
Art Day!
We are very excited in Year 1 to be having a special ‘Art day’ today, for our upcoming school Art auction at the end of this month!
We are working on a collaborative artwork, which means each child in the class is contributing to the picture. We are creating a natural, floral scene against a beautiful sunrise, using mixed media culminating into a layered piece of artwork.
The students are having a lot of fun, painting macaroni, decorating bottle tops, beading pipe cleaners and exploring mixing colours.
I can’t wait to see the finished product displayed at the art auction!
Charlotte Cronje
Year 1 Teacher
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The Importance Of Art In A Child’s Development
There is an overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm throughout the School as the students are busy creating the most amazing works of Art for the upcoming Art Auction on Tuesday, 26 April from 5:30pm.
It is wonderful to see the concentration on the students faces and the joyful expressions of art explored!
Creating art expands a child’s ability to interact with the world around them and provides a new set of skills for self – expression. Not only does art help to develop the right side of the brain, but it also cultivates important skills that benefit a child’s development.
SKILLS CHILDREN DEVELOP THROUGH ART ACTIVITIES:
- Life skills
- Communication skills
- Problem – solving skills
- Social & Emotional skills
- Fine Motor skills
- Self – expression & creativity
It is important, however, to separate “talent’ from ‘creativity” – a child does not have to create a masterpiece to have a meaningful artistic experience. Art is a process not just a product. It is the process of creating – exploring, discovering and experimenting – that is important and adds the greatest value. Through self – expression and creativity, a child’s skills will develop naturally. Art matters the same way language matters. It is a fundamental component of what makes us uniquely human.
Hope to see you all at our Art Auction!
Cindy Nunan
Pre-Reception Teacher
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Animal Unit
As part of the Animal Unit in Science, the Year 4 students learned about vertebrates and invertebrates during the last few weeks. Vertebrates are animals with a skeleton and bone structure and invertebrates are animals without it.
The students were tasked to research invertebrates living in the ocean. They had to do an oral presentation about the appearance of their chosen animal as well as it’s habitat, feeding habits and some interesting facts.
Here are some fascinating facts we learnt about these creatures this week:
- The Dumbo octopus has 3 hearts and 9 brains.
- A Starfish pushes its stomach out of its mouth to be able to eat.
- Octopuses are blue blooded.
- Jellyfish are immortal and are made from 98 percent water.
Well done Year 4!
Yvette Fourie
Year 4 Teacher
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The Power Of Music
Every Friday afternoon when school is out, a group of students and teachers gather around a common passion… music! For the past few weeks Miss Hazel, Miss La Bercensie and Ms Blake have been teaching and coaching a few students to play together and experience the joy of performing music they love.
Music is a language that speaks to all people. It has the ability to bring people together. Without a doubt, human interaction is at the centre of this art. The ability to connect through playing music together has been strained due to covid, but we are finding new ways to have these opportunities where we can create music.
Music stimulates the brain, which enhances memory whilst reducing levels of pain and stress. In a digital age where life is fast paced and instant gratification is a norm, learning a musical instrument provides a platform for people to achieve through discipline and perseverance.
Playing with a group of other musicians develops teamwork and leadership qualities. These are not only skills required in music, but life skills that equip individuals for their future employment and wider social lives.
Music is an expression. It is a creative outlet so needed in today’s world where pressure is inevitable.
Music brings great joy! Whether we are playing songs in the top rafters of Blouberg International or performing to an audience, the joy of creating music is enough of a motivation to bring people together.
We are very excited about this journey that we have started. Watch this space!
Carol Blake
Year 4 Teacher
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High School Induction Day 2022
Foreword
Welcome back to Blouberg International School and the start of a new academic year. A special word of welcome to our new families – I trust that you already feel at home.
We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that
he/she:
- Attends school daily and arrives on time, ready for the day’s learning experience.
- Reads daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills.
- Shares school experiences with you so that you are aware of his/her school life.
- Informs you if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject.
Looking forward to a successful term and great year,
Mrs Carmen de Villiers
High School Coordinator
High School Induction Day 2022
The high school Induction Day for new students took place on Friday, 14 January 2022. It was organised and led by the Student Representative Council and Matric students, who showed commendable diligence by planning this event from Term 4 and in the last week of their holidays.
Students participated in a variety of games and activities designed to help them to get to know each other better. They were also taken on a tour of the school so that they could be familiar with their subject teachers and the building before their first day. Students were allocated a house and the Year 7s met their tutor teachers.
Something new that was introduced this year was Matric Mentors. The Matric students were allocated Year 7 students who they need to keep in contact with during the school year. The purpose of this is to help the Year 7s settle into high school and encourage student involvement and effective communication.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new students. May your time at BIS be enjoyable and fulfilling.
Ms Sheila Marais
SRC Coordinator
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Year 2 Art & Design Fun!
“You can’t use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have” – Maya Angelou
Design, Art and Technology in primary schools develop children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It also encourages creativity and drives them to think about important issues and develop problem solving skills.
Art and Design as a subject enables children and young people to actively contribute to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of themselves, their community and their nation. It teaches us how to take risks and so become more resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable.
This term, for Art and Design, the Year 2’s have been learning all about what a living space is, and how it may look to different people and places all around the world. Throughout the term we have been looking at and learning about various kinds of homes as well as the kinds of people who may live there.
This week, each student was asked to choose the kind of home that interested them the most. Their task was to create a detailed plan showing how they would bring their chosen home to life. Then they were asked to bring all needed materials to school so they could begin the designing and building stage. We had all kinds of homes including, igloos, castles, boathouses, huts and even a tree house or two. So much fun was had!
Well done Year 2!
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
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The Year 7 & 8 Art tells a lot more than a thousand words…
Teenagers are unaware of the incredible natural resource they possess: their boundless creativity. Our students are natural storytellers and the depth of their imaginations never ceases to amaze me.
And yet, students approach a blank page with trepidation. When they have to write a story, they aren’t thinking about sharing their ideas and stories. More often than not, they’re stressing about letter formation and proper spelling. However, when they start drawing freely they immediately begin to unleash their ideas. What they may not realize is that they are telling a story as they draw.
Illustrations contribute to the telling of a story. The Year 7 and 8 Art students used photography (Year 8) and paper cutouts (Year 7), inspired by the cut out artworks of Henri Matisse, to discuss and interpret details of the characters, setting and plot, thereby unleashing endless possibilities and unlimited creativity.
The main objective was to harmonise words and illustrations. They exceeded all our expectations when even the smallest details were created with small pieces of paper. We are incredibly proud of their outstanding work.
Ané Gornall & Riaan Vosloo
Year 7 & 8 Art Teachers
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Year 5 Emotion Poetry
Recently, the Year 5’s explored emotions by writing poems. They chose an emotion, and used their imaginations to capture their sense of it. Here are some of their thoughts…

