From The Arts & Crafts Club
The Arts & Crafts club was launched at the beginning of the year and has proven to be very popular with the students in KS2. We have 2 groups meeting on a Tuesday afternoon. The Year 3 & 4’s with Mrs Goch and the Year 5 & 6’s with Frau Pani.
The students have learnt that art is not instant and takes some planning and many hours to complete. It is a process that takes time and some practice too.
Some of the different medias we have discovered this year include:
– Paper- We have made sunset collages, paper flowers for the collaborative Art Auction display and simple origami frogs that can jump.
– Sketching- simple line art and sketching beautiful and expressive owls.
– Coffee granules and water- to paint a picture with a difference.
– Charcoal- for most students this was a new medium and we first explored ways to use the charcoal and then we created striking landscapes.
– Acrylic: Painting is a firm favourite with the students. Having fun with butterflies and making their own creations.
– Salt dough: Making hedgehogs and painting them. The Year 5 & 6 students particularly enjoyed making the salt dough themselves with the 3 ingredients.
Here is the recipe to try at home: Mix all together and knead well to make a smooth and soft dough.
125ml(½ a cup) Flour
60ml Salt
30ml Water
Some comments from the students:
“My favourite was making the paper jumping frogs.” Antonia Year 3
“I like art club because we get to do fun things and I can practise my art and learn more art.” Tyler Year 4
“I love art club because you are able to be creative and have fun.” Layla Year 5
“I like that we paint and do fun activities.” Isabel Year 6
“My favourite was the salt dough hedgehogs.” Nuraan Year 6
‘I like that we do painting and make things.” Neo Year 6
“I loved sketching with the charcoal.” Siyana Year 6
Looking forward to many more creative and fun Tuesday afternoons.
Frau K. Pani
Primary School – Arts & Crafts Club Coordinator
For inspiration see photos & collages in Google photos:
Sunset Collages
Sketching- owls
Coffee art
Art Auction collaboration
Line art
Charcoal
Acrylic butterflies
Paper art – Frogs
Salt dough creations-Hedgehogs
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More About Music
We believe that music tuition in our school not only contributes to the establishment of a healthy balance between the physical, academic and aesthetic aspects of the development of our students, but that the disciplines associated with it (intellectual, physical, educational and creative), can also play a positive role in other spheres of their education and later, their adult life.
In the past two terms, the music department has grown from strength to strength. We are increasing in numbers for individual instrument tuition. We have also re-introduced recorder classes in Year 2 as part of our class music programme. It gives the students the opportunity to discover if playing an instrument is something they would like to invest time and effort in.
Our High School band is well established and they are performing every end of the month during break time. We are also looking at more ensemble opportunities in the near future.
Last week, we had our BIS Eisteddfod for the second year running and it was a huge success. We had a lot of interest and it was lovely to have the parents’ support for poetry and music. Our judges was very impressed with our students and our school. We would like to congratulate our category winners of this year.
KS1 Poetry: Nathaniel Dhewa
KS1 Music: Vaishnav Rajesh
KS2 Poetry: Mansoor Daniels
KS2 Music: Indiphile Jentile
High school Music: Gabriella Davids and Faith Chivaka
We are working hard in class music to introduce new activities, instrument play, movement and songs which all the students seem to enjoy!
Beverley du Plessis
Music Teacher and BIS Eisteddfod Coordinator
WATCH: Ms La Bercensie collaborating with one of her music students, Ileana Dias in Year 5.
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Welcome Back
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to the beginning of Term 3. My wish is that you have relaxed, recharged, and feel ready to start the new school term. Campus bounced back this week with students returning from their vacation and new students joining the BIS family. Our students are indeed grateful to see their friends again as they prepare for their collaborative learning and captivating lessons.
We have been looking forward to what Term 3 has in store, including yesterday’s IES Sports Day, Year 10 camp, and our Macbeth production at the Baxter Theatre on August 10th.
I appreciate your positive energy and I look forward to working with you in the new term. All signs point to another incredible and productive school term.
I know each of us wants to make a difference in the lives of our students.
