From The Principal’s Desk, 21 February 2020
Dear Parents
Last Friday the high school participated in the ISA Inter-Schools Athletics Day. Although we did not win first place for the sport, we were winners in a different sense.
The conduct of our high school students conduct was impeccable. Teachers did not have to address indiscipline at all. Our students were well behaved and enthusiastic in cheering on their team mates.
Their conduct made me reflect on healthy, established boundaries. All children need boundaries. In fact, they thrive when boundaries are set and good structure is in place. When children are younger we teach them rules such as no hitting, no grabbing and no interrupting. When they are older it becomes a little bit more difficult especially with the social interactions they have. This is when we teach them to respect others and the boundaries others have in place for themselves.
To establish this, one has to teach them to be aware not just of themselves, but also of others. We need to teach them to have sympathy, empathy and to be conscious of the feelings of those around them. This will also eliminate any sense of entitlement, as reflection of one’s own behavior helps with self-awareness.
This was the model behavior I witnessed in our students last week. Well done to all parents and staff for their hard work in developing such respectful and conscientious young adults.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Regards
Edna
From The Principal’s Desk, 14 February 2020
Dear Parents
It was an absolute pleasure to see our students dress up for the civvies day yesterday. What was even more awesome to see, is how the love was shared through friendships and that the emphasis was on loving one another as friends.
This is a key lesson of kindness and care that should be instilled at a very young age.
In our newsletter last week, I shared on the challenges we as educators face at school regarding cyber bullying, so called “freedom of speech” in Whatsapp groups and the negative effect it has on our children. Sadly, this is not a teenage problem, but students as young as 9 years old, are bombarded with content on their phones which are not age appropriate.
We had the pleasure of hosting a talk with Emma Sadleir last night and we are very grateful to the parents who made the effort to come and listen. We wish to commend each and every one who attended last night as it showed your support in raising a generation equipped to deal with the technological challenges.
We will schedule another session with her to address our students soon. It is vital that we are aware of the beast we deal with and as parents to be equipped to train our children.
Have a wonderful weekend of shared love with family and friends
Best regards
Edna
Show and tell in Year 1
The aim of Show and Tell is to motivate students to speak in front of each other, it builds confidence and allows them to speak about something they know and are comfortable with discussing.
The process of preparing a show and tell encourages students to consider the importance of a special item and appreciate its significance in different ways.
Being part of a show and tell audience is also an important part of learning. Most importantly, the audience learns to sit still and listen closely to someone other than their teacher, and to be respectful. We always congratulate our peers after their Show and tell and create a positive and uplifting environment.
In Year 1 the students get a chance twice a term to prepare their Show and Tell. We link our topics to the themes of our different core subjects. In History the students are learning about the history of toys.
On Friday, a few students had their first Show and tell with the topic “Toys”, where they could bring anything of interest or a special toy to speak about.
They enjoyed this topic very much and we all had the opportunity to learn something new.
Tayla White
Year 1 Teacher
Share The LOVE This Valentine’s Day
Have we forgotten the main reason of Valentine’s Day? Is it just about the love between two people and expensive gifts or should it simply be about showing affection and appreciation for the ones around us such as our parents, family, friends and teachers etc.
The students are very busy in the Pre-Reception classroom making various crafts to give their loved ones this Valentine’s Day. It has not cost them anything except a fun experience as they have been up to their elbows in paint and they are very excited and proud of their efforts. This kind of gift comes straight from the heart!
Why not start in our classrooms, not just on Valentine’s Day but throughout the year! Instead of saying something mean and hurtful to our classmates why not rather think before you speak and give your classmate a compliment or share with them or just give them a turn, let them go in front of you in line. Why not give them a hug or just smile at them. These actions cost nothing!
Love on Valentine’s Day does not only have to be expressed through expensive materialistic gifts it can also be shown with a random act of kindness within the classroom and our school to our friends, other classmates and our teachers.
Lets start with ourselves and share the LOVE not only this Valentine’s Day but every day of the year!
Bonus Facts: Did you know that Bishop Valentine was sentenced to death for refusing to stop marrying Roman soldiers to their beloveds? Or that Mr. Richard Cadbury was the first person to create chocolates specifically for Valentine’s Day?
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception Teacher
Winning At Maths
I am going to give you some advice on how you can revise with your child at home, improve their confidence in the subject and encourage them to want to learn:
- Make the exercise hands-on, place things in front of your child to help them see and feel the problem.
- Make use of Mathletics – this is a fun, engaging way for your child to practice work learnt, at home.
- Ask your child to explain how they got to their answer. They will recall information and you will understand their thought process.
- Ask questions daily when you aren’t doing extra work, such as “what’s the time?” or “How many bananas would we need to buy if each person got 3?” – This will help your child relate Math’s to real life problems.
- Mistakes are good! It is a learning curve for your child.
Allow
Thinking to
Happen
Things the Year 6’s suggested that help them learn:
- Constantly practicing
- Having someone sit down with them and going over what they don’t understand
- Using blocks
- Working in a group
- Asking questions
- When work is explained using games
- Correcting their mistakes
- Motivation
“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms. Mathematics is about understanding.” — William Paul Thurston
Brittney Hakime
Year 6 Teacher
Our Year Two Learners Started Off The Year With A Sweet Taste!
