From The High School Music Department
The music department had a prosperous year in 2022: the high school band, string ensemble and percussion band were added as new ensembles. We also had a successful BIS eisteddfod for the second year running, and held our very first choir concert featuring all our school choirs, and our staff choir, at the end of the year.
The BIS Music Department is excited for what is to come in 2023. As the department continues to grow, we look forward to many more firsts. This term, we started off with our introductory ensemble concert on Founder’s Day, featuring our variety of ensemble groups. Our choirs will also be taking part in the Tygerberg Eisteddfod, where they will compete against other schools in the Western Cape.
Later on this year, we look forward to hosting our inaugural IES Eisteddfod, which will include Helderberg and Hout Bay, and will consist of solo, ensemble, choir, poetry and dance categories.
In August, the high school will present a ‘Barnyard Show’, themed 80’s vs 90’s. This will be an entertaining show worth watching!
We look forward to an eventful and successful 2023 where we continue to showcase and celebrate the wonderful talent we have in our school!
Heidi La Bercensie
Music Teacher
PHOTOS: Ensemble performances at our recent Founder’s Day International Food Fair
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Travel and Tourism Out & About
Our quarterly tourism excursion took place last Thursday the 16th of February.
The Year 9 and 10 Travel & Tourism students visited the Hotel Sky. Leigh, the client consultant, took us on a site visit of note. We experienced the unrivalled panoramic views across the City Bowl to Table Mountain and out over the Waterfront and Table Bay from most floors. Other features include the Infinity Restaurant on the 26th floor, AI-powered robots, and a 30m thrill ride on the rooftop! We saw that the well-being of Hotel Sky’s guests is of foremost importance. They implemented stringent health and safety protocols as well as hygiene measures throughout the hotel to ensure this.
From there onwards, we strolled through St. Georges Mall and the Company’s Gardens and witnessed the heart of Cape Town through a tourist’s eye. Even the very strong Southeaster could not dampen our excitement.
Our final destination was the SunSquare Cape Town Gardens Hotel. The lovely gardens are quite secluded so that all the students had a swim and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch at the pool, compliments of the Zepi restaurant at the Hotel!
We learned that the SunSquare Cape Town Gardens is a Sunpet-friendly hotel that offers a warm welcome and a selection of amenities to ensure that your pet is as comfortable as you are when you stay with them. Your pet will receive a welcome treat on arrival, pet bedding for the ultimate Sunpet sleep experience, and a range of tail-wagging meals from the Sunpet Gourmet menu.
Both Year groups of Travel & Tourism students and the teachers that accompanied them agree that it is a very tough choice if we had to choose between these two hotels. Both hotels went out of their way to impress our students with their warm hospitality and answered questions that assisted the students with the completion of their CASS assignments.
We will definitely be back for another visit!
Carmen de Villiers
High School Travel and Tourism Teacher
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Addition And Subtraction In Year 2
In Year 2, we have been learning to add and subtract numbers in different ways.
In the first lesson of the week, we had fun learning about Four way sums, also called turn around sums, that can be made up of numbers. Four way sums mean that there are two addition sums and two subtraction sums that can be worked out.
For example:
2 + 9 = 11
9 + 2 = 11
11- 2 = 9
11 – 9 = 2
To help the students work out their sums we learnt the number facts that the answer to an addition sum is always the highest number and the first number in a subtraction sum is always the highest number.
Then we learnt about bonds of 20 or numbers that can be added or subtracted to make 20. We also calculated the answers to Four way or turn around sums with these numbers in our workbooks.
In lesson 3, we looked at how to add and subtract 10’s and how knowing bonds below 10 helps us work out sums of 10. For example, if we know 2 + 5 = 7 it is easy to work out that 20 + 50 = 70.
Lesson 4 was also very fun. The students learnt how to use a number line to add and subtract 3 or more numbers. We learnt that the answers stays the same when we add the same numbers in a different order. For example 4 + 3 + 2 = 9 and 2 + 4 + 3 = 9
During the last lesson of the week, we did a revision activity. Each student was given 3 cards. They wrote 5 sums of 20 on the first card, 5 sums of 10 on the second card and 3 train sums on the last card. We strung the cards onto some wool and tied it at the end so that the cards stayed on. Some students wanted to put the cards up like bunting in their room and some of the students wore their new sum necklace.
The students have really enjoyed learning about addition and subtraction of numbers in fun ways and have certainly learnt a lot during these lessons.
Bronwen Nuthall
Year 2 Teacher
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Economics
This year BIS is thrilled to launch Cambridge IGCSE Economics as a subject. The first two weeks of Economics have been a thought-provoking time wherein we were introduced to the topic and spent time updating ourselves on what is happening around the world - both the good and the bad – challenging our thought patterns and debating various issues.
