ST MARY’S MATTERS St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls

FROM THE HEAD’S DESK 27 June 2008

Dear Parents, year’s Grade 0 class was very are awaiting top soil to be evident. There are very few delivered, after which we It always amazes me how places in other classes in the will proceed with the plan quickly the three weeks Junior School. of installing irrigation and between issues of St Inside this issue: then the grass will be Mary’s Matters can pass The Senior School choir has planted in time for the by, and these last few qualified for the ATKV finals in growing season. weeks have been no ex- Cape Town at the beginning of Head’s Desk 1 ception. August. We are one of three This coming Friday, girls’ schools in the more ex- Bishop Jo Seoka will be On the sports front, we can perienced section. This will be confirming 26 of our girls, Junior School News 2 breathe again as things a challenge, but the girls will and we look forward to the settle back to normal. How- rise to the occasion and do us service. ever, the final fling has proud. been busy. In the Senior Parents should note that Parents’ Association 3 School hockey playoffs, the the DSG Foundation has a u14A and Open teams limited amount of funds for were narrowly beaten in 2009 which can be allo- Bird Article 4 the semi-finals, and the cated to current parents u16 A girls won their who are finding it difficult league. They are an amaz- to pay their fees. Counselling Centre 5 ing team, having won the Bursary application forms league now for three years are available from Mrs P. running in their respective Marais ( Senior School) Sports News 6 age group. and Mrs T. Houbert ( Jun- The Northern Top ior School). These forms Schools’ squash matches should be returned to were recently played on DSG mo later than 25 July The Junior School choir im- our courts. DSG beat Girls’ 2008. pressed everyone at the recent High 5-1, and for the sev- Magic of Music Festival at the I am sure you too are enth year in a row will now Linder Auditorium in Johannes- looking forward to the half- play in the national top burg. term break. Make the schools’ squash tourna- most of the time with your ment in Pietermaritzburg The Parents’ Association are to girls and enjoy the week. during the August holidays. be congratulated on the most When we return all enjoyable Bingo Bash which It was really good to attend thoughts will be academic they held last week. The main the Junior School Sports as examinations begin. aim was to create an opportu- festival last Saturday. With nity for our parents to come all of the and “There is no end to together and enjoy time spent hockey fields in use, there With kind regards education. It is not that together, and at the same time was a wonderful vibe and I you read a book, pass they raised a nice amount to- Ciska Tempest an examination, and am sure all the games wards the new sports facilities finish with education. were enjoyed by the many Head of School which they are supporting. The whole of life, parents who came to sup- from the moment you port their daughters. Find- In the next few weeks, the gen- are born to the mo- ing a parking space was erator ordered by the school ment you die, is a difficult and this is some- will be installed. We will then be process of learning thing we will need to attend ready to handle any power out- “ to in the future. The festi- ages over the winter period. val was part of the Junior As far as the new hockey/ School Open Day, where soccer field is concerned, we keen interest for next Page 2 ST MARY’S MATTERS

Junior School News

The Junior School held their “Open Day” last Saturday, and was well attended by prospective new parents, as well as present parents. Activities took place in all the classrooms, and a Hockey and Netball Festival was held at the fields with Cornwall Hill College, St. Stithian’s Girls School and taking part.

We are looking forward to Old Girls’ Association Big Walk on Friday, and hope that all Jun- ior School parents will be able to join us for this fun morning.

I would like to wish you all a restful Half-Term break, and for those of you travelling, please “buckle-up”, and return safely to us on Monday 7 July. Mrs B. Craig Principal : Junior School Foundation Phase

Friday 13 June was a memorable day for our Grade 0 girls. It was the first Grade 0 Entre- preneurs Market. The Grade 0 girls with the help of Mums and Dads sold their wares to the Senior School girls during their break time. It was an exciting time for all. The profits will be used by the Grade 0’s to host the Matric girls for tea early next term. Mrs C. Tansell Grade 0T

Maths Around the Home

Practicing maths skills can be fun and easy for children. There are many things in your home that will encourage children to love maths and at the same time improve basic maths skills. Here are some fun games and activities to help your child develop better maths skills.

