Skills Programme
We are pleased to share with you some exciting news about a Year 6 skills lesson that took place this term. Mrs. Oosthuizen taught the students how to sew buttons on clothing, and we are thrilled to say that it was a great success.
The children were provided with needles, buttons, thread, and cloth, and were given step-by-step instructions on how to sew a button. Although some students struggled with getting the thread through the needle at first, they quickly overcame this challenge and progressed to sewing their buttons with ease. Mrs. Oosthuizen, Mrs. Kirkaldy and even Mr. O was on hand to offer extra help to those who needed it, ensuring that everyone was able to complete the task successfully.
We are particularly proud of two students, Alistair and Nivad, who went the extra mile with this lesson. Alistair brought his own pants and button that he wanted to mend, and Nivad was so inspired by the lesson that he sewed a miniature pillow the next day.
Sewing is a valuable life skill that can come in handy in many situations, and we are confident that the Year 6 students will benefit from this lesson for years to come. We are grateful to Mrs Oosthuizen for her dedication and hard work in preparing for this lesson, and we hope that the children enjoyed it as much as we did.
In one of the future lessons, we would like to teach the students how to change a plug. If parents have any extra plugs or cables they can spare, please send them to school so that we can use them for the lesson.
Vihann Oosthuizen
Year 6 Teacher
PHOTOS: Year 6 Sewing Skills Workshop
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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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BIS Media Club
The media club is a newly developed society in our school that consists of a team of students, led by Mr. Kroukamp, who create weekly live podcast episodes, aired out on our very own school radio. You can listen to BIS Radio live every Monday afternoon from 3:15 to 4:00. We cover topics ranging from the latest school news to our own internal debates and views on a vast variety of subjects. This club is a small knit community for our ambitious members to not only push themselves out of their comfort zone, but to become comfortable with public speaking and develop important communication skills and improvisation abilities. Furthermore, it gives students the confidence needed to articulate their words with clarity and proficiency and is a great opportunity to further develop creative thinking.
The school podcast is an easily accessible way for both students and parents, who are tuned in, to keep up with the latest on-going school events as well as up-to-date information on social affairs. Our podcast can also be used as a medium for further education, as we discuss different countries and cultures as well as spread awareness and shed light on serious issues. Here at BIS, our teachers have put great effort into the promotion of mental health, and the media club is just as eager to shine a light on said topic. We have held open discussions with our school counsellor on air to further this effort, as well as having our own talks amongst one another on our experiences.
We are the first school to have our very own media club in the whole of IES and we would love for our podcast to go global and inspire other schools all over the world. Our club is a stepping-stone to the evolution of schools, in our ever-advancing technological world, and a demonstration of how we can evolve alongside this growth. We are so grateful to have been given this opportunity to grow within ourselves and inspire those around us, and we encourage students of all ages to take action and become a part of this innovative society.
Gemayel Kroukamp
Media Club Coordinator
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Skills Programme Update
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
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Year 12 Cultural Outing
On Friday, 12 August, the Year 12 Art students braced the winter cold and headed out to explore the cultural aspects and art galleries in the Tygerberg area.
We visited the Art.b gallery at the Bellville Library Centre, the Sanlam Art Collection at the headquarters of Sanlam, and a collection of international ceramics and mosaic artworks.
“Uncle Clive” drove us around in a BIS minibus and returned us safe and sound to BIS.
Art.B gallery
https://www.artb.co.za/vuleka-2/
Art.b, the Arts Association of Bellville, is an innovative, community–orientated organisation, sensitive to new ideas and supportive of established and emerging artists from all cultural backgrounds. Art.b, through its vibrant art gallery, creates a platform for and showcases visual art and artists in the Western Cape to raise public awareness of art.
The Arts Association of Bellville is the Western Cape branch of the South African National Association of Visual Art. It is a non-profit membership-based organisation open to all. The gallery is maintained and managed with the support of the City of Cape Town.
https://blog.sanlam.co.za/her-sanlam-art-gallery-bellville/
The Sanlam Art Collection came into being on 9 March 1965 when the Sanlam Board approved the acquisition of 12 paintings by well-known artists for the production of a prestige calendar in the coming year. The collection has grown considerably since and has proved to be a good investment, with the current valuation of the collection exceeding twenty times what it has cost to acquire.
The collection is seen not only in Sanlam offices but also in touring exhibitions across South Africa. Sanlam continues to acquire significant images from established and emerging artists in South Africa and this Centennial exhibition reaffirms its commitment to supporting the visual arts for generations to come.“Her… An exhibition of painting, sculpture, and printing from the Sanlam Art Collection celebrating South African Women Artists.”
Sanlam Art Gallery, Bellville 4 August – 22 October 2022
The present exhibitions in the Sanlam Art Gallery, Bellville, and Sanlam Art Lounge, Bellville celebrates the artistic talents of South African women artists from the early twentieth century to the present. The images by a diversity of women in different media allow for a multiplicity of themes to emerge pertinent to the concerns of women artists over the past century. The exhibition ranges from the capturing of mood and beauty in flowers, the domesticity of daily life and motherhood to the reflection on discrimination and violence against women.
Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, Wellington Rd, Durbanville
The well-established Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery showcases works of art by established and emerging artists. There are three exhibition spaces at Rust-en-Vrede.
The main gallery consists of two rooms and is referred to as Salon A and Salon B. Salon C is in the entrance room, which is a more informal space used for small solo- or group exhibitions.
Gallery Hours are Monday – Friday 09:00 – 16:00 and Saturday 09:00 – 13:00. The exhibitions change monthly and are freely open to the public. Artists who wish to exhibit at Rust-en-Vrede are requested to submit work and a short proposal to Gallery Management.
