Friendship Tag

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:

1. No one is allowed to keep the ball for more than 3 seconds creating a sense of urgency in their play.
2. 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.
3. 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

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

The high school students have thus far completed two skills sessions with each year group, concentrating on a particular skill or skills. These range from practical, hands-on skills to discussions on mental wellbeing.

The Year 12 group have been learning financial skills, such as opening a savings account and keeping a monthly personal budget. Like many of the Year 12 students, Amber Shawe, has found this to be an eye opener since she will be responsible for managing her own expenses as a university student next year. She commented, “The skills programme has taught me to budget for the important things in life such as accommodation, medical aid and insurance. The sessions have also made me realise how important it is to budget and know how to save money. It taught me to think ahead and plan for my future as I would need to put funds aside for my retirement and take out life insurance.”

Our Year 11 students have been learning how to use various workshop tools for particular tasks such as changing a plug.

The Year 10 class topics were diverse and included learning how to complete a CV with tips on ways to make it stand out above the rest. They also learned how to do basic sewing such as repairing a garment seam.

During the last two sessions, the Year 9s have been preparing for the last public speaking session when each student will deliver a prepared speech to the class.

Year 8s are learning self-management skills. Gaby Nel shared her experience as a student, “Our teacher taught us what time management is, how to apply it every day and how we can use our time effectively to study for our exams in advance. We also learnt how to set up a study timetable to be able to fit in normal day activities such as sport and have enough time for studying.”

The Year 7 girls have been discussing how to improve their self-confidence and self-esteem while the boys have been taught basic etiquette.

We are still to complete the last two sessions, which judging by the positive feedback received thus far, should prove to be both educational and fun.

Melinda Twycross
High School Teacher

We all know that our children matter. What the Year 5s have been learning recently is that they are also MADE of matter.

We have been looking at the particle model and states of matter in Science, and the students have explored the topics in a variety of different ways. They have used their textbooks to learn independently and peer-teach each other about processes like boiling and melting, practising the skill of reading information to pick out salient points, as well as their communication skills (and producing some useful posters for the classroom walls in the process).

They observed what happens when a solid is dissolved in water and described the process on the particle level, while reminding themselves that while you may not be able to see the salt in salt water, you would definitely know it’s still there if you tasted it.

They practised their Science enquiry skills by looking at available equipment and figuring out how to test the effect of temperature on the rate of dissolving, writing a practical report to systematically record their findings.

Now they are turning their hand to some research, using the iPads to look up some information about the properties of water.

Throughout the topic, I have been impressed by the students’ willingness to jump into the world of Science and test things out, whether it be research skills, observation skills, or designing a fair test. It would be fair to say that the students have been vibrating with energy – much like their particles!

Hannah Kirkaldy
Year 5 Teacher