• Give your child a better understanding of capacity (the amount of liquid a container will hold).Ask your child how you might measure the water in the bathtub. Would you use buckets, cups, or teaspoons? Allow him or her to play with plastic jugs, cups, and measuring spoons to help him/her understand the relationship between different measurement tools. • Practice maths facts. Have your child spread shaving cream on the side or the back of the tub. Call out addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems and have him/her draw or write the answer with his/her finger in the shaving cream. • Use foam numbers that stick to the wall when wet. Have your child make up maths problems using the numbers and answer them. Be sure your child says each problem from beginning to end. For example, 2 + 3 = 5. For best results, have him/her say it 3 times and point to each digit as he/she reads. • Have your child find and identify all of the shapes he/she can in the bathroom. Be sure to have her describe each shape. For ex- ample, “The tile is square. It has four sides.” • Have your child help put away groceries. He/she will be working on sorting skills by sorting the groceries into different catego- ries and putting them in their place. • Have her compare items by weight and amount. Volume 12, Issue 7 Page 3

Maths around the home

• Making cookies is an excellent way to develop an understanding for multiplication. Have him/her line the unbaked cookies in equal rows. Ask him/her how many cookies are in each row, how many rows there are, and then how many cookies there are altogether. Extend this activity by adding chocolate chips to the cookies. Ask questions like “If you have 3 cookies with 4 chocolate chips in each, how many chocolate chips do you have in all?” ∗ Ask your child to help you read recipes and measure ingredients. Bme ∗ Teach your child to recognize different times of the day on a clock (dinner time, bed time and bath time) ∗ Play maths card games. There are many maths games to play with cards. For example, you can put down two cards and have your child add them together, subtract one from the other, multiply them together, or simply choose which is greater. Use dice. Roll dice and add the numbers together or multiply them. Mrs G. Wöcke Special Needs

The PA says ...

There will be no winter General Feedback Meeting this term. All interested parents are invited to attend the scheduled Parent Association Committee Meeting on 14 July 2008 at 18:00 in the Old Conference Room.

Remember to sign up for the My School card on www.myschool.co.za. It will only take a few min- utes of your time. You can also get grandparents, other family members and friends to apply for their own cards. They just need to specify St Mary’s DSG, as the school they wish to be linked to. Thank you to those parents who have signed up for and are using the My School card. If you have applied for a card and have still not received it, please call Rosemarie on 0824987577. Thank you to all those parents who have linked their cards. Forms are available at sen- ior and junior school offices for those parents who still wish to link their cards. Cards can also be linked in store at the service counter. Remember to get friends and family involved.

REMEMBER TO SWIPE YOUR CARDS

Page 4 ST MARY’S MATTERS

Grade 3’s Bird Article

The Grade 3 girls have been extremely busy this term. Their ambition has been to become ornithologists. They have had such wonderful learning experiences. The first was a demonstration by Mr. J. McLuskie, who is a qualified bird ringer. We set up nets in the school and rung about 6 different species of birds. The girls learnt what data is captured during this process. They assisted in recording the data before setting the birds free. It was such a wonderful experience. So if you see a Speckled Pigeon, Red Eyed Dove, Black Bapped Bulbul or a Cape Wagtail parading a flashy ring, it may just be a product of our exciting day. We did not stop learning after this. The girls researched a water bird each, which they presented in project form. The grand finale finally arrived; our opportunity to put all our newly acquired ornithology skills to work. We visited the Univer- sity of Pretoria’s LC De Villiers dam. It was a gloriously sunny day. The girls were armed with bird books, binoculars and of course some food for the birds. The day was spent observing all that we had learnt in a real life setting, not just in a book or on the internet. Knowledge like this is used throughout one’s life.

