college news - Bridge House School

COLLEGE NEWS No 2 www.bridgehouse.org.za 19 January 2018 ____________________________________________________________________

Grade 8 and 12 Mentor/Mentee Fun Afternoon At Bridge House we are about healthy, meaningful relationships and building our children up not breaking them down. The first step for our Grade 8s to build relationships with their Grade 12 mentors, began on Friday evening with a fun session spent getting to know one another. Various activities enjoyed by both Grades, were aimed at getting the Grade 8s to feel happy and confident in their new surroundings, knowing that they have a big brother/sister mentor to turn to when necessary. Our Matrics are to be commended for the wonderful warm way they engaged with their mentees.

Into the Future Q & A with Mrs Mala Naidoo – Mathematics Teacher and Robotics Expert

Can you start off by telling us where you taught before you came to Bridge House and what your role was at that school? I taught at Parklands College from April 2014 - December 2017. I was the Head of Robotics at the College and a Mathematics Educator. I taught Mathematics to Grades 7-12 and Robotics to Grade 7 and Grade 8.

You mentioned being Head of Robotics at Parklands across the three campuses (in 1). Can you elaborate on what the position entailed? My role entailed developing a Robotics curriculum using the Wedo and Ev3 Mindstorms Lego, for my Departments, which included Robotics teachers for Grade 1 - Grade 8. I oversaw the work done on all campuses and managed Robotics Departments at the Junior Preparatory; Senior Preparatory and High School, which were located on different campuses in Parklands. In April 2014, I was responsible for the commencement of Robotics as a formal 45-50 min lesson in the classroom from Grade 1 - Grade 8. Each class had a lesson of Robotics that took place once a week. Each class was assessed on both the theory and practical aspect of Robotics, which appeared as a mark on the report at the end of the term.

I also coached and supervised Robotics teams in their preparation for Regional and National Robotics competitions, held throughout the year. Amongst other successes over the years, last year the team won the South Africa First Lego League National Competition and represented South Africa in Houston, Texas in April. A second team was nominated by the South African Region for the Globabl Innovation Award. .

Can you tell us a bit more about why Robotics is relevant as a subject to be taught in schools. Robotics is an important subject that should be included into the curriculum as it encompasses 21st century learning skills which include collaboration; communication; critical thinking and creativity. Through collaboration, pupils research robot designs which enable them to build robots that will be programmed to complete a specific challenge assigned to them. Through critical and computational thinking skills learnt, they learn to develop solutions using code that will solve a particular challenge which is tested through the robot. Robotics also promotes learning in Science; Technology; Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and is directly related to these subjects. Mathematical skills are enhanced through using formulae in coding that creates more accurate results. Robotics can definitely be integrated with these subjects in the curriculum, thus resulting in meaningful; effective learning.

What competitions can students take part in - nationally and internationally? Please tell us more about the World Robot Olympiad and also the First Lego League. Robotics is an important subject that should be included into the curriculum as it encompasses 21st century learning skills which include collaboration; communication; critical thinking and creativity. Through collaboration, pupils research robot designs which enable them to build robots that will be programmed to complete a specific challenge assigned to them. Through critical and computational thinking skills learnt, they learn to develop solutions using code that will solve a particular challenge which is tested through the robot. Robotics also promotes learning in Science; Technology; Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and is directly related to these subjects. Mathematical skills are enhanced through using formulae in coding that creates more accurate results. Robotics can definitely be integrated with these subjects in the curriculum, thus resulting in meaningful; effective learning.

What would we need here at BH College with regard to equipment to start up robotics as a subject – perhaps as an elective for G8s and G9s initially? 1. LEGO Education MINDSTORMS EV3 Core Set (45544 on pricelist) and software (Nb. With a core set, one basic robot can be built with extra lego pieces.) (x10) at R7500 per set R75000

2.

Ev3 Expansion Set (45560 on pricelist) (Nb. This set contains extra lego pieces, including wheels etc.) (x5) at R2200 per set

3.

R11000

A standard board made from plywood (2382 mm x 1143mm) Nb. Can be built at school. Purchase materials. Cost to be determined. Board Specification Size

If you could see into the future, what would robots be doing in ten years time that they don’t do now? The use of robotics currently spans applications in agriculture; businesses; medicine; automation; artificial intelligence and many more fields of interest. With the rapidly increasing innovation in Robotics, it is difficult to say what the future holds, however, I have had the privilege to visit INTUIT SURGICAL, a company in the Silicon Valley in San Francisco where robots are built to assist surgeons in performing surgery remotely and this was absolutely fascinating to me, especially the fact that the robot and surgeon were in different geographic locations. I am really looking forward to promoting robotics at Bridge House as I believe that the skills; experiences and knowledge that it brings to education, is definitely invaluable.

