Life at St John's D.S.G. | ST JOHN'S D.S.G. - PIETERMARITZBURG

Life at St John’s D.S.G.

stjohnsdsg

St John's D.S.G. Maintenance Supervisor, Mr Ngcobo

St John's D.S.G. Maintenance Supervisor, Mr Ngcobo and his wife, Sthembile, were delighted to welcome a beautiful baby boy on 3 December, 2019.
We were very privileged to meet little Lulonke Ngcobo on Saturday - and the very proud smile on Mr Ncgobo's face says it all! 💛

Our new St John’s D.S.G. Athletics Club vests we

Our new St John’s D.S.G. Athletics Club vests were taken for a “test-run” this morning by Mr Moore and his son, Matthew, at the Kearsney Striders Half-Marathon. First time that these #TeamYellowFeet vests have ever made an appearance at a race! 💛👟

"Family is not an important thing. It's everything

"Family is not an important thing. It's everything." We felt very privileged to witness some very special family moments this week 💛

If you've seen our Grade 8 girls walking around we

If you've seen our Grade 8 girls walking around wearing bright yellow construction hats, there is a very good reason for that: these hats are all part of the fun and games of Orientation, and associated with this year's (very appropriate) Prefect theme: BUILD[H]ER.
Head girl, Ntando Dube says, “BUILD(H)ER is a theme which encapsulates what we, as a Prefect Body and the Matrics of 2020, hope to achieve within the school: unity and empowerment amongst the girls. We would like to encourage girls to first work within - and better - themselves and, once they have achieved that, to then empower and “build one another up,” for empowered women empower women. Ultimately, we’re motivating our St John's D.S.G. "sisters" to defy societal stereotypes (which expect us to compete, be envious of and tear each other down) by choosing the contrary: to uplift one another.” 💛

Introducing our 2020 class of Grade RR Eaglets: a

Introducing our 2020 class of Grade RR Eaglets: a truly happy, fun-loving and spirited bunch! 💛

Three sisters, each starting a different phase of

Three sisters, each starting a different phase of the Junior School yesterday. So special!
💛 Sarah: Grade RR (Pre-Primary)
💛 Quinn: Grade 1 (Junior Primary)
💛 Emma-Kay: Grade 4 (Senior Primary)

Yesterday our Matric girls - sporting their brand

It was an important day for cousins, Tayla Baker a

It was an important day for cousins, Tayla Baker and Ava Joubert today. Both girls enjoyed their very first official day of school at St John's D.S.G. - Tayla in the Senior School (Grade 8) and Ava in the Junior School (Grade RR) 💛

Today is the first school day of 2020! It's been

To our new Grade 9, 10 and 11 girls: welcome! We h

To our new Grade 9, 10 and 11 girls: welcome! We hope you settle in right away and feel truly at home at St John’s D.S.G. 💛

It's been so wonderful welcoming, and spending som

It's been so wonderful welcoming, and spending some time with, our new Grade 8s. Welcome to the St John's D.S.G. Senior School family, girls! May this first day be the beginning of a very special chapter in your lives 💛

Just in case you were wondering what teachers get

Just in case you were wondering what teachers get up to during the holidays... 😂💛

Matrics of 2019, we are so incredibly proud of all

Matrics of 2019, we are so incredibly proud of all that you have achieved this year. It was wonderful to celebrate with you this morning! Wishing you all our love and best wishes as you enter the next exciting, new chapter in your lives 💛

Our Top Achiever of 2019, Sarah Burnett, is pictur

Our Top Achiever of 2019, Sarah Burnett, is pictured on the front page of The Witness today 💛

We are extremely proud of the results that our Cla

We are extremely proud of the results that our Class of 2019 have achieved! Each year our Matric girls do themselves proud, and this year is no exception.

Our Class of 2019 have achieved a 100% pass rate with 144 distinctions between them (this is 30.5% of the total symbols.) 65.7% of all symbols were 70% or higher, meaning that there were 2.1 distinctions and 4.6 Level 6 or 7 passes per candidate, on average.