Parents, here is how you can support us and help your child become independent and “own” their learning:
- Be sure to check in with your child daily, about the learning tasks, activities, and assessments they are working on.
- Demonstrate a positive attitude about education to your children. What we say and do in our daily lives can help them to develop positive attitudes toward school and learning and to build confidence in themselves as learners. Showing our children that we value education and use it in our daily lives provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school.
- In addition, by showing interest in your children’s education, parents and families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and is well worth the effort required.
- Encourage them to complete work to the best of their ability
In closing, I would like to share this interesting post from the “parenting team”, and I would like to add teachers to that team as well – because we are all in this together.
Challenge: Back to School
Been There, Been Through That…9 Tips for Parents of High Schoolers
https://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/been-there-been-through-that9-tips-for-parents-of-high-schoolers
We thank you once again for the consistent and unwavering support you have always shown.
Carmen de Villiers
High School Coordinator
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Term 2 Reflection
We have reached the end of an action-packed semester and would like to thank all our families for your support and dedication. A heartfelt thank you to our teachers for all their hard work to provide a stimulating and constructive environment for our students.
Well done to our High School students who performed well this term in their CASS assignments and examinations – We are so proud of the progress you are making.
Our term was filled with many highlights such as our Year 11 journey, Art Auction, special outdoor and sporting events, and ending the term on a high note with the various class challenges and student wellness day. On all these occasions, we were inspired by our students’ creativity, ingenuity, and growth.
We wish all our BIS families a safe and warm winter holiday. May we continue to encourage each other and be kind to ourselves and those around us.
Carmen de Villiers
High School Coordinator
WATCH: The High School Houses Challenge Each Other During the Term 2 Wellness Day House Games: https://youtu.be/YQNbmTPuvho
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Murderous Macbeth: Paranoid Prefect
We all know and love to hate Shakespeare’s infamous ‘Macbeth’, also known as the “Scottish play”, which etches out the tragedy of an ambitious man who murders his way to the crown. Encouraged by his even ruthless wife and the predictions of three “fates”, Macbeth goes down a dark, haunting, and intriguing path to his demise.
Now, what if we take that basic plot and set it in 2022, in an all-girls school, with head prefect as the goal? The product is all the teen drama one could dream of… but make it a nightmare.
Mackenzie “Lady” Macbeth and her girlfriend, Bethany, want to rule the school. Who do they need to take down to get to the top? And how will they make it happen?
Still dark, as evil plots unfold; still haunting, as there are literal ghosts; and still intriguing, as we try to understand methods and motives: this play is bound to disturb and entertain.
Blouberg International School’s modern version of ‘Macbeth’ will take to the Baxter Theatre stage during the Shakespeare School’s Festival, on Wednesday, 10 August, and again on our school stage on Friday, 12 August.
To book click here! https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1513749284 (Please ensure to book for one of the days our school performs, as we do not perform every day)
Come to see if they can wash the blood off their hands.
Genevieve Kerswill
High School English Teacher and Drama Coordinator
(PHOTOS BELOW: Moments on stage from our Midsummer Night’s Dream performance at the Shakespeare School’s Festival in 2020 at the Fugard Theatre)
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Building inspired students with The President’s Award at Blouberg International School
In 2019 Blouberg International School introduced The President’s Award and joined many of our international IES and SEK schools who are also doing The President’s Award.
For more than 35 years, The President’s Award has been making sure that young people develop a lifestyle that gives them the valuable life skills required to pursue their ambitions.
The President’s Award’s mission is to empower young people between the ages of 14 and 24, by providing a balanced, non-competitive framework for self-development that will increase their self-esteem and enhance their capacity to achieve in whatever context they find themselves; enabling them to become responsible active citizens within their communities.
The benefits of achieving The President’s Award at any level are endless. The Award is about helping you along the path to a productive and prosperous future. As many of our participants say, it’s a life-changing experience.
“Participating in The President’s Award gives one the edge over others when you apply for college, university or a job. Universities want to see evidence of so-called soft skills that you have developed through extracurricular activities, such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork. Your President’s Award is a fantastic way to demonstrate these skills in practice.”
