Dear Parents

With the approach of half-term, school life has settled into a rhythm which is about to be altered as Matrics settle down to their Trial examinations and Grades 8,10 and 11 soon set off on their respective educational “tours”.

Grade 9’s have already departed on their “Uhambo” (Journey), a three-week-long expedition which will be challenging, but ultimately rewarding.
The St John’s High School staff, under the direction of Miss Teresa Whitfield, are to be commended on their incredible teamwork in planning and executing the preparatory arrangements to ensure that the first-ever “Uhambo” will be a success.
Parents have also been most supportive. Some are directly involved in the “Uhambo” and others have simply been positive about the concept. We are certainly grateful for all contributions – practical or otherwise – which parents have made.
With a mixture of elation and trepidation the Grade 9’s have set off on this great adventure which is bound to become a rite of passage. It will be interesting to hear their comments on their return.
In the interim, however, we need to be content with the S.M.S. messages received thus far, such as the following:

10/8: Chilly night, but beautiful day.
11/8: Having a wonderful time. Ice on tents this morning, so very glad to see the sun.
Nearly at campsite. Girls cheerful and have done well. Looking forward to provitas and cheese.
12/8: Girls on bikes heading to camp four. Doing extremely well. (Group 1)
Camping at dam. Swimming and having loads of fun. Not missing you yet! (Group 2)
13/8: Enjoyed eggs and toast for breakfast – a real treat! Having a rest day. Doing lots of washing! (Group 1)

STAFF
This term, we welcomed Mrs Cara Schirge back to school, after her accouchement leave; and Mrs Elmarie Kruger, who is the locum Afrikaans teacher, while Mrs Leana Steenkamp is on accouchement leave.

Ms Philipa Pletts is assisting with C.A.T. lessons while Mrs Yvonne Langeveldt is on leave, and Mr Stephen Smith is assisting with Accounting lessons while Miss Teresa Whitfield is on the Grade 9 Uhambo.

Congratulations to Mrs Leana Steenkamp and her husband, Ernie, on the birth of their daughter, Klara Hester, on 10 July.

Best wishes to Mrs Eleanor Blignaut and Mr William Sills on their recent engagement. We wish them a future filled with happiness.

CONDOLENCES
We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families of Mrs Annette Symes, Mr Clifford Mazibuko, Mr Albert Thabete and Miss Patience Mbatha, on their recent bereavements.

UNIFORM
A general laxity has crept in with regard to the wearing of the school uniform. In particular, the untidiness of hair, shortness of skirts, laddered tights and application of make-up have given cause for concern. Staff and prefects will be on the lookout for girls who do not wear the uniform neatly and correctly.
I appeal to parents to be supportive of the school in enforcing the rules governing the wearing of the uniform.

As from Tuesday, 19 August (i.e. after half-term), all girls will have the option of wearing summer or winter uniform until the end of term. From the start of the fourth term, it will be compulsory to wear summer uniform.

EAR-PIERCING
A number of girls are having their ears pierced, in defiance of the school’s policy. Pupils are only to wear small gold or silver studs to school. What’s more, one stud in each ear lobe, is all that is allowed. No earrings in other positions are permitted.
Under no circumstances are tongue studs allowed!

EXIT INTO NEW ENGLAND ROAD
It has been alarming to hear that, over the past few weeks, parents have been using the New England Road entrance as the exit, so that they are able to turn right to proceed up towards Harwin Road. This is incredibly dangerous for those entering the premises! Parents using the correct exit have also been seen doing U-turns around the island.
I appeal to parents to use the correct exit and to turn left only.

BUNDU BASH: 12 OCTOBER
Please diarise the above event. It is all set to become a wonderful day of family fun and we urge all St John’s families to be supportive – whether as participants, spectators, or sponsors. The funds raised will benefit your daughters and the Parents’ Association have worked extremely hard – and are still working hard – to ensure the success of this occasion. Please tell all your friends about it too!

REQUESTS FOR ABSENCE
Permission to remove your daughter from school for medical appointments, family events, etc. must be sought in advance, in writing, from the School and it should not be presumed it is automatically granted. Please do not telephone the School requesting permission.
There are still parents who are not following the correct procedure and I urge you to co-operate with us in this matter.

DRIVERS’ LICENCES
While we strongly encourage girls to book for their learners’ or drivers’ licences during half-terms or holidays, so as not to miss valuable academic time, especially in Matric, sometimes it is impossible to obtain an appointment at these times. If this is the case, and you need to request time off school, the permission letter must be accompanied by the booking receipt from the Licensing Department.

DIRECT TELEPHONE LINES
To alleviate the pressure on the switchboard, the school has installed a new telephone system whereby you may ’phone certain staff on their direct lines.