Neo Booi – Happiness
Happiness by Neo Booi
Happiness is yellow like the shining sun
It tastes like a warm delicious cupcake
It smells like sweet yummy candy
It looks like a cute, fluffy animal
It sounds like joy and laughter
It feels like being with friends.

Sadie E’Silva – Stress
Stress by Sadie E’Silva
Stress is gray like clouds just before it rains
It tastes like burnt meat
It smells like heavy smoke
It looks like piles of unfinished work
It sounds like a busy street
It feels like the walls are closing in on you.

Victoria Munsamy – Happiness
Happy by Victoria Munsamy
Happy is yellow like a bright, beautiful day
It tastes like ice cream sundae
It smells like red roses in my mother’s favourite vase
The sun is shining up in the sky
It sounds like birds chirping and people laughing
It feels like butterflies tingling in my stomach

Sarah Watson – Excitement
Excitement by Sarah Watson
Excitement is like the colours of a kids party, a mixture of neon green, purple and yellow
It tastes like all the candy in a candystore
It smells like fresh, sizzling popcorn, smothered in liquid butter
It looks like the biggest carnival ever seen, with dazzling lights and brilliant coloured balloons
It sounds like birds laughing the the air out of themselves and energetic music, playing a mixture of pop and the latest hits
It feels like relaxing, staring at the sky and getting high scores in games

Kene Onochie – Anger
Anger by Kenè Onochie
Anger is dark like a rotting strawberry
It tastes like sour lemon, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth
It smells like flowing blood
It looks like a dark figure filled with rage
It sounds like pumping hearts full of pain
It feels like a sudden rush of pain

Maalik Daniels – Sadness
Sadness by Maalik Daniels
Sadness is dark like a day with no light
It tastes like cold, hard expired chocolate
It smells like a dead animal corpse
It looks like a dark, gloomy room with one light
It sounds like people weeping or screaming
It feels cold and empty

Aimee Davies – Sadness
Sadness by Aimèe Davies
As wet and soggy as Monday rain
It’s like blank vanilla ice cream, very plain
It smells like your worst fear, like being betrayed
It looks like an abandoned house, so old and frayed
It sounds like the creaking of rusted metal doors
It feels so empty, so alone and so cold

Mila Naser – Joy
Joy by Mila Naser
Violet is nice
You start to jump up and down
You know something good is going to happen
You’re full of joy!

Zorah Korri – Love
Love by Zorah Korri
Love is red like hearts flying
It tastes like heaven
It smells like fresh strawberries
It looks beautiful like happy people
It sounds like people having fun
It feels like you’re loved.
We are extremely proud of our budding poets. These works are truly inspired!
Hannah Kirkaldy
Year 5 Teacher
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Living And Non-Living
This term, our Year 3’s have been focusing on Living and Non-Living things in Science. The unit provides opportunities for the students to observe a range of living and non-living things and to consider how they know whether or not something is alive. The activities we covered so far, encourages consideration of the seven life processes (movement, respiration, sensitivity, nutrition, excretion, reproduction, and growth) as providing evidence of something being alive.
The students also conducted a survey and collected data about the hair and eye colour of classmates, and then collated their findings into a tally chart.
To end the unit, we looked at stages in the human, animal, and plant life cycle. Students were then given an opportunity to create their own life cycle poster and present their work to the class in the form of an oral. The students put in a lot of effort and hard work and both their posters and orals were amazing. There were many fun and interesting facts presented to the class, and I am certain that we all learnt something new about the various animals.
Well done Year 3! I am so proud of you all
Monalisa Maphosa
Year 3 Teacher
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Year Six English Instructional Writing
Last week in English, we had to create a shoe from only recycled materials, and we had to write instructions explaining, step by step, how to build them. We had one week to complete this activity and in that time period many shoes were invented, and the students had so much fun. Overall, it was a great learning experience.
What we had to do:
Miss Nel gave us a week notice that we were going to build recycled shoes, which gave us plenty of time to gather our materials. First, we started brainstorming on an A3 piece of paper and listed our materials, which became our poster. Next, we picked a theme for our shoe and then started building them. After that, we wrote our step-by-step instructions explaining how to build our shoes. Last, we presented what we built to our classmates.
Results:
Our project was out of fifteen and most of the students received very good marks and should be proud of themselves.
Written by:
Juliette East
Year 6 Student
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