BIS Interact Club Updates
Blouberg International Club of Interact would like to send a huge thank you to the families of BIS for their generous contributions to our soup pack drive. Our Interactors, together with some Matric students, delivered nearly 400 soup packs to Doors of Jannah, an NGO dedicated to providing hot meals to the disadvantaged communities in Cape Town. WATCH: https://fb.watch/fysbRt9z6w/
Last Saturday some of our matric students had the opportunity to join in one of their soup drives helping pack hot meals and distribute them. They all agreed how valuable this experience was.
The past couple of years have been particularly challenging with COVID-19 restrictions, but our club faced the challenge as an opportunity to put their creativity to work and continue serving.
I am proud to announce that our Blouberg International Club of Interact was awarded a Citation by Rotary International. This acknowledgement is given to schools that go the extra length for their efforts and service to the community. Congratulations to our members for this well deserved nomination!
Oscar and Altesse at the Rotary Club of Blouberg Citation evening.
The following students have recently voted members of our Interact Club for 2022-2023:
- President: Oscar Berger
- Vice President: Shaylee Brandt
- Secretary: Saumya Majarah
- Treasurer: Iviwe Matakata
- Board member: Chezlyn Gopal
BIS would like to congratulate them and we look forward to working together, hoping to continue growing our Interact club with enthusiasm, new ideas and fun projects.
Elena Berger
BIS Interact Club Coordinator
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Geography in High School
This term has really flown by, and we are already looking forward to test week coming up. This term, each year group covered a wide range of topics. It is wonderful to see how each group embraces every topic and enthusiastically takes part in class discussions.
The Year 7 group focused on the population concepts and what affects the growth rates of different countries. Year 8 studied settlements, their patterns and urbanisation. The Year 8 group was introduced to similar maps as those at IGCSE level and had to identify settlement patterns on the map. These topics are linked to the IGCSE Geography syllabus.
The current IGCSE Year 9 group are currently busy with the second theme of their syllabus. This is mainly focused on the natural world we live in. We have covered plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, rivers and coasts the past term and look forward to more topics of this theme in Term 4. The earthquake and volcanoes topics tend to be more challenging seeing that it is not something that we encounter on a regular basis. While teaching Geography in the Middle East, the same could be said when students had to study rivers. I am sure we will collectively conquer this topic.
The Year 11 AS level group focused on weathering and slope processes this term. I am happy at the progress they have made this term and we look forward to Term 4.
Lastly, I want to wish the current Year 10 IGCSE and Year 12 AS level students all the best for their upcoming Cambridge External exams. All the hard work that you have put in to be ready, comes down to this. I might have only been teaching you for one term, but I am confident that you all will reach your potential and score the grades you deserve.
Geography in the news:
6.8 magnitude earthquake shakes China. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those that lost their lives and homes.
Jean-Pierre Le Grange
High School Geography Teacher
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The Aim Of PE
Our weekly programme that is derived from the Cambridge curriculum helps us perform different exercises and play games that are skill based and always motivate teamwork rather than focusing on individual skills only.
We learn about our bodies and how we can use them to the best of our abilities within the sports fields.
The curriculum is based on the sporting codes we provide at BIS, thus, it is important for students to participate and enjoy the different skill sets taught throughout the year as per the curriculum requirements.
As coaches we want our students to participate in different activities and expose them to different types of sports within our lessons, hence we provide the support that is needed to achieve this goal.
We cannot achieve all of this without the help of our lovely parents, so we ask that our lunch boxes are filled with health conscious nutritious food on a daily basis.
Promoting good eating habits is vital to a child’s development physically and mentally, It is said that eating healthier 80% of the time and doing 20% exercise compliment each other.
What Experts Say
“The 80/20 rule approaches healthy eating with a message of moderation-80 percent healthy choices and 20 percent flexibility for less healthy option. Nutrition professionals back this approach, as it is feasible for all, allows for variety of foods, and avoids deprivation.” – Chrissy Carrol,RD,MPH
Let’s try and pack a healthy lunch box.
We are most certainly improving and setting the tone at our PE lessons every week and I (Coach Mpho), am getting the greatest joy seeing the improvement and the strides that our students are making, getting the idea of how to move the body over a game of dodgeball, soccer, handball and more.
Also knowing the amount of power needed to make a short or long pass, throwing skills, learning new games and most of all having fun with your peers and improving your game.
Week 6 – Handball skills, teamwork, accuracy and movement.
Class – 5HK
ATL skills observed – Listening and communication skills, self-awareness and sense of urgency – teamwork
Planning
The students warm up by taking a jog around the 5 aside court ,do shuttles that incorporate push ups, sits, lunges, jumping jacks/body weighted squats to get the blood flowing and the heart rate going.