Mrs. L. Holdt Grade 3H

Page 5 ST MARY’S MATTERS

Counselling Centre

Educational and career choices.

In today’s modern and high-pressured world, making the correct career choice is of utmost importance. It will play a determining role in the pupil’s future financial security as well as their emotional and personal development. Making an educational and career choice is not as simple as choosing a future job; it is making a life choice that will determine your child’s development for the remainder of their lives. This choice needs to be made with the utmost caution taking all determining factors such as person- ality, personal interests, aptitude, and scholastic ability into account.

Most young individuals make the mistake of choosing careers that are “fashionable”, financially rewarding, or glamorous, even choosing careers based on the desires of the parents. It is no wonder that nearly 40% of all first year university students “If you wish change or fail their initial choice of study route. to find,you Making an informed decision and a Career Guidance Assessment is one the most effective must means of assisting in making that decision. search.Rarely The Counselling Centre provides assessment opportunities for Grade 9 students. does a good idea interrupt Please talk to your children about this important aspect of their lives and don’t be too de- you”. sponded if they have three different choices over a weekend. By listening to them, you act as a By Jim Rohn sounding board and help them to get clarity.

Upcoming event : GRADE 9 subject choice evening – 11 th July 2008

Performing Arts Centre

On 12 June, the Matric music students nervously waited as the orchestra perfected their repertoire. The attendees slowly trickled into the hall and our programme began. The orches- tra opened the programme. Throughout the evening we enjoyed an array of diverse performances from a guitar rendition of Enrique Iglesiases “Hero” to a rather lively vocal performance of Shania Twain’s “That don’t impress me much”. The four Matric subject music students, Wennie Wu, Blanche Conradie, Tazmin Sandford and Yulia Lysko worked tirelessly organizing the event as part of their portfolio. Their hard work and dedication came through during the impeccably arranged function. The integration of junior school talent and senior school experience made for a truly pleasant concert.

Volume 12, Issue 7 Page 6

Sports News

SQUASH

The squash league has started and ended with outstanding results for all our teams. All three teams won all their matches in the league and for the 7th consecutive year we won the A-league. We also won the Northern Gauteng Top Schools match against Pretoria Girls High 5 – 1. This means that we have also won the NG Top Schools Tourament for the 7th consecutive year. The Top Schools team consisted of Bronwyn Reilly, Helen Coetzee, Frances Wensley, Bridgette Botha, Lauren Cant, Dassie Persaud-van der Westhuizen, with Ashleigh Ferreira and Nicola Schmidt as the reserves. Mrs Merle Lindhorst is the coach. Tamlyn Chippindall gained 1st position in the U14 Prince Open Competition.

The following players have been selected to represent Northern Gauteng at the annual Inter Provincial Tournaments in their respective age groups: U13A Makgosi Peloakgosi Boipelo Montwedi U14A Cyann Camera Tamlyn Chippindall Amy Farrel U16A Dassie P-vd Westhuizen Brigette Botha Nicola Schmidt U19A Helen Coetzee Ashleigh Ferreira

Congratulations to all the players on these outstanding results!

BASKETBALL

Our teams and their coaches had outstanding results this year. They won the U14 A and B and the U16 A and B leagues. The Open team gained 4th position.

Fortunate Malago received the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award in the U16 section and Thando Mthimunye the U14 MVP award.

Maya Wegerif U16 and Jessica Watkins U14 were selected for the respective ALL STAR teams. Only five players in each age group are selected out of all the teams participating in the league for this honour.

JUNIOR NETBALL

The U11A and U12A teams made it to the play-offs. The U11A team lost 8-4 to Louis Leipold, while the U12A team beat Louis Leipold 12-9. In the 2nd round the U12A team played against Anton van Wouw, and lost 12-6. Congratulations to both teams for reaching the play-offs.

