The Final Week of Term 2 (2020) And A Special Thank You
During the last two weeks of school our Year 12 Chemistry, Biology and Physics students came into school to complete practical work in the laboratories. Completing practical assignments is an important skill as it allows students to apply the theory they have covered in class and I am certain that when the Year 12’s return next term they will complete many more such assignments.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to every one of you. Thank you to every student, parent, and teacher for all the hard work and effort you put in this term. Without your dedication and hard work our program of online learning wouldn’t have been possible.
Please look after yourselves during this holiday and we look forward to welcoming you back next term.
Julian Harrison
Head of Academics High School
Message Of Thanks And Hope
Let us show our appreciation to them by making a poster and putting it in a window, closest to the street, in our homes, to say thank you to all the essential workers in our communities. We could even put a fluffy toy in the window with a speech bubble giving a message of thanks to those who are helping us. People driving past will see that we appreciate all the essential workers in our communities.
Lets see if we can start a movement in the area we live by showing messages of support in the windows of our homes.
Ann Cordner
Year 1 Teacher
Two Oceans Aquarium Outing 2020 – High School
On Tuesday the 10th of March the year 9 to 12 Biology and Business students, together with the 9 and 10 Geography students, visited the Two Oceans Aquarium.
Among the most interesting things that were discovered was that fish have their own personalities, such as the fish that loves cuddles! About Yoshi the turtle who was released back into the wild 2 years ago after 20 years in captivity and has since traveled a record breaking 37 000km!
We learned how the marketing team at the aquarium aim to not only promote the aquarium to attract customers, but also how they use this platform to communicate about causes that are close to their heart. A few causes they mentioned were sustainable fishing, single use plastic and environmental sustainability.
Another interesting fact is that South Africa ranks as the 3rd most bio-diverse country in the world.
The Two Oceans Aquarium is truly a magical place with so many treasures to enjoy!
Year 2 Ostrich Farm Outing 2020
The Year 2 students had the pleasure of visiting the Ostrich Farm recently where they were fortunate enough to be taught the life cycle of an Ostrich and facts about their skeletons. Interesting facts such as their eyes are bigger than their brain and they are the world’s largest bird.
They spent their lunch break on the lush green lawns where they met two beautiful cheetahs and some lovable, yet hungry, goats…
A valuable life lesson the students also learned, according to Gamelihle Masuku, was “If an Ostrich comes after you, it is important that you lie on the floor and cover your head”.
An extremely interesting and enjoyable outing overall, we are all looking forward to visiting the Ostrich Farm again shortly.
Erin Hierse
Year 2 Teacher
Blouberg Rotary Club Children’s Christmas Party
On Saturday, the 7th of December, several members of our school’s Interact club were accompanied by Ms. Berger and Ms. van Niekerk to share shifts at the Italian Club of Cape Town where Blouberg Rotary hosted a Christmas Party for numerous underprivileged children. They spent the morning refereeing soccer games, among other things and the afternoon was spent serving lunch. The kids were entertained by a petting zoo which contained all sorts of farm animals (rabbits and chickens, to name a few), a horse cart ride, face painting, a photo booth, a jumping castle and a game of friendly football.
It was a lovely sunny day filled with loads of laughter and smiles. The children then got to watch a magic show, meet Santa and receive Christmas boxes and a meal of hamburgers and chips.
This is an annual event that is organized to see to it that those less fortunate get to experience the festivities of Christmas time as well.
It was a pleasure to see so many smiles and we cannot wait to participate once again next year!
Hope Munkondia
Year 10 Student
Barnaby Bear Day 2019
This term the Year 1’s have enjoyed our Geography theme “Where in the world is Barnaby Bear?”
Barnaby Bear has visited England, the USA and India.
To close off our theme we had an International Day on Monday, 9 December. The students enjoyed traveling around the world experiencing the countries that Barnaby bear had visited. The students tasted different foods from the USA, India and England. The students were taught a line dance, Bollywood dance and listened to Mrs Cronje speak about her home country (England) followed by a lovely story.
It was a fun filled day and everyone enjoyed their around the world Barnaby bear day.
Tayla White
Year 1 Teacher
Holistic Approach To Mathematics As A Discipline & Subject
- types of problems it addresses
- methods it uses to address these problems
- the results it has achieved
Mathematics relies on both logic and creativity, and it is pursued both for a variety of practical purposes and for its intrinsic interest. Primary and Secondary Mathematics however should focus on a holistic definition encompassing all facets of the subject as a discipline. I would like to explore, again another category generally believed to address Mathematics in its totality:
Mathematics as the prime human endeavor
We teach Reception and all Primary measurement of time for example, years, months, weeks, days, hours. We also teach distance measurement that developed throughout the world. For some people, the essence of mathematics lies in its beauty and its intellectual challenge. Because mathematics plays such a central role in modern culture, students need to perceive mathematics as part of the human endeavor, comprehend the nature of mathematical thinking, and become familiar with key mathematical ideas and skills.
Students and us as teachers tend to define mathematics in terms of what they learn in mathematics class. The instructional and assessment focus tends to be on basic skills and on solving relatively simple problems using these basic skills, this is only part of mathematics.
Beauty in Mathematics
It is important to study enough mathematics so that students understand and appreciate the breadth, depth, complexity, and beauty of the discipline. Mathematicians often talk about the beauty of a particular proof or mathematical result. G. H. Hardy was one of the world’s leading mathematicians in the first half of the 20th century. In his book “A Mathematician’s Apology” he elaborates at length on differences between pure and applied mathematics.
