For the sixth consecutive year, Relay for Life for the International Community will take place at St. John’s on June 17-18.  Relay For Life is a festive event for all ages that focuses on solidarity and fund-raising for the fight … Continue reading Join Relay for Life at St. John’s on June 17-18

We are two students in grade 5. Our topic for the PYP exhibition was plastic pollution. We studied the problems that plastic pollution causes to the environment. One part of the project was to take action. We went out and … Continue reading Grade 5 students fight plastic pollution

The Middle School Science booth at Family Day 2017 was a terrific success, once again.  It is always wonderful to see how St. John’s International School students volunteer their time, knowledge, and enthusiasm so generously.  It is also amazing to … Continue reading Middle School science booth draws a crowd

This past week, we had 26 St. John’s students volunteer at three different local organisations. In total, each of them volunteered 2-3 hours of their time, providing service and learning about two different causes. Two groups were assisting the elderly in senior … Continue reading Students volunteer in the community

The students in Grade 1 have been extremely busy these last six weeks, learning about materials, their properties and uses. At the beginning of the Inquiry cycle we were “Tuning In” to the students’ prior knowledge.  Their task was to design a shelter for Lucky The Lion!  This week, as part of the summative assessment task, they had the exciting opportunity to test their shelters against the elements of rain, wind and if they chose to be challenged, they designed a shelter that would also float.  The students were using all their science skills as they had made many hypotheses, observed and … Continue reading Grade 1 designs a shelter for Lucky the lion

Our Dual Language Program (DLP) students in grades 1 and 2 were in for a treat last week: our grade 8 students came into the classroom and read to them, in French. The eighth graders wrote their own stories in … Continue reading Grade 8 reads French books to Elementary students

Grade 10 student took part in a role play activity at the European Parliament. The students took on the role of a member of the European Parliament for the day. They were randomly assigned a political party and they had … Continue reading Grade 10 students turn MEPs

Mr. Taub brought his Grade 7 students to talk to the Kindergarten students about the recycling of paper that is done in school. The Kindergarten students have been learning that choices made about waste impact the environment and they had some … Continue reading Grade 7 teaches Kindergarten about recycling

Grade 10 history students had the immense chance of having 2 “Hidden Children” from the Second World War, Mrs. Rubin and Mr. Erlbaum, come to class to share with them their stories of survival as well as answer the students’ … Continue reading History students meet World War II survivors

The Kindergarten students celebrated Mother’s Day in style. We welcomed our mums with dance, song and poetry before tucking into delicious home-made snacks. Each child had further surprises for their mum – cards and a hand-decorated flowerpot. The sun shone … Continue reading Mother’s Day party in Kindergarten

The well-renowned and erudite Belgian author Stefan Hertmans came to St. John’s on Tuesday evening to discuss his latest best seller “War and Turpentine”. Santiago, a student in Grade 11, introduced Mr. Hertmans to the assembled guests in the PAC. … Continue reading Renowned Belgian author visits St. John’s

A group of 6 students, myself included, visited the Alsemberg Red Cross asylum centre, along with the CAS coordinators and Ms. Doyle. I found it to be a very effective visit. Arriving at the centre, one of the men in … Continue reading Students organize workshops for refugee children

Our 10th grade dance students had another interesting dance workshop with professional musical theatre dancer Margriet Middel from Amsterdam. Her main goal in this class was to teach the students to act and express themselves through dance and mime. For this … Continue reading Professional dancer guest teaches Grade 10

This month’s theme of our St. John’s learner profile is: Knowledgeable. “We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.” The bulletin board in the Library: Has its Eyes on Art.   Continue reading Learner profile theme of the month: Knowledgeable

First Graders had a fantastic trip to an old working paper mill in Alsemberg. As part of our Unit, How The World Works, the children have been investigating and learning about materials, their properties, and uses. We took a trip … Continue reading Grade 1 visits old paper mill

Our grade 3 students had a very special class recently. They were invited to join our tenth grade students in one of their science classes. The students worked together to make rain and to create a lava lamp. The grade … Continue reading Grades 10 and 3 join forces to make rain

This Investigation ties in with our Sixth grade Unit on Space and Shape with a focus on Area. The students were on a Math trail, to different locations with ‘interesting doors’. Each door was measured and the area of glass … Continue reading Grade 6 students put value on doors in math

During their new inquiry “Reduce, reuse, recycle”, the Kindergarten students went on a bin hunt around the school. They were looking at the different kind of bins we have and what they are used for. They even saw a container being … Continue reading Kindergarten students go on a bin hunt

Our grade 5 students have been preparing for months to be ready for the big day: tomorrow is PYP exhibition day! The students are busy today with last minute details and getting their booths ready. With some help from their … Continue reading The PYP Exhibition is tomorrow!