From the Principal’s Desk – 28th February 2019
Dear Parents
It has been a busy first term thus far and it has been lovely to hear positive feedback from parents and students and know that growth is definitely taking place.
This coming Saturday, the 2nd of March, we are having our first Open Day for 2019. The response to our marketing of this event has been incredibly positive and we are looking forward to welcoming prospective parents and students to our school. Teamwork produces positive results and I am extremely grateful to my staff, as well as some of our students, who are collaborating to promote our school on Saturday.
The Heads of the IES schools had a collaboration meeting this morning where were able to identify areas of growth in our various schools and do some benchmarking as well.
I am reminded of a quote which has always inspired me:
“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”
-Author unknown
As mentioned in my newsletter last week, construction of the cricket pitch commenced this week and the progress is satisfying. Unfortunately, however, due to climate and weather predictions, we have had to push back the completion date for the project. The cement is going to take longer to set than first anticipated but I am certain the wait will be well worth the end result. During the upcoming March school holidays, construction will start on the gravel parking area below the library. This will ensure that, come winter and rainy days, we all have a safe and accessible place to park.
I hope you all enjoy some wonderful family time this weekend.
Kind regards
Edna
Enquiring Minds – AS Level Biology
The Year 11 Biology students did their first AS-practical on biological molecules for the year. During the practical they were presented with five solutions containing different concentrations of starch and sugar. They had to use Iodine solution, Benedict’s reagent and Hydrochloric acid to determine what the contents of each solution was. The results presented an array of different colour changes that provided great excitement to the students.
This is an important first step towards preparing the students for their AS practical exam at the end of Year 12. The experience they gain by handling equipment, planning an investigation and executing the plan, will form a foundation on which to build enquiring minds.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning, not to stop research”
– Albert Einstein
Marlene Feltoe
High School Biology Teacher
Year 6 Monitors 2019
Our Year 6 monitor programme aims to develop leadership skills in our students. We believe that every student has innate qualities and can build skills that they could use to help serve our school and community in some way. Monitors help the students and teachers during break times and help monitor the classes at line up time. In addition to this, there are different portfolios that the monitors are responsible for.
Some of the other roles and duties of our monitors include:
- Assembly and Library Monitors: Set up the hall for assemblies and help Mrs M in the library.
- Recycling Monitors: Collect recycling from the classrooms every week.
- Social Responsibility Monitors: Promote social responsibility in the school by visiting the different classes and talking about important issues. This term the Social Responsibility Monitors have been explaining the importance of recycling and teaching the children what we can and can’t recycle in our paper bins.
- Journalist Monitors: Write articles about some exciting things happening at school.
Below is one of the articles our Journalist Monitors wrote about our Leadership inting.
Cool To Be Me – Year 6 Leadership Inting
On Friday the 22nd of February Y6ME and Y6AH gathered in the hall and participated in the Cool To Be Me inting.The grade 6s learned that it is okay to be ourselves and ignore judgmental words. We were taught to use great qualities such as:
Be a good role model.
Use your role to help one another.
Do no abuse the responsibility of being a monitor.
Leaders are kind, fair and helpful.
The two grade 6 classes participated in multiple different activities on the day. Each activity taught us how to use our strengths to become better leaders in the school. We finished the inting off by creating a toolbox of our personal leadership qualities.
Written by: Ben Van der Westhuizen, Jens Buchwald, Patrick Kessel, Linamandla Moyo and Chloe Ralph
“Every individual is intelligent in a different way. Understanding how we are intelligent allows us to identify when and where we can lead.”
– Quoted from the Cool to be me Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/cooltobemeSA/
Marisa Esterhuizen
Year 6 Teacher
https://www.facebook.com/IES.Blouberg/posts/2323620484337070
Year 2 goes to Madagascar
The Year 2’s are learning about Madagascar in Geography. The Avenue of Baobabs, ring-tailed lemurs, tomato frogs, vanilla pods, and sapphires are just a few of the things they have discovered so far.
They completed a research project where they each exhibited one interesting fact about Madagascar with a picture included. We are blown away with their contributions.
Nivad Manouchehri told the class about the Elephant Bird which is much larger than an Ostrich but unfortunately extinct.
Joshua Smith brought a poster about the Silky Safika Lemur which is as tall as a two-year-old!
Aunty Nini came for a visit on Friday, 22nd February to tell us all about Madagascar. ‘Salomo’ is how you say ‘hello’ in Madagasy. She taught the students a Madagasy dance where they waved a “lamba” (a special scarf) to the music. We even learned how to count in Madagasy.
