17 July 2020

THE HYBRID LEARNING COMMONS As we venture into the next phase of getting back to school with a hybrid approach to teaching, the Learning Commons will also go into a hybrid way of functioning. The two websites that were created during the full lock- down will continue to be updated. Links to interesting websites that tie in with the themes that the various grades are studying will be added. We will also continue to keep an eye out for opportunities to watch stage productions and plays that are being made available online. The Learning Commons itself has moved into a “kerbside” delivery and pick-up system of loaning books. The space is not open for general browsing, but we are providing a limited service. Books can be requested via an email, Hangout request or reservation request. Email requests can be sent to: [email protected] or [email protected].

The Hangout Chat is called “Media and Learning Commons” and can be found at the following URL address: https://hangouts.google.com/group/kf627xpZADMxQDHP6.

Access to the Learning Commons Online Catalogue is now available via a link on both of the websites. This plat- form allows you to search for books and other media by title, author or subject. The search result will indicate whether the item is available or not. If it is available, it can be reserved and we will make sure we get it to you as soon as possible. When accessing the online catalogue, please first register as a user by creating an account which will require your usual Bridge House username (eg. lynvan) to be used so that we are able to contact you and bring you the books that you would like to read. WHAT’S NEW ON THE PREP LEARNING COMMONS WEBSITE?

The Grade 5s are studying An- “LiveScience" is a one-stop web- Reading it the way it was written! cient Civilisations this term, start- site for so many interesting facts Listen to Michael Morpurgo, au- ing with Ancient Egypt. Links to - trending news topics, science, thor of "The Butterfly Lion" read three websites, including Ancient space, planet earth, technology, this wonderful story about a lone- History Online, are available on anything historical and what's ly boy who goes to a boarding their web page with plenty of fun trending in society and culture - a school and his friend, the white facts and interesting info. fun website to browse. lion.

WHAT’S NEW ON THE COLLEGE LEARNING COMMONS WEBSITE?

The film-version of the Globe Thea- This film about the life and work "I don't like cricket ..... I love it!". tre's production of "Macbeth" is cur- of Athol Fugard was directed by If you want to keep up to date rently streaming live until 26th July, Tony Palmer and released to coin- with what's happening in the so be sure not to miss it. Time is cide with Athol Fugard's 80th world of cricket, then this website also running out to catch the pro- birthday in 2012. Also on is "The is for you. Plenty of interesting duction of “Antony and Cleopatra”. Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek". information for the cricket fan. “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” This is just one of the many quotes from Nelson Mandela that have made him the iconic figure that he is. The limitations imposed upon us by the various Covid- 19 lockdown regulations have certainly robbed us of much of our free- dom — a freedom that we had taken for granted. The new style of be- haviour required of us during these times reinforces the need to re- spect others by wearing masks and social distancing to ensure our own safety and that of others. International Mandela Day, which is com- memorated on 18th July, celebrates the idea that everyone has the ability to change the world and make an impact. The chaos brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic has created many opportunities for us to help those in need, and also to be innovative and creative. Let’s all try to make a difference by not only committing 67 minutes to a worth- while project on International Mandela Day, but every day.

BRAINTEASER Bubble Maths Challenge

“Be a life long student, read as many books as What number must replace the ? in the bottom bubble in the diagram alongside? possible.” A bite-sized chocolate for the first correct answer to Nelson Mandela this challenge (after the lockdown!). Send your answer to the following e-mail: [email protected].

Well done to Mr Barrow who got the last Brainteaser of last term correct. The solution is alongside:

From: “The Most Enormous Book of Brainteasers Ever!”

Do you speak ? It’s a totally new language that expresses our emotions so easily when we are lost for words or in a hurry — the Emoji-gang. According to data that has been collected globally, smartphone users send more than 70-billion chat messages a day, which include more than 10-billion . These figures indicate to what extent our day to day conversations are being dominated by these digital icons. The first emoji, a not quite round smiling yellow face, was created by , an employer of the Japanese mobile company NTT Docomo, in 1999. Their popularity has rocketed since then and the first was launched on July 17, 2014 by the founder of the , . New sets of emojis are usually released on this day and this year will see Apple releasing a range of gender-neutral icons, people with different skin tones and people with disabilities. The most frequently used emoji on Facebook and Insta- gram is the face with tears of joy, and the face blowing kisses is the most popu- lar emoji used on Whatsapp. A book emoji is not in the top ten most frequently used emojis — gotta work on this all those readers out there! IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER — CELEBRATE THE SMALL SUCCESSES!

https://www.comicskingdom.com/