Lovely Letters Of Encouragement
Last Friday, the students had a surprise visit from Postman Sean who delivered letters to each of the Foundation Stage classes. Excitement filled the students’ eyes as Postman Sean entered the classroom, and the students eagerly made their way to the carpet find out more about his special delivery. Postman Sean then told the students about his job as a postman and explained the different stages from posting a letter to receiving it. He then handed out each of the letters to the delighted students.
These letters of encouragement had been sent in during the course of the two week theme. Some children even received letters from grandparents, cousins, siblings and other loved ones in their family. We read out the letters in class and it was so beautiful to see the smiles on the students’ faces as they listened intently to the very special messages from their lovely ones.
This was such a lovely and memorable way to end off our theme.
Bronwen Nuthall
Reception Year Teacher
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People Who Help Us
For the past two weeks, the Foundation Stage has been learning about People Who Help Us in our community and how they help us in our daily lives.
The students also learnt how some of these people help us in emergencies, like firefighters, police, doctors and nurses. If there is an emergency, they will need to know how to get in touch with the right person to help in the situation (however old they are).
They also learnt of other people who help us stay safe and healthy, like opticians, dentists and refuse collectors.
Learning about this topic helps the students to make connections between themselves and the outside world. It makes them more aware of the different jobs and roles people take on in their own homes, in school and in their community. By educating the young students about the people who try and prevent these things happening or help us if they do, we are showing them the systems in place within our society to ensure that we live in a safe and supportive community.
The theme also provides key life skills for children, e.g. knowing how to dial the emergency services, who to ask if they get lost, what to do in case of a fire etc.
The Foundation Stage students were visited by law Enforcement Services, Fire and Rescue Services and Neighbourhood watch. They learnt what to do in various emergency situations and to call the toll free numbers 107 & 10111 to get help in any emergency.
This theme encourages children to notice places and people in their community and show them that they are part of a wider community that opens up possibilities for them to consider for future careers.
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception Teacher
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Valentine’s Day And Core Values
We have become so used to extended periods of lockdown and limited social opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic. That is why this year’s Valentine’s Day, whilst still following social distancing, was such an exciting event for the Nursery, Pre-Reception and Reception students. They had the opportunity to interact in larger groups during our Teddy Bear’s picnic and it was so nice to see them bonding, laughing and thriving socially. Our Valentine’s Day was filled with love, hugs and beautiful pink, red and white outfits.
From this Valentine ’s Day onwards, we will focus on the core values of being kind, caring and encouraging. Mr Swart introduced these core values to us in our first assembly for the year. These values can be accomplished even at an early age and are implemented and encouraged in every classroom in the ELS.
I asked a few students in Reception Year what it means to be a kind friend and they had some very special responses:
“If someone doesn’t have anyone to play with then you can play with them.”
“Don’t tease or use unkind words with your friends.”
“If your friend is hurt or sad you can help them or give them a hug.”
“If you share your toys you are being a kind friend.”
“Helping your teacher is a kind thing to do.”
I think it is encouraging and exciting to see that our BIS students will grow up to be thoughtful, empathetic and compassionate people in a society that is in such dire need of these qualities.
Please continue to encourage your child to develop and grow in these qualities, irrespective of their age. Being a kind, caring and encouraging person will guarantee healthy friendships and relationships that blossom. They are excellent building blocks for a solid foundation for the remainder of their lives.
Kim Hahn
Reception Year Teacher
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Nursery Tackles Responsible Hygiene
It’s probably not surprising that learning about hygiene and self-care at a young age contributes to healthy social and emotional development. Encouraging independent self-care skills has a significant long-term impact on children, and attempting to complete these self-care tasks, builds on their confidence and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Good hygiene expands further than just using hand sanitizer in class – it’s about keeping our surroundings clean and maintaining that cleanliness whenever possible. That’s why this week, during our Skills Programme, Nursery took the opportunity to learn about taking responsibility for our personal hygiene – as well as for the hygiene of the classroom.
We embarked on a fun-filled adventure to the garden, where we cleaned all the class toys with warm water and soap. The students worked as a team, learnt about germs and enjoyed cleaning all the crevices of their much-loved toys.
The best way to encourage good hygiene habits in our little tots, is to be a good role model and to set the standard at home. Keeping the conversation going will not only normalize the responsibility, but it will also ensure that the children are keeping their body happy and healthy. Self- care is the most important skill we can learn and starting today, no matter the age, will ensure self-love.
I am so proud of how far the little tots have come and I am so excited to put this new skill to good use in our future lessons.
Jo-Anne Dickason
Nursery Teacher
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Show and Tell – My Family
Last week, the Foundation Stage classes learnt about different families and what makes each family special.
The little ones are always very excited to do Show and Tell, and even more so when they have the opportunity to talk about their families.
The student were thrilled as they arrived at school with their beautiful posters, eager to share their presentations with their friends. It is always such a pleasure to see the little ones so proud to tell their friends about their mom and dad, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins and even the very special furry friends that make each family special.
A big thank you to all the parents who helped the little ones prepare their presentations. It was so lovely getting to know everyone who forms part of our BIS family!
