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WYNBERG GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER Also available on our website : FEBRUARY 2014 www.wynghs.co.za Dear Parents METRO SOUTH MATRIC 2013 AWARDS This last month has been devoted largely to marketing our school Wynberg Girls’ High School shone at this ceremony: to prospective learners for 2015. It has made me reflect, again, Wynberg was joint first in Circuit 2 - the school with on how easy it is to “sell” our school. Visitors often inform us that the highest % of learners achieving a Bachelors' pass we present the best Open Day in the area and this is a result of and a 100% pass rate. the hard work that your daughters and our educators put into this Lauren Gildenhuys, 2013 Head of School, invited to day and their lives here. speak on behalf of the Class of 2013, spoke eloquently I continually tell the girls that they are the marketing team, and of the key realisations she had reflected on since leaving school. She spoke of the privilege of attending comments from visitors always include the neat, groomed an extraordinary school and challenged her fellow appearance of the girls and their courtesy. The girls who play matriculants to “Pay it Forward” by helping others to musical instruments around the school and show learners what achieve their goals. She spoke of always being grateful happens in the classrooms all contribute to this positive to the people who support one along one's path – impression. The showcasing of the Cultural Pillar through the parents, teachers, principals, fellow learners and Roadshow makes a great impact on the new learners looking for district officials. She also spoke of the pressure on their “ideal” school and many can be heard whispering to their academically talented learners to follow certain career parents that they would like to be part of these activities. Other paths, and encouraged her peers to take a career path comments from visitors highlight our girls' knowledge of their which excited them and to ultimately become better school, their passion for Wynberg and the confidence with which contributors to society and South Africa. Awards were then presented to individual learners for their they lead the tour groups. outstanding achievements in the 2013 National Senior Certificate examinations, and once again, Wynberg I have also visited some of the junior schools in the area and dominated! The 5 Top learners in Circuit 2 all came always take some of the current learners with me to invite the from WGHS: Lauren Gildenhuys 1st, Kate Bell 2nd, Grade 7's to visit Wynberg on the Open days. I am so proud of Lauren Mitchell 3rd, Carla Phillips 4th and Ruqaya the way in which these learners conduct themselves, speak to the Gabier 5th. Jessica Bothma, a deaf learner who junior school girls and answer impromptu questions. completed her high school years at Wynberg, was awarded a certificate recognising her perseverance in When you combine this marketing collaboration of learners, overcoming barriers and achieving a matric with 3 educators and administrative staff with the tireless work of the distinctions. The Ceremony culminated in the announcement of the Top Twenty learners in the support staff and maintenance team to create a beautiful district, eight of whom were Wynberg girls: Lauren environment for us to work in and study, you realise how Gildenhuys 1st, Kate Bell 2nd, Lauren Mitchell 4th, fortunate we are to have made Wynberg our home. Carla Phillips 6th, Ruqaya Gabier 7th, Lindsay Powell 10th, Jessica Hawkridge 13th and Anna Jacobs 15th. We are excited about the future of our school and hope that you We are exceptionally proud of all of our 2013 Matrics will be part of the team which leads the school into the next and wish them well as they begin their tertiary studies. phase as we decide on our priorities for the next few years and the use of invested capital to improve our school. WELCOME TO WYNBERG. We welcome new Receptionist, Please look out for further information, next term, about a Marileen Smith. Mrs Smith is already meeting for parents on 16 April at 19:30. The School Governing hard at work in the front office. We Body, together with the School Management Team, will lead this wish her a long and happy stay at discussion to make important decisions about our school. We Wynberg. hope that you will diarise this event and come and take part in the discussion. Thank you for your contribution to Wynberg – we know that you, We welcome new teacher intern, Mrs too, are a part of our marketing team in the community. Dominique Fraser, onto the WGHS staff. She will be involved in the teaching of Life Sciences and Natural Warm regards Science. We wish her a happy and Shirley Harding productive year at Wynberg. COLOURS UPDATE INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION Tamar