Fourteen girls achieved 4 or more distinctions:
💛 Sarah Burnett: 7 distinctions
💛 Victoria Wood: 7 distinctions
💛 Ruth O’Sullivan: 6 distinctions
💛 Hannah Saunders: 6 distinctions
💛 Kelsey Dellar: 5 distinctions
💛 Tamsin Haines: 5 distinctions
💛 Shaen MacDevette: 5 distinctions
💛 Asheera Aheer: 4 distinctions
💛 Jessica Coetzee: 4 distinctions
💛 Hannah Jacobs: 4 distinctions
💛 Bridgett Lotter: 4 distinctions
💛 Tsungai Mbuyazi: 4 distinctions
💛 Sinead Morrow: 4 distinctions
💛 Amy Smith: 4 distinctions

Our Top Achiever for 2019 was Sarah Burnett who achieved 7 distinctions, plus 79% in Advanced Programme Mathematics and an aggregate of 89.83%. She achieved in the top 5% of candidates in 6 subjects and earned a place on the IEB’s Outstanding Achievement list with 73 other top performers from around the country. In addition to this, Sarah achieved in the Top 1% of candidates in Mathematics. This was one of 12 instances where our girls achieved in the Top 1% in their subject in the country.
Congratulations to our 2019 Matrics on these fantastic results and a huge thank you to our teachers – including our Junior School staff! – who have dedicated so much time, effort, love and hard work into inspiring and equipping each girl to reach her full potential.
We wish our Class of 2019 all the best as they embark on a new chapter of their lives in 2020 💛

Make a wish! As we say goodbye to 2019 and hello t

Make a wish! As we say goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020, we hope this coming year will be a very special one for you and your loved ones. Happy New Year 💛

In a few weeks time, our 2019 Grade 5 class will b

In a few weeks time, our 2019 Grade 5 class will be handing over their Gardening Club to our 2020 Grade 5s, just like current our Grade 6s handed over to them at the beginning of the year. The Grade 5s have learnt so much this year - our Grade 4s have a lot to look forward to in 2020! 💛 #highlightsof2019

A glimpse of some of the amazing food that comes o

A glimpse of some of the amazing food that comes out of the St John’s D.S.G. kitchen - and yes, it tastes as good as it looks! 💛 #highlightsof2019

Having “big heart” starts at home, and we are

Having “big heart” starts at home, and we are very proud of some of our Junior School girls who decided to assist with this year’s Project24 drive. From volunteering their time to pack the bags and delivering to the hospitals, Emma Speed (Grade 4), Grace Cole-Edwardes (Grade 2) and Chloe Speed (Grade R) sacrificed some of their holidays for a very worthy cause! 💛 #highlightsof2019

“My son, Jedd, weighed little more than a block

“My son, Jedd, weighed little more than a block of butter when he was born at 24 weeks on 15 December, 2013. He spent the next 115 days fighting for his life in the NICU.

Knowing what it is like being in hospital over Christmas, and the overwhelming desperation and hopelessness one feels with a critical baby, my husband and I decided in 2016 that we wanted to put together small gifts (including nappies, clothing, a blanket, wipes, teddy, etc) to bring hope and joy to parents with babies in the NICU over the Christmas period. We decided to deliver these gifts on 24 December and were struck by the significance of this date, with Jedd being born at 24 weeks (my husband and I were also both 24 at the time.) We decided to approach our closest government hospital (Grey’s) to find out the maximum number of babies that they look after. The answer? 24. This was how Project24 was born.
I emailed my colleagues at St John’s D.S.G. to ask if anyone would be interested in donating towards Project24, and the response was so incredible, that we approached Edendale Hospital too (who look after a maximum of 36 babies.) For the last 4 years, Project24 has delivered 60 bags to these 2 hospitals, and last year, Northdale Hospital received 30 bags too. This year, a total of 110 bags were delivered to these 3 hospitals and a hospital in the Northern Province.
Project24 has only been possible because of the amazing support shown by my colleagues at St John’s D.S.G. each year. We receive generous donations from many of the staff. Mrs Freese knits beautiful preemie-sized jerseys and beanies, and Miss Burt sews gorgeous bags in which we place all the items. Mrs Serfontein also knits, and Mrs Venter rallies her friends to contribute towards a “bulk donation.” I work with the most amazing people and it is SUCH a privilege to be a part of the St John’s D.S.G. community. My colleagues - behind the scenes - have played a huge role in the success of Project24 and I am forever grateful to work with these special people, who are willing to put not just their money, but their hearts, where their mouths are!” ~ Mrs Danielle Ashton, Design Co-ordinator 💛 #familyFriday #meetthefamily

