Interact 2021
As the 2021 academic year approaches an end, I look back at the many events organized by the BIS Interact Club. I admire the ability of our students to adapt to the challenges that all of us had to face somehow. Our Interact Club members’ enthusiasm and willingness to serve the community has continued forth strongly.
The ongoing support of the BIS family has enabled BIS Interact to organise a stationery drive for Du Noon Primary School, collect tons of clothing for Home of Hope, fill two school vans to the brim with food for Peace Home and deliver boxes of canned food to Amathemba School.
The sandwich-making school competition earlier this year was a gigantic success, with over 4000 content and grateful bellies on delivery day!
Our Interact members also proposed initiatives for the wellbeing of our school, such as the Friendship Day board, where our students and staff could post heart-warming and encouraging messages to their peers. Their Mental Health Awareness Drive included a “green ribbon” civvies day, which was aimed at promoting ways to maintain a healthy mind.
Our last Interact drive for the year is the collection of gift boxes for Sam’s Educational Centre. The students are busy putting together the most amazing boxes to be delivered by “Father Christmas” himself. With the assistance of our Interact members, the event will consist of a surprise hand out celebration, which will take place at Sam’s Educational Centre on Tuesday, 30 November.
We kindly request that the gift boxes be handed in no later than Friday, 26 November, wrapped and clearly labelled with the child’s name.
Thank you for your invaluable support.
Elena Berger
BIS Interact Coordinator
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Year 7 and 8 Art
Art, caft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality Art and Design education should engage, inspire and challenge students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of Art, Craft and Design.
As students progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and Design. They should also know how Art and Design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Therefore, exposure to various fields and techniques is what Art in Year 7 and 8 is all about.
At the start of Year 7, we focus on the formal elements of Art as well as the principles of Design. These make up the foundation needed to create all artwork.
During Term 2, we started with teaching students the skills to draw different facial features. After this, they had to put their newly acquired skills to use by drawing a portrait of our principal from a photo. The results are astounding. This is in preparation for Year 8 where they do self-portraits.
Colourful Mandalas were the order of the day in their June practical exam. This served as yet another opportunity to show their creative skills and freedom of expression. Currently the Year 7’s are busy with paint blending while the Year 8’s are exploring the world of Graphic Design. They are designing their own emotion-inspired font and using this in further practical tasks.
In Term 4, both Year groups will be exploring other areas of Art and Design as well. The purpose of exposure to the various areas of Art and Design is to help students make a more informed decision when it comes to taking Art as a subject at IGCSE or AS Level.
Art in Year 7 and 8 is exciting, challenging and a test for student’s creativity, thinking, hard work and dedication.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here are a few examples of what the Year 7 and 8’s have been up to thus far in 2021…
Ane Gornall
Year 7 and 8 Art and Design Teacher
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Why do the President’s Award?
71% of business leaders and 63% of young people asserted that formal education alone is not enough to equip young people to be world ready. According to business leaders surveyed during the 2020 Global Survey; the following skills in the order of importance are considered in helping young people become ready for the world out there:
– Individual skills, such as confidence, resilience and determination.
– Analytical critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
– Social skills, communication, teamwork and leadership skills.
– Humanitarian skills such as empathy, adaptability, intercultural and civic engagement.
– Technical ability, technical knowledge and practical technical skills.
Achieving The President’s Award will give participants the skills, confidence and an edge over others when they apply for college, university or a job. Beyond their academic achievements, universities want to see evidence of so called ‘soft skills’ that they have developed through extra-curricular activities, such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork. The President’s Award is a fantastic way to demonstrate these practical skills.
The President’s Award equips young people for life through the development of universal skills enabling them to become responsible, committed, dedicated citizens. It provides a framework for non-formal education and has set guiding principles, with proven outcomes for young people who complete the Award.
It creates experiential learning opportunities to help young people discover talents that do not necessarily show up in the classroom context.
The programme brings together practical experiences and life skills, building confidence, encouraging physical health and recreation, and motivating young people to engage with their communities.
For the thousands of young people who take part in developing themselves through the President’s Award each year, the benefits of achieving The President’s Award at any level are endless. The Award is about helping you along the path to a productive and prosperous future. Many of our participants say that it’s a life-changing experience. Participants will make a difference to other people’s lives and their community, be fitter and healthier, make new friends and memories to last them a lifetime.
