From the Principal’s Desk, 9 April 2020
Dear Parents
Here are a few ways to remain positive during this time:
- Set boundaries and take care of yourself, both mentally and physically.
- Take time away from the online world (internet, social media, emails etc.).
- Pursue a neglected hobby or take up a new one.
- Keep informed about the situation, but do not become burdened with negativity.
- Reach out to others (within the boundaries of social distancing) and be a blessing in someone’s life.
- Make time for family activities and value the time spent with loved ones.
There is a writer in you, in all of us! This is the perfect time to write that story which may prove to be the inspiration someone else so desperately seeks.
We are all looking forward to hearing our President say that our lives are going back to normal, but hopefully this experience will affect our perception of normal; hopefully it will have taught us new skills and offer us a different way of looking at life.
I wish you all a blessed Easter weekend and hope you enjoy some wonderful family time.
Edna
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Virtual Orbit – E-learning Launch in Year 4
The year 4 classes started the second term launched into virtual orbit. We have all had to learn how to navigate Google Classroom, when to talk and when to be quiet in a Google meeting and how to upload and mark completed work.
I am so proud of how our students have owned their own learning. Cambridge education emphasises the development of students who can think, solve problems and actively take responsibility for their own learning. We must be doing something right, for this is what I saw over and over again today.
What absolute stars our students are. Thank you to the parents too, for making launching such fun. I look forward to tomorrow and the rest of the adventure online.
Carey Schoots
Year Teacher
E-Learning Our Way Into Term 2
Welcome back to Term 2, only this term things are slightly different. On Wednesday, the Year 1 classes had their first day of E-learning.
What do I mean by E-learning?
It is a learning system based on formalized teaching, but with the help of electronic resources. By using Google classroom, videos and resources the teachers put together, the students were able to start their curriculum as normal. Our students receive regular learning objectives and we offer real time online support to parents who may need additional guidance.
A few parents shared photos with us showing how much their children are enjoying learning online. It is interesting to see the different ways they have set up their study spaces at home. There are wonderful tips and tricks to create an effective study space for your child online and would be worth looking into.
Here are some basic tips to create a great study space for your child:
– Position the desk to look away from distractions like windows and doors. Have them face a special wall where you put up the alphabet and other helpful materials for them to easily refer to.
– Set up supplies (computer, headphones, books, stationery, art supplies, etc) before studying begins and explain to your child how to keep them neat and in their place.
– Light is very important, a well lit area will make for better concentration.
– Control the clutter by encouraging your child to have a special place to keep their little trinkets and treasures in. (For example a container, drawer or shelf)
– Headphones are a great tool for E-learning and will minimise distractions if you have a busy household.
– Device downtime is extremely important and taking brain breaks to burn off energy cannot be overemphasized. Allow your child device free time and motivate them to get fresh air. Free and imaginative play will be a very beneficial addition to your child’s E-learning schedule and ultimate learning success.
We look forward to seeing many more E-learning photos and videos!
Tayla White
Year 1 Teacher
Year 6 Camp To Big Oak Adventures – Student Feedback
On Wednesday, 26th to Friday 28th February, the Year 6’s went on camp to Big Oak Adventures.
The Year 6’s had lots of fun. They worked on their teamwork, communication and leadership skills. They did a variety of difficult activities, but the Year 6’s were determined to accomplish all of them, and they did.
They did activities such as cliff jumping where they had to jump off a cliff into a river which helped them realise that they could accomplish anything they put their mind to no matter how scary.
We ended the camp off with an exciting group concert. Everyone came out of their shells and performed like they’ve never done before.
-Saumya Maharaj
Snippets:
What we learned on camp that we can apply in our daily lives:
Learning about leadership and applying it in our daily lives was Big Oak Adventures Task and they succeeded. I am sure to apply responsibility in the life ahead of me. Kindness will be my daily task and leadership will follow me for the rest of my life. They taught us a lot but friendship was probably the most important to me.
-Maia Davies
I learnt to respect other people’s personalities as a leader and use their talents for specific tasks, to get to know people you don’t really know because maybe they could be nice and good at things you can’t do and to communicate and to be patient with your team.
-Aiden Brandt
I could learn to respect other people and to listen to people’s opinions in a better way.
-Ian Scrooby
¡Hola Amigos!
During the last few years I have been thinking about the latest trends in foreign language learning and teaching and how as teachers we can use them to help our students learn Spanish in the future. I have found that one of the most successful ways to teach Spanish to kids is through technology.
I am confident to say that we have found a perfect formula for our students to success: the combination of Spanish videos, catchy songs and interactive games with vibrant images, accompanying worksheets and now also our new Spanish books.
