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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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
Exploring Countries
This week our theme was countries around the world. We enjoyed leaning about the following countries:
South Africa– After locating South Africa on the map, the students learned that Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and that Cape Town is known as the Mother City as it was the first western settlement established in our country. There are 11 official languages in South Africa, but English, Xhosa and Afrikaans are widely used. We also know that South Africans eat a wide variety of foods similar to most western countries. Some traditional foods are biltong, rusks, potjiekos, braai, samp and beans, melktert and bobotie. The South African flag represents the coming together of our Rainbow Nation in the new democratic South Africa. The students loved decorating the South African flag.
China- The students discovered that China is the fourth largest country and that the capital city of China is Beijing. The national flag consists of a red background and five golden-yellow stars. The Chinese are known for eating a wide variety of foods. The staple foods however, are rice and noodles accompanied by vegetable or stir fried meats. The Lantern Festival is a fun festival where people flock to the streets with a variety of lanterns under the full moon, watching Lion or Dragon dancing and lighting up fireworks. The students made a dragon during art and craft time.
Australia- We did Aboriginal Art while we learned more about Australia. Australia is the only country that is also a continent. It is also one of the driest places on earth. It is a multicultural country and they have cuisine from all over the world including Greek, Middle-Eastern and Asian food as well as good English fish and chips.
Russia- We made a Russian cityscape collage during art and craft time. We learned that Russia is the world’s largest city. Russians enjoy eating caviar or fish eggs, served on little pancakes called ‘blini’ topped with sour cream. Borscht, a hearty soup made from beetroot is also very popular during the cold winter.
We enjoyed learning about these countries and we will discover more about France, England, Spain and America next week.
Martie van Dyk
Reception Teacher
Back To School – Foundation Stage
Monique Crawley
Reception Teacher
Super Sums In Reception
In Reception, the students have been learning how to write addition and subtraction sums. Leading up to learning to write sums, the students learnt about more and less. We practised finding numbers that are more or less than a given number using a number line. The concept of ‘one more’ helps students understand that numbers can be increased or added to, to make them bigger. ‘One less than’ teaches students that numbers can be decreased to make them smaller.
The students were introduced to Mr Plus using an online video lesson on Google Classroom. Mr Plus is a very friendly fellow who drives a big red bus. He always wants to add the numbers together so they can play together in a bigger group. So he puts the numbers together to make his sums. The students started out with picture sums. They also practised making sums in fun ways with games, dice, dominoes and play dough mats. The students then progressed to working out sums by drawing their own pictures above the number. They were taught to count on when adding the numbers together. The students had a lot of fun trying to write their own sums on a whiteboard. Addition sums were also practised on worksheets at home and during focus group lessons with their teachers via Zoom.
Last week the students were introduced to Minnie Minus. He is friends with Mr Plus and all the numbers, but the numbers have to keep a close eye on him, because he is always taking away. The numbers taught him to always ask permission to take away from the bigger numbers. This made everyone in Number Land much happier.
The students have started off with picture sums. They are learning that the pictures refer to the first number in a subtraction sum. The second number shows how many to take away and the answer is what is left over. These sums have been practised again this week by following online videos on Google Classroom and during their focus groups on Zoom with their teachers.
The students are extremely excited and proud to be writing their own sums and this is really evident in their smiling faces when sharing their work on Google Classroom. We look forward to having a lot more fun learning about our super sums.
Bronwen Nuthall
Reception Teacher
Learning About Reptiles
What We Are Learning In Pre-Reception
For the past two weeks, the Pre-Reception students have been learning about Fairy Tales & Pirates. They enjoyed creating works of art for this exciting theme. They also made maps and went on scavenger hunts to discover hidden treasure.
In Literacy, they learnt about the ‘i’ & ‘n’ sounds. They really enjoyed finding things around their houses starting with the sound of the week and diligently practised to write these sounds down.
In Numeracy, the focus was on ordering numbers, completing patterns and recognising shapes.
On the first Friday of the theme, students dressed up as Princesses and Pirates for our live session. So even though we were not at school they had fun dressing up and discussing their favourite Fairy Tales.
Over the next two weeks, Pre-Reception is leaning about Reptiles. So far, they have learnt about the differences between tortoises and turtles, crocodiles and alligators. Next week we will be concentrating on snakes, lizards and chameleons. The letter of the week is ‘c’ and next week ‘k’. In numeracy, we are learning about light and heavy objects with many fun activities in store.
I am very proud of my student’s hard work and enthusiasm during this time. Well done Pre-Reception!
See you later alligator!
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 23 April 2020
Dear Parents
During this period of e-learning, the question in all our minds is: “Are the students coping?” This new method of teaching and learning is new to all of us and a shade of insecurity here and there is normal.
After observing my own daughter’s work habits, I have come to realise that the connection between students is incredibly important. Often after a lesson she will catch up with her peers as this is an opportunity for them to clear up any uncertainties about the lesson’s content or exchange information about pending assignments.
Collaboration is the key to success. This is not just true for the students, but also for teachers and parents. The support structure which exists between parents, teachers and students has never been more important in the goal of furthering and improving the e-learning experience. Let us not neglect student interaction during this time, as this sharing of information and collaboration would otherwise be a normal part of the school day.
In this theme of collaboration, we will be having our first online assemblies next week. A link will be sent to you via the Engage platform.
Monday, 27th of April, is a public holiday and we will thus continue our online lessons on Tuesday 28 April.
Don’t forget to have fun with your children during this time and I have therefore included a link to indoor activities for our children.
https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/50578/stuck-inside-games/
Kind regards
Edna
Week 4 In Foundation Stage
What an exciting week of learning in Pre-Reception and Reception!
In Pre-Reception the little students have been working on ordering numbers from 1 to 10 in Numeracy, and in Literacy they have been exploring the letter “i”.
In Reception they have been learning the letter sounds and how to blend them together into words. In Numeracy they have been experimenting with addition sums.
The theme for the week, Fairy Tales, inspired some amazing works of art and on Friday the students will have a dress up for their online class meeting.
We cant wait to see what next week brings for our Foundation Stage classes.
Bronwen Nuthall
Reception Teacher
Let’s Get Covered In Glitter
In the Foundation Stage classrooms, it is all about practical learning, the students experiencing and exploring. We focus a lot on sensory play, fine motor development and generally just making a mess (because if you are not covered in glitter or paint, it wasn’t a successful day).
This is why online learning is a challenge, not only for the teachers, who want the little ones to keep learning and exploring, but also for the parents and students. It is also for all of those reasons why we as teachers are immensely proud of our students and so grateful to have such wonderful parents who are so supportive and encouraging. Not only has the little ones kept their sense of wonder and excitement during this challenging time, they have participated in all the activities with big smiles. As a teacher it is wonderful to get photos or videos of your students working so beautifully at home.
As a Foundation Stage teacher (who cannot wait to get back to being covered in glitter and paint) I would like to thank all our parents for helping us make this a fun and interesting learning journey for our students.
Monique Crawley
Reception Year Teacher