I have just returned from a very productive Annual Heads Conference that was held in Italy. The IES board has gone above and beyond to ensure that the heads are kept up to date with processes, policies and procedures, as well as new plans for the various schools.
It is encouraging to get together as heads of the respective schools and share ideas and processes that work. Furthermore, it is also a time of reflection of what worked in the past, what could still be improved and what strengths we can build on in the future.
As the 2018 academic year draws to an end, we as management are in the process of finalising our 2019 calendars and planning. Teachers are currently finalising the awards ceremony planning and also getting final reports ready. This was a challenging year in various areas and we are most certainly looking forward to a more prosperous 2019.
Just a reminder of our International Food Fair which will take place on Friday, 30 November. Tickets are still available at school in the mornings from our very dedicated PA members.
The High School is currently busy with their November Examinations and this will end on Friday, 07 December.
We are currently getting the nursery class ready for 2019 and our contractors are working relentlessly to ensure everything will be in place for the start of the new year.
We are looking forward to a lovely evening tomorrow filled with good food and amazing music. We hope to see everyone there.
Warm regards
Edna
Weekly Planner
Food Fair
Sponsors
Science in Year 1
In Year 1 we have been learning about, ‘Sound’ in our Science lessons this term. Experi-buddies came to our classes in Year 1 and used several different experiments to show the students how sounds can be made and what causes them to occur.
Experi-buddies is an educational programme which really brings the world of science to life in a seriously fun way. This is done by means of interactive projects, exciting demonstrations and basic experiments. The students had a lot of fun creating and making different types of sounds using cups, bottles, balloons and even spoons!
Lilitha Mgaba, aged 7 said, “Wow, this has been so cool!”
Mrs Charlie Cronje
Year 2
Year 2's are very busy in Design & Technology
The Year 2 students have been very busy in Design and Technology designing and making their own 3D glasses. You could feel the excitement in the air this week; they could not wait to get started! They followed the design, which they had previously prepared in their books and set to work. Some students found that their original design was not going to work with how they wanted to make their glasses, so part of their process was to make changes to their original design and then apply these changes to the making of their glasses.
This was a wonderful and most enjoyable learning experience, whereby the students learned about the whole process involved in designing and making any product. They started right from investigating different kinds of glasses, to drawing their own designs and finally applying their knowledge and making their glasses.
For the Grand Finale they got to wear their glasses and show the rest of the class, using their own handmade glasses, which was a huge highlight and was very entertaining for us all! Great job, Year 2's, you blew us away with your creativity!
Mrs Liezl du Preez
Year 2
Year 3 Camp – Survival at Simonsig
On Monday morning, 17 November, 51 brave Year 3 students, hopped on a bus to go on their first school camp. After an hour and a half and a million “Are we there yet questions?" we arrived safely at our destination.
The students could not contain their excitement as they chose their sleeping quarters for the night. Due to some fashionistas it took a bit longer to change into comfortable clothes and for the activities to start.
Para 4 - an obstacle course
and the best one for the day - The Mud Swing!
get rope onto the platform
The camp leaders divided the students into groups and they dispersed all over the camp site.
Activities included: The walk of Faith where partners were blindfolded and lead by their team mate through a path. River rafting across the pond, an obstacle course which tested the children’s bravery and strength and the best one for the day - The Mud Swing! Teams had to work together to get a rope on the platform and each team member had to swing over the mud pool. Some were victorious, some members ended knee deep in the mud!
After a hot shower and a marshmallow bonfire, tired bodies dragged themselves off to bed. At 5am the next morning, the children were ready to face Day 2. They had breakfast, packed their bags, cleaned their rooms and made their way to the forest for Fort Building.
Just before 12pm we all left the campsite with smiles on our faces, dirt on our feet and memories that will remain with us for a long time.
The Year 3 Teachers
Click below to see all the fantastic photos take at the camp
BIS Bank Day
The final topic of Year 7 Business Studies includes personal banking and savings, therefore the students have been learning about the different products and services offered by banks. Putting all their learning into practice, the students developed and ran BIS Bank for a day.
With job roles including Customer Service Assistants, Tellers, Private Bankers and Welcome Assistants the students efficiently dealt with over 130 customers, from Year 4, 5 and 6. Everyone who came to our bank was taken through the process of opening an account and was given their very own BIS Bank card.
The event enabled students to demonstrate what they had learnt about banking and also provided them with an insight into a busy working day.
Mrs Justine Thatcher
Business Studies
Boys B Tennis Team
We are very proud to announce that our boys B Tennis team ended the 2018 Tennis Season at the top of the league. Cayden Leonard, Ethan Cawcutt, Adithya Maharaj and James Thorton displayed excellent sportsmanship throughout the season, attending all practices and playing tennis against each other nearly every day at break-time.
We are super proud of these boys and cannot wait to see how they rank next year in the A league.
Congratulations boys, you are stars!
Miss Yvette Fourie
Sports Coordinator
Dear Parents,
This week has been the final week of school sport for Term 4. There will be no practices or matches scheduled from Monday the 3rd December 2018. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students and parents who were involved this term.
We open this competition to all our families at BIS. Firstly, please consult Engage to see which house your child belongs to.
Remember all 3 houses have been named after Royal Castles in England.
Bodium - Green Leeds - Blue Windsor - Red
. Criteria for the Crest * The crest must incorporate an image of the castle the house is named after.
* The colour of the house.
* An African animal of your choice.
* The name of the house must be clearly visible with a slogan.
* An explanation of the significance of the animal must be included with each entry.
Closing date for entries: Friday, 7th December 2018
Entries submitted to Ms Yvette Fourie; yvette.fourie@iesmail.com.
Hard copies can be handed in a clearly marked envelope to your class teacher.
Voting will be done by the staff and students of BIS. The winning Crests will be unveiled at the Interhouse Athletics Day in Term 1 2019.
News from IES & SEK Schools from around the World
Celebration of the XXVII and XII Board Meetings of the SEK International Institution
The Udine International School was honoured to receive the IES / SEK Board of Directors at the school on Saturday 24th November.
The Directors were welcomed by students who gave them a tour around the buildings, explaining the different aspects of what happens in the day-to-day life of the school. They were then escorted to the auditorium where they watched a performance that celebrated our diversity and bonding together.
The Directors were then taken to the Early Childhood Center to finish their tour, having a look around the classrooms of our younger students. Parents and Directors also had the opportunity to mix and meet each other, sharing a light buffet.
It was a very successful event and enjoyed by all!
Letters to 6th Graders
Moving up to middle school is often exciting and daunting at the same time. Everything is new; classrooms, teachers and schedules.
To give the 6th graders a helping hand in the transition, students in grade 7 wrote friendly letters to the 6th graders to tell them all about their experiences in middle school and shared a few tips with them on how to cope with the academic and social challenges during their first year.
The letters were very much appreciated and many decided to write back to ask more questions.
Sergio Vielman
Teacher
Colegio Internacional SEK Paraguay ASUNCIÓN – PARAGUAY
PYP 6 Exhibition
Last night was the culmination of six weeks of hard work for our PYP 6's. For the first time this year, the focus was on showing the action component of the Exhibition. Too often the students talk about what they are going to do, however this time they showed what they had already done. It was inspiring to witness how many different ways they have become involved in creating real change. They spoke with confidence, knowledge and a definite belief in using their passions to make a local and global difference.
