Grade 6 - Dr. Holger Meinberg

This week, Grade 6 students explored how we perceive colors byinvestigating the absorption and reflection of light in different objects. They used an online simulation to observe how various colors are reflected and absorbed, followed by another simulation to understand the law of reflection. Students were introduced to protractors, learning to measure and constructangles, and practiced creating ray diagrams for reflected light. They identified key properties of reflection in a plane mirror, noting that images are the same size, upright but laterally inverted, and at the same distance as the object. To apply these concepts, students worked in pairs to build a periscope, enhancing their understanding of reflection while developing collaboration skills.

Grade 7 - Ms. Heather Exum

This week I helped the 7th grade students model the water cycle and lookat how the water cycle model can help us understand what happens in the widerworld.

Grade 8  -  Ms. Heather Exum

This week I helped the grade 8 students finish their first summative laband then student learned about potential and kinetic energy and used graphicorganizers in their interactive notebooks to organize their knowledge.

Grade 9-1   Ms. Heather Exum

This week in grade 9 students took a summative quiz and completed guidednotes on the water cycle and carbon cycle.

Grade 9-2 - Dr. Holger Meinberg

This week, Grade 9-2 students focused on the nitrogen cycle, learning about its importance for living organisms and how atmospheric N2 becomes accessible through nitrogen fixation. They also studied the hydrologic cycle, emphasizing the sun as the driving force, using guided notes. Additionally, thestudents reviewed the carbon cycle and completed a quiz at the end of the week to assess their understanding.

Grade 10 - Mr. Nick Smith

In our classes this week the students have been been exploring electriccircuits. They have been using an online simulator to do so. This is both saferand quicker, not to mention it gives students the ability to explore their creativity and experiment with equipment not available in the lab. This was approached as a self discovery exercise with students gradually building upskills and knowledge. Students also received feedback on their recent summative assessment. Overall I was pleased with the results. Most were in line with my expectations.

Biology Class - Grade 11 - Ms. Marina Baltikian

This week in class, we delved into some fascinating concepts in genetics that laid the groundwork for understanding DNA and its vital role in heredity. We kicked off our discussions with the Hershey-Chase experiment, which was pivotal in demonstrating that DNA, not proteins, serves as the genetic material in living organisms. This led us to explore Chargaff's Rule, where we examined the consistent ratios of adenine (A) to thymine (T) and guanine (G) to cytosine (C) across various species, reinforcing the importance of these nucleotide pairings in maintaining genetic integrity.

Our focus then shifted to DNA replication, where we investigated three theoretical models: conservative, semi-conservative, and dispersive. Students engaged in lively discussions comparing how each model predicts the mechanisms of DNA copying, encouraging critical thinking about the process. To solidify our understanding, we concluded the week with a detailed look at the Meselson-Stahl experiment, which provided strong experimental evidence in favor of the semi-conservative model.

Chemistry Class - Grade 11 - Dr. Holger Meinberg

This week, Grade 11 students in IB Chemistry SL focused on understandingthe mole concept and Avogadro's number, fundamental tools for performingchemical calculations. Students practiced calculating the molar mass anddetermining the number of moles, particles, and mass of substances. They thenmoved on to applying these skills to empirical and molecular formulas andcalculating percent composition. After mastering these concepts, students wereintroduced to solutions, where they learned key terminology, and proper methodsfor preparing solutions and calculating both molar and mass concentrationsaccurately. This groundwork is essential for future topics in stoichiometry andsolution chemistry.

Chemistry Class - Grade 11 - Mr. Nick Smith

Grade 11 HL Chemistry students have commenced their exploration ofStoichiometry. In the first few lessons they have been looking at some basicconcepts of the Mole. The Mole is a measure of the quantity of matter. It is acount of number of atoms, molecules or ions in chemical reactions. Veryimportant for the laboratory and forms the basis of understanding chemical equations. Thistopic reinforces earlier studies of Atomic Masses and Relative Molecular Massesand extends to formalising the formulas of chemical compounds.

ESS Class - Grade 11 - Mr. Samuel Ward

This week DP 1 ESS students looked at the foundational concepts ofecology in Topic 2.1, exploring the hierarchical organization of life fromindividuals to ecosystems. They engaged with key ecological terms, includingspecies, populations, and communities, while also gaining an understanding oftaxonomic classification. To reinforce their learning and develop theircommunication skills, students created informative posters that visually representedthese ecological concepts and associated vocabulary. This creative activity notonly helped solidify their understanding but also allowed them to demonstrateattributes of the IB learner profile, such as being inquirers andcommunicators. The week was balanced with assessment, as students dedicatedtime to completing the Topic 1 Test on Foundations, which provided anopportunity to reflect on their prior learning and identify areas for furtherdevelopment.

