High School Clubs 2020
The high school started various new clubs for students to join in 2020. Clubs play a big social role in a student’s school career. It fosters a great sense of school pride and responsibility. Joining a club also allows for students to form a stronger bond with their peers as well as discover new friendships.
We hope to see our clubs continue to grow from strength to strength.
SERVICE CLUB:
The Service Club is a new society that was founded in the high school at the beginning of 2020. Over thirty five students from Years 7 to 11 have joined the group. The purpose of the Service Club is to assist with tasks pertaining to day-to-day school activities, as well as serving at school events.
Although the Service Club has only been in existence for a short time, its members have been quite busy. Students assisted the SRC during Open Day, acted as messengers and raked the long jump pits at ISA, helped to entertain children in the nursery at the Food Fair and helped to set up chairs and tables for the Food Fair.
Perhaps the group’s most prestigious task yet was assisting with the school’s Shakespeare production. Members of the service club assisted with various backstage duties at the Fugard Theatre and also assisted with backstage work, ticket sales and helping parents to their seats when the production was held at the school.
The members of the Service Club are extremely diligent and show great loyalty to their school. They are always looking for more ways in which to serve. Members will be happy to learn that their long-awaited badges will be delivered soon.
Sheila Marais
Service Club Coordinator
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GARDEN CLUB:
In Term 1 the Garden Club took on the Spekboom Challenge. This challenge was to propagate a 100 Spekboom and to plant them at school.
We gathered a lot of cuttings and received many generous plant donations from parents. To date we have propagated 118 Spekboom plants and all of them have been successful.
We are looking forward to going back to school so that we can plant them out in the gardens of the school.
Our project for Term 2 would have been to establish a sustainable herb garden, from which parents and teachers could gather lovely fresh herbs. As soon as we are able, we will get this project underway.
Julian Harrison
Garden Club Coordinator
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Last term saw the official launch of the BIS Chess Club. The club began with only three students, but by the end of term we had more than doubled in size.Chess develops the students’ ability to think critically and fuels their competitive spirit, which has led to some highly entertaining matches! Special mention must be made of Nicholas Neethling in Year 7 who took it upon himself to coach new students who hadn’t played chess before.
This club has great potential and I am excited to see how the club expands as the year progresses and the difference it will make in these students’ lives.
Caroline Grix
Chess Club Coordinator
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The after-school Walking Club had only a few keen participants during Term 1. There were some very hot, windy days and if that’s the reason why you have not joined, I encourage all the students who are not busy on a Wednesday afternoon to join in Term 2 when we have lovely cooler days to look forward to.
We leave the school campus at 15h10 and take a brisk walk down the green belt close to school and back. It is roughly 2.2 km. It is great to get some fresh air after a busy day in the classroom and we have so much fun, sharing jokes whilst getting fit. We are going to enter as a BIS team for various charity walks such as Blisters for Bread, as soon as we are able to.
It is also a great way to get to meet students from other grades.
I hope to see you sign up for Term 2.
Carmen de Villiers
Walking Club Coordinator
From the Principal’s Desk, 9 April 2020
Dear Parents
Here are a few ways to remain positive during this time:
- Set boundaries and take care of yourself, both mentally and physically.
- Take time away from the online world (internet, social media, emails etc.).
- Pursue a neglected hobby or take up a new one.
- Keep informed about the situation, but do not become burdened with negativity.
- Reach out to others (within the boundaries of social distancing) and be a blessing in someone’s life.
- Make time for family activities and value the time spent with loved ones.
There is a writer in you, in all of us! This is the perfect time to write that story which may prove to be the inspiration someone else so desperately seeks.
We are all looking forward to hearing our President say that our lives are going back to normal, but hopefully this experience will affect our perception of normal; hopefully it will have taught us new skills and offer us a different way of looking at life.
I wish you all a blessed Easter weekend and hope you enjoy some wonderful family time.