During this year in the Spanish Department we are very excited to announce that all the students at Blouberg International from grade 1 to 6 each have their own access with their own username and password to the learning online resource called Rockalingua.
As many of you already know – Rockalingua is an interactive website where you will find songs, worksheets and games all in Spanish.
You can access Rockalingua by following the below 3 steps:
- Go to the web site https://rockalingua.com/
- On the top right of the page click ‘Login’ in and enter your child’s unique username and password.
Please note this website only works on tablets and laptops, Not on cellphones.
Start to enjoy the videos, songs and the games and complete the assigned tasks.
These videos are designed to combine vocabulary with high frequency structures so that students don’t feel like they’re “learning Spanish”, but instead enjoying it.
Since last year, students have been learning from this online resource in the classroom, and they really enjoyed singing along to the songs.
This year they will have to complete certain assigned tasks every week to progress and gain more vocabulary together with the exercises in their Spanish books.
By customizing the curriculum for each class by blocking and unblocking certain content the students can focus on the topics they are working on in class and complement perfectly the content of their textbooks.
Please allow the students to log in to complete their tasks. To play these games is vital because it takes the pressure off learning the language and provide an opportunity for students to have fun and practice the language at the same time.
In each task you can also view the instructions from the teacher that will indicate all the related content from the Spanish book that the students should complete together with their weekly task, offering in this sense a perfect complement for the Spanish lessons and learning. On the other hand, parents can also easily view their child’s progress during the year.
Rockalingua is a fantastic tool to test their knowledge, and presenting the exam in a more entertaining way, lowering the level of stress, and helping them to increase their vocabulary and knowledge of verbs: essentially to be able to speak Spanish in the future.
The structure is also effective because it promotes repetition by presenting the material in many different formats. Repetition helps students develop the four basic skills of communication—listening, speaking, reading and writing.
In these first weeks I have noticed that the students were very much engaged, working on the tasks I had assigned them, and that differentiated instruction was easily implemented since the program allows me to assign tasks to a whole class or to specific students that might need easier or more challenging assignments.
When I assign tasks the analytics will allow me to see, at a glance, how the class is performing those tasks so I will be able to see which students are already working on the assignments and which students have not yet started make it easier for me to keep track of students’ work and progress.
I will also be able to gauge which concepts each student, and the class, are having trouble with. This data is useful in order to structure the class and for preparing revisions.
Students can immediately see which assignments within the tasks they have already done and which ones they have yet to complete. This interactive learning management system gives students a sense of independence since they can work at their own pace and they can also see their % of right and wrong answers. They can also redo specific interactive games to improve their % of right answers! Keeping them motivated.
To ensure the success of “gamification” in learning a new language, we (teachers and parents) need to work together to capture and retain learner’s attention by allow them to play the games and listen to the songs at home. www.rockalingua.com
Everyone loves games. Albert Einstein himself indicated they are the most elevated form of investigation. He knew games are avenues for something deeper and more meaningful than a childish waste of time. Often times, playing games are the first method children use to explore higher-order thinking skills associated with creating, evaluating, analyzing, and applying new knowledge.
Profesor Javier Vidal
Spanish Teacher Junior School
Das Ist Deutsch! = That Is German!
In Year 4, I asked the students to have a look on their desks and identify anything that is German or made in Germany that they use on a daily basis. Without much effort they were able to identify many products by just looking in their pencil cases and finding various stationery such as pencils, highlighters, erasers , sharpeners, rulers and glue with the words MADE IN GERMANY. They were very surprised that Staedtler, Faber-Castell, Stabilo and Pritt were in fact German. Staedtler founded in 1835 by J.S. Staedtler, Faber-Castell in 1761 by Kaspar Faber and Stabilo in 1855 by G. Grossberger & H. Kurz are all long standing companies producing stationery, all from the Nuremberg area in German, as this area was rich in graphite and clay mines needed for making pencils. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwan-Stabilo“)
To discover that Pritt was produced by the German company called Henkel was an unexpected fact. Henkel was founded by Friedrich Karl Henkel in 1876 , the Pritt stick was developed and marketed in 1969 after extensive research and just celebrated its 50 years on the shelf. (https://www.prittworld.co.za/en/about-Pritt/pritt-history.html)
The year 4’s were asked to investigate further: “What kind of products or brands can I identify in my home or at the shops that are considered German or made in Germany?” and to bring the item and present it to the class.
At home they realised that they use many German products e.g. Nivea which is produced by Beiersdorf and many items from the brand Adidas, such as sport shoes and soccer balls. Adidas, a company founded in 1949 by Adolf (Adi) Dassler in Herzogenaurach, is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe.
