CREATIVE WRITING
The Year 4’s have been expanding their creative writing skills by working on descriptive introduction paragraphs to a fantasy story.
Mrs. Mahomed’s students have excitedly taken up the challenge and have created some fantastic introduction paragraphs that will leave you wanting to hear the rest of the story.
“The sky was all shades of purple and pink. The wind was pumping. Cassie, a little eight-year-old girl was walking outside in her garden when she came across a seemingly endless tunnel, it was made of what was thought to be trees. The trees were alive, they had a mind of their own and they were muttering. Just then the wind started to blow so hard that it almost blew Cassie away while her long blonde hair and baby blue dressed swayed in the wind too. Just then, Cassie heard a voice calling her from the tunnel.”
Written by Isabella Heidmann (Y4NM)
“It was a Winter’s morning when suddenly a figure dashed passed the window. I barely recognized what it could be but I do remember it was misty blue in colour and had large wings. A strong and glorious body with magical snowflakes that dazzled from it. Wherever it went Winter followed. It almost looked like a dragon. Its body was covered in sharp icicles. It was truly a magnificent sight and I wish I could see the dragon one more time.”
Written by Sachin Gramoney (Y4NM)
“Long long ago in the midst of time there lives a dragon, a quite small dragon. It lives in the bone chilling Winter months where freezing winds howl through the night and snow falls through the day. The dragon sleeps through the warm months and is awaken on the first day of Winter. Today is that day! He comes out into the fridged world and spreads his large wings to fly.”
Written by Eshwar Mudaly-Jansen (Y4NM)
“It was a dim and cloudy night in the city, a huge shadow had appeared out of nowhere. “A dragon!” shouted a civilian in fear. It had blazed through the big tall buildings of the city, crushing and wrecking everything in sight.”
Written by Caleb Ajayi (Y4NM)
“I am going to tell you a tale about the snowflake dragon. You see, deep in the snow forest where cold breezes and heavy snow storms live you will find the snowflake dragon. Don’t go there unless you dare. There’s poisonous snow snakes and wild wolves. It is dangerous everywhere. The wolf’s breath is as cold as dried ice and he breathes hot snow. When you get caught in his breath you will disintegrate.”
Written by Chloe Stewe (Y4NM)
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MARHABAN BIKUM FAA MISR (WELCOME TO EGYPT)
Salim walakum. In term four, in some of our subjects, we are covering the topic of Ancient Egypt. This is by far my favourite term of the whole year. Not only because it is the most exciting term, but also I can talk about Ancient Egypt all day, every day. I am certain that my passion around this topic has certainly infected the students in my class. They are even selecting readers in the library around the subject to find out more.
In English, we are reading stories, completing comprehensions and writing sentences about Ancient Egypt. In History and Geography, the students are doing research and completing a poster and presenting an oral using various topics, like Pharaohs, Gods and Goddesses, Mummies, these are only but a few examples. In Art and Design, the students have drawn Ancient Egyptian pots. For the last two weeks, they have been designing Ancient Egyptian necklaces, fit for a Pharaoh.
The Year 3 students spent a lesson drawing and colouring in their necklaces with pastels to brighten up the necklace. They then spent another lesson embellishing their necklaces with old jewellery, beads, sequins and glitter. I have to say, this year’s necklaces have truly outshone previous years. I was so proud of how each child planned their necklace with outmost care and precision, and took the time to ensure that it was their best work. I will leave you to decide which ones are the best!
We are all looking forward to the next Ancient Egyptian project!
Wendy Menton
Year 3 Teacher
PLAYDOUGH FUN WITH THE YEAR 2’S
“Play is the highest form of research” – Albert Einstein
Our Year 2’s had some fun experiment with playdough, discovering new ways to use it. There are many benefits of children playing with playdough including developing fine motor skills, creativity, vocabulary, literacy and numeracy and much more.
Playdough also:
- Motivates children to explore its sensory qualities.
- Strengthens small fingers, hands and wrists.
- Builds children’s imagination as they play with it, creating as they wish.
- Developing self-esteem – no right or wrong to play.
- It’s calming and helps children relieve stress through their hands.
- Involving them in making the dough and discussing things like colour and texture, and what happens when liquids are added.
