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

Life at St John’s D.S.G.

“The best thing about being married is the happi

“The best thing about being married is the happiness I feel at being part of a family.” These are the wise words from Mr Sifiso Ngcobo, one of our lovely School Drivers, who married the love of his life, Nqobile on Saturday. We wish Mr and Mrs Ngcobo many happy and healthy years together. 💛

Little swimmers with BIG heart! A very big “well

Little swimmers with BIG heart! A very big “well done” to these incredible Grade R girls (and their lovely mums) for swimming in last week’s PinkDrive Swimathon at Seals and raising over R3 000 for the nominated charities 💛

Congratulations to Lauren Wetherill (Grade 8) for

Congratulations to Lauren Wetherill (Grade 8) for receiving a Gold Medal in Free Dance (level 6) at the recent Glenwood Gymnastics Club Competition. Her routine was also filmed and sent to Gymnastics South Africa for entry into their Virtual National Competition 2020. Lauren has been participating in competitive Gymnastics since Grade 1 and has competed in over 50 competitions throughout the years - wow! Well done on this outstanding achievement Lauren - we are so proud of you. 💛

We were beaming with pride when our Grade 7s had t

We were beaming with pride when our Grade 7s had their Prize-Giving today - not just because of what they have achieved during this difficult year, but more importantly, because of who they are. Their determination, enthusiasm and resilience has shone through. Well done, girls 💛

LOOK OUT, J.K. ROWLING! 💛 Grade 10 pupil, Abig

LOOK OUT, J.K. ROWLING! 💛
Grade 10 pupil, Abigail Oberhölzer recently published her own book entitled, "The Stone of Fenwood Forest", an enchanting fantasy adventure novel. It has already received rave reviews from industry professionals, including Zinzile N. Sibanda, Head Consultant, Author and Publisher of Guava Paper Writing Consultancy, who says, “This book personifies the intrigue of destiny and is an eloquently written page turner... an absolute must-read that’s inspirational and relevant for all ages!” "The Stone of Fenwood Forest" is available for pre-order on Instagram @utarziabooks or privately through Abigail for R150. It will also be available for download on Kindle from Monday, 23 November 2020 – just in time for Christmas! Well done Abigail, we are so proud of your incredible achievement and we look forward to watching you achieve your dreams in the future 💛

A Covid-conscious hailman, made this afternoon (wi

A Covid-conscious hailman, made this afternoon (with much hilarity) by our Grade 7 girls 💛

The calm after the storm. We hope everyone is safe

The calm after the storm. We hope everyone is safe, warm and dry 💛

Dancing with the feet is one thing... dancing with

Dancing with the feet is one thing... dancing with the heart is another. Grade 9 pupil, Jessica Conway was awarded Gold on Saturday for her Level 10 American Academy of Ballet, as well as a scholarship to attend the AAB Summer School in New York in 2021. Well done, Jessica - we are incredibly proud of you 💛

Congratulations to Grade R Eaglet, Amelia Peattie

Congratulations to Grade R Eaglet, Amelia Peattie for taking part in both the recent Pre Royal Showing Show and Reserve Champion Young Rider championship. Amelia, who loves horse riding, placed 1st in 3 categories, 2nd in one, 3rd in one and was also Reserve Champion in the Lead Rein Pony category. We love your passion, Amelia, and can’t wait to see how you continue to flourish doing what you love! Well done💛

Our cheeky little Grade 3s have had such fun playi

Our cheeky little Grade 3s have had such fun playing “Elf on the Shelf!” From hacking into Miss Wiesinger’s emails to send a sneaky message to parents and having pillow fights in the staff room, to hiding in the Grade 7 lockers and pinching treats from the tuckshop, take a look to see what they’ve been up to... 💛