The Year 2’s have really relished in their adventures in learning about the fourth largest island in the world!
Gillian Baker
Year 2 Teacher
Nursery News – Opposites
Our 2 ½ to 3 ½ year old students have been exploring the concept of opposites. The sun goes down to sleep, the stars come out and the sky becomes dark. They created day and night examples, by painting blue for the day and black for the night time. What fun it was for them to print clouds onto their pictures!
We have also been enjoying circle time in the mornings where they discuss and discover things that are big and small, up and down, rough and smooth.
Through Sensory play using play dough, they learn that dough is soft and the dough cutters are hard. They enjoyed rolling and squashing the play dough during our Sensory periods.
Cambridge is greatly centered on play-to-learn for the Early years and Foundation stage. Students learn through experience and reasoning. They absorb so much information when they can use their senses to trigger learning.
Jacky Billings
Nursery Teacher
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Planted in knowledge
The Year 3’s are concentrating on Plants in Science. They are learning about the different parts of a plant, their functions and what they need to have healthy roots, stems and leaves. The students partnered up with each other to design, draw and label their own flower.
They also participated in various class experiments which included one with a white flower turning pink in order for them to understand the function of the roots and stems. Currently we are observing and investigating whether plants need water and light to grow and stay healthy. To date, as predicted, Petunia number 1 is thriving, while Petunia 2 and 3, through lack of water or light, are not doing so well.
After our experiment, we will have to work on our ‘green fingers’ to nurse our Petunias back to health!
Mrs Mandy Goch
Year 3 Teacher
From the Principal’s Desk – 14th February 2019
Dear Parents
I would like to thank all parents who joined us for the Interactive Curriculum Morning last Saturday. As Ms. Kiley and I walked from around the different venues, observing all the different classroom activities, we were thrilled with the atmosphere of excitement and joy that enveloped the school. The positive feedback we received from parents, coupled with numerous inquiries about next year’s event, has us planning for 2020 already.
This past week has proved to be very productive with regard to the various projects taking place around the school and anticipation is rife among students and teachers. Most noticeably, our faithful old jungle gym has been dismantled and already a new one is rising in its place.
A touching moment for me this week was when Kiara Macey, one of our year 7 students, came and shared her memories of the jungle gym with me. She shared her sorrow at seeing the jungle gym coming down as she met her first friend at BIS whilst playing on that jungle gym. She went on, sharing all her wonderful memories of the jungle gym, and spoke of how her memories of her junior school days hold a secure place in her heart. Our interaction filled me with such warmth and reminded me of how some of our simplest experiences can be our best.
I believe that schools are more than just ‘places of learning’, they are communities where students build memories and create bonds which sustain them into adulthood. As teachers, it is a privilege to witness, and be part of, our students’ formative years and I’m certain that the new jungle gym will be home to many more such memories.
A reminder for high school students and parents that our ISA Inter-schools sports day is taking place tomorrow at Swartland High School in Malmesbury. We are holding thumbs that our high school students will bring home the Spirit Cup again this year! The bus will depart at 5h30 am strictly from the school premises.
Please remember to pack in lots of water and hats as protection against the sun. We are looking forward to participating tomorrow and cheering our athletes on to success.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
Best regards
Edna
Term 1 is history!
Here is what we have planned for the year thus far:
The Year 7’s are learning about trade across the Sahara. They have thus far learned about Mansa Musa and the kingdom of Mali and are working on improving their essay technique.
The Year 8’s are completing their module on the French Revolution. They are learning about the causes of the Revolution and identifying causes of discontent in the world today.
The Year 9’s have already completed their module on the peace treaties, concluded at the end of ‘World War I’ and are now learning about the ‘League of Nations’. Students are already working on their exam technique and improving their source analysis skills.
IGCSE Year 10 students are reaching the end of their history curriculum. They are soon to begin an intensive revision session in preparation for their IGCSE examinations. Currently concluding their module on the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe and even designed their own message to go on a ‘Berlin Wall’.
The Year 11’s are learning about the ‘League of Nations’ and United Nations. They have already started working on their exam technique and have made good progress in their regard.
Nerves are beginning to mount in the Year 12 class as they near the end of their history journey. Like the Year 10’s, the Matrics will soon begin intensive revision for their AS levels.
Blouberg Internationals is proud to announce its first A Level history class! These Students will focus on the holocaust and European dictators.
Ms Sheila Marais
History Teacher
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