Physics Class - Grade 11 - Mr. Geofrey Kivisha

This week, Grade 11 Physics students began their study of circularmotion, covering the dynamics of objects moving in a circular path. They delvedinto key concepts such as period, frequency, and centripetal acceleration. Theclass also explored rotational kinematics, enhancing their understanding ofmotion in a circular trajectory. An important focus was on deriving the formulafor centripetal acceleration, where students applied their vector knowledge andcalculus skills. This comprehensive approach not only reinforced theirmathematical abilities but also deepened their conceptual understanding of howforces act on objects moving in circular paths, preparing them for more complexapplications in future lessons.

SEHS Class - Grade 11 - Mr. Donavan Van Vuuren

This week, we explored the role of Personality inSports Science and its impact on athletes. Students engaged in personality assessments and exploredadditional readings to deepen their understanding. We then delved into thetheoretical underpinnings of personality, discussing how traits influenceathletic performance. With this sub-topic, we are nearing the completion ofUnit 1. Students will soon prepare for their end-of-unit test, which willassess their understanding of key concepts, and they will also be introduced tothe Internal Assessment (IA), marking the transition into a more in-depthexploration of sports psychology and performance.

Biology Class - Grade 12 - Ms. Marina Baltikian

This week in Grade 12, we explored the fascinating topic of tropic responses in seedlings, focusing on how plants interact with their environment. Students observed various tropic responses, particularly positive phototropism, where plants grow towards light, demonstrating their innate ability to adapt for optimal growth. We discussed the role of phytohormones, specifically auxin, and how it influences plant growth by regulating cell elongation and movement within the plant through auxin efflux carriers. This led to a deeper understanding of how auxin promotes cell growth, contributing to the overall development of the plant.

Additionally, we examined the interactions between auxin and cytokinin, two key hormones that work together to regulate plant processes. Students learned about the positive feedback loop involved in fruit ripening, particularly the role of ethylene production in this process.

As part of our activities, students checked their SA B3.1 assessment on Gas Exchange and completed the SA B3.2 assessment on Transport. Well done to everyone for your focus and effort during these assessments! We also started C3.2, focusing on Defence Against Disease, which introduced students to the immune responses of plants.

For our Standard Level (SL) students, we allocated time for completingthe C3.1 assignment: "AI-Powered Body Systems IntegrationExploration" on CanGlory, allowing them to connect our lessons on plantgrowth to broader biological systems.

Chemistry Class HL - Grade 12 - Mr. NickSmith

Equilibrium is the current Unit of study for Grade 12 ChemistryStudents. Did you know that not all chemical reactions go "all theway"? Burning Hydrogen in Oxygen to make water is a reaction that goes allthe way. However, dissolving Carbon Dioxide in water to make carbonic acid isan equilibrium. There will always be some Carbon Dioxide that does notdissolve. Equilibrium is explored using Le Chatelier's Principle. Student learnhow pressure, temperature, concentration and catalysts affect reactions. Theyhave also learned to calculate equilibrium constants (K) and use the value of Kto predict how far reactions will go.

ESS Class - Grade 12 - Mr. Samuel Ward

This week DP 2 ESS students focused on finalizing their individual investigations,due for submission this weekend. Students were actively engaged in executing their studies in the laboratory, ensuring they could perform experiments andcollect necessary data from their samples. Guidance was provided to support safe and responsible practices in line with IB sciences experimentation guidelines. When not processing samples, students concentrated on refiningtheir written reports, adhering to the 1,500-2,250 word limit and the IA rubric. Emphasis was placed on proper data recording, processing, and analysis,as well as constructing appropriate charts and graphs. Support was offered inassessing the validity of sources and ensuring proper citations. As thedeadline approaches, students were reminded of the importance of thorough proofreading and formatting to produce high-quality investigations that demonstrate their research skills and understanding of environmental concepts.

Physics Class  - Grade 12 - Mr. Geofrey Kivisha

This week, the Grade 12 Physics class began their exploration ofthermodynamics, focusing initially on the fundamentals of temperature andvarious temperature scales. The students also learned about the concept of heatand the Zeroth Law of Thermo dynamics, which states that if two systems are inthermal equilibrium with a third system, they too are in equilibrium with eachother. Additionally, they completed a summative assessment on electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction, incorporating some applications from the electricfields unit. This assessment was key in reinforcing their understanding and connecting concepts from different parts of their physics curriculum.