OUR GRADE 9S ARE IN GRADE 10! 💛 Yes, you read

OUR GRADE 9S ARE IN GRADE 10! 💛 Yes, you read correctly 😉 - our 2020 Grade 10 class literally doubled overnight when our Grade 9s became Grade 10s during this past week! Due to COVID-19, this year’s Grade 9 uHambo journey had to be postponed, resulting in the girls being a few weeks ahead in their syllabus. They will still be going on uHambo next year, and have therefore started Grade 10 now, in order to make up for the time that they will be away in 2021. This means:
💛 For the first time in St John's D.S.G. history, we currently have no Grade 9 girls and, instead, 2 sets of Grade 10s!
💛 We have 4 grades, instead of the usual 3, who are taking chosen subjects (rather than mandatory subjects).
💛 Mr Tyson, our Head of Academics had to work extensively on a new timetable that would accommodate this shift from the "usual way" we do things.
💛 Next year we will have NINE groups departing for uHambo over a two-week period. During the time in which all groups are away at once, nearly 200 people (including our group leaders and support staff) will be on the journey of a lifetime at the very same time, making 2021 uHambo our biggest adventure yet!

Grade 11 pupil, Lindsay Foss is raising funds for

Grade 11 pupil, Lindsay Foss is raising funds for @ezemvelokznwildlife through her passion: swimming! Lindsay’s target is R5000 and she needs to raise this by December. To help her reach her goal or for more information, please click on the link in our bio 💛

Behind the scenes of this year’s very different

Behind the scenes of this year’s very different nativity play! Our Grade 3s are getting the full Hollywood experience this morning as they film “Co-Ho-Ho-vid Christmas”, written and produced by our fabulous Drama Teacher, Mrs Lucy Usher 💛

“Watch with glittering eyes the whole world arou

“Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you... because those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl Our Grade 3s definitely found magic today (and a few golden tickets!) during their Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Day 💛

Our Eaglets are thrilled to have some new friends

Our Eaglets are thrilled to have some new friends to play with! Just look at these beautiful dolls - custom made by @charlielovesstudio with our Eaglets in mind 💛

Shristhi (Grade 4) brought this to school to show

Shristhi (Grade 4) brought this to school to show her teacher: a little chart she made during her free time about why she loves St John’s D.S.G. 💛

“My love of art started when I was 5 years old a

“My love of art started when I was 5 years old and my father bought me a box of crayons,” Grade 10 pupil, Bulelwa Kumalo says. Now in Grade 10, she is working towards achieving a Silver President’s Award, and chose art as the skill she wanted to develop. We were so impressed when we saw this first piece of hers! “I hope that this self portrait ends up being one of many in my collection, showing different people with their unique skin shades. I want to bring out the beauty of African skin and show that all shades are beautiful,” Bulelwa says💛

Get your fishing rods and tackle boxes ready - and

Get your fishing rods and tackle boxes ready - and your camping gear too! It’s that time of the year again: the St John’s D.S.G. Parents’ Association will be hosting their annual Fishing Competition on the weekend of 28 – 29 November 2020 at the picturesque Thornlea Dam in the Tala Valley. This event has become a highlight on our social calendar, providing a weekend of fun for the whole family. To top it off, there is a prize of R25 000 for anyone who catches a tagged bass! If you would like to book your spot, please download a registration from the SJS App (if you are a St John's D.S.G. parent) or contact Mrs Heather Evans on hevans@stjohnsdsg.com. Book soon to avoid disappointment! A big “thank you” to our 2020 main sponsors, @lowrancesouthafrica and Flowe-Pac 💛

Well done to Milla Drakopoulos, Emma Kuhn, Lindsay

Well done to Milla Drakopoulos, Emma Kuhn, Lindsay Foss, Emily Martens and Jessica Meter, who took part in the very prestigious South African Short Course Gala last week. It was wonderful for them to have the opportunity to swim against other top swimmers from around the country, and we have no doubt this experience will bode well for their swimming futures 💛

2020 has been a crazy ride so far, but we're on th

2020 has been a crazy ride so far, but we're on the final lap now. Just 4 school weeks left until the end of the year! 💛

"In my Junior School years, I would walk into scho

"In my Junior School years, I would walk into school holding my dad’s hand. As I started getting older, this of course to me became embarrassing and not ‘cool!’" A special message to dads of teenage daughters, from our Counselling Psychologist, Mrs O'Connell - link in bio 💛