If there are any parents or businesses who would be interested in sponsoring equipment to start up robotics in the College, please contact Mala Naidoo [email protected]

How cool would it be to have your company name on a Bridge House robot!

Parents’ Association Welcome to New Families Thank you to the Parents’ Association for organising the warm welcome to parents who are new to the school this year. We hope that it made you all feel part of the Bridge House family and enabled you to meet other new parents.

Service with a smile College pupils helping out at the Prep Sports Day. There are numerous service opportunities throughout the year, where students can volunteer their service.

News from the ESU: Emma Sadleir and co have made a free “Smartphone Contract for Teenagers” available for download. If you are interested in accessing this contract, Emma’s team have published the contract on The Digital Law Co blog: https://www.thedigitallawco.com/parents/smartphonecontract-teenagers/ Her latest book, ‘Selfies, Sexts and Smartphones: A Teenager’s Online Survival Guide’ is definitely worth having in the house - it’s an excellent a read for all teenagers (and parents!).

Stellenbosch University & ESU Collab: Intensive English Short Course for foreignlanguage speaking pupils South African independent schools, particularly boarding schools, are attracting increasing numbers of international pupils. Parents are drawn to the high quality of education, the option of international examinations and the sound work ethic and discipline that our schools offer. However, foreign language speaking pupils entering secondary schools with limited proficiency in English must often negotiate a series of critical transitions. Whilst they are dealing with the difficult developmental transitions from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, they must also make the transitions from their native country to the new country and from primary to secondary school. For most of these pupils, it is their first experience of boarding school and being so far removed from their family support system. Culture shock can be huge for these pupils. In addition, most foreign-language speaking pupils entering at secondary school level face many challenges in acquiring English and succeeding academically at the same time. They have much less time than primary school pupils to learn English and to master the academic content required. They must pass tests that require an advanced level of academic English; most secondary school texts and materials require a high level of English reading ability. Pupils who hope to attend university after secondary school, face even greater challenges, as they attempt to succeed in subjects deemed vital for university acceptance. In order to support our foreign language-speaking pupils at Bridge House, we are thrilled to have been able to collaborate with Stellenbosch University’s Language Centre by making a 20h intensive English course available for 21 of our foreign pupils during the first full week of this term. The course was presented by 2 experienced members of the Language Centre, who worked closely with our pupils. Pre- and post-testing was conducted, and the pupils were assigned to a group according to their individual proficiency levels. Although the emphasis was on increasing vocabulary, pupils also revised grammar and did creative writing and reading comprehension exercises. Pupils also did oral presentations that were recorded on their own iPads so that they could study their own presentation strengths and weaknesses. The course provided a sheltered environment for pupils to adjust to the new academic environment. In addition, a strong sense of cohesion was developed in the group so that these pupils could support each other when needed. The feedback received from the pupils themselves was overwhelmingly positive. On-going collaboration with Stellenbosch University will be pursued, and support for pupils’ will continue in various ways throughout this term and next. For more information, please contact Donna du Plooy, Head: College Educational Support Unit ([email protected]) directly. Mrs Donna du Plooy

Language and Mathematics Support Lessons Please note that English, Afrikaans and Mathematics support lessons are offered in the afternoons by the teachers concerned. For English, students book slots with their own teacher for extra lessons in the afternoon. These lessons are voluntary but if the teacher suggests that language support is necessary, the students will be expected to attend on a regular basis. For Afrikaans, Mrs Hugo and Ms Roux are available on Tuesday afternoon; Mrs Albertyn is available on Wednesday and Mr Heinen on Thursday for extra Afrikaans support. Students who would like to benefit by these lessons should book with the teacher by writing his/her name on a list that will be displayed in the various classrooms. For Mathematics, students can sign up at the Maths classrooms for support lessons. On Monday, Mr Willers and Mrs Naidoo are available in room N20; on Tuesday Mr Willers and Mrs van Rooyen are on duty in room N20; on Wednesday Mrs Moerman and Mrs Naidoo are on duty in room N1 and on Thursday Mrs Moerman and Mrs van Rooyen are on duty in N1, for these lessons. Students are encouraged to make use of these lessons which are free of charge.