They then go into stretches from neck to toes, whilst illustrating and explaining to them which parts of the muscles they are stretching and the importance thereof.
In this case, a class is split into 2 teams that verse each other etc. (red vs orange team)
Instructions are as follows:
- No one is allowed to keep the ball for more than 3 seconds creating a sense of urgency in their play.
- Teams have to pass to everyone in their team to have a legitimate goal awarded, which creates a team effort where everybody participates, teams are not allowed to run with the ball which forces them to work together – teamwork.
- Teams are allowed to pass the ball by either bouncing or no bounce, two-handed passes for more accurate passes.
Objective
The objective of the lesson is to establish and develop good communication skills, passing accuracy and most importantly following the rules of the game and applying all the skills taught throughout the curriculum.
Assessing
Can a student apply themselves through the activity that is focused and based on team building?
Can they pass, throw and catch the ball?
Can they be creative in terms of movement and creating space on the field?
Are they calling for the ball, communicating to their teammates?
Do they understand the rules of the game abide by them?
The students attitude, enthusiasm and the will to do better is as important as his performance.
In Closing
As the winter season slowly drags on to its end, we welcome Spring and the sunshine. I am grateful for the support that has been shown by our BIS family, parents, teachers, ground staff and all who make our school united and warm throughout the soccer and netball season by rooting for our students.
I also wish congratulate all our junior and senior Tennis teams that represented BIS in Sun City last week as well as all our soccer and netball boys and girls who participated with much courage and enthusiasm in all their matches this season.
Well done to you all, we are all very proud to be part of the winning mindset.
Mpho Mahlangu
PE Teacher
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Auto Museum Outing
To fully appreciate the future, we need to appreciate the past.
Our Year 4 classes visited the Wijnland Auto Museum in Joostenberg vlakte, as part of the Transportation unit that we have been studying in History.
Throughout the term, we have investigated the various types of transport, how transport has evolved over time and the importance of the different modes of transportation.
During our visit to the museum, the students learned about cars and how the design and technology has changed over the years. We saw various amazing antique cars, army tanks and even went inside an old passenger airplane.
We cannot wait to discuss this topic further in class.
Yvette Fourie
Year 4 Teacher
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Litter Challenge
“Educating our children is a key ingredient in the recipe to save our Earth!”
This week our Year 2’s did a school litter pick-up! Before we went out we had a small class discussion where we reminded ourselves about what litter was and chatted a bit about what a good strategy would be in order to cover the area we were going to cover and pick up as much litter as possible. The students were excited at the idea of helping to make their school a cleaner place!
We made a plan to tackle the field and the surrounding areas, a few students carrying some plastic bags for any rubbish to go straight into, all of us walking in our smaller groups across the field making sure to keep a look out for any litter that may be laying around.
All of the students took their role in this clean-up very seriously and seemed to enjoy themselves as they went. Well done Year 2’s, you are making a difference!
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
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Going On a Dinosaur Hunt…
In our class we have been learning about dinosaurs. We have had lots of fun reading dinosaur books, drawing dinosaur pictures and even doing a show and tell about dinosaurs. The little ones were very excited to share some of the things that makes their favourite dinosaur special.
“I like a t-rex because it is a predator to plant dinosaurs” Aiden Jackson
“Stegosaurus, because it has cool spikes on his back and tail” Jayden Aire
“My favourite dinosaur is a triceratops, because it has spiky horns on its face” Liam Okebalidet
“My favourite dinosaur is a triceratops because it’s very harmless and it also has very sharp horns” Naleli Tsietsi
“My favourite dinosaur is a t-rex because it can roar load” Alupheli Mango
“I like a t-rex because it goes fast” Kason Frey
“I like t-rex because it hunts for food” Isabella Dunkley
“My fvourite is a brontosaurus because it is a herbivore and it eats plants” Leah Laguma
“I like a flying dinosaur because it can fly and it can glide” Leonardo Elsmore
“I like a pterodactyl because it can fly” Likani Moleejani
“I like a velociraptor because it can run fast and it has sharp teeth and nails, and it can hunt prey very easily” Emmanual Chukwumeka
Monique Meyer
Foundation Stage Coordinator and Reception Year Teacher
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Kipper And The Secret
It was a very early start for our Foundation Stage students this past Friday, as they came to school bubbling with excitement for our Outing to the Artscape Theatre.
The Magic Key took us on an adventure to a castle on a huge recycling island. Kipper, Biff and Chip needed our students’ help, because King Recycle had lost complete control over his Kingdom and he forgot the password of the recycling machine. His daughter, Princess Dauphine, was also captured and turned into a bird.
Kipper and his friends figured out all the secrets and Princess Dauphine magically turned back into a princess when the clock struck twelve and the recycling machine started working again.