I was very impressed by some of the healthy choices and reasons behind their favourite foods.
Thabelo Magoro chose fruit for his presentation because “it helps you to grow and run fast” and came to class with lovely fruit kebabs which he handed out.
Sachin Gramoney thoroughly enjoys his grans dish because “it’s tasty and I like the cheese with the roti”.
Zach Gouws chose pizza as it is an Italian dish and his family is Italian and because “I like to put hot sauce on my pizza”
Tyler decided on banana bread because “it is nice to eat, the taste isn’t salty and I like it for breakfast”.
Joshua Gamanya chose steak and burgers because “it has BBQ sauce, burgers have lettuce on it and because I love meat”.
Willow Camara came with two lovely bananas and explained to the class that she loves them because “it has Vitamin B and C, it is very healthy and I can gum it”.
Khalid Al-Anazi came with a very interesting fruit called a mandarin and explained that “it is good for your heart”.
We had many other favourite foods and dishes which the learners went the extra mile to present to the class. Overall, a happy class and a proud teacher.
I look forward to our next “show and Tell” with 2EH.
Erin Hierse
Year 2 Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 7 February 2020
Dear Parents
Schools, like all other institutions, often face challenges. I was reminded of this during the week when a water pipe was accidentally cut during the renovations to the downstairs bathrooms. Luckily, this was easily and quickly repaired, but not before the, already busy, bathrooms on the first floor flooded and we ended up escorting students to the bathrooms in the admin block.
Crisis management is often part of a normal school day and this is when everyone has an opportunity to step forward and assist. This is our school and we want to create a culture of pride and excellence! This requires that we all pick up litter, maintain parts of the garden and report faulty equipment in the building. If we all work together, we can most certainly do better!
Our school community is of central importance and anything which could be potentially harmful to our students needs to dealt with in an open and honest manner. Over the past two weeks, management has met with various year groups and their parents to discuss potential technological threats affecting our students.
In the light of this, management has contacted the Digital Law Company and we are happy to let you know that Emma Sadlier will address our school community next Thursday, 13th February. Please visit the Quicket website and book your seats. Her talk is applicable to students between the ages of 12-18 as she will be addressing the current trends on social media and the dangers parents need to be aware of. We look forward to seeing you all at the talk next Thursday.
Have a lovely weekend.
Regards
Edna
SRC Portfolios 2020
The following students have been entrusted with the responsibility of the following portfolios:
The leader in charge of discipline should have an interest in the disciplining of
students and should have a broad knowledge of the school rules concerning
the discipline which includes the demerit and detention system.
Khanyisa Buthelezi- Culture
The leader in charge of Spirit & Culture will assist the Marketing team at Blouberg
International School. The Marketing leader should be outgoing, have good
interpersonal skills and be comfortable in adult company.
Alex Massyn- Sport
The leader in charge of sport should have an interest in sports and a broad
knowledge of the sporting calendar of the school, as well as the allied Extra-Mural
activities.
Audrey Lepo & Venus Chamunorwa- Student Welfare
The leader in charge of student welfare should have an interest in the health and safety of students to ensure their well being, comfort, and safety at Blouberg International. This includes the emotional well-being of students.
Katherine Lott- Secretary & Treasurer & Interact
The Secretary & Treasurer shall:
- record the minutes of all meetings;
- make a copy available of such minutes to the SRC coordinator who will, in turn, make available to the Principal.
- Ensure and keep a record of expenditures and profit of the SRC.
- Ensure that the expenditure of the SRC is utilized within the approved SRC
budget.
The leader in charge of Interact will work closely with the teacher(s) in charge of Interact to ensure a meaningful experience for the students at Blouberg International School.
Carmen de Villiers
High School Teacher
Exploring Our World
The Year 4’s have had an exciting first 3 weeks of school. We’ve started with an interesting topic in Science: Habitats.
We’ve learned some new scientific terminology such as habitat, micro habitats and adaptations. Last week we got the chance to practically apply our knowledge by exploring the school’s garden. We found loads of animals and insects such as doves, swallows, beetles, butterflies, ants, moths and spiders! Once back in class, we had to draw the habitats and list all the animals we found.
Mrs Schoots also spoke about her class’s pet rats and how they are adapted to live in a cage and what makes them different from rats living in nature. It really helped us to understand how some animals might be able to survive in more than one habitat. We will continue with this topic for the next few weeks.
We are so blessed to live in a country with such a vast variety of animals and plants. It is important that we respect these animals and their habitats – no matter how small they are!
“Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.” –George Eliot
Ria du Plessis
Year 4 Teacher
Nursery Fun 2020
The Nursery has started to settle in well in their first term.
They have settled into the routine and during the day they have a nutritious breakfast and all the yummy snacks and lunch provided by the school. They also get to have nice long restorative naps.
They have a nice shade over the garden and can spend most of the day outside in the fresh air. They are making new friends and learning so many interesting things about the class topic this week. The topic for the week is Family and the little ones love talking about their families and painting and drawing them.
The Nursery had immense fun playing with all the Sensory toys. They had a great time touching the sand, water and small creatures. They also liked playing with the macaroni and little dinosaurs.
I look forward to seeing how the little ones in our Nursery develop this term.
Jacky Billings
Nursery Teacher