Condolences We extend our sincere condolences to Trinity Burton and Tarryn Burton. Tarryn’s father, Trinity’s grandfather passed away this week. You are in our thoughts at this sad time.

Signing Out procedure when hosting boarders Please refer to the letter on the D6 Communicator under Resources about the regulations when signing out boarders. This letter is for boarder parents and any other parents who may host our boarders.

NB Incoming and exit road Please note that the paved access road to the school is a public servitude. It is a two way road and serves all of the landowners on the mountain side of the school. Please ensure that you drive up on the left hand side of the road, so that traffic upstream of us can exit their property safely. This will be particularly important when the hockey season starts in earnest as the Astro traffic will exit down this roadway. This also applies to the school exit road. PLEASE KEEP TO THE LEFT AND DRIVE CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY WHEN EXITING AND ENTERING THE SCHOOL.

Bridge House Mile – only 2 days left to enter!! No late entries will be accepted. Absolutely no exceptions will be made! This is for safety reasons. Entries must be in by Sunday 28 January. Every entrant will receive one of these fabulous rash vests. Remember, this is a swim for all ages and all levels of swimmers with 200m, 400m, 800m and Mile swims on offer.

There is a fantastic prize of a trip on a yacht for the school with the most entries. Let’s make sure Bridge House wins that prize. Go to: www.bridgehousemile.co.za for more information and to enter

Calendar of Events You will find the Calendar of Events for Term 1 on the D6 Communicator under General: College and Prep or on the website https://www.bridgehouse.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Term-1-2018.pdf Please diarise the following important upcoming dates to which parents are invited: All College parents – Thursday 1 February, Re-opening the Art Room 18h00 All College parents – Thursday 1 February, Awards Ceremony Theatre 19h00 All parents – Sunday 4 February, Bridge House Mile at Val de Vie Estate

Bridge House on Social Media Are you following Bridge House on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BridgeHouseSchl/ A mystery prize will be awarded to the Bridge House parent or pupil who reaches an unannounced milestone number of followers on our page. We are creeping very close to the mystery target.

Are you following @BridgeHouseSchl on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BridgeHouseSchl

You can also follow bridgehouseschl on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bridgehouseschl/?hl=en

Please don’t forget to download and personalise the D6 Communicator

Accommodation needed Teacher family looking for house to rent (1 March) in Franschhoek or close to school. Any help would be appreciated. Please contact Stephan Willers [email protected].

Sport Update CRICKET - 1st team vs Stellenbosch High School Bridge House scored 173/6 in their allotted 20 overs and bowled Stellenbosch High out for 106 runs. Bridge House won the match by 67 runs. Lloyd Phillips scored 75 and Zubin Pietersen took 6/23, including a hatrick. WATER POLO AND SWIMMING The swimming and water polo sessions at De Hollandsche Molen are going well. Grateful thanks to Mr Nicl du Plooy and the management of the resort for the use of their swimming pool.

SPORT FIXTURES FOR THE WEEK AHEAD Monday 29 January Golf vs Swartland (away) Tuesday 30 January Cricket T20 U15 vs PRG (away) Cricket T20 1st team vs PRG (home) Water polo girls U16 vs Pinelands (away) Wednesday 31 January Water polo boys U16 & U19 vs Groote Schuur (away) Thursday 1 February Swimming Boland Relay Gala at Bloemhof Friday 2 February Water polo boys U16 & U19 vs Paarl Boys’ High (away) Water polo girls U16 vs St Cyprians (away – venue tbc)) Tennis girls 1st team vs Paarl GHS (home) Tennis boys 1st team vs Labori B (away at Labori) Sunday 4 February BRIDGE HOUSE MILE

Good day Parents of Bridge House School As if having fun isn't a great cause in its own right, on the 29th of March you can tee-off in aid of these vital conservation initiatives of the Ajubatus Foundation and the Genetics Department at Stellenbosch University’s Shark Genetics programme. At 4 players per team, 32 teams can be entered. We offer a reduced price of R1000 per player; this includes refreshments at the wet holes as well as a dinner at the end of the day. The cost per (4 Ball) team would be R4000. Our sponsors will ensure that there are also some great prizes up for grabs, we are hoping to make this a really fun event.

Kindly RSVP to [email protected] by 15 March 2018. Any queries about the day itself can also be directed to her.