Intaka Island

On Wednesday the 30 May and Friday 2 June, the Gr 6 classes visited the splendid Intaka Island Wetlands.

This incredible island is situated in the heart of Century City. It is a 16 hectare wetland and bird sanctuary and is home to indigenous fynbos and 120 different bird species.

Intaka means bird in Xhosa.

The pupils enjoyed learning about food webs that exist around the island, as well as useful medicinal plants. They also enjoyed a boat trip around the canals.

A great day out indeed!

Hats off…to the Gr 6 Pupils!

I am so incredibly proud to showcase the Gr 6 efforts during their fusing plastic project! Their hard work and perseverance paid off and the overall products were amazing.  Creative flair came to the fore with good conceptual and problem-solving skills being needed in order for brims to be attached, patterns to be fused on and sizing to be perfect.  I loved the attention to detail, the stark contrast between colours and the clever combinations of patterns…things to be proud of indeed.

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‘Playing @ Home!

During the first week of the second term, many of our grade 6 pupils were away on various sports tours. We decided that the teachers and children who did not accompany them should have just as much fun too(while learning, of course)!

We divided the children into two teams. They then had to name themselves and come up with a team war cry. Galaxy One and Boere Mense impressed us with their creativity and team spirit!

Our four days were filled with various activities that were not only enjoyable, but tasty too! The activities included: designing and making board games; a drum line; creating a trailer for the classic movie ‘The Goonies‘; soccer, paper jet crafting;designing a three course (and themed) menu and perhaps the most popular activity – bringing that menu to life in our very own version of Masterchef. The teachers were fortunate enough to be the judges for this and from my own personal experience let me assure you that it was no great hardship!

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Teams were allocated points for the different activities and although the final points were very close, only one team could be the ultimate Playing @ Home winners…

 

Well done Galaxy 1! An absolutely fun-filled week was had by all!

Book Day, Shakespeare and all things wonderful!

Last week was spent celebrating books, authors and words! Our school decided to turn Book Day into Book Week and we loved every minute of it.

During the week, the grade 6 pupils spent time learning about Shakespeare and his life. Considering that the 23rd of April was the 400th Anniversary of his death, we felt that it would be appropriate to use Book Week as an opportunity to introduce our learners to one of the greatest writers of all time. We investigated well-known phrases which originate from his writing as well as some of his best-known works. Activities were turned into competitions and chocolates were up for grabs!

We are also planning to learn more about A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the upcoming weeks. Our Drama department will be joining us in this endeavour as well so watch this space!

The pupils participated in a Book Slam which was a lot of fun! Each child was given the task of choosing a book which they have really enjoyed and which they would highly recommend. They then had to present this to their class in a 3 minute ‘promo’ and they were allowed to dress up or even become a character from the book, if they wanted to. It was encouraging to see the wide variety of genres which are being read by our learners and most exciting was the enthusiasm which the children felt about new books and new authors.

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Book Day was further celebrated by special visits from various  ‘non register’ teachers to the classrooms. These very keen and eager teachers did a reading for the children from one of their own favourite books. It was wonderful to hear from teachers who do not always get the chance to do reading with the children and the kids loved the variety of books read to them.

Perhaps a highlight of Book Day for some of the classes was the trip to our Junior Primary next door. Grade 6 learners were teamed up with little Grade 1 friends and the pairs/teams enjoyed some reading in the sunshine.What an incredible way to spend the day.

 

It was definitely a day (and a week) well spent. It was fabulous to take time out of our busy schedule and make a big deal of books and reading…something so integral to education.

In the words of Lemony Snicket… “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them”.

What’s in a name?

It is a funny thing how many of us spend most of our lives not knowing much, if anything, about our surnames and where they come from. Yet, our surnames are the first sense of belonging we are given, our first identity.

The grade 6s were given the task of researching their surname as well as their family history. They then had to present their findings to the class in the form of an oral…and it has been fascinating!

It has been wonderful to learn about the diverse backgrounds which we all come from and to be able to celebrate our heritage. Many of the children have been very surprised by what they have learned about their parents, grandparents and forefathers.

What a fun and special way to learn more about each other!

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A visit to Intaka Island

A Visit to Intaka Island
On Wednesday the 17th and Thursday the 18th of February, the Gr 6 pupils visited Intaka Island in Century City. It is a fascinating place as it is situated right in the heart of Century City amongst all the buildings. It is a natural wetland that has been looked after through all the development around it. It is a place of sanctuary for the birds. We took a trip around the wetlands by boat, learnt about alternative sources of energy, and had the opportunity to learn more about our local bird population. A place of great beauty amongst the concrete jungle, we recommend you visit the island yourself!

 

Grade 6 Camp at Rocklands!

During the second last week of term, the grade 6 pupils and their very lucky teachers made their way to Rocklands, near Simonstown.

We were all fortunate enough to spend three days and two nights in this very beautiful part of the world. Activities included obstacle courses, drumming, rock-climbing, building sand castles and archery – to name but a few!

It was a very busy and FUN filled three days. A much quieter bus trip on the way home was testament to that!

What a way to begin the year!

The grade sixes were lucky enough to begin our year off with an awesome outing to the beach. We spent the morning at Small Bay and we were spoilt with incredible weather and a very low tide.

Besides frolicking in the waves, most of the children enjoyed a walk out to ‘the island’ with Mr Walker and Mr Stone. An incredible time was had by all, including the teachers.

Unfortunately not all of our days can be spent like this but it has certainly set the tone for the year. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to get to know one another and to just have fun.

We are all excited for the year ahead. Here we come, Grade Sixes of 2015!