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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InterSEK 2022
An experience that can never be forgotten, a trip overseas to compete in the sporting InterSEK among our sister schools from IES and SEK. Eight BIS students travelled with their guide, Mrs Diana Rubio to Valencia in Spain for this prestigious event. They competed in Basketball, Soccer, Padel, Athletics, Volleyball and more…
Our students did very well and won a few medals:
Tawany – Gold medal High Jump
Teeyana – Silver medal High Jump
Tawany – Silver medal 1500m
Tawany – Bronze medal 60m
Teeyana – Silver medal 60m
Boys Soccer – Bronze medal
The most important aspect of this trip was not the medals or competition, it was the experience and precious friendships the students made during the week of enjoying the culture and hospitality of our hosting families and school. We would like to thank them all for hosting our students in such a warm and wonderful way. A bond that we were lucky enough to capture on a few of the images below.
Well done on being true ambassadors to our school Lunje Languza Year 6, Donsima Sima Year 6, Teeyana Shaik Mahomed Year 8, Ian Scrooby Year 8, Gabrielle Adamson Year 9, Jens Buchwald Year 9, Geneva Cohen Year 9, Tawany Maurits Lasoen Year 9, Karabo Kalane Year 9 and Jessica Smith Year 11. You have made us so proud!
SRC 2023
The Student Representative Council (SRC) of 2022 was one of Blouberg’s smallest SRCs. Yet what was lacking in size was made up for in willingness and determination. Led by Kazimla Dyakalashe and supported by a strong Matric class, they led and excelled in every task assigned to them. Not once did they tell us that something could not be done. Thank you, SRC 2022, for your dedication in serving your school. You have set the bar high for the new SRC.
A bigger class than that of 2022, the SRC of 2023 comprises of eight students. Our congratulations go to Oscar Berger, Shaylee Brandt, Philade Luthango, Landelwa Maqanda, Nadia Mohamed, Daniel Moodie, Chidozie Muoka and Erin Stewart on their selection for this important role.
2023 will see the implementation of some notable changes to student leadership in the school, including greater involvement of the Student Leaders and the introduction of cheerleaders. The SRC will be involved in many of these changes. They will also attend workshops, many of which will be designed to help them develop their leadership skills.
We look forward to watching our SRC grow in the year ahead, as well as to all they will help develop and initiate at the school.
Sheila Marais
SRC Coordinator
Top Row Left to Right: Oscar Berger, Shaylee Brandt, Philade Luthango, Landelwa Maqanda Bottom Row Left to Right: Nadia Mohamed, Daniel Moodie, Chidozie Muoka and Erin Stewart
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BIS Interact Club Updates
Blouberg International Club of Interact would like to send a huge thank you to the families of BIS for their generous contributions to our soup pack drive. Our Interactors, together with some Matric students, delivered nearly 400 soup packs to Doors of Jannah, an NGO dedicated to providing hot meals to the disadvantaged communities in Cape Town. WATCH: https://fb.watch/fysbRt9z6w/
Last Saturday some of our matric students had the opportunity to join in one of their soup drives helping pack hot meals and distribute them. They all agreed how valuable this experience was.
The past couple of years have been particularly challenging with COVID-19 restrictions, but our club faced the challenge as an opportunity to put their creativity to work and continue serving.
I am proud to announce that our Blouberg International Club of Interact was awarded a Citation by Rotary International. This acknowledgement is given to schools that go the extra length for their efforts and service to the community. Congratulations to our members for this well deserved nomination!
Oscar and Altesse at the Rotary Club of Blouberg Citation evening.
The following students have recently voted members of our Interact Club for 2022-2023:
- President: Oscar Berger
- Vice President: Shaylee Brandt
- Secretary: Saumya Majarah
- Treasurer: Iviwe Matakata
- Board member: Chezlyn Gopal
BIS would like to congratulate them and we look forward to working together, hoping to continue growing our Interact club with enthusiasm, new ideas and fun projects.
Elena Berger
BIS Interact Club Coordinator
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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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