Excellent Matric results confirm our ability to provide the tuition and encouragement necessary for all pupils to achieve their full potential. The benefits of our small classes are clearly seen in the individual attention, modern teaching methods and spacious working conditions. We write the Matriculation examination of the Independent Examinations Board (I.E.B) and ensure that we maintain the highest academic standards.
A varied and flexible range of subject choices, combined with highly qualified and dedicated teachers, ensures each girl has the opportunity to fulfil her potential. Enrichment and leadership tours are included in the curriculum and opportunities to travel overseas include exchange programmes.
In Grades 10 – 12 the following subjects are offered:
St John’s D.S.G. also offers girls the opportunity to study Advanced Programme Mathematics and Advanced Programme English.
In Grades 8 – 9 all the above mentioned subjects will be covered to allow girls maximum exposure to all subjects. In these Grades they will study Technology which is a forerunner to Consumer Studies and EMS (Economic and Management Studies) which is a forerunner to Business Studies and Accounting.
Cultural extension is actively encouraged at St John’s D.S.G. through the vibrant programmes offered in Music, Visual Arts and Dramatic Arts with outstanding facilities supporting each faculty.
Music
At St John’s D.S.G. we love making music; it forms the heartbeat of the school where girls are encouraged to participate in music concerts, events and competitions in-and outside the school.
Girls have the opportunity to participate in a variety of musical activities which include:
The Music Department has five full time teachers situated on the school campus and a number of itinerant music teachers who teach a variety of musical instruments. The school also has a technology lab fitted with appropriate software where girls can compose and record their own music.
Visual Arts
Art is a much appreciated subject at St John’s D.S.G., where the girls are allowed to tap into their creative side through the disciplines of drawing and painting. The art course for all Grade 8 – Grade 9 girls, provides them with a foundation with which to understand and appreciate art. This is added to over the next three years, should girls decided to take Art to Matric, allowing them to fulfil their potential by exploring different materials and methods of work. The process culminates with the Grade 12’s holding an exhibition of their work, which bears testimony to their development, progress and future potential.
Dramatic Arts
Drama is a social art form which integrates visual, aural, physical, kinaesthetic and performance elements to communicate, explore, reflect on and enhance human experience. The subject Dramatic Arts encompasses a range of performance modes across a variety of media and within a diversity of cultural and social contexts. It develops and promotes human creativity as a rich, diverse and productive resource through dramatic communication, interaction and representation.
The skills gained in the subject prepare the students for careers which focus on communication and interaction with people. Law, management, advertising, marketing, public relations, medicine, journalism, psychology and social work are just a few of the careers which need good communicators.
Cultural Clubs
Specific interests are encouraged at St John’s D.S.G. in the form of various clubs that include:
Opportunities to participate in a number of sporting activities encourage teamwork and individual fulfilment. Our sporting programme is especially designed to allow maximum participation and excellence in multiple fields.
We offer various sporting activities which include a varied Lifestyle programme. Our highly trained and dedicated coaching staff as well as our world class sporting facilities ensures our talented sportswoman achieve their potential through our sports extension programmes.
Sports on offer include:
Our sporting facilities include ten tennis courts; three netball courts; two squash courts; a gym hall with sprung floor; a grass hockey field and an artificial hockey surface; an eight-lane, 25m heated swimming pool (which can be converted into a water polo pool); a cross-country training course; and a multi-purpose indoor centre with basketball, indoor hockey, netball and tennis courts.
At St John’s D.S.G. Christian worship, values and principals are the foundation of our school life. Our School Chaplain, Revd. Diane Pickford is available to the girls for pastoral guidance, counselling and support.
The girls at St John’s D.S.G. participate in a variety of spiritual experiences which contribute towards the development of a relationship with God.
St John’s D.S.G. strongly believes in education outside the confines of the classroom, so each grade has an opportunity to get out to explore and learn. The Grade 9’s have the amazing opportunity of “uHambo”, an epic three week trip to the Drakensburg covering a distance of roughly 200km.
This incredible adventure is known as uHambo, which means “journey’ in isiZulu – an apt name since the trip is a physical, spiritual and emotional journey for the girls. During uHambo, they will be completely self-sufficient, carrying with them all that they need in the way of food, clothing and shelter.
The intention of uHambo is to promote an opportunity to develop tolerance, gratitude, perseverance and endurance, while encouraging environmental awareness and respect. This enriching experience provides a brief respite from our fast-paced, often superficial, consumerist society. Another important aim of uHambo is to teach the girls the value of family, friends and ones broader community.
Outreach, or community work undertaken by members of the St John’s D.S.G. community, either as individuals or in groups, is in keeping with our vision to develop girls who “contribute meaningfully to our immediate and broader environment” in a spirit of service and humility. A variety of groups within the school are involved with a range of larger projects on an ongoing basis, and many other initiatives are supported annually, including Bandana Day.
ASHBURTON PRIMARY SCHOOL
The school’s primary outreach project is Ashburton Primary School, where Grade 10 girls create teaching materials and facilitate learning experiences with the classes. This year, the school’s Principal, Mr Ephraim Sbusiso Zibonele Ndlovu, has asked us to focus on developing a reading programme which will provide structure and context for the classroom visits. We will also be collecting suitable children’s readers for the classrooms.
Another project that the school supports at Ashburton Primary School is their feeding scheme. Money is raised through the St John’s D.S.G. “Fan Friday” Campaign, to buy a nutrient-dense cereal which is given to children who come to school hungry.
The girls’ favourite Ashburton Primary School project, however, is the Christmas Party. Each year the Grade 10s host a fabulous affair, with crafts, games, songs and team activities to suit the different age groups, not to mention creating party packs.