In class, we dreamed up what products might be available in ten years’ time: either new products or how old products could be reinvented. These ideas were put into an envelope to be opened by BIS Economic students in 2033.
With a new subject comes great opportunities and we are excited to make the most of these opportunities to grow and be challenged.
Caroline Grix
Economics Teacher
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Welcome
The high school Induction Day was held on Friday, 13 January 2023. The event was organised and led by the Student Representative Council (SRC), who can be praised for an extremely successful event.
The day began with the SRC taking the new students on a tour of the school. The tour included an explanation of our building project and went a long way to ensuring that no student was lost or without a friend on the first day of school.
After an early lunch, students participated in a variety of games and activities designed to help them to get to know each other better. The ice quickly broke and a nervous group of students started holding animated conversations with the SRC and each other.
The day ended with much laughter as the students provided facts about themselves and guessed who the author was.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new students. May your time at BIS be enjoyable and fulfilling.
Sheila Marais
SRC Coordinator
BIS Interact Club
- Promoting a peaceful environment within our communities.
- Fighting life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS and malaria
- Providing clean water and hygiene.
- Caring for the underprivileged mothers and children.
- Supporting basic education and literacy.
- Creating opportunities for economic development in our communities.
- Protecting the environment.
With the presence of technology in our everyday lives, our children have never been more globally connected through social media, the internet and a daily bombardment of news and opinions from every corner of the world; and yet, today so many children are feeling disconnected. Perhaps it is because no tech gadget can replace our innate need to socialise, to belong, to care for each other, or to make connections. Unfortunately, many of us are overwhelmingly busy with our daily jobs, homework, school lifts, and supper, and little time – and energy – is left to switch off from the mad rush.
Our Interactors pay weekly visits to Peace Home, a shelter for children who come from difficult upbringings, to help them with their homework – what a great opportunity it has become for a safe space to connect with each other, share daily experiences and a few laughs in between doing school work.
These are some Interactors’ thoughts on going to Peace Home visits:
“It helps you to learn how to teach. You can also appreciate what you have.” (Faith Chivaka – Y8)
“The day I went I really enjoyed the little girls, Kaitlin and Precious, they were so sweet and funny.” (Favour Chimezie – Y8)
“… it was very fun and a great experience. Teaching the little Grade 2 girl, Precious, was very enjoyable and I was glad to be able to help someone else with their education.” (Amanda Nkomo- Y8)
“My experiences at Peace Home are always lovely. It feels very rewarding to help someone with homework, especially when I know my contribution makes a huge impact on their lives.” (Landelwa Maqanda – Y11)
“I enjoyed helping the kids with their work. The dogs are really cute and everyone is very inviting and well mannered”. (Daniel Moodie – Y11)
Thank you parents, grandparents, guardians and carers for caring about our children. As the African proverb says, “it takes a village to raise a child”.
Elena Berger
Interact Club of Blouberg International School Coordinator


Year 9 Mathematics Treasure Hunt
Generally, Mathematics is considered to be boring. With my class we decided to change this and always design activities that encourage critical mathematical thinking as students find different ways of solving real life mathematical problems and deepen their understanding of mathematics.
Throughout the year, we did quite a number of project/fun activities with my students, which included “guess the concept “, tarsia puzzle, tag of war, Kahoot team race, pair/match card race, geometry ball coordination outdoor play, blind fold math master and so on. Of all these phenomenal fun activities, the treasure hunt stood out as one of the best loved by students because of the way we redesigned it this year.
Unique treasure hunt design
Students were divided into groups of 4 and given a set of questions to use. Their task was to then design the map the way they wanted and give reasonable clues along the way. A minimum of 5 stops are allowed before the final point where the treasure is hidden. Think about it; Year 9 students were practicing key topic Mathematics questions, working in teams, solving all the problems I had prepared for them. All of that, without even knowing they are actually learning new things.
Teams design their own stations and always give two optional answers which are closely related. I guided them to see some common silly mathematical mistakes made by students and allow these as an alternative that will eventually lead to a different station, which we called the “battery changing station” or simply “corrective station”. At this station, they will ask a similar question and be given a second chance to take themselves back to the correct station.
All 4 teams did well, running around the school grounds and classes. Finally, the treasure was found. In reality, students love Mathematics.
See attached pictures of Year 9 teams in action.
Hebert Tapfuma
High School Mathematics
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Adventures In Space
In English this week in Year 1. we have been working on our creative writing skills as we dramatised stories of our adventures in Space. Turning our desks upside down in class, we pretended they were our ‘spaceships.’ The students worked in groups and had a lot of fun acting and narrating out their space adventure stories. We then used the ipads to video their stories before writing about them. The class has a lot of fun working together and creating their own space adventures!