Monique Meyer
Reception Teacher and Foundation Stage Coordinator
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We are family!
We are learning all about me and my family in Pre-Reception. Talking about our families at school gives the students the opportunity to talk about what is most important to them. This topic also helps them realise that family, the people we live with, is something we all have in common, regardless of how our families look! Some families have siblings, some have none, some families have parents, and some have none.
The students enjoyed learning rhymes and songs and reading about families. They brought photos of themselves to school and we made a “wall of me” as we are also like a family in class. We loved marble painting and made beautiful art. The students also presented their first show and tell by telling us all about their family.
Martie van Dyk
Pre-Reception Teacher
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My Holiday!
A huge welcome back to all our Year 3 students who arrived last week relaxed, recharged and ready to start a new school year. We kicked off the year with a three-part activity about their holiday. Students first shared with the class, any interesting activities that they had enjoyed during the holiday. This was also a great way in which to get to know the students as we chatted about surfing, zip lining, hiking and karate lessons, amongst other exciting adventures.
The second step involved the students drawing a ‘snapshot’ of themselves enjoying one activity during the holiday and then explaining their ‘snapshot’ to a classmate.
Lastly, the students wrote a few sentences in the form of a short news article to match their ‘snapshot’.
Thank you, Year 3, for a very interesting and informative start to the year!
Mandy Goch
Year 3 Teacher
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SMART Goals
As we started the new year and embraced the first term of 2022, we thought it was important for the Year 6 students to think about what they wanted to achieve during the term and set S.M.A.R.T goals for themselves for their core subjects.
During this week’s core lessons, we discussed the importance of setting goals and how the setting of goals can help us with responsibility as well as fostering a positive “can do” attitude which increases self-esteem. We moved on to discuss potential goals within each subject and asked the students what they wish to achieve, or what they would like to overcome to make them feel proud. Students shared their ideas of potential goals.
Once our students chose their goals for the term, we discussed how to set S.M.A.R.T goals, track their goals and set themselves up for success.
The acronym for SMART GOALS stands for:
S– Is the goal specific? What would you like to accomplish? The more specific the goal, the more focused you can be in reaching that goal.
M– Is the goal measurable? How will you know you have reached your goal? It is important to be clear about what you are working towards.
A– Is the goal achievable? Is it challenging, but not impossible? Taking it one small step at a time can help ensure success.
R – Is the goal relevant? Does thinking about reaching the goal inspire excitement? Being passionate about what you are working towards is a key to success.
T– Is the goal timely? Do you have a deadline by which you want to reach your goal? Setting an end date can help jump start motivation to begin working towards your goal.
We look forward to motivating and encouraging our students to reach their goals and reflect on it at the end of the term. At home, you can think about setting S.M.A.R.T goals with your children. Visit the website: https://madeinapinch.com/smart-goals-examples/ to learn more about setting these goals at home.
Katherine Nel
Key Stage 2 Coordinator and Year 6 Teacher
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Induction Day in Year 3
On Tuesday, the 30th of November 2021, our school held its annual Induction Day where the students get to spend some time with their new teacher for the next year.
It is always such an interesting morning. The students are anxious to find out where they are going the next year, and the teachers are anxious to find out who is coming to their class.
As humans, we like familiarity, and anything out of our comfort zone makes us either want to fight, or just kick our shoes off and bolt for the door. (Luckily, no teachers went missing. We were all accounted for.)
In Year 3, we made a 2D lollipop using different coloured strips of paper to cross-cross over each other and pop up. The students were so good at listening and following instructions. We were all so proud of them!
The students also got to play a game called, “Who am I?” Mystery Student. Each child wrote three clues about themselves and the class had to try to guess ‘who they are’ based on the clues given. It was amazing how well the students knew each other, even though they do not come from the same class. This will make the transition so much easier next year.
I asked the students what they are looking forward to in Year 3 next year, and this is what some of them had to say:
“Doing cool work”, “Learning new stuff”, “Writing good stories”, “Enjoying Life”, “Reading books and telling time”, “A locker with a door”, “Learning new subjects”, “Everything”.
The current Year 2 students were very happy to leave with a treat! I am certain that everyone had a fun-filled morning getting to know each other and just forgetting about Covid for an hour or two.
We are looking forward to seeing them again at the start of 2022.
Wendy Menton
Year 3 Teacher
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Charming Charlotte
As part of our English Literature Component, the Year 4 students have been reading “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. The book tells the story of girl Fern, who rescues a runt pig and names him Wilbur. Once on the farm, Wilbur makes friends with Charlotte, a beautiful large, grey spider. They become best friends and face a few challenges together. Although a fictional tale, the story also teaches valuable life lessons such as teamwork, friendship and overcoming obstacles.
Over the last few weeks, the students have been reading the novel in class, sharing their opinions and thoughts in groups and completing tasks based on the novel.
In Art, they created beautiful spider webs and spiders, and to end the unit, they will watch the classic movie.
The students have blown us away with their reading aloud skills as well as their thought provoking questions and answers about the novel. We are very proud of our stars!
Yvette Fourie
Year 4 Teacher
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