From the Vice Principal’s Desk – 26 April, 2018
Dear Parents, We are about to embark on a wonderful 5 day long weekend which is ‘book-ended’ by 2 public holidays. The first being Freedom Day on 27 April and the second being Worker’s Day on 1 May. While we are all looking forward to some downtime with our families that a long weekend affords us, it is important to remember the reason for the holiday. On Friday we will celebrate the 24th...Read More
Spanish Exchange 2018
Cape Town to Barcelona and Valencia Grateful to be South African, we managed to jump the kilometer long queue to avoid missing the flight. Barcelona awaits…. Landing in Turkey saw us stand in more long queues and with no wifi, withdrawl symptoms started to kick in for some. Beautiful snow peaked mountains glowed in the background as we descended into Barcelona. A quick pit stop...Read More
International mindedness Part 2 – Understanding ourselves to connect with others
Understanding ourselves to connect with others “Ciao” and “Grazie” are the words spoken by a South African student hopping out of his lift club parent’s car on an Autumn morning at Hout Bay International School’s stop and drop. This sentiment is an unremarkable component of an HBIS student’s day to day. Students are exposed to ways of life different from their own on an ongoing basis through...Read More
From the Principal’s Desk – 19 April, 2018
IGCSE Class of 2017 Prize Giving Over the course of the last few days I have chatted to no less than 3 different students across the grades who have each, in their own ways, discussed what success means to them – what struck me in each of these discussions – is how dangerous their current definitions of success are and how a new discussion and debate needs to be had on what being...Read More
International mindedness Part 1 – Respect and understanding for other perspectives, cultures and languages
Respect and understanding for other perspectives, cultures and languages By looking inward and finding their place locally, students are better able to look outward and find their role and influence within a broader, global community. Hout Bay International School places value in the importance of understanding international mindedness – a cornerstone of the International Baccalaureate...Read More
From the Principal’s Desk – 12 April, 2018
Dear Parents, One of the cornerstones of an International Baccalaureate curriculum is the importance and understanding of the concept of International Mindedness. If you talk to a group of people it will be interesting to see how different each of their responses may be with regards the definition of this word. The IB states that international mindedness can be expressed as: the...Read More
Learning dynamics: The IB curricula aren’t stagnant
The IB curricula aren’t stagnant. When a teacher receives a student group for the first time, it is necessary to assess the various skill levels and learning dynamics of the group. Teachers are given the opportunity to be dynamic in order to grow and advance the learning process, and add to their curriculum year on year. No two children absorb information in the same manner. Teaching...Read More
Student assessment – A two-way street
One of the IB Learner Profile traits is Reflection. But this doesn’t only apply to the students. Naturally, teaching staff need to constantly reflect on their students for assessment – their ability in completing a task; their skills; how well they engaged with the task or interacted with fellow group members; their overall understanding and more. This observation process is integral for...Read More
From the Principal’s Desk – 23 March, 2018 – Human Rights Day
Dear Parents, I trust that you all celebrated a wonderful Human Rights Day. As you can imagine being an IB World School, this topic of “rights” is often hotly debated in the HS classes, in particular in the Diploma TOK and Global Politics classes. As independent enquiring thinkers our students do not need much encouragement to challenge the status quo and seek answers to the many...Read More