year 1 Tag

“Reuse the past. recycle the present, save the future” – Unknown

In KS1 Arts and Crafts Club, the students have been making use of recycled goods to create a beautiful flower to welcome the start of Spring.

Teaching students about spring helps to develop life skills, observation skills and promotes a love for learning and nature. Helping children notice and celebrate the signs of spring is a wonderful way to sharpen their observation skills. This helps students to learn how to focus, to be present, and live in the moment. Observation skills help people become better writers, scientists, and global citizens. Using nature to teach these skills can shake children and parents alike out of the rut of the normal day-to-day life.

Using recycled goods such as bubble wrap and bottle tops help students realise that these items are goods and not waste. We can reuse them for Arts and Crafts activities, not allowing them to be thrown into bins or left lying around on the floor around us. Teaching students to reduce, reuse and recycle (the three R’s) can create a ripple effect on the lives of their loved ones around them.

We encourage students and parents to continue trying to follow the three R’s.

Year 1 Teacher
Erin Hierse

A very excited group of Year 1 students left school to visit Intaka Island on Thursday, 25 August. After a brief introduction to the origin of Intaka Island and the eco system found there, the students set off in groups to explore this small island in the middle of our busy city. Intaka Island’s wetlands and canals demonstrate how engineering and natural processes can be used to improve the conservation of water.

The students took a walk around the island learning about the medicinal plants and seeing how many animals and birds they could spot from the ‘hide’. We were extremely lucky to walk past a freshwater crab and to spot a Pied Kingfisher and a Malachite Kingfisher.

A highlight for the students is the boat ride on the canals, spotting the birdlife and some pets in the gardens of the townhouses.

Intaka island is a wonderful example of sustainability. They use solar power energy, energy through the use of a wind turbine and various bio digestive systems to supply their own gas and wormery’s to create their own compost and liquid fertilizers. The students learnt all about recycling, compost and the importance of sustainable living. The students also learnt how Intaka Island uses their own grey water and black water system to sustain their building and plant life.

It was a fun, interactive and very informative outing, which you can see from our photos!

Ann Cordner
Year 1 Teacher

The Year 2 classes had visitors yesterday! Educators from SANCCOB came to tell us all about penguins and sea birds. The students thoroughly enjoyed watching videos about all the ways SANCCOB helps injured seabirds and penguins. Did you know that glass takes 1,000,000 years to break down? Plastic takes 200 years to disintegrate. The students were horrified to see some of the photos of how litter could harm these gentle creatures.

There were fun activities as well. In groups, we had to identify good foods and bad foods for seabirds and penguins. However, the highlight of the morning was the dressing up of three teachers in penguin suits! Mrs. Coetzer, Miss Hendry and Teacher Angelique were then ‘assisted’ by groups of students, leading them through the different rehabilitation stages. This included, x-rays, food-giving, receiving medication and finally, gently helping the ‘injured penguins exercise.

Great fun was had by all, even the teachers.

Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher

“Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family builds a home.”  – Anthony Liccione

As a Year 1 teacher, I have realised the importance of the younger students participating in supporting the older students in their sports. It is also important for the older students to show their support and provide motivation to the younger students. This support can come in the form of attending sports days, watching and cheering on matches, reading to the younger students to encourage reading and by being good role models for the younger studens. Support such as this, helps to build a passion for sport which will motivate young students to later participate in school sports. This is vital for students when growing up as a team sport can teach students things they cannot learn in a classroom.

I would like to encourage all parents and teachers to motivate students to want to support their fellow peers, from younger age groups to the older age groups.

“It is really important that we promote competitive support in schools. It is very important that we recognise that has to be underpinned by good quality physical education and by getting people into patterns of exercise.” – Sebastian Coe

Year 1 Teacher
Erin Hierse

I often wonder why I chose to train for (in my day) kindergarten at the teacher’s training college I attended. I mean, they can be frustrating, tiring with their endless energy, impatient, loud… The list is endless. I am sure that most parents will agree. I am not saying that the other age groups are not without their challenges, but the younger ones?

Then Tuesday, 19 July arrived and it was the beginning of the third term. That was when I remembered why I had chosen to teach this age group. Along with the frustrations, comes their passion for learning, enthusiasm, motivation, boundless hugs and just their absolute honesty: Teacher, you look beautiful, but you are still old.

Quite honestly, with the joy our students bring into our lives every day, I would never ever give this up.

I would like to wish our students, parents and fellow teachers a wonderful third term.

Kim Coetzer
Year 2 Teacher