From the Principal’s Desk, 30 January 2020
Dear Parents
We had a lovely movie evening at school last Friday and I am certain that everyone who attended will agree that it was great family fun! Family is important and it was wonderful to spend time with our extended Blouberg family. We look forward to more of these gatherings in the future and appreciate your support in attending them.
We held our Foundation and Key stage 1 parent meetings last Thursday and tonight we have our Key Stage 2 parent information evening. I urge parents to communicate with teachers and make use of the Engage system to retrieve key information. Communication is key to good relationship!
We will be starting renovations to the girls’ bathrooms on the ground floor on Friday 31st January and again, we ask you to please remind the students to use the bathrooms on the first floor. We are looking forward to the fresh revamp!
Social media and its impact on our teenagers and young children remains a huge concern to educators and parents alike. We are in the process of finalizing a date to have Emma Sadler from the Digital Law Company address parents, and students who are 18 years of age. The dates will be made available as soon as possible and I urge every parent to join us on the evening.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend of family time.
Regards
Edna
BIS HIGH SCHOOL INDUCTION DAY 2020
On the 14th of January 2020, we held our annual Induction Day to familiarize year 7, 8’s and new students with the school and the matric leaders for the year. The matric class guided the new recruits through team-building activities which cemented early friendships and mutual respect.
The day started at 09h00 with an introduction and warm welcome to the students embarking on the new chapter in their lives. After that, we delved straight into the first activity of the day; Team building. The students were split into four colour coded -red, blue, green and yellow- teams with two matric leaders per team and continued to spend 30 minutes on choosing appropriate team names and to get to know the members of their group.
Of course, the new students were shy at first, but it didn’t take long for them to relax their guard and have fun with their peers.
With team names and introductions complete, the first clue for a Treasure Hunt was given out and teams raced to solve it as quickly as possible; the promise of a prize igniting everyone’s competitive spirit. The aim of this game was to acquaint the students with their future classrooms and teachers whilst making it fun and inclusive for all.
After the treasure hunt and prizes were awarded (amidst loud cheering), the students were given a 30-minute break to cool down and relax. Lunch packs, which included a small water, a muffin, a hotdog and a small packet of chips, were given to each student. Music was played during the break and students could mix and chat amongst themselves and with matrics, allowing everyone to wind down and get proper rest for the next few activities.
After the break, students were given the choice to either go play a few games of soccer, which brought out a playful and competitive spirit within the students, or to stay within the senior hall and join a few rounds of musical chairs, which was fun but also exercised their coordination and concentration — both activities were a lot of fun and elicited many laughs and giggles from the students and matric leaders.
After the fun and laughter, the students gathered on the field to join a game of Red Rover. This allowed students to get some energy out of them while taking away the fear of being new to the school and allowing everyone to play together as a unit. This brought a lot of laughs and cheers when the students won to get through with the few catches.
This was followed by an official tour of the high school building and classes with introductions to their future teachers and classrooms. They were also shown their lockers and homeroom teachers.
As the morning drew to a close, the matrics took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the students by calling individuals up and asking them a few questions about themselves. This allowed the seniors to get to know the juniors on a deeper, more personal level and established a bond of great benefit to both parties.
We trust that the students had fun and made a few more friends within their peer group! We hope that they enjoy their year and that they know the matrics are there to help them through the new chapter in their lives.
Jianicia Meintjes (Year 12)
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Year 5 Goals 2020!
The Year 5’s started off the term by thinking about how we wanted this year to go. We realised that a good way to check if we are making progress in the year is to set goals and try and achieve them.
We decided that there are a few steps to setting a good goal:
- Pick a goal. This must be something you want to achieve and that you can work towards.
- Break your goal down into steps. How are you going to go about achieving that goal?
- Ask yourself if you need to ask for help with achieving your goal. Remember that goals are something you need to work on for yourself, but you can always ask for help achieving them.
- Get started, do your best and keep trying!
With this in mind, the Year 5 classes set some goals for 2020.
