Dear AISL Community, One of the many skills that schools try to integrate into learning is critical thinking. It is not one of the easiest things to do as it is quite complex. Critical thinking is the objective analysis of a situation and evaluating all the possible outcomes to make a judgment call. When we are young, we don't have a lot of life experience to be able to make too many decisions, but as a school, our role is to aim at providing as many opportunities to allow for this to occur. As in the image to the right, it is not about winning an argument or being right, but it is about dialogue to hear other opinions, hear different viewpoints. When we have these differing opinions, it can sometimes make us realize that our own judgment could be flawed. Being able to admit being wrong, or willing to change our minds is a good characteristic. Blindly following an idea without thinking it through can be problematic. We should all aspire to have strong critical thinking skills as this allows us to be able to make better decisions and help to build a better world. We need to also remember that we can have multiple opinions that can also be correct. Mark Brookes
Monday, 6th March - Friday, 10th March - Celebrating King Moshoeshoe Friday, 10th March - Trimester 2 ends; Reports go home Saturday, 11th March - Moshoeshoe Day Monday, 13th March - Thursday, 16th March - Student-Led Conferences Thursday, 30th March - School Play (details to follow) Saturday,1st April - Monday, 10th April - Easter Holiday Tuesday, 11th April - Students Return to classes NOTE: Older versions of the calendar had different dates for after Easter. Please make sure you look at version 6 which is on the school website. Also, the end of the school year is correct on version 6.
From the Director
Meerkat News
American International School of Lesotho
24th February 2023
Effects of Climate Change on Health According to the World Health Organization, climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity in the 21st century. Our health is closely linked to the environment we live in. However, our climate is changing with significant consequences for our health and wellbeing. Some of the effects of climate change have been extreme heat which may have detrimental effects on our health. An increase in forest fires, for instance, may expose us to fumes that may trigger respiratory or pulmonary illnesses. Children, older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions are at risk because they are susceptible to heat stress and dehydration and are more sensitive to exposure to air pollution and smoke from bush fires. It is very important to know the risks climate change brings so that we may protect ourselves and those around us from the effects of the changes. https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.
News from the Nurse
MiniChess in Kindergarten
Kindergarten are very excited to be part of the MiniChess program. On Wednesday, February 22nd, the class had their introductory lesson and listened to a story about chess and how it began. Together with the MiniChess teacher, the class role-played the story and learnt how many squares are in a chess board. The aim of MiniChess is to support the growth of Mathematical skills through chess. During the lesson, the class also reviewed their counting and addition skills. The class is looking forward to learning more about chess every Wednesday.
2nd Grade: For the "love" of STEM!
On February 14th, 2023, the second graders dipped their toes into a STEM-focused science lesson, led by guest science teacher, Ms. Vicki. The students experimented with chemistry as they created their own marbled paper out of shaving cream and food coloring and dissolved baking soda hearts. They made hypotheses about what happens when oil mixes with water and created “Magic Milk” using milk, water, skittles, and soap, which resulted in a lot of colorful exploration. Following chemistry, the students then did a quick physics and engineering activity where they designed 3-D houses using only 20 mini marshmallows and 25 toothpicks. Working in pairs, the students made detailed designs that came to life - despite all the temptation to eat their working materials. It was an outstanding start with STEM for the Grade 2 students.
Classroom Without Walls: Early Years
Classroom Without Walls: 1st Grade
2nd Grade: Week of Classroom Without Walls
Second grade went on epic adventures during the week of Classroom Without Walls. Things started off fairly “quietly” as they began their trip with a visit to the Mission Aviation Fellowship Airplane Hangar to learn about how the organization supports local communities. They were then visited at school by Thethana Fashion Designs and learned about the art of designing clothes using the local fabric, Seshoeshoe. On Day 2, Second Grade embarked on their very first overnight trip to Morija. They got to hike with Grade 1, had a quick look at the Morija Museum, and learned all about how plastic can be refused, repurposed, reused, reduced, and recycled! They began their morning in Morija with some centering yoga and jewelry making and then happily returned home to their parents. The fourth day of CWW brought Grade 2 to the Baylor Clinic, where they learned all about health and hygiene. They finished their day with a trip to The Artisan pizzeria and learned how to properly make Neapolitan-style pizzas, which were truly delicious! Finally, on their last day, the students didn’t let a bit of rain spoil their 101st day of school celebration. Instead, they learned all about dalmatians and cozied up to watch the classic Disney film. It was a wonderful and memorable experience.
Our Classroom Without Wall Trip to Morija Today I am going to tell you about our Grade 3 classroom without walls (CWW) trip to Morija. We went to Morija on February 8th to 10th by bus. We went to learn about Lesotho history and Basotho culture. When we got to Morija, the first thing we did was to go to the museum. We learned a lot about Basotho history and culture. We learned about the kings and queens of the past. We learned about Basotho clothing; what they used to wear. We saw the musical instruments Basotho played. We also saw stuffed animals; these were the animals that used to be found in Lesotho. Next, we went to do pottery at Morija Arts Centre. At the centre, we made objects with clay. We actually did pottery with our hands; meaning we didn’t use the pottery wheel. Then we went to Pheha Plastic to learn how they make plastic into different things. For example, bottle caps can be melted and then shaped into the shape of anything you want as long as you use mold. Lastly, we went to Cafe Mojo to learn how to make our own pizza. We put lots of toppings. When we were done making our own pizza, we ate them. I loved the trip and I wish we can go again soon! Article by Palesa - on behalf of Grade 3
3rd Grade: Classroom Without Walls
3rd Grade Classroom Without Walls
Classroom Without Walls: Grades 4 and 5
Classroom Without Walls: Middle School
Alliance Française