Edna
Read More
Welcome Back To Term 2 2020
From my home to yours, a very warm welcome to-all high school parents and students. I think we can all agree that the past few weeks were testing times. However, I want to assure you that the high school teachers have worked tirelessly during the holiday to ensure we still deliver world class education.
In order to bring some “normal” back into our students’ lives (and their parents’ as well), we encourage the students to follow the normal timetable and to login to their Google Classroom at the time when the lesson starts. We discourage students from working at their own pace and only joining the class when they want to. This will also help to establish a daily routine, which is most necessary at a time like this.
As this is new to all of us find below some handy tips:
– Create a suitable study space.
– Come prepared to the virtual classroom.
– Follow the school timetable as it is and be on time for class.
– Students must fully commit themselves and participate in the virtual classroom.
– Remember to take the break time as indicated on the timetable.
– Make sure to get a good night`s rest.
Together we are stronger.
Julian Harrison
Head of Academics High School
Virtual Orbit – E-learning Launch in Year 4
The year 4 classes started the second term launched into virtual orbit. We have all had to learn how to navigate Google Classroom, when to talk and when to be quiet in a Google meeting and how to upload and mark completed work.
I am so proud of how our students have owned their own learning. Cambridge education emphasises the development of students who can think, solve problems and actively take responsibility for their own learning. We must be doing something right, for this is what I saw over and over again today.
What absolute stars our students are. Thank you to the parents too, for making launching such fun. I look forward to tomorrow and the rest of the adventure online.
Carey Schoots
Year Teacher
From The Principal’s Desk, 12 March 2020
Dear Parents
I realize more and more that time is a precious commodity. We are facing various threats and challenges in our lives and we all deal with these in our own way.
At the moment we are all very aware of the COVID-19 virus and the threat it poses. We are taking preventative measures and have strategies in place should a crisis situation arise in the Western Cape. I am mindful that as parents we have concerns and we need to plan. It is vital, however, that we do not panic or overreact.
We have a few more days until the end of the term and we are all looking forward to spending time with our families. This is a good time to reflect; spend time with our children and plan for the possibilities of what we might face.
Next week Key Stage 1 will have a Spelling Bee on Monday and Tuesday. School will close earlier on Wednesday, but aftercare will be available.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday ahead and I hope we all return with renewed vigour and strength.
Best wishes
Edna
Young Authors Club 2020
What’s the best part of being a school age author, you ask! Why, the fun of writing, of course – but meeting other young authors is a blast too. The Young Authors’ Club started off the year by getting to know each other through name poems – read on if you’d like to know a bit more about us too!
Sarah:
Super girl power
Amazing at singing
Real deal girl/boy
Active all the time
Helping hand
Akhula:
Awesome at cooking
Kind to others
Hysterical with friends
Unhappy when others are rude
Loves to dance
Always hungry or thirsty
Gabriella:
Great at swimming
Amazing at being a friend
Bright and always positive
Reading is one of my favourite things to do
Interested in new things
Extremely funny
Loves puppies and dogs
Loves reading books
Always wants chocolate
Mia:
May be the most kindest person
I can play piano
Awesomest girl ever
Aimee:
Amazing
Intelligent
Magnificent
Exquisite
Exciting
Vrithi:
Very funny
Really positive
I’m kind
Terrific
Hugs are my favourite
I’m curious
Noa:
Never, ever, ever negative
Observe how beautiful she is
Amazing at singing
Karabo:
King of everything
Accepted everything
Race champion
Apple eater
Big and strong
Orange eater
Isabel:
Incredibly funny
Stunning
Awesome at everything
Beautiful hair
Eating strawberry
Loves Boxers (They’re her favourite kind of dog!)
Hannah Kirkaldy
Club Facilitator
From The Principal’s Desk, 14 February 2020
Dear Parents
It was an absolute pleasure to see our students dress up for the civvies day yesterday. What was even more awesome to see, is how the love was shared through friendships and that the emphasis was on loving one another as friends.