JUNIOR OPEN DAY SPORTS FESTIVAL

DSG hosted a hockey and netball festival as part of the Junior School Open Day. St Stithian’s, Cornwall Hill College and Tyger Valley College participated. The day was a great success, and everybody had great fun. Page 7 ST MARY’S MATTERS

SPORTS NEWS CONT….

TENNIS

Due to clashes with other sports activities, some of the matches had to be rescheduled to a later date. The teams had mixed fortunes with the league:

DSG OPEN C 62 VS WILLOWRIDGE A 6 DSG OPEN C 23 VS PHSG D 44 DSG OPEN C 18 VS PRETORIA NOORD 49 DSG OPEN B 53 VS MIDSTREAM A 14 DSG OPEN A 59 VS MENLOPARK C 8 SENIOR NETBALL Our netball teams played and trained very hard this season. The hard work paid off when they played in the semi-finals and finals. The final results were:

U14 Silver medals U15 Silver medals U16 Gold medals Mrs Lynette Ferreira was the coach of this team Open 4th position Well done, and congratulations to all the players and coaches involved.

SENIOR HOCKEY The semi-finals and finals of the senior hockey league took place over the long weekend. The U14A, U16A and Open A-teams went through to the semi-finals where they played in very tough matches. The U14 team lost 2-1 when the final result depended on penalty flicks while the Open team lost 1 – 0.

The U16A team won the gold medals after beating Oos-Moot 2 – 0 in the finals. It was wonder- ful to see the parent support at these matches. Miss Ashleigh Robertson was the coach of the successful team while Mr Francois Enslin and Mrs Melinda Vos du Toit was the other staff member whose teams went through to the semi-finals. Well done to all the players and coaches!

Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected for their respective Northern Gau- teng Hockey teams:

U14A Lungile Mahlare U14B Kay Kangwa Motlatsi Tsiane U15B Savannah Lodge U16A Dassie Persaud-van der Westhuizen U18A Simone Barrett Volume 12, Issue 7 Page 8

Still on the sports news….

JUNIOR HOCKEY

The hockey league season finished on a high, with the U11A, U12A and U13A teams winning their leagues.

The U11A team beat Wonderboom 3-0. The U12A team beat St Paulus 2-1. The U13A team beat Garsfontein 1-0. The U13B team beat Garsfontein 2-0.

The U8, U10, U11B and U13C teams played in a festival at Irene Primary. The U8’s won all their matches. They beat Irene 3-2, Constantiapark 4-0 and Cornwall Hill 5-1. The U10’s beat CBC B team 3-0, Hennopspark B team 5-0, Irene 3-0, Woodhill College 2-1 and Cornwall Hill B 1-0. They lost against the A-teams of CBC, Hennopspark and Cornwall Hill. The U11B team lost against Woodhill College, Northridge and Hatfield. The U13C team lost 4-1 to Constantiapark A-team. They beat Lyttleton 2-0 and Sprigvale 7-1.

SENIOR INTER-HOUSE NETBALL AND HOCKEY

The Inter-house netball and hockey was filled with hard games, fun and support. The staff showed that they are the best by winning both the netball and hockey matches against the matric teams.

NETBALL U16 Open Overalll

1ST St Andrew 1st St David 1st St Patrick 2nd St Patrick 2nd St Patrick 2nd St Andrew 3rd St George 3rd St Andrew 3rd St David 4th St David 4th St George 4th St George

HOCKEY U16 Open Overall

1st St Patrick 1st St Patrick 1st St Patrick 2nd St George 2nd St Andrew St George 3rd St Andrew 3rd St David 3rd St Andrew 4th St David 4th St George 4th St David

Page 9 ST MARY’S MATTERS

Still on the Sports News...

EQUESTRIAN

More and more riders are participating in the schools competition and they are having outstanding results. SANEF Schools Gau- teng North 3rd Qualifier 31st May and 1st June 2008. Junior School – Finished 5th overall in Category 4-6 Horse/Rider Combinations..

