We were very proud to host the annual (KAISSO) Braeburn Nanyuki Inter- School Cross Country event again this year. The event was held for its second year at Tumbili Estate in Jua Kali on Saturday 11th May.
A total of five schools competed in the races which were organised by age - Under 9, Under 11 and Under 13. We were delighted to welcome Gems Cambridge, Braeside School, Braeburn Imani and Braeburn Gitanga.
The youngest competitors set off first, at 9.30am, and certainly gave it their all! They ran 2km, the Under 11s ran 2.5km and the Under 13s completed 3.2km. The energy that the children of all ages managed to muster for sprint finishes was jaw-dropping. Everyone ran with pride and determination.
We were delighted to win medals in all categories:
Saida (Y4) U9 girls - silver
Flynn (Y5) U11 boys – gold
Corey (Y6) U11 boys – silver
Anika (Y6) U11 girls – gold
Gems, who were participating for the first time, took home the winning trophy, Braeburn Nanyuki came in second and Braeburn Gitanga were third. We are always proud of our children but, being hosts alongside doing so well, was a very special moment for all of us.
The weather was great and supporters came in numbers to cheer on the competitors. We would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement and especially to those parents who marshalled during the event. Our thanks are particularly extended to Charlie Dyer for his sponsorship and beautiful handcrafted trophy, and JP Dekker for the use of the land and all his help in advance and on the day.
We are already looking forward to next year!
On Friday 10th May we finally held our postponed Safari themed disco that we were forced to cancel in February.
Before the sun set, kids went on their own safari, discovering animals that were hidden around the quad. Each animal was in charge of a letter which, when put altogether, spelled ‘kufurahia mwenyewe’ - enjoy yourself! The participants all won themselves a small prize for their great Safari skills!
When the sun did go down, the lights went on, the music was cranked up and the disco started! Between the munching of chips and sausages, there was lots of dancing fun. Thanks to everyone for coming and for all the staff who helped our!
On Saturday 4th May a group of selected swimmers from our team took part in the annual Inter-Braeburn Swimming Gala. This year the event took place at Braeside School in Nairobi. After a night’s sleep at BGE, the team were up early and in Braeside’s pool by 7.30am completing their warm-up laps. The event kicked off on time and started with the Individual and Team Medley events.
Children competed throughout the morning in age their group categories, largely swimming their strongest strokes. It was incredible to see how much confidence and stamina they have developed across this year. It was such a pleasure to see some of our parents there, supporting in person and we thank those who travelled so far for their time and encouragement!
We were strong competitors in every event and are proud of every member of the team. The children conducted themselves impeccably and approached the event with determination and strong self-belief.
We were exceptionally delighted to bring home a total of 5 medals!! Nora in Y2 won a Bronze in breaststroke; Billy in Y4 a was awarded Silver in Backstroke; Thomas in Y4 won Bronze in butterfly and Maynuel in Y6 brought home a Silver for freestyle and a Gold for the Individual Medley.
On Saturday 27th April, regardless of the early morning rain, 22 teams proudly arrived at school to show off their model cars at our annual Dinky Charge event. Kieran Avery, from Rhino Charge car 38, organised the event again this year with the support of Mr Masafu and Mr Franco. The event helps to raise money for the Rhino Ark conservation charity.
The course was already laid out when competitors arrived and was definitely made more interesting by the unforeseen water and mud obstacles created by the rain! Children worked in pairs, as navigator and driver, to complete the course in the shortest time possible however, speed was not necessarily the fastest way as every topple, lift or fall resulted in a 5 second penalty.
Each team started with the blindfold section of the course which saw drivers relying heavily on their navigators to get them through the cones. They then worked their way round the complicated course together through twists and turns, ups and downs and ins and outs. Teamwork was dreamwork and every pair completed the course with an almost intact car! A few of the cardboard cars found the rain a bit too much to handle though, and were shedding parts through the final obstacles!
The rain eased off after the first half of the event which allowed everyone to relax and enjoy themselves that little bit more. Parents caught up with each other and kids competed and played together for the morning. Well done to all the competitors but especially to the winners in each age category and Mikayla who won 'best car' for her cardboard landrover! Prizes will be presented in assembly in a couple of weeks time - keep collecting sponsorship until then, every shilling helps!
Thanks go to Kieran, Mr Masafu, Mr Franco and all the other staff who pitched up to help at the event on a rainy Sarturday morning!
Throughout the first week of Term 3 we have spent time exploring books as part of our celebrations for International World Book Day. In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.
Our week featured our author’s visit on Wednesday 24th plus work focused on books. Please visit the school office to see some of the work that was completed.
On Friday 26th April, most of the children and some of the adults came to school dressed as their favourite book characters. This was LOADS of fun but also enabled us to be introduced to some books we had not heard of. There were some well-known characters such as Gangsta Granny, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Wally (from Where’s Wally), The Cat in the Hat as well as the less well-known like Fancy Nancy, Will from Running Wild and Evelyn the Fairy.
Fancy Nancy entertained us in assembly and some of the work completed during the author’s visit was shared. Each class from Y1-8 chose a ‘best dressed’ character which included – Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon,. Asterix, the witch from Room on the Broom, Wil from Running Wild, Gangsta Granny x 2, Grandpa from Grandpa’s Great Escape, Fantastic Mr Fox and a Warrior boy Warrior.
Open a book
And you will find
People and Places of every kind
Open a book
And you can be
Anything you want to be
Open a book
And you can share
Wonderous worlds you find in there
Open a book
And I will too
You read to me and I’ll read to you
By Jane Baskill
Braeburn Nanyuki International School
