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Join G Suite

As most parents will be aware by now, Union High School has recently adopted G Suite for Education, to improve the technology we use for our online teaching support.
This is an exciting transition, as the tools available in G Suite, will make work-sharing easier, improve communication and also help teachers and learners to collaborate better.
All learners have been issued with e-mail addresses with which to access Union’s new Google classrooms.
To make the migration easier for learners and parents, we’ve put together this step-by-step instruction to help learners access the classrooms via a mobile device.
Please note:
1. Step-by-step instructions to access the classrooms via a computer has also been posted to our Facebook timeline.
2. These instructions were also sent out via the D6 Communicator and class WhatsApp groups.
3. Please contact Mr JP Kruger at 072 076 0352 should you need further assistance in this regard.
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Outdoor Learning

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Whenever the weather (and a lesson’s subject matter) permits it, the educators at Union love moving their lessons outside into the school’s green space.
Taking full advantage of the sunny day on Monday, Mrs Nelia Read took her Grade 12 Tourism class to the ‘outside classroom’.
While soaking up the bit of warmth the winter sun offered, the learners could be heard having a lively discussion about the impact of the Covid-19 Coronavirus on the world’s tourism industry, in particular, the effect that it has on world-famous icons and attractions.
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Gr 8 & 9 Thespians

Union High School’s Grade 8 and 9 learners got to experience the free-wheeling, creative and judgment-free nature of improv when they took to the stage this week for improvised performances as part of their Creative Arts curriculum.

It was immensely gratifying to watch these young thespians as they took on the various characters and put the different dramatic techniques they’ve learnt into practice.

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Learner Excels In Book Review Competition

Learners from all seven municipal regions within the Sarah Baartman district gathered in Addo on Thursday morning, 5 March, to compete on a district-level in a national reading competition.

This was the third round of a competition held to commemorate the 2020 SA Library Week, organised by the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts & Culture.

Avid reader James Rose-Innes – a Grade 11 learner at Union High School – managed to outperform his competitors in the first two rounds of the competition to claim the honour of representing the Dr Beyers Naudé municipal region at this event.

James competed in the Book Review category which assessed the learners’ reading and comprehension abilities. Here he was given two minutes to review the book ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe.

James made the municipality and school exceptionally proud with his performance, placing third overall in the district.

James received a laptop bag, pen and wristwatch for his efforts.

Well done, James!

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Gr 9 Learners Attend Performing Arts Workshop

Learners discover the wonder of improv

Last week, during their Creative Arts lesson, Union High School’s Grade 9s participated in a Performing Arts workshop, facilitated by Mrs Paula Kingwill.

This workshop was aimed at teaching the learners about improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv.

During their session with Mrs Kingwill, the learners were taught about connecting the art of improv with the adventure of everyday living, personal growth and creativity (with frequent bursts of laughter, of course).

They were also taught about different dramatic techniques, taking on a new character and lifting each other up as a group.

An inspirational and uplifting time was had by all and Union looks forward to the improvisations they will create as a part of their upcoming assessment.

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Self-reflection

The Grade 9s in Mrs Bronwen Langmead’s Creative Arts class, studied the art of Portraiture during a recent lesson.

This activity helps learners better understand the difference between drawing from life and drawing from a photograph.

Through the process of putting forth time and effort, they came to see they can create realistic portraits successfully. It was a “wow” moment for all the learners involved!

[The learners impressive creations can be seen displayed in the UHS main quad, if you’re nearby do pop round to have a look!]

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Gr 8 Graffiti

The first few weeks of Grade 8 can be overwhelming, exciting, daunting and ‘cool’ all at once!

In Arts and Culture, the Grade 8s studied graffiti and lettering and then had to choose a word which best described their first few weeks at Union.

They worked really hard and produced magnificent results!

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SAOU Training For Staff

On Thursday afternoon, 6 February, Union educators Mmes Helane Keyser, Kiki Nell, Hanli Rose-Innes and Jenny Street attended a training session hosted by the SAOU in Graaff-Reinet, themed ‘Barriers to Learning in the Inclusive Classroom’.

During this training session particular attention was given to the following most common barriers to learning that manifests itself in classrooms: ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, autism and auditory processing disorder (APD).

Particular focus was placed on strategies to support learners with these barriers in the inclusive classroom.

Academic, Bulletin

Math Whiz Matthew!

Matthew McNaughton, a Grade 10 learner at Union High School, recently proved himself to be a math whiz during the 2019 South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO).

Matthew, who participated in the competition last year as a Grade 9 learner in the junior division, earned himself a spot under the Top 10 junior learners in the Eastern Cape!

Matthew was recently honoured by the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) with a certificate for his outstanding performance.

[The South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) is South Africa’s biggest Olympiad. Close to 100 000 high school learners across the country participate annually.]

Well done Matthew!