This is a key lesson of kindness and care that should be instilled at a very young age.
In our newsletter last week, I shared on the challenges we as educators face at school regarding cyber bullying, so called “freedom of speech” in Whatsapp groups and the negative effect it has on our children. Sadly, this is not a teenage problem, but students as young as 9 years old, are bombarded with content on their phones which are not age appropriate.
We had the pleasure of hosting a talk with Emma Sadleir last night and we are very grateful to the parents who made the effort to come and listen. We wish to commend each and every one who attended last night as it showed your support in raising a generation equipped to deal with the technological challenges.
We will schedule another session with her to address our students soon. It is vital that we are aware of the beast we deal with and as parents to be equipped to train our children.
Have a wonderful weekend of shared love with family and friends
Best regards
Edna
From the Principal’s Desk, 7 February 2020
Dear Parents
Schools, like all other institutions, often face challenges. I was reminded of this during the week when a water pipe was accidentally cut during the renovations to the downstairs bathrooms. Luckily, this was easily and quickly repaired, but not before the, already busy, bathrooms on the first floor flooded and we ended up escorting students to the bathrooms in the admin block.
Crisis management is often part of a normal school day and this is when everyone has an opportunity to step forward and assist. This is our school and we want to create a culture of pride and excellence! This requires that we all pick up litter, maintain parts of the garden and report faulty equipment in the building. If we all work together, we can most certainly do better!
Our school community is of central importance and anything which could be potentially harmful to our students needs to dealt with in an open and honest manner. Over the past two weeks, management has met with various year groups and their parents to discuss potential technological threats affecting our students.
In the light of this, management has contacted the Digital Law Company and we are happy to let you know that Emma Sadlier will address our school community next Thursday, 13th February. Please visit the Quicket website and book your seats. Her talk is applicable to students between the ages of 12-18 as she will be addressing the current trends on social media and the dangers parents need to be aware of. We look forward to seeing you all at the talk next Thursday.
Have a lovely weekend.
Regards
Edna
Science & Sundials!
“Have you ever played outside all day and noticed that the length and location of your shadow changed as the hours went by?”
You probably also noticed that the sun changed location in the sky throughout the day too. The sun’s change in location caused a difference in the size, shape and direction of your shadow.
This week our Year 2’s grabbed the opportunity to work with a real sundial and see first-hand how it works.
We set up a “home-made” sundial on our tennis court using a bucket filled with sand, holding a tall stick in its center. Each Year 2 class was taken out to observe this “make-shift” sundial at 3 different points in the day. Every time a child is chosen to draw a line in chalk exactly where the shadow of the tall stick is at that point. The time of observation is written next to the drawing, for the next class to come out a little later to observe and record their results.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the realism and practicality of this experiment. They enjoyed being able to go back to class and record the data they had collected, drawing pictures for each observation taken. They have now seen, first-hand, the way in which a shadow moves throughout the day as well as how and why the sundial came about.
Sundial for Kids: Facts & History
https://study.com/academy/lesson/sundials-lesson-for-kids-facts-history.html
Siobhan Hendry
Year 2 Teacher
High School Second Term 2019
Welcome back to all our students and parents and we hope everyone had an enjoyable and well-deserved holiday.
Term 2 is going to be especially busy as, aside from the usual sports fixtures, this is an examinations term and we urge students to begin preparing as soon as possible for the June examinations. Sport practices will start on Monday the 15th of April 2019 and information regarding practise days can be found in the term 2 planner.
Our Year 9 and 10 students are on camp this week and we hope they are having a wonderful time! A newsletter article and photos of the camp will be published as soon as possible.
The High School will have parent evenings on Monday the 15th of April through to Wednesday the 17th of April 2019. It is essential that parents make a booking, through the Engage portal, with the subject teacher they wish to meet and a letter with instructions as to the booking process has been emailed to parents on Engage.
We want to thank all our parents for their continued support as we look forward to a productive second term.
Mr Julian Harrison
Head of Academics – High School