BUILDING UPDATE 💛 It's about 6 weeks until our

BUILDING UPDATE 💛 It's about 6 weeks until our new build is due to be completed, and we are so excited! Some interesting facts about our new building: 💛 The building will provide us with 12 classrooms, a lecture theatre, a fabulous resource centre, a team-teaching venue (which will be able to accommodate a full grade), staff offices, a meeting room and a beautiful reception.
💛 In addition, the theatre reception and Principal’s office is being upgraded, with a new interview waiting area created.
💛 We will be the first school in the country to have human-centric (or circadian smart) lighting. Human-centric lighting is said to benefit the biological and emotional health and wellbeing of people. This is achieved by dimming the LED light source to mimic the levels of sunlight throughout the day. Higher motivation, increased productivity and an improved sense of wellbeing are some of the documented effects of human-centric lighting.
💛 The primary purpose of this project is to create more space for our girls and to provide all full-time teachers with their own classroom.
💛 The project also includes major upgrades to our Harwin Road entrance and parking areas. When the first phase of this project is completed, we shall have controlled access and parking for 16 vehicles, and when the second phase is completed, we shall provide an additional 50 parking bays. 💛 The Harwin Road entrance will become our main school entrance, with our New England Road entrance being kept for access for Junior Primary parents and staff.

Our Junior School girls have been playing “postw

Our Junior School girls have been playing “postwomen” for the last few weeks, making surprise deliveries to our support staff when that they least expect it! Armed with beautiful, handmade cards, the girls have made an effort to personally thank each staff member for all that they do for the St John’s D.S.G. family - this had resulted in lots of smiles and happy hearts 💛

Mrs Phindile Ndimande (one of our isiZulu Teachers

Mrs Phindile Ndimande (one of our isiZulu Teachers) is a most deserving winner of a competition by Activated Academy, who offer personal development courses for educators! Mrs Ndimande's prize is a course of her choice valued at R5500. Mrs Ndimande was nominated by her friend and colleague, Drama Teacher Ms Jackie Keevy-Muir, who says, "She has great rapport with our girls and they feel comfortable with her. I think they find her kind and compassionate and she wants every single one of them to succeed to their best of their ability. She’s also a wonderful colleague – she’s empathetic and has a wicked sense of humour!” Mrs Ndimande says, “It feels amazing to have won, and I can’t wait to uplift myself and grow as a teacher. I’m planning to do a course about the pedagogy of modern technology in the classroom.” Ms Keevy-Muir adds jokingly, “Perhaps when Mrs Ndimande has completed the course, she can teach us everything she learnt!” Congratulations, Mrs Ndimande - you are loved and appreciated and we are so very proud of you 💛

Coming soon to the New York Times Best Seller List

Coming soon to the New York Times Best Seller List...
Our Grade 3s have absolutely loved writing and illustrating their very own storybooks, and have amazed us with their creativity! From tortoises visiting the Eiffel Tower to ants boarding holiday cruise ships, the girls' books feature very interesting characters within fabulous plots! The girls were very proud to read their masterpieces to the Grade Rs this morning 💛

Mid-week motivation for our Grade Rs came in the f

Mid-week motivation for our Grade Rs came in the form of sugar and sparkles this morning when Alysia brought beautiful St John's D.S.G. themed cupcakes for her friends - just because! 💛

Whoever said that pretty dresses and dirt don't go

Whoever said that pretty dresses and dirt don't go together... hasn't met a St John's D.S.G. Eaglet 💛 #gritandgrace

We are incredibly proud of our Grade 11 Squash gir

We are incredibly proud of our Grade 11 Squash girls for being selected for KZN Inter-Provincial teams. Megan Pratt (left) was selected for the U19A team and Jasmin Whitby, Olivia Bedingham and Rachel Bromley were selected for the U19B team. Squash coach, Ravi Govender, says, "Over the past few years, these girls have become very talented Squash players. They have a positive attitude and persevere when things get difficult." Well done, girls 💛

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