As part of the year 4 History Curriculum, we have been learning about the construction of the Kenyan Railway. We wanted to support the children's studies by taking them to the Railway Museum where they had the opportunity to listen to an informative talk, study artifacts from the railway, see and explore the train carriages and have their questions answered by experts. Some of the pupils favourite parts of the trip was getting to sit in seats that Queen Elizabeth had sat in, touching the claws of the man eating lions and exploring the train carriage that the man eating lions had been inside. We ended the day with some fun on a water slide and bouncy castles. All in all, a very lovely day.
We took a team of two Year 7s (Kieran and Jenny) and two Year 8s (Lihee and Beau) to the annual Nairobi Academy Mathematics Challenge. The challenge consists of an Individual Challenge where each pupil sits for a 45 minute written test, and a Team Challenge whereby all four group members come together to complete a set of tasks within 45 minutes.
In the Individual Challenge, Jenny emerged the winner for the Year 7 category with Kieran carrying away the runners-up trophy. The team challenge was hotly contested and even though Braeburn School did not scoop the shield it was great to note that Braeburn Garden Estate ensured that the shield ended up in the Braeburn family.
Kudos to these fine mathematicians for braving heavy traffic, enjoying an afternoon of Mathematics outside the classroom and bringing home some awards.
On the 14th of May, Year 5 embarked on an educational visit to Mombasa. The trip was prepared and led by the Infinity Outdoors team who organised a schedule of beach and pool games, paired with outdoor educational trips to historic and naturalistic sites.
The team had the chance to visit Fort Jesus where they learnt about the historically rich, at times brutal, past of Mombasa, and the influence it had on international trade. They also spent the afternoon exploring the grounds of Haller Park- once a quarry wasteland transformed into an ecological park. Here the children fed giraffes, observed hippos and century-old tortoises and walked through the butterfly pavilion whilst learning about the positive ecological impact of the area.
The trip was a resounding success both academically and socially. For most of the children, it was the first time travelling on a plane and staying overnight without their parents or guardians. They took it in their stride and showed independence and resilience. Furthermore, it was clear the positive impact the trip had on the unity and comeradery of the year group. They returned on the Wednesday exhausted, but with a renewed respect and understanding for each other.
A huge thanks must go to Reef Hotel Mombasa for accommodating and feeding 50 excited children and the Infinity Outdoors team for organising and coordinating such a fantastic trip. Until next year!
The Peponi Chamber Festival was held on Saturday, 19th May at Peponi Prep. This is an annual performance for ensembles consisting of non-classical instruments, as well as classical instruments. This year, we had a group of seven children, ranging from Year 2 to Year 8, and our ensemble (as always!) was hailed as being one of the most unique! Our ensemble consisted of glockenspiels, trumpets, flute, clarinet, violin and piano.
We performed the jazz piece, ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’, in a well received performance. The adjudicators’ comments were positive and full of praise for the work the children had done. Well done to all who took part!
Braeburn had nine children signed up to the Naivasha Yacht Club Sailing this year out of a total of 53 cadets (ages 7-13) representing Pembroke, Kenton, The Banda, ISK, Peponi and the Dutch School. 3 Degrees South (RYA accredited) instructors from Kilifi ran the courses for the children who were split into groups: the beginners (Mauis), lower intermediates (Porpoises) and upper intermediates (Orcas). The children learnt how to sail in Optimists and Lasers and all made good progress during the courses, gaining in confidence on the water and learning theory as well as the practical aspects of sailing.
The final session of the programme took place last weekend and brought all the cadets together for two days of competition, racing and on and off the water activities. We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather and the cadets had plenty of good wind which made for some fun and exciting races. The rain held off during the day and with so much activity, the hippos kept a safe distance too!
The Banda emerged the over all winners for the events over the weekend with Braeburn coming a close second. However, Braeburn did come home with two trophies: Rafe Garner won the Bush-Bike Spanner for coming 2nd in the Lasers over the weekend and Thomas Richardson won the Bushy Bebb Plate as the best Laser sailor over the year!
If anyone is interested in joining cadets next year, please contact me, joanna.garner@braeburn.ac.ke for more information.
Braeburn School
