The Arts & Crafts Club Rocks!
The Arts & Crafts Club have been busy this term with completing a Rock Art project with the theme ‘ be kind, be caring and be encouraging’ in line with our anti bullying campaign at the school.
This was a process of preparation of the rocks, painting an undercoat, decorating, writing and finally varnishing them. They enjoyed completing it at all the stages and finally they were dry. At the beginning of Term 4, the Club enjoyed the last step of placing the Rock Art creations in the rock garden near the entrance of the school.
We hope you also enjoy looking at them while visiting the school.
Kerstin Pani
Club Coordinator
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Our Amazing Gourmet Burgers
The Year 4’s spent one of the term’s art lessons creating these mouth-watering gourmet burgers. Our objective was to create traffic-stopping art that would cause our audience to stop, stare and desire to eat an amazing burger on the spot, on-route to class. This has certainly happened. We have noticed students and teachers slow down in our passage, admiring our art. We have even had a teacher come into our classroom to express her great desire for a particular burger on display.
We worked with different paper textures as well as a variety of coloured paper. Each student had to design their own burger, having to think of every topping imaginable. The background was just as important. Many students put time and effort into creating detailed wooden table tops or beautifully designed table cloths. For those who had extra time at hand, sides were an added addition to their menu.
This was a highly rewarding art lesson and certainly showed us how powerfully persuasive pictures can be. Take a look at the photos below and see if you can resist the tempting thought of a gourmet burger satisfying your tummy!
Carol Blake
Year 4 Teacher
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Intaka Island
The week before last, our Year 2 students went out to Intaka Island at Century City. They were given the opportunity to explore nature in all its wonderful ways.
We looked at various small organisms under the microscope, were given a guided tour around the island, spotting and appreciating the little birds, bugs and flowers around us. After the wildlife watching, were given a guided boat tour around the canals, appreciating the views around us and learning more about the conservancy.
This is definitely an outing we can recommend for the whole family! So much fun was had by all!
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
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Year One Barnaby Bear Day
“Travel leaves you speechless. Then turns you into a storyteller.” – IBN Battuta
The Year 1 students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed an eventful day, traveling from country to country (class to class), learning about the different countries Barnaby Bear had travelled to and tasting all the delicious cuisines each country had to offer.
Barnaby Bear is the bear we learnt about in Geography that travels the world to visit different countries. He sends the teachers post cards which explains in detail, the sites he visits, the transport he uses to get around, the seasons in each country and the temperature he is currently experiencing.
The students in Mrs Cordner’s class represented America, Mrs Cronje’s class represented England and my class (Miss Hierse’s class) had the privilege to represent India. The students flew from class to class where they got to do some fun activities and learn some interesting facts that symbolized the country they had travelled to. They then enjoyed some delicious snacks and cold drinks which each class offered. The students were dressed beautifully and walked away from the day with more knowledge on America, England and India as well as full tummies.
The Year 1 teachers are extremely grateful for the parents help and support in making the day a successful one.
“Wanderlust. (n.) A strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.”
Year 1 Teacher
Erin Hierse
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Meal plans from the Year 5s
In Science, the Year 5s have been looking at the digestive system. We learnt that animals, including humans, need a balanced diet to be healthy. While a balanced diet for a zebra might include a variety of grasses and leaves, humans are a bit more complicated than that. We found out that we need to eat meals and snacks, which have a variety of food groups – including lots of fruit and vegetables! Once we knew the theory, the Year 5s used their knowledge (and some research on the iPads) to create a healthy meal plan over three days – and I must say they gave their teacher some ideas for what to cook over the next few weeks!
Here are some of the delicious meals that were suggested:
Breakfast:
- Avocado on wholewheat toast with 2 scrambled eggs
(Sehan Singh)
- All-Bran flakes with sliced bananas mixed in
(Lereko Tabohane)
- Muesli with yoghurt and blueberries.
(Nivad Manouchehri)
Lunch:
- A bowl of pasta with mixed vegetables and cheese.
(Zahrah Allie)
- A bagel with tomatoes, mozzarella and lettuce, with a smoothie on the side.
(Wanda Ahadzadeh)
- A burrito with peppers, cheese and lettuce.
(Keira Nicholl)
- Mac and cheese with sliced cucumbers.
(Tinashe Chivaka)
Dinner:
- Pap and steak with spinach and sliced tomato.
(Pelumi Olawoyin)
- Butternut, baked potato and chicken pieces
(Isabella Schultz)
- Omelette with mushrooms and sausages.
(Okuhle William)
Snack ideas:
- A smoothie with 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 cup of frozen peaches, and some yoghurt and milk.
(Shanna-Rose Jenkinson)
- Salti crackers with some snoek pate, feta cubes and pear slices.
(Emily Rӧhlandt)
- Carrot sticks with hummus.
(Mika Bhyat)
- Carrots and peanut butter, with some grapes (do not put peanut butter on the grapes!).
(Dicla Tona)
- Strawberries with yoghurt and honey.
(Alistair Mouton)
- Wholewheat grain crackers, light cream cheese and mixed berries.
(Talicia Nyausaru)
Of course, it helps to know WHY a meal is healthy – and the students had that covered too!
“The pasta, beef and vegetables were healthy because there were different food groups that can help our body in different ways and give us nutrients.”
(Ileana Dias)
Watch this space – next up for the Year 5s is a video oral where the students make one of the meals on their meal plans and then tell us about it. Masterchef Junior, here we come!
Hannah Kirkaldy
Year 5 Teacher
WATCH: Khanya Luthango’s Healthy Food English Presentation and Oral
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Why do we do ‘Show and Tell’ at school?