Boarding Establishment Office 033 3928085
Debtors’ Clerk – Mrs Kim Haigh 033 3928098
P.R.O. /Marketing Co-ordinator –
Mrs Bridget Hornbuckle 033 3928090
School Accounts – Mrs Sharon Miller 033 3928088
School Shop – Mrs Erika Barthorpe 033 3928094
Sports Office – 033 3928096

MYSCHOOL CARD
Thank you to all the families who continue to support this project. Our records show that R1563.95 was raised through MySchool usage in July. Please remember that it is the number of times you swipe your card that generates funds for the school, not the value of your purchases.
If you, or family members, do not have a MySchool card, application forms may be obtained from Miss Bhengu in the Front Office. This is a painless way of raising money for the school. Please support this project!

BOARDING

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS / AIRPORT TRIPS
It is imperative that boarder parents notify the school of their daughters’ travel arrangements at the start of each term, where those arrangements involve flights and transportation to the airport. The Head of Boarding needs to be made aware of travel arrangements for both half-term and the finish of the term, together with travel plans for the start of the ensuing term, otherwise the school cannot guarantee transportation to the airport in school vehicles.

SIGNING-IN AFTER A HOLIDAY OR HALF-TERM
A reminder to all parents that, after a holiday or half-term, the signing in time for the Boarding Establishment is 17:00. Please adhere to this. It is not acceptable that girls arrive at the Boarding Establishment as late as 21:00, still expecting the Boarding Establishment to be unlocked and then requiring the assistance of their male family members to take their heavy luggage up to their rooms.

SIGNING-OUT AND -IN
ALL boarders must be signed out of the Boarding Establishment when they leave, and signed in when they return.

WEEKEND ARRANGEMENTS
The Boarding Establishment Staff need to be informed, in advance, of any weekend arrangements. This applies to weekly boarders as well, especially if they are not being signed out by their parents.

REPORTS

POLAR BEAR SWIM: 20 JUNE
What a festive event this turned out to be on the final day of last term! My sincere thanks and congratulations go to the girls, parents and members of staff who participated in this event. Their efforts resulted in the magnificent sum of R17 380.00 being raised.
The winning class, Mrs Ducasse’s Grade 5 girls, raised
R2 882.70. One Grade 5 pupil, Rupika Chunturparsat single-handedly raised R810.00. Well done!
Mrs Annette Symes

ARBOUR DAY / ARBOUR WEEK
Inscribed on a monument erected in memory of the Arbour Day founder, J. Sterling Morton, are the words: "Other holidays repose upon the past, Arbour Day proposes for the future."
The first Arbour Day was celebrated in Nebraska, U.S.A. on 10 April, 1872, as a means of promoting conservation, and correcting the gradual deforestation of the prairie. More than one million trees were planted on that day. Many years and countless millions of trees later, the tradition of Arbour Day continues.
Arbour Day has been extended to Arbour Week. This is a universal symbol of the miracle of trees which give us so much: improve air and water quality; provide a cool and beautiful place to live, work and play; and are a renewable source of fuel, shelter, food and other products.
Arbour Week is being celebrated in South Africa 1 - 7 September, 2008, to encourage the planting and care of trees. The Grade 8 Natural Science classes will be holding an Arbour Assembly at 10:05 a.m. on Thursday, 4 September. We would like to extend an invitation to the families and friends of St John’s to celebrate this occasion with us.
Mrs Brenda Willows

RECYCLING NEWS
“If you are thinking a year ahead, sow a seed. If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, make people aware. By sowing a seed you harvest once. By planting a tree you harvest tenfold. By opening the minds of people, you harvest a hundredfold.” (An old Chinese proverb)

The black bags that are removed from our homes every week go to a landfill. They are not taken to a recycling centre where the recyclables are removed. If it is in a black bag, it is dumped in a landfill. 90% of our domestic waste goes to landfill. As a community we should be looking for ways to reduce the volume of waste that goes to our landfill sites. Please use the coloured bins to recycle cans, plastic, Tetra Pak and paper.
Below please find a list of items that CANNOT be put into the coloured recycling bins, that I am prepared to recycle at other venues:
Egg boxes and egg trays
Glass bottles with lids, e.g. mayonnaise, honey, peanut butter, etc.
Magazines appropriate for children to cut up.
Thank you for your ongoing support to recycle waste.
Mrs Brenda Willows

HIGH SCHOOL

KOM ONS SOKKIE!
At the end of the second term, Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils were invited to “’n regte Afrikaanse sokkie”, which was held in the Gym Hall. They arrived exhausted after Interhouse sport, but after milktart and coffee, they were ready to “laat waai”. Afrikaans music DVD’s were projected on to a big screen and Leanne from Bodyrock Dance Studio put them through their paces until they had learnt to sakkie-sakkie!! If the squeals of delight and laughter were anything to go by, a great time was had by all!!
Ons belowe ons sal binnekort weer so maak!
The Afrikaans Department.

