate their own Food train poem which needed to sound like an old-fashioned train.
We used these poems for Show and Tell and included the students at home on a Zoom meeting. They read their poems out to the class. This brought a lot of laughter, excitement and some nerves as the students had not been able to stand in front of the class for Show and Tell in a while.
Teachers have always found that poetry allows for students to express their feelings, which is of great importance during this time of an emotionally changing situation. Keeping poetry alive in the classroom has proven once again just how creative and insightful students can be, and going forward, we will continue to develop and find creative means to spice up English, with the use of poetry.
Erin Hierse
Year 2 Teacher
Building Aeroplanes In Design Technology
The Year 1 students love Design Technology and there is always an air of excitement when they get to build their very own design. During history they learnt about the Wright brothers’ first flight and we thought it would be fun for the students to design and build an aeroplane.
First, the students used play dough to build their aeroplane and then did some research at home to find different recyclable materials with which to build their design. They were very creative in making aeroplanes of all shapes and sizes.
Usually in our Design Technology lessons the students collaborate and assist each other to build their designs, but this time they had to be physically distant. However, they still managed to tell one another how they could put the planes together.
Ann Cordner
Year 1 Teacher
Year 3 Are Writing Japanese Poetry!
This term, Year 3 have completed an English unit called Poems from around the world. In this unit, the students read and performed different poems from around the world. They investigated how poems are linked to places and explored the words and sounds in the poems. At the end of the unit, they needed to copy the style of a poem and write a poem of their own.
We decided to focus on Japanese poetry and the students wrote their very own Haiku’s. A Haiku is a Japanese poem with a total of just 17 syllables and three lines… but that’s not all. Line 1 must have 5 syllables, line 2 must have 7 syllables and line 3, 5 syllables again.
Year 3 took on the task with great zest and promptly chose an animal each to write about. Next they created a word bank which had to include noun phrases and adjectives. Once the creative juices started flowing, they set about arranging their word bank into a Haiku. The results were amazing!
Well done, Year 3! We’ll make poets of you yet!
Mandy Goch
Year 3 Teacher
Measuring Fun
Learning Maths can be fantastic fun, as the Year 2 classes discovered this week.
We have been exploring volume and capacity and the difference between the two. In class we had some practical examples, experimenting with stones, Lego blocks, rice and water, in an attempt to identify which would float or sink. The students at home were asked to use items they have available to them to conduct experiments.
They had great fun predicting the outcomes of the different experiments. Some even remembered the Science topic about materials and could accurately predict the outcome and record their findings.
We are very proud of all our students for doing such great work!
Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher
Year 2 Duckling Art
You may already know that art is a great way to treat anxiety and stress in children. But did you know that it also positively impacts their cognitive and physical development? Especially during strange and uncertain times like the ones we’re going through.
This week our Year 2’s had some fun making their very own little ducklings. We got creative with some paper plates, watercolour paint, googly eyes and some cool feathers! So much fun was had by all, we really relaxed and enjoyed ourselves with some cool music on in the background and some creative juices flowing.
They look super great up on our walls displayed in the classroom!
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
