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Dear Parents
I came across an interesting article last term that really got me thinking; to the extent
that I shared it with the staff. I also printed an enlarged copy to pin up in my office
and every day that I am in my office I read it to reinforce what I should and shouldn’t
be doing. It helps me maintain a positive frame of mind through success and failure
but more importantly reminds me that I am in control of my life and my destiny and
therefore do not have to look for an external locus of control. I hope you enjoy it as
much as I do.
8 Toxic Behaviours You Should Never Tolerate
There are people out there that exhibit behaviours that suck the energy and life out
of us with their excessive negativity, gossip, and selfishness. Relationships should
serve both parties equally, and when it doesn’t, it might be time to re-evaluate the
need for that particular relationship in your life.
Here are 8 toxic behaviours you should never tolerate.
1. Excessive Negativity
When you are working on creating a better life, the first thing to make an impact is a
change in our thoughts. Moving from negative thought patterns to thoughts that
serve us is difficult enough without being surrounded by excessive negativity.
It isn’t perfect positive thought you are after with your friends, colleagues, institution
or partner, but more the ability for your friends, colleagues, institution or partner to
recognize and move through negative thought. Being surrounded by someone who
constantly expresses negative thought is disruptive to your personal growth.
2. Gossip
Gossip weakens relationships. Gossip is a conversation about other people and is
usually malicious in intent. Gossip happens when your relationship isn’t strong or
based on meaningful connection.
Make your relationships about you and the other person and avoid bringing other
people into it. Pay attention to how your conversations make you feel. Chances are if
you are gossiping, you won’t like the feeling.
COMPILED AND CREATED BY:
Marcelle Curry
3. Selfish Behaviours
If you start to examine your most successful and least successful relationships,
chances are a common theme found in your least successful ones would be
selfishness. Strong relationships are ones that serve both parties and do not focus on
one person over the other.
It can be difficult to realize selfish behaviour exists, especially when you feel like your
friend, colleague or partner is in crisis or needs your help. Both parties in the
relationship should be able to express their needs. You should never tolerate a
relationship with someone that makes you feel bad for making your needs known.
74 Ringwood Drive, Parklands, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 557 9071- Fax: +27 (0) 21 557 9027 - E-mail: contact.blouberg@iesmail.com
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4. Lack of Compassion
Life is hard – very, very hard. There is no need to make it harder by surrounding yourself with people who are not kind.
And it is more than just being kind to you, it’s being kind to everyone
Compassion is about general kindness and concern for all people, the people that matter to us and those we don’t even
know. Ask yourself this, “Do you really want to surround yourself with people who have no concern for the suffering of
others?”
5. Stubbornness
There is a little streak of stubbornness in all of us. And a little of it is a good thing, it can help us persevere and drive us to
complete goals.
It is the refusal to compromise, see another point of view and the unwillingness to change; that is detrimental to a
relationship. It’s important to recognize that the relationship isn’t serving you if you are doing all the compromising.
6. Superficial Judgements
It is one thing to look at a situation and process things based on what is happening. Then taking those perceptions and
trying to make sense of them. It is a whole different thing to process what is happening based on how we think they
should be.
When other people try to define actions and experiences based on their hopes for what they want, they are judging in a
way that is unhealthy to us, to them and those around us.
What’s more, superficial judgments can often lead to gossip, which we already know is a behaviour that doesn’t serve a
relationship.
7. Manipulative Actions
It is the natural tendency to want to think the best of people, but it is important to be aware that there are people that
will do anything to get what they want. It never feels good to be manipulated, and you might not even be aware that it is
happening.
If someone is using guilt, selective memories, excessive compliments or even bullying tactics to get something they
want, chances are they are trying to manipulate you. Stay true to what you know is right and don’t let someone else’s
manipulative tactics influence you.
8. Playing the Victim
When someone plays the role of victim, it is because they do not want to take responsibility for their actions. Accepting
that life is less than perfect and accepting our role in the decisions we make, is an important part of being happy.
Once a victim, always a victim and when we surround ourselves with victims, chances are we will become one too. It’s
natural to want to explain away a failed attempt at something, and it is up to us to hold the people around us, and
ourselves, accountable and challenge the victim’s thoughts.
We make the choice, whether consciously or unconsciously, to gossip, play the victim or judge others. We also make the
choice to stay in relationships only with people that exhibit the right kind of behaviours. If you are paying attention to
how your relationships make you feel, more than likely you will be able to determine if the relationship is serving you.
MR ANDREW NORRIS
PRINCIPAL
74 Ringwood Drive, Parklands, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 557 9071- Fax: +27 (0) 21 557 9027 - E-mail: contact.blouberg@iesmail.com
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Sensory Experiences
During the last week of the first term the Foundation Stage experienced their first
Sensory Walk. Each teacher set up two stations – each station giving a different
sensory sensation for the students. The students took their time feeling their way
through no less than ten different textures and materials. It was wonderful to see
their faces light up each time they experienced something new – even some of the
teachers couldn’t resist getting their hands dirty!
