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Expert visits German class

Grade 3 welcomed musician Daniel Gallimore

On Wednesday, 9th June, we welcomed Daniel Gallimore to our German class (Grade 3 AGP). When Daniel joined our lesson on zoom, we saw him sitting in front of his drums. Daniel is a professional musician, playing drums with his band Neomore and he is also a drum teacher.

As our summative assessment for the unit: “Know Your Rights” we have to plan an inclusive playground (that means that everybody can play on the playground – children with handicap or not). Daniel was our expert, that we could ask questions about playgrounds for children with handicaps, because, since birth, he is also in a wheelchair.

When he was younger, he didn’t have too many choices to play on playgrounds that were suitable for him in his wheelchair. He showed us a few photos of things he would have liked to play with. A sandpit, that was not on the ground, more like a table, so he could sit in the wheelchair while playing with sand. We saw a seesaw that can be used for wheelchairs and also for children who can walk, a swing for wheelchairs and a climbing frame that had a wooden, wobbly bridge for people in a wheelchair and other children. He also told us that an inclusive playground is very important, so we are not excluding people and learn from each other.

We got so many ideas from talking to Daniel, that we were super excited when started to draw up our own ideas for an integrative playground. Thank you, Daniel for the talk and the little concert you gave us! You are a very good drummer!

Text: Grade 3 AGP and SH

Photo: SH

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Grade 6 IB Learner Profile Wall of Honour

In Grade 6 homeroom class, we celebrate our differences and promote the IB Learner Profile attributes by nominating classmates who we think represent the 10 LP attributes best.

We started this activity in September 2020 by reflecting and observing one another during classroom lessons (even during distance learning) to determine who we think deserves special recognition for any of the different LP attributes. It is our responsibility to be fair ensuring that we are not nominating our classmates because we are “close friends”. Then, our homeroom teachers observe the nominated student to validate our nominations.

After final deliberation of our teachers, during one of our Homeroom sessions there will be an announcement recognizing the student who deserves to get their hands marked on the IB Learner Wall of Honour in our classroom. With this activity, we feel proud and successful. Above all,  we learn how to reflect, appreciate our classmates and try our best to achieve the 10 IB learner attributes to inspire others.

Sasha and Maahi, Grade 6

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“Chumbe” The Turtle

Environment Week - Preparing The Mandala

How can you transfer the outline of a giant Turtle Mandala onto the gym roof?

The Environment Working Group members found a way! “Chumbe” the turtle is now ready for some colour, which the H.I.S. students can start to add after the weekend.

Please remember that bags with the Turtle Mandala design can be ordered. Details of how to order these were sent with the last H.I.S. newsletter.

Stay posted to see the how “Chumbe” takes shape and colour over the next days.

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Chumbe Island

Sustainable Waste Management Campaign

As our activities at H.I.S. begin ahead of Environment Week (14-21 June) with the Environment Week Challenge Punchcards, our connection to Chumbe Island Coral Park, a protected marine area off the coast of Zanzibar in Tanzania, grows.

A chance meeting in the Weststadt, Heidelberg, with the marine park’s founder, Sibylle Riedmiller, has led to a burgeoning collaboration between Chumbe Island’s marine experts and educators, and the students and teachers of H.I.S. Grade 10 and Grade 2 have made contact with the island and have arranged Zoom calls with question-and-answer sessions on sustainable development and marine pollution.

As we prepare to work collaboratively on our most ambitious rooftop Mandala to date (kick off 7th June), with a design inspired by the turtles of Chumbe Island, and as our thoughts turn towards what we can do to reduce our environmental footprint, we have just received information about what is happening in 6 coastal villages close to Chumbe Island.

Chumbe’s Sustainable Waste Management Campaign has been working with 10 Waste Ambassadors from each community, with education and training culminating in 6 beach clean ups and the analysis of waste.The overwhelming majority of marine debris found during the beach clean-ups was degraded plastic and styrofoam. Each village has since been building a sculpture in their village using the waste they collected to tell their waste issue story. Here are some photos from the communities of Buyu, Chukwani, Dimani, KiembeSamaki, Kombeni and Nyamanzi. We thank them for sharing their ideas and photos with us.

For more information on Chumbe Island go to https://chumbeisland.com/about-chumbe/project-history/.

 

NP

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Handmade

Over the past few months, students have done a lot of work electronically in the higher grade levels.
Now that they are back in school, in I&S (Individuals and Societies), students have had the opportunity to do more work by hand.
In Grade 9, students are currently doing an action component that involves creating a nature painting for a fundraising activity.
A Grade 10 student did her project work by hand, drawing the images and writing the text. The results were delightful. Homework is generally accepted in both, electronic and hand-written format. Students have the freedom to choose what works best for them.
KG