With all the delicious treats and meals that grace

With all the delicious treats and meals that graced our taste buds throughout the year, we simply cannot exclude the amazing food we have enjoyed - or the fabulous team behind it - from our list of 2019 highlights. Thank you to our Catering team for all your hard work this year. We adore you all, and our tummies do too! 💛 #thankfulThursday #highlightsof2019

Some of our Grade 1 girls' letters to Santa - some

Some of our Grade 1 girls' letters to Santa - some very special requests, and some amusing ones too! We hope our Grade 1 parents managed to deliver on these 😉💛

Merry Christmas to all our St John's D.S.G. girls,

Merry Christmas to all our St John's D.S.G. girls, staff and their loved ones. We hope you have a special time celebrating this very important day with those closest to you 💛

"This Christmas, put your stocking up. Santa proba

"This Christmas, put your stocking up. Santa probably gets tired of cookies and milk, so leave him a slice of cake and a mug of Milo instead. Fill your plate with roast chicken and potatoes. Leave the vegetables, but don't forget the gravy!

Say a prayer to thank Jesus for coming to earth and sacrificing His life, so that we could live.
Open your crackers at the same time. Take photos to remember the fun you've had together. Laugh. Be grateful for what you have (I'm grateful that I have a nice family, good friends and a good school where there are no boys.) Give your loved ones lots of hugs. Remind them that they are special. Enjoy being around your family - I do. That's why Christmas is my favourite day of the year." ~ Anna Hardman, Grade 3 💛

"My friendships are like ice cream. So many differ

"My friendships are like ice cream. So many different flavours and loved by everyone! At St John's D.S.G., we support each other. We offer encouragement, uplift one another and bring out the best in each other. These friendships have had an amazing impact on my life." Tameeka Zimu, Grade 11

If you ever need a friend, come to St John's D.S.G.! 💛 #highlightsof2019

The KindnessCan initiative is definitely a top hig

The KindnessCan initiative is definitely a top highlight of 2019 year. If you saw our Junior Primary girls' video series, you will have noticed our very capable, and confident, "Fly News" anchor, Zesihe. Wasn't she just fantastic? 💛 #highlightsof2019

"Having been a teacher for over 30 years, I have t

"Having been a teacher for over 30 years, I have taught approximately 800 children! Ironically, many of these children have taught me something too. One of the greatest lessons I learnt was from a girl in my class, named Jessica.
A few years ago, Jess and her older sister, Rebecca, began their journey at St John's D.S.G. I taught Rebecca, who impressed me immediately: she had a gentleness and maturity beyond her years and always looked out for her little sister. The following year, precious Jess began Grade 3 with me. She was always friendly, kind, encouraging to others and had a dazzling smile too!

Throughout the year, Jessica struggled with her health. After eventually discovering a lump in her abdomen, she was diagnosed with cancer and, as a result, she missed the last term of Grade 3 and some of her Grade 4 year. However, in true Jess style, she persevered. Whilst undergoing her operations and having treatment, she was still very much a part of our class. We would even send each other videos!

What always struck me about Jessica was that she never complained or felt sorry for herself. As soon as she was allowed, she was courageous enough to come back to school, with her port and wearing a very stylish head wrap (which to this day I haven’t been able to copy!), a mask and gloves, to explain her condition and her treatment plan to us.
Jessica's incredible courage and resilience, as well as her complete faith in God, her family and the people who love her, have had a profound impact on me as a teacher. She reminded me what a gift and privilege it is to look after other people’s children: to nurture and love these little (and big!) beings, to have them trust you, to guide them, to respect them, to honour them and to believe in them are duties not to be taken lightly.
Jess will be going to Grade 6 next year, has since had her port removed and has also been cleared of cancer." ~ Mrs Trish Beetar (Junior Primary H.O.D.) #familyFriday #meetthefamily #highlightsof2019 💛 *Please note: This story has been shared with full consent by Jessica and Rebecca's parents.

The only thing cooler than having a pool party at

The only thing cooler than having a pool party at school is when your teacher joins in the fun! 💛 #highlightsof2019

Load More... Follow on Instagram