The students experimented with moulding their playdough into different types of animals as well as various shapes like hearts and stars. Some even created small board games to play on like noughts and crosses. So much fun was had!
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
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GIRAFFE HOUSE
Every term we have many exciting things happening, but none as exciting as an outing day. When outing day finally arrived, the little ones in Pre-Reception and Reception came to school very excited for the trip to Giraffe House.
The students and the teachers had a lovely time as always. We saw many amazing animals from little baby lemurs to big, beautiful giraffes. The students also attended a lesson presented by the Giraffe House staff, teaching them about the animals housed there. The students were very brave as some of them were asked to hold snakes and bearded dragons; luckily no one had to touch the big spiders!
On our return to school, the students shared some of their most memorable parts of the day. It seems the giraffes won as their favourite, that and off course going on the bus, which is always very exciting.
Monique Meyer
Foundation Stage Coordinator
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InterSEK 2022
An experience that can never be forgotten, a trip overseas to compete in the sporting InterSEK among our sister schools from IES and SEK. Eight BIS students travelled with their guide, Mrs Diana Rubio to Valencia in Spain for this prestigious event. They competed in Basketball, Soccer, Padel, Athletics, Volleyball and more…
Our students did very well and won a few medals:
Tawany – Gold medal High Jump
Teeyana – Silver medal High Jump
Tawany – Silver medal 1500m
Tawany – Bronze medal 60m
Teeyana – Silver medal 60m
Boys Soccer – Bronze medal
The most important aspect of this trip was not the medals or competition, it was the experience and precious friendships the students made during the week of enjoying the culture and hospitality of our hosting families and school. We would like to thank them all for hosting our students in such a warm and wonderful way. A bond that we were lucky enough to capture on a few of the images below.
Well done on being true ambassadors to our school Lunje Languza Year 6, Donsima Sima Year 6, Teeyana Shaik Mahomed Year 8, Ian Scrooby Year 8, Gabrielle Adamson Year 9, Jens Buchwald Year 9, Geneva Cohen Year 9, Tawany Maurits Lasoen Year 9, Karabo Kalane Year 9 and Jessica Smith Year 11. You have made us so proud!
SRC 2023
The Student Representative Council (SRC) of 2022 was one of Blouberg’s smallest SRCs. Yet what was lacking in size was made up for in willingness and determination. Led by Kazimla Dyakalashe and supported by a strong Matric class, they led and excelled in every task assigned to them. Not once did they tell us that something could not be done. Thank you, SRC 2022, for your dedication in serving your school. You have set the bar high for the new SRC.
A bigger class than that of 2022, the SRC of 2023 comprises of eight students. Our congratulations go to Oscar Berger, Shaylee Brandt, Philade Luthango, Landelwa Maqanda, Nadia Mohamed, Daniel Moodie, Chidozie Muoka and Erin Stewart on their selection for this important role.
2023 will see the implementation of some notable changes to student leadership in the school, including greater involvement of the Student Leaders and the introduction of cheerleaders. The SRC will be involved in many of these changes. They will also attend workshops, many of which will be designed to help them develop their leadership skills.
We look forward to watching our SRC grow in the year ahead, as well as to all they will help develop and initiate at the school.
Sheila Marais
SRC Coordinator
Top Row Left to Right: Oscar Berger, Shaylee Brandt, Philade Luthango, Landelwa Maqanda Bottom Row Left to Right: Nadia Mohamed, Daniel Moodie, Chidozie Muoka and Erin Stewart
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Convincing Careers
Year 5s started with a new topic in Global Perspectives for Term 4, called Will a Robot Do My Job?
Students had to identify the career that they would most like to pursue as an adult, giving reasons for their choice. They had to use a KWL chart to help them think about the career they have chosen:
- K – They started by completing the “What I know” column with any information that they already have about their chosen career (for example: the skills and knowledge they think are needed to do the job, and any qualities that are required).
- W – Students then completed the “‘What I want to find out’ column with any questions about their chosen job that they want to find the answers to. They shared their questions with other students in groups, and discussed where they might be able to find the answers.
- L – We will research these questions during the next lesson and complete the “What I’ve learned” column.
As we continue with this unit, the students will also have to come up with convincing arguments as to why or why not a robot will be able to take over their job one day.