Some of the sensory stations included:
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Moon sand (flour and oil)
Jelly and pom-poms
Large ice blocks containing various items that students had to ‘excavate’
Rainbow foam dough (Maziena mixed with shaving cream)
Multi-coloured cooked spaghetti
Potting soil
Maziena mixed with water
Shredded paper and bottle tops
Jelly bath
Water mixed with sunlight liquid – students used straws to blow bubbles
Sensory play is very important in the early years of development. It is very easy to
do at home and a large variety of non expensive materials can be used to give
your child this experience. Here are 5 benefits of sensory play:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s
pathways. This will allow the child to complete more complex tasks as they
grow.
Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and
gross motor skills, problem solving skills and social interaction.
It aids and enhances memory.
It helps to calm a child who is anxious or frustrated.
Sensory play helps a child to learn sensory attributes such as hot, cold, soft,
hard, etc.
By Miss Hahn and Mrs Nunan
Pre-Reception Teachers
74 Ringwood Drive, Parklands, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 557 9071- Fax: +27 (0) 21 557 9027 - E-mail: contact.blouberg@iesmail.com
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Holiday News
On the first day of Term 2 the students were
enthusiastic to share the exciting things they had
done in the holidays. Instead of first sharing their
holiday news on the mat in the morning ring, we
decided to do holiday news a bit differently. The
students were asked draw a picture of their
favourite thing that they had done in the holidays.
They were reminded that they had to draw
themselves in the picture and that the rest of the
picture needed to show what they were doing.
Then they had to think of a sentence describing
what they did. The teacher then went around and
wrote a short sentence under the student’s work,
which they copied. Copying sentences is the
beginning stage of learning to write sentences.
Mayank Mude's holiday
news (5 years old)
We are learning that a sentence has a specific
structure, such as starting with a capital letter and
ending with a full stop and that there are spaces
between words. The students were very proud
the sentences and here are a few examples of
their work.
By Bronwen Hartung
Reception Year Teacher
Khanya Siwundla's
holiday news (5 years old)
Ruvarashe Mabika's holiday
news (5 years old)
74 Ringwood Drive, Parklands, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 557 9071- Fax: +27 (0) 21 557 9027 - E-mail: contact.blouberg@iesmail.com
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Handy with
Hand Puppets
In Literacy the Year 2 classes have been learning about the
different genres of writing. One of the genres discussed in
Term 1 was Instructions. After examples were shown to the
students and class discussions, students were presented
with the task to create a hand puppet based on instructions
given to them.
Each student carefully read the instructions and selected the
necessary materials to create their master pieces. This term
we will be focusing on poetry and writing our own poems.
Well done to all our creative Year 2’s and we look forward
to share their poetry with you this term.
By Liezl du Preez
Year 2 Teacher
Annabelle Zang, 7 years old and Traigan Bristow,
7 years old
Year 6 Weekly Monitors
Chloe Ncube, Daniel Schlacher, Joel Cheung, Kaylyn
Smit, Siobhan Smorenburg, Max Ha, Joel Cheung
74 Ringwood Drive, Parklands, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 557 9071- Fax: +27 (0) 21 557 9027 - E-mail: contact.blouberg@iesmail.com
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B2D BEATSTARS MEGACREW BATTLED THE GIANTS &
DID IT AGAIN!!
They won a Silver Medal at the Battle of the Giants at Sun City
this past weekend.
Competing in a touch category our little rock stars killed it!
This crew really demonstrates that passion for dance, hard work
and dedication can make a difference in the end.
With our committed and loving teacher Caitlin Liggett at the
helm we can only get stronger and better.
Maya (10Yrs) and Yannah (8yrs)
Figl have just been to Austria for a
skiing holiday.
They have both been skiing before,
so this year they skied 1 week with
their parents and 1 week at the ski
school.
Maya managed to get into the
fastest group of the Ski school.
Even though she was the youngest
member she raced against 14 year
old boys in the Giant Slalom, she
came 5th in her group, and was
overall the 2nd fastest girl overall!
Yannah who was also the youngest
in the second best group, managed
to WIN the Giant Slalom race in
her group, racing against 12 year
olds!
But most of all they had lots of fun
and learned to ski in powder snow
and down the black slope.
Anaya Hoggins and Chloe Goldman Walk Away
With 5 Medals between Them
Battle of the Giants is a National Dance
Competition held annually in Sun City. Anaya
and Chloe competed in what is probably the
toughest section there is. They performed 2
duets, a Jazz routine and a contemporary piece
in a section known as the International Dance
Trials. Their competition compete at an
international level.
Anaya and Chloe received a Silver and Bronze
for their two performances and this after having
to wait around from 8 am in the morning and
only performing at 1am the following morning.
True professionals!
Anaya also competed in a Group Hip Hop dance
with B2D Beatstars. The group went on to take
second place and received silver medals.
Chloe Goldman, Anaya Hoggins
& Chloe Ncube
Well done Chloe and Anaya for not only being
such professional participants but for also
making B2D studios and BIS proud.
Congratulations.
Well done to both of them!
Maya &
Yannah
Figl in
Austria
Maya &
Yannah Figl
with their
medals and
certificates
Our Y3
student
Caden
Leonard ran
2.1km in the
Two Oceans
Fun Run in
just 10
minutes.
Well done
Caden!
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SCHOOL
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