Grade 1

This week, students were introduced to the website we are using for mouse and keyboard training. Unlike previous sessions, they had the freedom to choose what they wanted to use or play. Through these small games, they learned how to use the mouse to select items on the screen and practiced typing simple words or letters with the keyboard.

Grade 2

After returning from the holiday, students reviewed how to log in to their accounts and access their folders to open their Scratch games. They then revisited the new movement blocks using x and y, and successfully completed that part, saving their games independently.

Grade 3

This week, grade 3progressed with their game "Shooting the Lion." After designing theircharacters, they focused on coding the aiming sprite. They learned how to useblocks that allow the sprite to follow the mouse, play a sound when shooting,and create a simple shooting animation by switching costumes.

Grade 4

After returning from the holiday, grade 4 reviewed what they had learned so far in web development. They then began studying and practicing the `ul` (unordered list) and `li` (list item) tags, which will enable them to create more advanced websites by adding lists to their pages.

Grade 5

After returning from the holiday, we continued exploring for loops and their use in coding. Students also learned how to apply if statements in Python and use the % operator to check for even numbers or obtain the remainder from mathematical operations.

Grade 6

This week, Grade 6 students completed their research for Criteria A and submitted their first summative assessment in the form of a portfolio. To deepen their understanding of the tasks and learn from their peers, they participated in a collaborative review session where they examined each other’s portfolios. This allowed students to reflect on their work, gain new perspectives, and provide constructive feedback. The exercise not only enhanced their grasp of the research process but also encouraged teamwork and critical thinking, setting a strong foundation for future projects.

Grade 7

This week in Grade 7 IB MYP Design, students successfully completed and submitted the Criteria A portion of their design portfolios, showcasing their research and analysis skills. Afterward, they moved on to Criteria B, Strand 1, where they focused on developing specification lists. These lists detailed the tools, materials, and success criteria for their products and were organized into well-structured tables. The students demonstrated their ability to think critically and organize information effectively, setting a strong foundation for the next stages of their design process. These specification tables will be instrumental in guiding their work as they continue through Criteria B.

Grade 8

This week in Grade 8 IB MYP Design, students completed and submitted the Criteria A portion of their design portfolios, demonstrating thorough research and analysis. Following this, they moved on to Criteria B, where they created detailed specification lists outlining the tools, materials, and success criteria for their products. Building on this, students began developing their ideas by creating rough sketches and annotating their chosen designs. Each iteration of their sketches saw improvement, as students refined their concepts to move closer to their final, chosen design. This process helped enhance their creativity and attention to detail, fostering a deeper understanding of the design development process.

Grade 9

This week in Grade 9 IB MYP Design, students advanced to Criteria B, where they further developed their design ideas. They began by creating rough sketches and annotating their chosen designs, making improvements with each iteration to refine their concepts. This process culminated in a detailed pencil sketch of their final chosen design. The students were required to combine their specification lists with their developed design ideas, ensuring that their final sketch represented the best possible version of their product. This task encouraged critical thinking, creativity, and precision as they worked towards realizing their final design vision.

Grade 10

This week the grade 10s paused the Looking Good unit to fill a request from the student council (SC). The SC wanted support from Design to enhance the upcoming Hallowe’en celebrations. The 10s were asked to create a haunted house/escape room for PYP students. Both classes worked on the Developing ideas criterion to develop a creative format for the event.

Grade 11

Grade 11s finished studying the last four sub-topics under Topic 6 – Resource management this week. These were discussions of the “Role of the operating system”. We also started to discuss the first ideas to do with “Connecting computational thinking and program design”. Students worked on coding problems that extend the usefulness of parallel arrays as well as those that introduce searching algorithms.

Grade 12

The grade 12s finished Systems in organizations with the last sub-topic under “Software deployment”. They also finished the last two sub-topics under Object Oriented Programming (OOP) “Program development”. Students started a new topic, System design basics where they explored “Components of a computer system”. Coding exercises included sorting and parallel arrays. Where time permitted, they worked on their Internal Assessment (IA).

Grade 6 (Mr. Hood and Mr. Dooley)

Mr. Hood’s Grade 6s started the week by completing their listening summatives. They listened to a five minute TEDX video presented by a young child and then responded to different types of questions based on the video. The question types varied from multiple choice to fulling in the blanks to short answer questions to encourage differentiation. The Grade 6s then started learning the differences between informal and formal emails which consisted primarily of focus being placed on language differentiation and the difference of structures in the two writing formats. This was in preparation for the writing summative starting next week.