Clara Chassungo wrote: “I am going to space, I’m taking my brother, Geraldo and am also taking my mum and dad. We are going to look at all the different planets and we are landing on the moon! We will land at 3 o’ clock in the morning and we see aliens and footprints. We will jump in the sky…”
Buhle Sibiya writes: “ I am going to space so I can see the 8 planets in the galaxy and I am taking Ozzie, she is my friend. We landed on the moon and we saw aliens and we are going to land…”
Charlotte Cronje
Year 1 Teacher
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Saving Water
The students in Year 1 have been studying the topic Earth and Space in their science lessons. They have learnt about the planet Earth and how it is made up of mostly water and that there is not much fresh water on our planet.
We looked at ways we use water at home and how best we can save water. Although they are too young to remember how close we came to ‘Day Zero’, many of the students have learnt to use water sparingly. They were able to come up with a number of ways to save water as well as spot the places where people waste water.
The water saving game was a big hit with the students.
Ann Cordner
Year 1 Teacher
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The Aim Of PE
Our weekly programme that is derived from the Cambridge curriculum helps us perform different exercises and play games that are skill based and always motivate teamwork rather than focusing on individual skills only.
We learn about our bodies and how we can use them to the best of our abilities within the sports fields.
The curriculum is based on the sporting codes we provide at BIS, thus, it is important for students to participate and enjoy the different skill sets taught throughout the year as per the curriculum requirements.
As coaches we want our students to participate in different activities and expose them to different types of sports within our lessons, hence we provide the support that is needed to achieve this goal.
We cannot achieve all of this without the help of our lovely parents, so we ask that our lunch boxes are filled with health conscious nutritious food on a daily basis.
Promoting good eating habits is vital to a child’s development physically and mentally, It is said that eating healthier 80% of the time and doing 20% exercise compliment each other.
What Experts Say
“The 80/20 rule approaches healthy eating with a message of moderation-80 percent healthy choices and 20 percent flexibility for less healthy option. Nutrition professionals back this approach, as it is feasible for all, allows for variety of foods, and avoids deprivation.” – Chrissy Carrol,RD,MPH
Let’s try and pack a healthy lunch box.
We are most certainly improving and setting the tone at our PE lessons every week and I (Coach Mpho), am getting the greatest joy seeing the improvement and the strides that our students are making, getting the idea of how to move the body over a game of dodgeball, soccer, handball and more.
Also knowing the amount of power needed to make a short or long pass, throwing skills, learning new games and most of all having fun with your peers and improving your game.
Week 6 – Handball skills, teamwork, accuracy and movement.
Class – 5HK
ATL skills observed – Listening and communication skills, self-awareness and sense of urgency – teamwork
Planning
The students warm up by taking a jog around the 5 aside court ,do shuttles that incorporate push ups, sits, lunges, jumping jacks/body weighted squats to get the blood flowing and the heart rate going.
They then go into stretches from neck to toes, whilst illustrating and explaining to them which parts of the muscles they are stretching and the importance thereof.
In this case, a class is split into 2 teams that verse each other etc. (red vs orange team)
Instructions are as follows:
- No one is allowed to keep the ball for more than 3 seconds creating a sense of urgency in their play.
- Teams have to pass to everyone in their team to have a legitimate goal awarded, which creates a team effort where everybody participates, teams are not allowed to run with the ball which forces them to work together – teamwork.
- Teams are allowed to pass the ball by either bouncing or no bounce, two-handed passes for more accurate passes.
Objective
The objective of the lesson is to establish and develop good communication skills, passing accuracy and most importantly following the rules of the game and applying all the skills taught throughout the curriculum.
Assessing
Can a student apply themselves through the activity that is focused and based on team building?
Can they pass, throw and catch the ball?
Can they be creative in terms of movement and creating space on the field?
Are they calling for the ball, communicating to their teammates?
Do they understand the rules of the game abide by them?
The students attitude, enthusiasm and the will to do better is as important as his performance.
In Closing
As the winter season slowly drags on to its end, we welcome Spring and the sunshine. I am grateful for the support that has been shown by our BIS family, parents, teachers, ground staff and all who make our school united and warm throughout the soccer and netball season by rooting for our students.
I also wish congratulate all our junior and senior Tennis teams that represented BIS in Sun City last week as well as all our soccer and netball boys and girls who participated with much courage and enthusiasm in all their matches this season.
Well done to you all, we are all very proud to be part of the winning mindset.
Mpho Mahlangu
PE Teacher
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