The production focused on the importance of recycling, encouraging the students to do their part to keep planet earth clean.
Here are some amazing ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle:
- Avoid the use of disposable goods, such as lighters, paper cups and plastics.
- Purchase products made from recycled materials.
- Use cloth bags when buying groceries or reuse grocery bags.
- Instead of using plastic wraps, use resalable containers.
- Instead of using paper cups or bottled water, use coffee mugs or personal water bottles.
- Avoid goods that are over-packaged
- Learn to reuse products in different ways.
It was a fantastic adventure, enjoyed by all.
Martie van Dyk
Pre-Reception Teacher
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Spring Has Sprung In Arts And Craft This Week
“Reuse the past. recycle the present, save the future” – Unknown
In KS1 Arts and Crafts Club, the students have been making use of recycled goods to create a beautiful flower to welcome the start of Spring.
Teaching students about spring helps to develop life skills, observation skills and promotes a love for learning and nature. Helping children notice and celebrate the signs of spring is a wonderful way to sharpen their observation skills. This helps students to learn how to focus, to be present, and live in the moment. Observation skills help people become better writers, scientists, and global citizens. Using nature to teach these skills can shake children and parents alike out of the rut of the normal day-to-day life.
Using recycled goods such as bubble wrap and bottle tops help students realise that these items are goods and not waste. We can reuse them for Arts and Crafts activities, not allowing them to be thrown into bins or left lying around on the floor around us. Teaching students to reduce, reuse and recycle (the three R’s) can create a ripple effect on the lives of their loved ones around them.
We encourage students and parents to continue trying to follow the three R’s.
Year 1 Teacher
Erin Hierse
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The Magic In Allowing Learners To Take Control Of Their Own Learning
In Year 3 this term we have been exploring the concepts of natural disasters, the water cycle and global warming. The students had the opportunity to discover these topics through their own research, whilst using the Ipads. They have slowly built upon their prior knowledge, lesson by lesson. With Geography as the subject, global warming as the topic and Google at their fingertips, the students decided to take the lesson in a different direction.
Once the students had begun their search and discovered what both causes and alleviates global warming, they discovered some images that they wanted to recreate.
The students had found an interest and wanted to pursue an activity that they had come up with themselves. Each one of them chose to represent the information they had learnt with something that summed it all up into one image. Pictures were produced, that represented our earth in two states and they were drawn and coloured in by the very hands that may one day construct the solutions to the problems we face.
Autonomy is developed through our students having some choice and control in their lessons, and if the knowledge and learning objectives stay the same, then does it matter how they discover it?
Kirsten Stoffberg
Year 3 Teacher
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From The Arts & Crafts Club
The Arts & Crafts club was launched at the beginning of the year and has proven to be very popular with the students in KS2. We have 2 groups meeting on a Tuesday afternoon. The Year 3 & 4’s with Mrs Goch and the Year 5 & 6’s with Frau Pani.
The students have learnt that art is not instant and takes some planning and many hours to complete. It is a process that takes time and some practice too.
Some of the different medias we have discovered this year include:
– Paper- We have made sunset collages, paper flowers for the collaborative Art Auction display and simple origami frogs that can jump.
– Sketching- simple line art and sketching beautiful and expressive owls.
– Coffee granules and water- to paint a picture with a difference.
– Charcoal- for most students this was a new medium and we first explored ways to use the charcoal and then we created striking landscapes.
– Acrylic: Painting is a firm favourite with the students. Having fun with butterflies and making their own creations.
– Salt dough: Making hedgehogs and painting them. The Year 5 & 6 students particularly enjoyed making the salt dough themselves with the 3 ingredients.
Here is the recipe to try at home: Mix all together and knead well to make a smooth and soft dough.
125ml(½ a cup) Flour
60ml Salt
30ml Water
Some comments from the students:
“My favourite was making the paper jumping frogs.” Antonia Year 3
“I like art club because we get to do fun things and I can practise my art and learn more art.” Tyler Year 4
“I love art club because you are able to be creative and have fun.” Layla Year 5
“I like that we paint and do fun activities.” Isabel Year 6
“My favourite was the salt dough hedgehogs.” Nuraan Year 6
‘I like that we do painting and make things.” Neo Year 6
“I loved sketching with the charcoal.” Siyana Year 6
Looking forward to many more creative and fun Tuesday afternoons.
Frau K. Pani
Primary School – Arts & Crafts Club Coordinator
For inspiration see photos & collages in Google photos:
Sunset Collages
Sketching- owls
Coffee art
Art Auction collaboration
Line art
Charcoal
Acrylic butterflies
Paper art – Frogs
Salt dough creations-Hedgehogs
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