Formal education alone is not enough to equip young people to be world ready. According to business leaders, the following skills are considered important in helping young people become ready for the world in the order of importance:
- Individual Skills
- Analytics
- Social Skills
- Humanitarian Skills
- Technical Ability
This leads to longer-term impacts, such as:
- Improved employability and earning potential
- Improved physical health and fitness
- Improved mental health and well-being
- Increased engagement with charitable and community causes
- Improved environmental impact
- Increased social cohesion
- Reduced offending
Students from 14 years old and up to Year 12 are encouraged to enrol for The President’s Award.
For more information contact Mr Riaan Vosloo (riaan.vosloo@iesmail.com), Ms Caroline Grix (caroline.grix@iesmail.com) or Heidi La Bercensie (heidi.labercensie@iesmail.com).
Kind regards
The President’s Award Team
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High School Music
In a world where we can experience music almost everywhere, in public, in our homes, at concerts, radios and on our phones, it plays in integral part of our experiences as people. Music serves as a language to communicate and build our cultural identities, explore our passions, and convey our emotional experiences. Studying and learning music liberates the imagination and helps students develop into more innovative individuals.
At BIS we offer subject music to all year 7 and 8 classes, and thereafter students can choose to take music as an IGCSE subject. We also offer an extensive individual music programme and offer individual lessons in a wide variety of instruments including piano, voice, all string instruments, all brass instruments, clarinet, flute, saxophone, drums, and guitar. In addition to subject and individual music, our high school also offers students the opportunity to be part of the high school choir, band, marimba band, and various other ensembles. Our band which started in term 1 2022 just had their very first performance this week, and we cannot wait to see how our band will grow and what they’ll achieve in the future.
Next term we are excited to have our annual BIS Arts Eisteddfod take place. This is an opportunity for students to have a chance to build confidence and skills through performing to an audience and receive feedback from external expert adjudicators. It is also an opportunity to watch and share with fellow musicians. It is very important for our musicians to not only learn how to play their instrument, but to also learn how to become a confident performer.
Through participation in our music programme, students will become more confident individuals, learn to compose their own music, explore and enjoy music from different genres and different parts of the world, and develop their potential as solo and ensemble performers.
Music is an experience found across all cultures and regions, and therefore our music programme at BIS aims to be a form of expression that offers a way to communicate across the different cultures and regions. The music classrooms are a place where difference and respect can be recognized, practiced and celebrated together.
Heidi La Bercensie
Music Teacher
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Primary School Music Programme
Watch our students perform click here…
Music builds a sense of belonging, discipline, confidence, creativity, movement skills, and cooperativeness.
BIS has a developmental music programme from Pre-Reception to Year 6. The music education programme offered is holistic, child focused and inclusive. All students have the opportunity to be actively involved in learning music through singing, playing and dancing. They have opportunities in the music classroom to compose, create and perform music while developing a repertoire of songs that target specific skills appropriate to their level of learning music.
The class music programme selects songs that foster tuneful singing and aural development. Creative movement is also integrated encouraging spatial awareness. Students learn graphic and traditional notation in rhythm and melody from Year 1 onwards.
Through dancing and movement they learn a lot about rhythm and tempo and through singing they learn all about pitches and note names. We have a few percussion instruments, like bells, boomwackers, ukulele and glockenspiels that the children play to learn about pitches and rhythm.
We have two choirs in the Junior school and also a band, a small violin ensemble as well as a marimba band. We also have an extensive instrument programme and have tuition in the following instruments, flute, brass instruments, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, piano, singing, drums and violin.
In a multicultural school, music makes connections across cultures and aids those who do not yet have good English skills. It links students with the immensely rich history and diversity of cultures.
Beverley du Plessis
Music Teacher
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Our First Ever Blouberg International School Arts Eisteddfod!
The BIS Arts Eisteddfod was created to offer students a chance to build confidence and skills through performing to an audience and provide feedback from external expert adjudicators. It is also an opportunity to watch and share with fellow musicians. We are excited for this to be the beginning of a new annual tradition at our school!
The Music category took place on Wednesday, 11 August 2021. As the music department, we aim to create multiple platforms for our students to perform in front of audiences and adjudicators, so that they have firm goals to work towards, and have the opportunity to learn something new and different from each experience. It is very important for our musicians to not only learn how to play their instrument, but to also learn how to become a confident performer.