Class/Discipline Rider Horse/Pony Place up to Points for

5th shown School

1b dress level 0 Kristina Harris Brown Blue 5th 96

1b dress level 0 Callan Laing Nikita 79

2b dress level 0 Kristina Harris Brown Blue 4th 97

2b dress level 0 Callan Laing Nikita 82

3 dress level 1 Theodora Michaletos Ordep Laylita 1st 100

4 dress level 1 Theodora Michaletos Ordep Laylita 2nd 99

11b perf level 0 Callan Laing Nikita 88

15 perf level 4 Theodora Michaletos Ordep Laylita 1st 100

16b wrid level 0 Kristina Harris Brown Blue 92

Volume 12, Issue 7 Page 10

Sports News Cont….

16b wrid level 0 Callan Laing Nikita 78 28 SJ level 1 Michela Roche Lido 76 29 SJ level 1 Michela Roche Lido 85

High School – Finished 2nd Overall in Category 7-9 Horse/Rider Combinations

Class/Discipline Rider Horse/Pony Place up to Points for 5th Shown School

42 dress level 1 Janine Roos Rob Roy 86 42 dress level 1 Nicole Garcia Florencia 2nd 99 43 dress level 1 Janine Roos Rob Roy 86 43 dress level 1 Nicole Garcia Florencia 94 44 dress level 2 Sarah Newman Caegwyn Show- 90

45 dress level 2 Sarah Newman Caegwyn Show- 4th 97

48 dress level 4 Anthea Michaletos Bukkenburg Estie 1st 100 49 dress level 4 Anthea Michaletos Bukkenburg Estie 1st 100

55 perf level 3 Sarah Newman 3rd 98 56 perf level 4 Anthea Michaletos Bukkenburg Estie 94 56 perf level 4 Nicole Garcia Florencia 93 60 wrid level 3 Olivia Bramley Desert Sands 1st 100 66 equit level 4 Olivia Bramley Desert Sands 1st 100 74 SJ level 3 Cecily Claasen Daydream Mary 77 75 SJ level 3 Cecily Claasen Daydream Mary 89 76 SJ level 4 Olivia Bramley Desert Sands 4th 97 76 SJ level 4 Nadine Verryn Liquidity 89 77 SJ level 4 Nadine Verryn Liquidity 95 80 SJ level 6 Patricia Lourens North Power 2nd 99 81 SJ level 6 Patricia Lourens North Power 1st 100

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St Mary’s Diocesan This would be a good place to insert a short paragraph about your School for Girls organization. It might include the purpose of the organization, its mission, founding date, and a brief history. You could also include No. 1640 Makapanstad a brief list of the types of products, services, or programs your or- 0404 ganization offers, the geographic area covered (for example, west- ern U.S. or European markets), and a profile of the types of custom- ers or members served. Cell: 072 151 2787 It would also be useful to include a contact name for readers who Fax: 072 131 151 2787 E-Mail: +27 72 151 2787 want more information about the organization.

W E’ RE ON THE WEB! EXAMPLE. MICROSOFT. CO M

Back Page Story Headline

This story can fit 175-225 small, you may want to list words. the names of all employees. If your newsletter is folded If you have any prices of and mailed, this story will standard products or ser- appear on the back. So, it’s a vices, you can include a list- good idea to make it easy to ing of those here. You may read at a glance. want to refer your readers to any other forms of communi- A question and answer ses- cation that you’ve created for Caption describing picture or sion is a good way to quickly graphic. capture the attention of read- your organization. ers. You can either compile You can also use this space questions that you’ve re- to remind readers to mark ceived since the last edition their calendars for a regular or you can summarize some event, such as a breakfast generic questions that are meeting for vendors every frequently asked about your third Tuesday of the month, organization. or a biannual charity auction. A listing of names and titles If space is available, this is a of managers in your organi- good place to insert a clip art zation is a good way to give image or some other graphic. your newsletter a personal touch. If your organization is