The members serving on this committee are nominated at the Annual General Meeting in August. They meet monthly to assess new applicants for exhibitions with the curator.
PIET-MY-VROU MOSAIC STUDIO
27 July ’22
An exhibition of mosaics by the students of Piet-My-Vrou Mosaic Studio. Exhibition opens on Saturday 30 July 2022 at 11 am.
Riaan Vosloo
IGCSE, AS and A Level Art and Design Teacher
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BIS Performs At The Baxter Theater!
A few of our High School students had the experience of a lifetime on Wednesday, when they got perform to a very large audience on a professional theatre stage. BIS participated in the annual Shakespeare Schools Festival, which since it’s inception, the festival has become Africa’s largest Shakespeare youth drama program and has worked with over 490 schools, 9000 youth, 670 teachers across the Western Cape, Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.
About the play:
The play is a modernised version of the “The Scottish Play” Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It is a spin off that takes place in an all-girls’ school, Dunsinane High, and instead of aspiring to be king or queen, Macbeth wants to be Headgirl. “Lady Macbeth” in this version is Bethany. The decision to modernise the play was made in order to help the students connect with the characters.
BIS took A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the Shakespeare School’s Festival in a previous year and we enjoyed it so much; that it was decided to make it an annual endeavour. This helps to allow our students the opportunity to develop their talents and passion and to perform on a professional stage. Though we were rehearsing intermittently for some time, the script change was only complete about a month ago.
I am so proud of the entire cast and crew members, many of whom were on stage in this capacity for the first time. They were extremely nervous, but did their utmost. Thank you to everyone who came to support our performance at the Baxter Theatre.
We look forward to our performances at school tonight at 18:30 and again at 19:30.
Tickets are only R40 and will be sold at the door.
High School Performing Arts and English Teacher
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Welcome Back
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to the beginning of Term 3. My wish is that you have relaxed, recharged, and feel ready to start the new school term. Campus bounced back this week with students returning from their vacation and new students joining the BIS family. Our students are indeed grateful to see their friends again as they prepare for their collaborative learning and captivating lessons.
We have been looking forward to what Term 3 has in store, including yesterday’s IES Sports Day, Year 10 camp, and our Macbeth production at the Baxter Theatre on August 10th.
I appreciate your positive energy and I look forward to working with you in the new term. All signs point to another incredible and productive school term.
I know each of us wants to make a difference in the lives of our students.
Parents, here is how you can support us and help your child become independent and “own” their learning:
- Be sure to check in with your child daily, about the learning tasks, activities, and assessments they are working on.
- Demonstrate a positive attitude about education to your children. What we say and do in our daily lives can help them to develop positive attitudes toward school and learning and to build confidence in themselves as learners. Showing our children that we value education and use it in our daily lives provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school.
- In addition, by showing interest in your children’s education, parents and families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and is well worth the effort required.
- Encourage them to complete work to the best of their ability
In closing, I would like to share this interesting post from the “parenting team”, and I would like to add teachers to that team as well – because we are all in this together.
Challenge: Back to School
Been There, Been Through That…9 Tips for Parents of High Schoolers
https://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/been-there-been-through-that9-tips-for-parents-of-high-schoolers
We thank you once again for the consistent and unwavering support you have always shown.
Carmen de Villiers
High School Coordinator
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Term 2 Reflection
We have reached the end of an action-packed semester and would like to thank all our families for your support and dedication. A heartfelt thank you to our teachers for all their hard work to provide a stimulating and constructive environment for our students.
Well done to our High School students who performed well this term in their CASS assignments and examinations – We are so proud of the progress you are making.
Our term was filled with many highlights such as our Year 11 journey, Art Auction, special outdoor and sporting events, and ending the term on a high note with the various class challenges and student wellness day. On all these occasions, we were inspired by our students’ creativity, ingenuity, and growth.
We wish all our BIS families a safe and warm winter holiday. May we continue to encourage each other and be kind to ourselves and those around us.
Carmen de Villiers
High School Coordinator
WATCH: The High School Houses Challenge Each Other During the Term 2 Wellness Day House Games: https://youtu.be/YQNbmTPuvho
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Murderous Macbeth: Paranoid Prefect
We all know and love to hate Shakespeare’s infamous ‘Macbeth’, also known as the “Scottish play”, which etches out the tragedy of an ambitious man who murders his way to the crown. Encouraged by his even ruthless wife and the predictions of three “fates”, Macbeth goes down a dark, haunting, and intriguing path to his demise.
Now, what if we take that basic plot and set it in 2022, in an all-girls school, with head prefect as the goal? The product is all the teen drama one could dream of… but make it a nightmare.
Mackenzie “Lady” Macbeth and her girlfriend, Bethany, want to rule the school. Who do they need to take down to get to the top? And how will they make it happen?
Still dark, as evil plots unfold; still haunting, as there are literal ghosts; and still intriguing, as we try to understand methods and motives: this play is bound to disturb and entertain.
Blouberg International School’s modern version of ‘Macbeth’ will take to the Baxter Theatre stage during the Shakespeare School’s Festival, on Wednesday, 10 August, and again on our school stage on Friday, 12 August.
To book click here! https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1513749284 (Please ensure to book for one of the days our school performs, as we do not perform every day)
Come to see if they can wash the blood off their hands.
Genevieve Kerswill
High School English Teacher and Drama Coordinator
(PHOTOS BELOW: Moments on stage from our Midsummer Night’s Dream performance at the Shakespeare School’s Festival in 2020 at the Fugard Theatre)
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