(https://www.adidas-group.com/en/group/history/)
At the shops the products are numerous but the sweets Haribo stand out because of their availability everywhere. The company Haribo was founded in 1920 by Hans Riegel Sr. from Bonn, Germany hence HARIBO the acronym from his name and place of birth. He invented the Gummibärchen (Gummy Bear) in 1922. (https://www.haribo.com/enGB/home.html)
We will continue to discover many new things about Germany in 2020.
One of the 10 compelling reasons in the article “Why learn German?”, is that German companies are considered global market leaders and many brands and corporations are found worldwide. Exploring these brands with the students has helped them realize how important learning German can be.(https://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/why-learn-german/)
Thank you to all the parents who attended the Interactive Curriculum morning recently to learn more about the curriculum and especially to the Year 1 parents who showed great interest in the exciting journey their children are starting in the the world of new languages.
Frau Kerstin Pani
German Teacher Junior School
London Bridge Is Burning Down!
Hear ye! Hear ye!
The fire swept through the central part of the English city, and has gutted 13 200 houses, 87 parish churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities.
At least six people were killed, although the final number has not yet been determined.
The Year 2’s have confirmed that it is impossible to get into the city. A melted piece of pottery has been found where the fire started, and shows that the temperature of the fire has reached an astounding 1,250 °C.
Due to the drought of the previous few months and the fact that these houses are mostly made from wood and straw, who knows how long it is going to take before they can get the fire under control. Perhaps 4 – 5 days.
It will take many years for the city to be rebuilt to its former glory and to make future improvements for the medieval city to stand strong and tall.
Here are a few pictures from reporters in the area that depict the extensive damage and extent of the fire.
Wendy Menton
Year 2 Relief Teacher
Year 3 Is Shaping Up!
A sphere is like a bouncy ball. A prism is like a building tall.
A cylinder is like a can of soda pop. A cube is like the dice you drop.
3D shapes are here and there. 3D Shapes are everywhere!
Learning about shapes through music and song is a lot of fun. Year 3 have learnt to identify both 2D and 3D shapes along with their respective properties. The students used their growing knowledge to design, cut and create their very own shape monsters!
After mastering the edges, faces and vertices of various 3D shapes, the students had an opportunity to construct their own 3D shape. They managed this task in groups of three by designing and building a 3D model in class using toothpicks and marshmallows!
Well done Year 3… but I am still wondering how all the marshmallows mysteriously disappeared!
Mandy Goch
Year 3 Teacher
Show and tell in Year 1
The aim of Show and Tell is to motivate students to speak in front of each other, it builds confidence and allows them to speak about something they know and are comfortable with discussing.
The process of preparing a show and tell encourages students to consider the importance of a special item and appreciate its significance in different ways.
Being part of a show and tell audience is also an important part of learning. Most importantly, the audience learns to sit still and listen closely to someone other than their teacher, and to be respectful. We always congratulate our peers after their Show and tell and create a positive and uplifting environment.
In Year 1 the students get a chance twice a term to prepare their Show and Tell. We link our topics to the themes of our different core subjects. In History the students are learning about the history of toys.
On Friday, a few students had their first Show and tell with the topic “Toys”, where they could bring anything of interest or a special toy to speak about.
They enjoyed this topic very much and we all had the opportunity to learn something new.
Tayla White
Year 1 Teacher
Share The LOVE This Valentine’s Day
Have we forgotten the main reason of Valentine’s Day? Is it just about the love between two people and expensive gifts or should it simply be about showing affection and appreciation for the ones around us such as our parents, family, friends and teachers etc.
The students are very busy in the Pre-Reception classroom making various crafts to give their loved ones this Valentine’s Day. It has not cost them anything except a fun experience as they have been up to their elbows in paint and they are very excited and proud of their efforts. This kind of gift comes straight from the heart!
Why not start in our classrooms, not just on Valentine’s Day but throughout the year! Instead of saying something mean and hurtful to our classmates why not rather think before you speak and give your classmate a compliment or share with them or just give them a turn, let them go in front of you in line. Why not give them a hug or just smile at them. These actions cost nothing!
Love on Valentine’s Day does not only have to be expressed through expensive materialistic gifts it can also be shown with a random act of kindness within the classroom and our school to our friends, other classmates and our teachers.
Lets start with ourselves and share the LOVE not only this Valentine’s Day but every day of the year!
Bonus Facts: Did you know that Bishop Valentine was sentenced to death for refusing to stop marrying Roman soldiers to their beloveds? Or that Mr. Richard Cadbury was the first person to create chocolates specifically for Valentine’s Day?
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception Teacher