WESTON SOCIAL
This term saw the revival of the Weston Sports Social. This had been a regular event on our calendar for a number of years but, for various reasons, had fallen away recently. The Youth Forum Committee, led by Erin Wessels, organized and ran a most enjoyable evening for the Grade 8 and 9 girls and the Weston boys.
Mrs Kay Stakemire

JUNIOR SCHOOL

GREEK DAY
Mrs Perks’s Grade 4 class held a very successful “Greek Day” to which all Grade 4 parents were invited.  Our quad. was beautifully transformed into a Greek amphitheatre by a group of enthusiastic and artistic mothers and the audience seated on the verandahs surrounding the quad. were given a wonderful insight into life in Ancient Greece.

CRAZY OLYMPICS
“Crazy Olympics” were held on Friday, 8 August, to celebrate the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Grades 4 to 7 participated in events organised by parents and teachers and ended with the girls running a “Marathon”.  Great fun was had by all!

MUSIC DEPARTMENT
The third term of every school year is busy one with eisteddfods, examinations and performances. This year is proving to be no different.

MARIMBA AND WIND BANDS
Both bands continue to flourish and develop. As many know, on Friday, 1 August, we performed at the Liberty Midlands Mall in the outside food court area. Although the weather was overcast, cold, dark and windy, the girls were a credit to our school and many compliments have been received about their varied repertoire – 22 pieces in total!
The Marimba Band also performed most beautifully at the Hospice Fair – an event our school always chooses to support.

CONGRATULATIONS
Lisa Frangs has passed her Grade 6 Trinity Music Examination. This is a wonderful achievement, especially when the candidate is in Matric.

EISTEDDFOD
Many of our music pupils were entered for the South African Society of Music Teachers Eisteddfod which was held recently. Individual pupils, as well as our Junior Choir, have excelled. Congratulations go to all participants as well as the committed music staff who prepared the pupils.

RESULTS OF EISTEDDFOD
Wind Instruments:
Brogan Crosson – Saxophone Gr. 4: achieved A-
Jessica Campbell – Flute Gr. 3: achieved A, A and A
Jessica Stegen – Clarinet Gr. 2: achieved A, A and A+
Tamlyn Anderson – Flute Pregrade: achieved A-
Jodie du Preez – Flute Pregrade: achieved A-
Samantha du Toit – Flute Beginner: achieved A
Philippa Smart – Recorder solo: achieved A
Georgie Twycross, Jessica Stegen and Philippa Smart – Recorder group: achieved A-

Vocal:
Junior Choir – achieved A
Jessica Smith – solo: achieved A

Piano:
Sheena Knight – Pregrade: achieved A-
Jessica Smith – Pregrade: achieved A+
Akira Pillay – Gr 1: achieved A
Darshana Govender – Gr 1: achieved A
Natisha Naicker – Gr 1: achieved A
Emma Erasmus – Gr 2 Duets: achieved A+ and A+
Kayla Edwards – Gr 2: achieved A, A and A+
Tarryn Knight – Gr 2: achieved A and A+
Katherine Usher – Gr 2: achieved A, A and A+
Tamlyn Anderson – Gr : achieved A and A-
Candice Price – Gr 3: achieved A- and A+
Jessica Campbell – Gr 3: achieved A and A+
Philippa Smart - Gr 3: achieved A
Kimberly Bingel – Gr 3: achieved A-
Jessica Stegen – Gr 4: achieved A
Courtneë Kleinhans – Gr 5: achieved B+
Sharon Faure – Gr 5: achieved A, A and A+
Gina Frangs – Gr 6: achieved A

GENERAL
With 10 peripatetic music teachers and over 100 pupils receiving music tuition on different instruments and at different levels, it is essential that lines of communication remain positive, clear and open. Regarding this, I ask that should you have concerns or queries about any aspect related to your daughter’s tuition, you speak directly to the teacher concerned and/or to me. I can only administer this department effectively if I have co-operation, communication and support from all – including the girls.