Mathematics is an aid to representing and attempting to resolve problem situations in all disciplines. It is an interdisciplinary tool and language.
Mr Hebert Tapfuma
High School Mathematics
Every Child Shines
Last week the Year 4’s had to set some personal goals for themselves to end the year in the best possible way. It was wonderful to see all the different goals that the students wanted to achieve. Goals varied from “improving my piano skills”, “respecting and accepting myself for who I am” to “giving my old toys to charity”. I noticed that there were so many students that wanted to do well in their progression tests and achieve a high mark at the end of the year.
It is clear that we’ve reached that time of the year where they might start to feel a bit overwhelmed and stressed about the upcoming tests and assessments. It is so important that we, as teachers and parents, encourage our children to do their best but it should not be something that causes them so much stress and anxiety. I recently read a beautiful quote that really stuck with me:
“Don’t compare your child to others. There’s no comparison between the sun and the moon. They both shine when it’s their turn” – Unknown
This quote really inspired me to start thinking differently about the way we think about these tests and the way that we speak to our children in general. I read a marvellous article on https://www.momspresso.com that summarized the impact that comparing can have on children:
The article states that every child is different and that in the present age, where competition has spread its tentacles in every walk of life, it is crucial to teach our kids to be grounded. And comparing him at each step will just not help. He should be taught to better himself with each day, not to be better than his counterparts. It is natural to know where our child stands amidst others, in this world of ranks and percentages and wherein everyone is bidding for that coveted seat in a top school or university. But to constantly harrow him as to how others are better than him will fill him with inferiority complex.Here are some prime reasons as to why we should not compare our children with others:
- It leads to self-doubt.
- It causes pangs of jealousy.
- It can make your child negative.
- They will feel like they don’t have your support.
- It can make them extremely nervous and cause anxiety.Instead of comparing your child to others, rather encourage and motivate them to better themselves and teach them to love and respect themselves.
Here are some easy tips to motivate your child:
- Let them set realistic goals for themselves.
- Celebrate their accomplishments – no matter how small.
- Encourage them.
- Take interest in what they do and spend time with them.
- Discover their passions and use it to help them achieve their goals.
- Always remain positive.
- Ensure that they know you love them no matter what.Inspired by the quote about the moon and the stars, my class had to decorate and colour in a picture of a moon and a sun and was encourage to be as creative as possible. The creativity and uniqueness in their picture reflects their own uniqueness. We are all different and that is what makes us special.
I wish all the students that are studying for the upcoming tests and assessments all of the best.
Always remember: You are worthy, you are blessed and you are loved.
Mrs Ria du Plessis
Year 4
Show & Tell: My favourite Sea Creature
“Show and Tell” is always a very exciting day in the Reception classes. Students come to school eager to share their presentations with their friends.
Although a fun day, the importance of “Show and Tell” cannot be overlooked. “Show and Tell” gives students the opportunity to share some of their personal experiences and general knowledge with their peers. Preparing a presentation with their mom and dad creates that special time between parent and little one and often they find facts that even the teacher didn’t know.
Our “Show and Tell” this week was all about under the sea and the students came prepared to tell everyone about their favourite sea animal. It is daunting task standing in front of the whole class to do your presentation, and some of the little ones are often shy at the beginning of the year. Though as the year progresses it is amazing to observe the growth in confidence. “Show and Tell” not only builds that self confidence that comes from presenting, but also teaches students respect for their peers, as it is just as important to be a good audience.
How to Prepare for Show and Tell:
(When your child is practising you may need to remind them of the following)
– Keep your head up and look around at your audience as much as possible.
– Use a loud and clear voice.
– Keep your feet still and together on the floor.
– Try to use exciting words or adjectives to describe your adventure or object.
Go to https://speakupstudio.com.au/show-and-tell-part-two-tips-for-show-and-tell for the full article.
We are so proud of our little ones and as always, the teachers also learned some interesting facts. (Who knew there are 440 different species of sharks?)
Monique Crawley
Reception Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk, 29 August 2019
Dear Parents
We have had an immensely busy term thus far and this got me thinking the other day about goals.
We navigate through our lives running from one task to the next, sometimes missing beautiful moments along the way. It feels like we barely blink and our children are walking, going to school, graduating, getting married and suddenly it is time to retire.
Perhaps it would be good practice for us to sit down and take stock of where we have been, where we are now and where we want to go. This is a wonderful exercise to teach our children as they work towards their goal of graduation. However, the ultimate goal of graduation must also be met with balance.
Teaching our children to enjoy the journey will ultimately help them achieve success. It is all too easy to lose sight of your goals when you are overwhelmed and stressed. Taking the time to allow yourself to breathe and enjoy the moment will help you re-evaluate yourself and your goals. This introspection will lead to healthier, happier and more successful individuals entering the adult world with confidence.
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer
As we are nearing the end of the third term, I would like to remind parents to start purchasing the correct uniform for the summer months. It is very important that the students wear the correct uniform and that we, as parents and teachers, encourage them in this endeavor. In doing so, we instill a sense of pride in the students with the end goal that wearing the correct uniform is not a chore, but a matter of honour. I therefore urge parents to prepare now for the change in uniform next term.
Last night was the opening night of our high school’s musical production ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. Although a successful opening night, it was disappointing to see the lack of support for our students and for the burgeoning cultural program at our school. The students and teachers have worked incredibly hard to put this performance together and last night was an awe inspiring showcase of their talent. I encourage all our students and parents to purchase tickets for the last two performances as we owe it to the students to support their efforts and to support the growth of arts and culture within our school community.
Regards
Edna