“The only way to do great work is to LOVE what you do.” – Steve Jobs
Take a look at the exciting careers some of our students would like to pursue one day!
Ria du Plessis
Year 5 Coordinator
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Live Sketching in Arts and Craft Club
“Art has the role in education for helping children to become more like themselves instead of more like everyone else. “ – Sydney Gurewitz Clemens
The Year 1 and Year 2 students in the Arts and Craft club thoroughly enjoyed a quiet lesson on Monday, completing a live sketch of a plant. They had the choice between an orchid and a bonsai tree. This took a lot of concentration and visual analysis of the different parts of a plants structure which the Year 1 students mastered in Term 3.
A live sketch is also known as a life drawing which is the drawing of an object through observation. We found this form of art something new and different for the students to try which completely blew the teachers away by the interest, concentration and beautiful sketches that were completed.
We found this form of sketching encourages students to make use of visual analysis, a lot of concentration, aids in creative problem solving and helps hand-eye coordination as well as fine motor skills.
We are grateful to have such talented students in our Arts and Craft club and look forward to watching them continue to grow more skills over this last term.
“The arts can help students become tenacious, team orientated problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively.”- Arne Duncan
Erin Hierse
Year 1 Teacher
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Holiday News in Reception Year
The students have come back from the term 3 break and were brimming with excitement to share all the interesting things they had done in the holiday. These are the most memorable things they did:
Sofia Haskins (6 yrs old): “I went to a sleepover with my friend.”
Omime Ogumah (6 yrs old): “I went to the braai and pool.”
Nikraad Manoucheri (5 yrs old): “I went to the dentist.”
Rume Oriesa (6 yrs old): “I went to the zoo.”
Chaitrika Kotari (6 yrs old): “I went to the pool.”
Kaedy Frey (5 yrs old): “I went to my granny’s house.”
Grayson Muller (5 yrs old): “I went to the dolphin show.”
Tiwatope Olanrewaju (5 yrs old): “I went to the braai shop.”
Zion Durojaiye (5 yrs old): “I went to the beach.”
Ariah Mukubvu (5 yrs old):” I went to the park.”
Amelia Engelbrecht (5 yrs old): “I went for a walk with my dog.”
Joshua Mpako (6 yrs old): “I went to shop.”
Chiamaka Davidson (6 yrs old): I went to the pool.”
Jonah Atson (5 yrs old): “I went to my cousin’s house.”
Bronwen Nuthall
Reception Year Teacher
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Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…
This week we learnt all about different sea animals. How some live in the ocean and others can live both in the sea and on land. The students loved learning more about the sea: who doesn’t love sharks and jellyfish!
We did the following hands on learning activities this week:
Numeracy: The students had to find different numbered shells in the sand to complete the number line.
Literacy: The students wrote their names and sounds in the sand with the shells, this activity strengthens their pencil grip.
Fine motor activity: The students enjoyed building and creating ocean sculptures while developing their problem solving, fine motor and social skills at the playdough area.
Construction area: We have added boats, ocean animals, shells and gems to our construction area. The students were very excited to build something new, which will extend their thinking as they build something different than they usually do.
Arts and crafts: The students made lovely crafts this week practising and developing their scissor and fine motor skills.
Music and Movement: The students shake out the sillies by copying the actions of the ocean animals. They had to “wobble like a jellyfish”, “clap like a seal”, “slide like a sea snail” and “leap like a dolphin “ .
Sensory Area: We created an underwater sensory bin filled with water beads and sea creatures for some imaginative exploratory play.
We reminded the students to be safe when they go to the beach and follow the following rules:
- Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your face and neck.
- Sunglasses can help to protect your eyes.
- Cover up with a t-shirt to protect your shoulders and upper arms.
- Always wear sun cream.
- Drink lots of water.
- Just swim where it is safe.
- Make sure you can swim NEVER swim alone and make sure you are always supervised by an adult at the beach.
We also encouraged the students to get involved in protecting the ocean by:
- Reduce and recycle.
- Joining a beach clean up.
- Asking shops and restaurants if they have plastic-free alternatives.
The students had a blast doing all of the activities.
Martie van Dyk
Pre-Reception Teacher
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