Participants undertake regular activities in four main sections:
– Physical Recreation
– Voluntary Service
– Skills
– Adventurous Journey
The Award is comprised of three levels and four sections. Participants complete all four Sections at each level in order to achieve either their Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. At Gold level, participants also complete a Gold Residential Project.
Here follows the requirements of each level:
Bronze level requirements
Older than 14 years old.
Younger than 25 years old.
Minimum completion period of 6 months.
Participants must complete the requirements in each of the sections simultaneously.
Silver level requirements
Older than 15 years old.
Younger than 25 years old.
Minimum completion period of 6 months for Bronze Award holders and 12 months for non-Bronze Award holders.
Participants must complete the requirements in each of the sections simultaneously.
Gold level requirements
Older than 16 years old.
Younger than 25 years old.
Minimum completion period of 12 months for Silver Award holders and 18 months for non-Silver Award holders. Participants must complete the requirements in each of the sections simultaneously.
“South Africa’s youth are our future. Developing their potential is a top priority in our country. One practical way is to develop this huge reservoir of talent through their participation in The President’s Award Programme. The young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in the future as future leaders. ”
– The President’s Award Founding Patron-in-Chief, Mr Nelson Mandela.
To register for The President’s Award please contact Mr Riaan Vosloo,
email: riaan.vosloo@iesmail.com
Riaan Vosloo
High School Teacher and President’s Award Coordinator
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Our First Ever Blouberg International School Arts Eisteddfod!
The BIS Arts Eisteddfod was created to offer students a chance to build confidence and skills through performing to an audience and provide feedback from external expert adjudicators. It is also an opportunity to watch and share with fellow musicians. We are excited for this to be the beginning of a new annual tradition at our school!
The Music category took place on Wednesday, 11 August 2021. As the music department, we aim to create multiple platforms for our students to perform in front of audiences and adjudicators, so that they have firm goals to work towards, and have the opportunity to learn something new and different from each experience. It is very important for our musicians to not only learn how to play their instrument, but to also learn how to become a confident performer.
We welcomed Ms Elizabeth Retief, head of music at Elkanah House, as our adjudicator for the music Eisteddfod. For the high school category, we congratulate Mateja Mitic, Faith Chivaka, Iviwe Matakata, Jéan Marie Schoots, Saumya Maharaj and Niklyn Pillay on their outstanding performances and results. A special congratulations to Zoe Onochie for winning the high school Eisteddfod Music category for 2021.
We hope to see and hear many more of our students in future Eisteddfods.
Heidi La Bercensie
Music Teacher – IGCSE Music
A special congratulations to Zoe Onochie for winning the high school Eisteddfod Music category for 2021.
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Interact 2022
My name is Rifqah Price and I have been a member of the Interact Club since I was able to join in year 8, 2018 and I have loved being a part of it. I have been able to watch it grow in size over the years and observe as the club comes up with new ideas on how to better the community, ourselves and help those in need. I have recently been elected as the new 2022 president of the Interact club and I am so excited to be able to continue the work of the previous presidents in reaching out to the local community and helping out wherever we can.
Covid-19 has made social interaction with the community quite difficult, but that just leaves room for more creative ideas to surface. I hope that in the coming year, I alongside the rest of the board members, will be able to become an integral part of the community again, not only reaching out to the main charity organizations, but also the lesser known ones, who don’t have as many resources at their disposal. I plan to make the effort to inform the club and the school about exactly who we are helping, what they stand for and in doing so we not only help those less fortunate, but are also able to unify the club, put a face to a name and effort into a cause. I know that with the help of 2022’s board members, we can grow the interact club even more in size and in perspective.
Rifqah Price
President of the BIS Interact Club 2022
Rifqah is currently overseas with her family and has been doing e-learning with us until she can return to South Africa.
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Message Of Thanks And Hope
Let us show our appreciation to them by making a poster and putting it in a window, closest to the street, in our homes, to say thank you to all the essential workers in our communities. We could even put a fluffy toy in the window with a speech bubble giving a message of thanks to those who are helping us. People driving past will see that we appreciate all the essential workers in our communities.
Lets see if we can start a movement in the area we live by showing messages of support in the windows of our homes.
Ann Cordner
Year 1 Teacher