Kendon (left) has been awarded Academic Full colours; Natalie Winter (centre) has been awarded Music Full colours; and Ashleigh Dreyer (right) has been awarded Music Half colours. GRADE 12 EVENING On 19 February, the Grade 12s and their parents attended an evening designed to prepare them fully for their final year at school. Mr Saayman, Grade 12 Head, welcomed everyone to the information evening. Deidre Schultz and Jehan Chikte from the Wynberg Old Girls Union reminded them that even though they Mikayla is in centre & Zhenya on the right would finish school this year, they would never truly leave the Wynberg Family. Guest speaker, Jamie Bassett, Head of School in 2008 and now a Grade 7 teacher at Wynberg Girls' Junior School, spoke about time management. Finally there was a question and The 4th South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) answer session where Mrs McEwen and Mrs Harding dealt with was held in Cape Town recently. It is the only event of its kind in concerns ranging from the Matric Dance, to handling stress and Africa and attracts top dancers from around the World. The the homework load. Overall the evening left matrics feeling competition has been hailed by dance enthusiasts as one of the inspired for the year ahead. most exciting events on the SA dance calendar, showcasing breathtaking athletic abilities and technical prowess. This year, a Scholar group was included which enabled Dance studies JAZZ BAND SLAMS students, Zhenya Pietersen and Mikayla Isaacs, to enter and be AT THE WATERFRONT! selected to take part. The 48 participants were from Switzerland, Cuba, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, China and On Friday 21 February, our Jazz Band competed in the includes the biggest number of South African entrants to date. Interschools Band Slam Competition hosted at the V & A The Sunday Gala show at Artscape showcased the SAIBC 2014 Waterfront. This was well supported by Wynberg girls and staff winners and top dancers from the National Ballet School of who cheered and showed tremendous pride in our school. Cuba, and the Young Korean Ballet Stars from South Korea. Under the leadership of Ms Dayna Pearce, the band put WGHS Dance teacher, Carol Shapiro-Dodds, was lucky enough to together an entirely new half hour set in the space of 4 weeks, attend several sessions and had this to say: “I want to go to almost unheard of at school level. The members include: China to pick up tips on how they train such outstanding Michelle Langeveld, Dominique Jacobs, Carryn Joseph, Beth dancers!” The highlight for her was the exceptionally high Petersen, Layla Omar, Ashleigh Dreyer, Ra’eesah Dalvie, Jamie- standard of performance, and the technical strength and the Lee Benjamin, Monique Harrison, Anais Van Vuuren, Isabelle sincerity and professionalism with which all of the dancers Hayes, Elsa Nel, Hong Ju Nam, Michaela Jacobs, Carla Stokes, performed. She has no doubt that the experience and Anastasia Solomons, Nadine Eddy, Saskia De Villiers, Emma inspiration gained by Zhenya and Mikayla is immeasurable! Martin and Caitlin Johnson. Singers: Yeukai Chamba, Georgia Bailey, Cara Clayton, Robyn Williams and Ashleigh Dreyer. From top right: Cara Clayton, Ms Dayna Pearce, Caitlin Johnson, Rachel Tosh, Saskia de Villiers Beth Petersen, Robyn Williams, Carla Stokes. The Jazz Band in their new, very zhuzh, black and white outfits. OPEN DAY @ WGHS GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TEST 1 On 18 February, an excited bunch of Grade 7s and their parents NAME HOUSE GRADE % filed into the Aileen Currie Hall to get a taste of life at our 1st Chloe van Niekerk Copenhagen 10 83% beautiful school. Guests entering the hall were entertained by 2nd Jenna Roll Apsley 12 81% the Jazz Band. After this, the drama girls performed, followed 3rd Jennifer Ely Waterloo 9 78% by the choir, a dance choreographed by Jenna Roll, the Vocal 3rd Elizabeth Nel Kirsten 12 78% Ensemble and Triplet - a band made up of three Wynberg girls. Mrs Harding then addressed parents about the importance of Aplsey 1st Waterloo 5th finding the right school, explaining what Wynberg in particular Constantia 2nd tie Cavanagh 6th has to offer. Then, while the Marimba Society played in the Copenhagen 2nd tie Silverlea 7th Wellington Quad, everyone split into groups to go on tours Kirsten 2nd tie Wellesley 8th around the school led by the School Council, Matric Leaders and members of the RCL. WORLD KNOWLEDGE CHALLENGE STAFF LEARN CPR Nearly a third of the school have entered into the spirit of the Silverlea challenge, and entered the World Knowledge Olympiad. 1st Kirsten, 2nd Silverlea, 3rd Constantia, 4th Apsley, 5th Copenhagen, 6th Waterloo, 7th Wellesley, 8th Cavanagh DEBATING Ms E Hill, Ms M Solms, Ms J Kunze, Mr P Bodenstein, Mrs N Nel, Mrs A Coetzee, Ms S Ferguson-Brown, Ms L Wills and Mrs I de Waal.