Meanwhile Mr. Dooley’s Grade 6 were also very busy this week. The students joined CISH book fair and had lots of fun looking at the different styles of text on display and consider which ones they would consider reading next. Students focused on their listening skills this and completed our first listening summative where students displayed remarkable progress. Also, they looked at the main elements of Emails and considered the difference in word choice when writing informal vs formal Emails. The students considered why they would write an Email and potential information a friend might need from them in preparation for our writing summative. 

Grade 7 (Mr. Hood and Mr. Dooley)

Mr. Hood’s Grade 7s completed their conservation of natural landscapes speeches. Upon completing their speeches, the Grade 7s visited the book fair. The Grade 7s completed the week by starting to focus on diary writing skills and how to write travel diaries.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dooley’s Grade 7’s Language Acquisition class were very also very busy this week. Students focused their time on how to effectively construct a formal speech while engaging with their audience. The students looked at various tactics they can use while speaking to help them engage with their audience and emphasizes their message. Next students looked at the importance of having a clear goal in mind when creating speeches and the having a specific take away for your audience. The students created their own speeches focusing on the importance of protecting natural landscapes while keeping in mind that some developments are necessary for society.

Grade 8 (Mr. Hood and Ms. Bartoszak)

Mr. Hood’s Grade 8s completed their debate summatives this week in which two teams argued in favor and against whether Western or Chinese food is better using a formal debate structure. The Grade 8s then completed a quiz on the Burns Night Celebration followed by being introduced to writing formal invitations. This is in preparation for the writing summative which will ask them to write a formal invitation to a Burns Night Celebration.

Meanwhile, Ms Bartoszak’s Grade8’s started the week by focusing on creativity whilst enhancing their vocabulary. Students explored the effect of similes in writing and created their own. Students then worked on developing their reading skills as they explored language and analysed various extracts from 

the novel Heidi. These specific extracts highlighted the importance of food as part of culture. During the week the students also visited the CISH book fair looking at the various books.

Grade 9 (Mr. Hood and Mr. Dooley)

Mr. Hood’s Grade 9s spent the first part of the week learning about and practising writing magazine articles focused on cultural differences. Once they had completed these formative activities, they started the summative activity which required them to write a magazine article in which they discuss the marriage customs of a wedding they have recently attended. The primary focus points of the summative were structure of a magazine article, appropriate language use and the ability to express and explain their opinions in an appropriate form of writing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dooley’s Grade 9s students were very productive this week this week. Students continued our work on customs from around the world. This week Grade 9s focused on creating our own online magazine style articles about wedding customs. The students investigated a culture that they are familiar with or interested in and created texts similar to ones they have explored in class. The students were quite excited to join the book far this week and enjoyed sharing their opinions about the books on offer. 

Grade 10 (Ms. Najuma and Mr. Dooley)

This week in Ms. Najuma’s Grade 10 language acquisition class, engaged in both old and new listening exercises. Students reviewed a previous listening activity to reinforce tips and techniques for answering questions that use command terms before conquering a new task. Additionally, students received individual feedback on their formative writing, with the teacher modeling formal letter structure. Finally, they prepared for next week’s summative assessment by expanding their career-specific vocabulary and researching a suitable job posting for their final cover letter.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dooley’s Grade 10 students had a great week for they continued our work on our listening skills this week. The students practiced some more listening comprehension tasks and worked on distinguishing between different command terms. Students finished off their listening summative and the students showed great progress. Next,the students shifted focus to their writing skills and continued working on background information including key vocabulary for their cover letter writing summative task.

Grade 11 (Mr Kiefer and Ms Bartoszak)

Mr. Kiefer’s and Ms Bartoszak’s students started the week by developingtheir spoken language and completed their IA Oral Summative assessment.Students then developed their listening skill as they listened to the audioabout advice for teenagers. Students also developed their reading skills asthey worked through the novel Of Mice and Men. Meanwhile, SL students developedtheir language and listening skills. 

Grade 12 (Ms Bartoszak)

Ms Bartoszak’s Grade 12’s commenced the week by reviewing their conceptual understanding of speeches for their Paper 1 Summative Assessment. In doing so, students discussed, analysed and annotated as well as practiced their self assessment skills on how to improve using a model example of a students speech response. Students then drafted their summative assessment. Grade 12’s ended the week developing their reading skills as they analysed the novel Lord of The Flies.