Ife – I aim to get my pen license and a prize giving certificate. I also want to do well in Netball.
Ciara – I want to work on improving my Maths.
Grace – I would like to get an A is most of my subjects.
Brunice – I aim to improve my handwriting.
Hanaa – I’d like to improve my story writing.
Lily – I aim to improve my piano skills.
Callie – I want to work on my Spanish this year.
Declan – I’d like to get Best Sportsman for soccer.
We are all excited about being together in Year 5, and helping each other achieve our goals! We wish the rest of the school a wonderful year!
Year 5 Teacher
Cricket Practise
“The enhancement of physical and mental development of children is certainly the most important contribution of sports for children.” (Novak Djokovic Foundation)
Many studies have shown the benefits of children learning and playing sport from a young age. However, I don’t believe we need to be qualified experts, to understand just how much fun children have participating in different sports. Whether it’s running around the playground, kicking a ball or riding a bicycle, children do love and need to be active.
Braving the south-easter, the year 1 and 2 students took to the field, sun-block smeared and ready to tackle a cricket bat and ball. Our budding cricketers cheered each other on as balls were caught, hit and bowled.
Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 23 January 2020
Dear Parents
“Your present circumstances do not determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” – Nido Qubein
The beginning of every academic year brings a familiar set of challenges. One of these challenges, affecting both parents and students, is that of a child attending school for the first time. The struggle to adapt and the need for reassurance, until they become used to the setup and daily routine. A daunting challenge for new students and their parents, but one we are well prepared for. We are available and ready to assist in whichever capacity best suited to the student, parent or staff member. It may be as simple as asking a parent to stay a little longer in the morning, just until the student settles.
Rest assured that we are equipped with the patience, endurance and kindness to assist our little ones overcome this initial challenge.
Another recurring challenge is impatient, inconsiderate behavior in the car park and drop and go areas. I urge every parent please to be mindful and not hold up traffic or park in the drop and go area. Everyone is in a hurry but a little kindness and respect goes a long way. Should you wish to walk your child to class, please park your vehicle in the designated bays. When you are in the drop and go zone, please be aware of other vehicles wishing to exit and give them the space to do so.
CAMBRIDGE TOP ACHIEVERS REWARD
We received the Cambridge Top Achievers Awards yesterday and are very proud to announce that Sreeja Chinthala achieved the Top in South Africa award for Business Studies AS level. Audrey Lepo won first place in the world for a High Achievement in French.
Well done to both students!
REMINDER
This Friday, 24th January, the PA is hosting a movie night. We are looking forward to seeing all our families at this exciting event.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Edna
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From the Principal’s Desk, 24 October 2019
Dear Parents
This week I received several emails from parents expressing their excitement after seeing students practicing for athletics in the mornings. It is indeed an awesome sight to see both Key stage 2 and the high school preparing themselves for the upcoming sports events. Their display of hard work and dedication goes a long way in building school spirit and a sense of community amongst the students.
Saturday, the 9th of November, is a Sports Day for the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 students and we look forward to cheering on our little athletes. Throughout the key stages, our teachers are encouraging students, as per school policy, to ensure they are doing at least one winter and one summer sport every term.
“If we did all the things, we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas Edison.
If we want to live a successful life, we must take complete responsibility for everything we experience. This week I have been particularly mindful of responsibility and the potential greatness we can achieve if we take responsibility for both our physical and mental well-being. The key to success in every aspect of our lives lies within us. Challenging though it may be, taking responsibility for the aspects of our lives within our control, does bring peace of mind.
A couple of weeks ago, our Year 10 and 12 students began their final AS and IGCSE examinations. It was moving to see a group of students the other day, gather and pray before entering the examination venue. I was impressed by their calm and the mindset with which they faced the examination.
The school’s management team is actively planning for 2020 and we are excited to see the growth in our class numbers. An additional Year 5 class will open in 2020 as we strive to keep our classes small, allowing our teachers to give personal attention to their students.
My goal for the week ahead is inspired by Dale Carnegie.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”
I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
Kind regards
Edna