We welcomed Ms Elizabeth Retief, head of music at Elkanah House, as our adjudicator for the music Eisteddfod. For the high school category, we congratulate Mateja Mitic, Faith Chivaka, Iviwe Matakata, Jéan Marie Schoots, Saumya Maharaj and Niklyn Pillay on their outstanding performances and results. A special congratulations to Zoe Onochie for winning the high school Eisteddfod Music category for 2021.
We hope to see and hear many more of our students in future Eisteddfods.
Heidi La Bercensie
Music Teacher – IGCSE Music
A special congratulations to Zoe Onochie for winning the high school Eisteddfod Music category for 2021.
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Lights, Camera, Action!
On this past weekend, we held our casting and workshop that was done in preparation for Blouberg International School’s production of Bar & Ger by Geraldine Aron for the 25 – 27th August 2021.
This will be a dinner time show. So bring a packed dinner for you and your companions.
At 9 o’clock on Saturday morning, we gathered outside in the parking lot and because of the gentle heat from the bright sun and crisp wind, we decided to practise outside in the gorgeous weather. We started off with a couple of exercises to help warm our bodies and voices. The exercises included warm ups to loosen our lower and upper bodies – from the tips of our toes to the stretching of our tongues. Thereafter, we proceeded to utter random words and phrases by using our diaphragms to help project our voices so that our teachers, who were standing near the middle of the field could hear us. Finally, after lots of repeatedly thrown words and fully worked out diaphragms, we were ready to start reciting our lines! Finally, we could practise like the talented thespians we knew ourselves to be.
We were then split into groups of two by which each were given a number of pages to practise. We were encouraged to share with helpful feedback with one another before meeting with our instructors, who sat waiting patiently. Throughout the performances, each respective group received constructive criticism and advice from the directors to help us improve our performance and feel more in tune with the characters we were portraying. The means to project out voices is a huge factor in order to reach the audience members, particularly those who will be sitting at the back of the theatre. Afterwards, we took a break to recuperate our energy with pizza and cool drinks – this was such a special treat from our teachers. By enjoying the delicious and cheesy pizza, and fizzy drinks, we were able to get to know each other better and form stronger bonds that helped us feel more comfortable with one another, which contributed to making our acting ability to feel more natural.
Thereafter, we got back to work where we switched up team members, continued flipping pages during practise and carried on with the day. Just before we were about to head to our separate ways and return home, we all lay down on the field for one last exercise that was conducted by Ms. Kerswill. Through calming instructions we were guided into what felt like a tranquil world wherein our bodies and minds became relaxed. In addition to sitting up from our peaceful minds, we bid farewell with a calm and pleasant mind set. All in all, it was a lovely end to a hard days work.
On Sunday around 9 am once again, we found ourselves back at the parking lot of the school. The cold, crisp, morning air sent shivers down our spine and the minute the junior hall was offered as shelter, we raced through the side door and welcomed the warmer area with open arms. We resumed with the workshop starting with a few warm up exercises, before splitting off into our pairs to finish the last few pages of our script. Everyone embraced the emotions of their characters, and we were slowly becoming more and more in touch with the characters we were playing. The relationship between ourselves and our respective characters had eventually taken form – that is having become immersed into our characters . This could be comparable to being a small seed like having slowly grown until we blossomed into something special – we would not just portray the character, but instead be the character.
Throughout this workshop, we were able to achieve a better idea of the play and our characters, as well as feel the nervous excitement that always happened at rehearsals. We hope that everyone will come to experience the curtain rise for this play at the end of August and eventually realize the fruition of our efforts and hard work that we had put into practise. We have certainly learnt a lot over the past weekend and cannot wait to perform in this play, be it in front of an audience, or live streamed. We are ready and excited to share our hard work with everyone. We hope that you will support us by coming to watch the exciting, incredible, emotional, remarkable and heartfelt production of Bar and Ger!
Written By:
Jean-Marie Schoots
Year 11 Student / Bar and Ger Cast Member