I think we all recognise the importance of public speaking in our workplaces. Public speaking should begin at school where children form social bonds and learn self-confidence along the way. ‘Show and Tell’ is a popular way used in schools to develop these public speaking skills.
Here are a few ideas that parents can use to develop these skills at home:
Observe the Journey Game
- Whilst driving, walking or on public transport, ask your child to describe as much of their surroundings as they can within one minute!
- Get them to think about shapes, colors and what is happening.
- After multiple attempts over days/weeks your child will begin to speak more clearly and sharpen their observation skills which are essential for speaking well.
- The Woof Game
- This hilarious game will build your child’s ability to think Choose a common word like it or be.
- Provide your child with a topic to speak on for thirty seconds.
- Every time the chosen word is to appear in their speech they should replace it with woof.
Imaginary Animal Game
Get a group of family members, neighbors and friends together with your kids.
- Ask each group member to think of an animal and give them one minute to think of how they would describe that animal.
- Each member must then be questioned by their fellow members on the size, color(s), habitat and other attributes until they discover what animal it is.
For more fun, games go to:
https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/30784/public-speaking-for-kids/
Above all, remember that practice makes perfect and to have as much fun as you can along the way…
Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher
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HISTORY
In a world that is driven by science and technology, many people have come to believe that History is irrelevant and no longer has any value as a school subject. Indeed, nothing could be further from the truth.
History teaches skills that are transferable across different subject areas and are applicable both at tertiary level and life in general. These include the ability to conduct thorough research, the presentation of clear and logical arguments that are based on fact, the ability to identify and understand trends and processes, as well as the important skills of critical thinking and problem solving. If one is looking for a subject that will provide students with a solid foundation for what lies ahead, one need look no further than History.
Although the content focuses on the past, History is entirely relevant for both the present and the future. The Year 8s showed an excellent understanding of this when they were asked why it was important to learn about the Holocaust.
“It helps us understand the importance of what we support and how what we are supporting could impact us in the long term…” (Favour Chimezie – 8a)
“…it teaches us how to prevent it from happening again.” (Tim Beukes – 8a)
“We as the youngest generation should look at our past, identify mistakes and people’s wrongdoings to find solutions that will not only help our future, but our children’s future.” (Gabriella Nel – 8a)
“We can also make sure that we know what is going on in other countries because people tend to start making trouble in secret. As humans, we need to understand the danger of stereotypes, because this is what causes dehumanization, discrimination and terrible events…” (Faith Chivaka – 8a)
While History certainly has an alarming habit of repeating itself, knowledge of the past can help us to prepare for the future and even change future events. There can be little more value than equipping our youth with the knowledge and skills needed to improve their own lives and the lives of future generations.
I would like to wish our IGCSE and AS-Level history students all the best for their external examinations.
Sheila Marias
IGCSE, AS and A Level History Teacher
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MARHABAN BIKUM FAA MISR (WELCOME TO EGYPT)
Salim walakum. In term four, in some of our subjects, we are covering the topic of Ancient Egypt. This is by far my favourite term of the whole year. Not only because it is the most exciting term, but also I can talk about Ancient Egypt all day, every day. I am certain that my passion around this topic has certainly infected the students in my class. They are even selecting readers in the library around the subject to find out more.
In English, we are reading stories, completing comprehensions and writing sentences about Ancient Egypt. In History and Geography, the students are doing research and completing a poster and presenting an oral using various topics, like Pharaohs, Gods and Goddesses, Mummies, these are only but a few examples. In Art and Design, the students have drawn Ancient Egyptian pots. For the last two weeks, they have been designing Ancient Egyptian necklaces, fit for a Pharaoh.
The Year 3 students spent a lesson drawing and colouring in their necklaces with pastels to brighten up the necklace. They then spent another lesson embellishing their necklaces with old jewellery, beads, sequins and glitter. I have to say, this year’s necklaces have truly outshone previous years. I was so proud of how each child planned their necklace with outmost care and precision, and took the time to ensure that it was their best work. I will leave you to decide which ones are the best!
We are all looking forward to the next Ancient Egyptian project!
Wendy Menton
Year 3 Teacher
Everything has a cycle and every person a story to tell
The Year 3’s have been learning about Living things this term. As part of this theme, each student was asked to make a presentation about the life cycle of different types of animals and include an interesting fact.
These they presented with great pride and excitement in an oral.
We learned that:
- Baby koalas eat their mother’s poop to learn to digest eucalyptus leaves.
- The poison from the blue poison dart frog is used to tip the arrows of Amazon hunter’s darts.
- A dog has 28 teeth and 1700 taste buds.
- Jellyfish do not have brains.
- A Monarch butterfly – the female is attracted to the male’s perfume.
- Dolphins have two stomachs.
- A koala bear is as small as a jelly baby when it is born.
Well done to the Year 3 students for making their projects so visually stimulating and extremely interesting.
Carey Schoots
Year 4 Teacher
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Year 5 Solar Systems
In Science, the Year 5s have been learning about The Earth in Space. One of the core concepts this unit of work is based on is the fact that everything in the solar system orbits the sun.
We decided that a practical demonstration was in order, so we built ourselves some solar systems. This helped us to gain a concrete grasp of how the solar system fits together. We included the eight planets of the solar system – and some of us even got creative and added Earth’s moon to our models!
Now, as we like to say, the whole world is not only in our hands, but also hanging from our classroom ceiling…
Hannah Kirkaldy
Year 5 Teacher
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