PRACTISING
Please encourage your daughter to practise and play her instrument regularly. Failure to do this hampers progress as lesson times are then taken up by practising what should have been done at home.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT EVENING
This event, on the 17 September, at 7:00 p.m. in our theatre, is a showcase for the Music Department. Pupils who play more advanced music and who have achieved well this year will be performing - as well as both Senior and Junior Choirs, Wind Band and Marimba Band. I encourage parents to attend this occasion which, while a dignified and formal event, will also be a celebration and recognition of our young, talented pupils.
Mrs Fay Forbes

GIRLS’ ACHIEVEMENTS

AMESA MATHS CHALLENGE
On the strength of Jenna Annandale’s wonderful result in the 2007 Mathematical Challenge, she has been invited to join a group of South African youths who will be traveling to Chiang Mai in Thailand to participate in the 9th World Youth Mathematics Contest, in October.
We are extremely proud of her and know that she will be a credit to her country and her school.

To assist with the cost of the trip we shall be hosting a Salsa Dance Evening on Thursday, 11 September, 2008.This is a family event and promises to be great fun for all ages.
Mrs Kay Stakemire

DEBATING
Grade 8 Interleague Tournament held on 25 May:
Congratulations to Thelisia Moodley, who was the best Grade 8 speaker.
PMB Tournament for top speakers held on 20 July:
Nqobilie Msomi and her team came first. At this tournament, Darsha Indrajith came tie 3rd as Best Speaker.
Darsha Indrajith was selected to participate in the Interleague Top Speakers’ tournament held on 27 July.

PUBLIC-SPEAKING
Every year we are delighted with the response we receive to requests to participate in the Interhouse Public-Speaking competition. This year 12 girls participated, 2 from each house in each section, Junior and Senior.
The girls were given a list of topics to choose from, but could interpret the topics as they wished. This led to some creative responses which were appreciated by the audience. It was gratifying to note that although the audience enjoyed the humorous aspects of the
speeches, they also responded very positively to some of the more philosophical ideas that the speakers shared. This is a pleasing reflection on the delivery and insight of the speakers and the maturity of the audience.
Although it can be said in all sincerity that all the speeches were well prepared and entertaining, winners had to be chosen so that house points could be allocated! In the Junior section, Nqobile Msomi from Connaught was placed first for her speech, “Success starts in the mind”. Liane Chetty and Helen Aadnesgaard were the runners-up. Tegan Mill, representing Connaught, argued that “outer beauty can break you, but inner beauty can make you” in her speech, “Beauty is important in life” which was declared the best Senior speech. Carmen Leisegang and Emalin Govender were second and third respectively.
The overall results were: 1st Connaught; 2nd Athlone; 3rd Rhodes.
The inaugural Witness Nelson Mandela Schools’ Speech Contest is to take place in October, and we are hoping that a Grade 11 or 12 St John’s girl would like to participate in it.
Mrs Belinda Kidd

SPORT

HIGH SCHOOL

Canoeing
Emma Horner was chosen for the SA Sprint tour to the UK which took place in Nottingham, England, during the April vacation. Emma excelled and achieved gold medals in the K1 500m, K1 1000m, K2 500m, and K2 1000m events, and was crowned British National Champion.
Mr Andrew Edmonds

Basketball
Congratulations to Kristy Schladenhauffen and Kate Symons, for being selected as Captain and Vice-Captain, respectively, for the 2008 Basketball season.

During the July holidays, Khanyisile Ndlela participated in an interprovincial tournament and was selected as a non-travelling reserve for the South African team travelling to Namibia in August. Khanyisile was also selected as the KwaZulu-Natal team captain. Congratulations!

Basketball results:

Matches were played against: M.C.S., St Anne’s and Epworth.

Midlands Hockey
Earlier in the hockey season Tegan Mill was selected to play for the U18 Midlands Hockey side. On Saturday this team played against a polished Australian team. The Midlands were thoroughly beaten but we were proud of Tegan’s performance. We wish her well in her hockey career and hope that she plays against many more international sides.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Swimming
Jamie Reynolds competed in the Speedo Prestige Gala at King’s Park during the July holidays. She participated in nine events and achieved six Golds and three Silvers. Five records were broken and she also won the prize for the top scoring female in her age group.
At the KZN Junior Winter Championships held at King’s Park, Jamie swam in eight events, breaking the records in all eight! She achieved a Gold for seven events and a Bronze for one.
Jamie was awarded the trophy for the top 10-year-old female swimmer and for the top record-breaker out of all age groups, up to 12-year-old boys and girls!

UNIFORM SHOP
Direct line: 033 3928094
School Shop Account queries: barthorpee@stjohns.kzn.school.za
The school shop hours continue to be as follows during term time:
12.30 – 4.00 p.m.
The school shop is closed in the mornings.

May all St John’s families enjoy a relaxing half-term break and return safely in time for school on Tuesday, 19 August.

Yours sincerely

LINDA STOFFBERG
HEADMISTRESS