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FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE NEWSLETTER – 2/2012 22 June 2012 From the Headmaster Dear Parents Term 2, 2012 – has been a good term. Each pillar of the College, under the leadership of senior staff has produced work of a very high standard. Academics [Miss van Rooyen] Internal moderation of learners’ notebooks and all grades’ portfolios reveal work of exceptionally high standards. The 1st formal High School examination for the Grade 8’s, the 1st formal examination for all other learners in their new grade for 2012 and the 1st Grade 12 examination in the school hall, has been completed successfully. Provisional reports are issued with this newsletter. The official Term 2 reports will be distributed on Monday, 23 July 2012. Sport [Mr Koffeman] Many learners represent their College with pride and enthusiasm and certain learners have been selected as members of Provincial teams. Certain teams have also performed exceptionally well. Thank you to the parents who religiously support their children in this important facet of school life. Culture [Miss Correia] We are extremely proud of the efforts of this pillar at the College. Learners and staff have been hard at work rehearsing for “Joseph”. They will continue to do so throughout the holiday period! We look forward to this production scheduled for 16-18 July 2012. Pastoral [Mr Hanekom] The annual highlight of the second term was the Matric Dance and Fashion Show. Congratulations to Miss Marais and Van der Merwe; the main organizers and other staff: Miss Malcolm and Maltby. Both events were extremely well organised and thoroughly enjoyed by learners and staff alike. Very successful Class and Sport Captains’ seminars were conducted during the term. The College joined hands with the other schools in the immediate proximity focusing on “Values”. To date the following “Values” have been highlighted: Loyalty and Pride, Respect and Care. The “Values” to be addressed during the remainder of the year are: Fairness, Trustworthiness and Responsibility. Operations [Mrs le Grange] This portfolio is responsible for the smooth running of the school on a daily basis, and also the presentation of special assemblies and ceremonies. During the term a Ladies’ Assembly and a Freedom Day Assembly were presented. Information Technology [Mrs Combrink] The new look College web page is in the process of being finalized and will be launched early in Term 3. Please make use of the other web-based communication tools of the College: Email: admin@fairbairncollege.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairbairncollege School communicator: Follow link from the College web page and download Contact [Mr Standish and Headmaster] Applications for Grade 8, 2013 have been received and interviews are underway. To date 453 Grade 8 applications have been received. There is only place for 210 Grade 8’s. I express gratitude to the members of the Senior Management Team [and their dedicated Management Council members consisting of staff and RCL Executive members] who are responsible for a specific pillar at the College. Also, thank you to specific staff for their leadership: . Subject Heads and Learning Area Heads in the academic sphere, . Grade Heads and Assistant Grade Heads in the pastoral and discipline fields, . Masters/Mistresses in charge of sport and cultural activities, . The administrative staff and the College/School bursar’s office, and . The sport/estate manager and the support staff. B MARCHAND HEADMASTER ACADEMICS AND EXAMINATIONS The College’s Second Term Roll of Honour will be distributed with the final reports on Monday, 23 July 2012. Message to the Matrics Matrics, the time is closer than you think to start your new life outside of school. In the blink of an eye you will return after the July holidays, with only a few weeks of school, one Fairbairn College examination to write and then … the NCS examinations. At this time of your Matric year, it is all about choices and your reactions. The following questions must be answered: What am I going to do with my time before this year ends, before the final examinations? How am I going to make sure that this year will end in success? This is the last step to making the correct choices to ensure that you are not disappointed at the end of the year. Remember that absolutely everything you do, give, say or even think, is like a boomerang – it will come back to you. It is advisable to set aside enough time for studying during the holidays. Websites are made available where you can retrieve examination papers. Your teachers would have given you work for the holidays, which must be done. It is all in your hands – make the best of it! Good luck with the last lap! Mrs M Combrink GRADE HEAD: GRADE 12 PASTORAL AND DISCIPLINE Ladies’ Assembly The Ladies’ Assembly always starts with general topics. We address issues pertaining to appearance as well as behaviour which could be improved upon. After this, we move to a main theme. This year the BIG topic was the language sometimes used by our young ladies. We addressed the following: • Foul language. • What people think of ladies using foul language. • How it affects one’s life. • It is not “cool”. • Only has a negative impact. The ladies were asked to reprimand their friends who use foul language, so that they will always feel like, and be treated as ladies. Freedom Day On 27 April, South Africa celebrated Freedom Day. Fairbairn’s staff and learners were taken down memory lane when Nicolas Schultz and Nicole Bailey traced the path of the first South African democratic election. Mrs E le Grange OPERATION MANCO School Discipline Discipline remains one of the cornerstones upon which the College is built. Although discipline is an ever increasingly difficult task, it is one from which we will not falter. I would like to highlight the following concerns: • Detentions: During the term a large number of learners were placed in Saturday morning detentions due to not attending their grade head detentions. A reminder to parents that there is a reply slip to be signed for grade head detention, and that this documentation is kept on the learner’s file. • School Bags: A number of the school bags have graffiti. This is not allowed. Such bags will be confiscated. Learners must ensure that their bags are kept neatly and are presentable at all times. • School Uniform: Many learners arrive at school with dirty blazers – these can be machine washed. Many of the blazers are missing buttons – these may be purchased at the bookroom. A reminder to all the boys that you are expected to wear a belt as part of your uniform. NB: Girls’ grey winter skirts must be purchased at Rothmans, the School’s official uniform stockists. Skirts obtained from other retail clothing stores do not comply with the uniform requirements. • Grooming: All boys are reminded that you are required to be cleanly shaven every day. Please consult your term planner for the dates of hair inspection. (Each term starts with a hair inspection on the 1st day). • Cell phones: Cell phones continue to be a problem. Cell phones must be off (not on silent or vibrate mode) during the entire academic school day. I ask for the co-operation of the learners and the assistance of the parents regarding these matters, and by so doing, keeping up the high standards that we have become accustomed to at the College. RCL Executive A big thank you to the RCL Executive for their tireless efforts in performing their duties on a daily basis. They form a vital cog in the discipline structure and their input is of immense value. Thank you also to the head and deputy head prefects for their leadership in this regard. Mr M Koffeman DEPUTY HEADMASTER Matric Dance and Fashion Show - 2012 The Matric Dance was held on Friday, 13 April. The theme of the evening was “Night of the Stars”. The Matrics rose to the occasion and dazzled us with their lovely dresses and smart suits. The Grade 11’s were an eager, hardworking group, who played a vital role in making the evening a success and ensuring that the Matrics felt like stars. Miss C Marais MATRIC DANCE CO-ORDINATOR The Matric Fashion Show of 2012 was a tremendous success. The men looked dashing in their suits and the ladies absolutely regal in their dresses. It was a show characterized by class and elegance. The Grade 11 dancers were also a highlight. It truly was a night with the stars! Miss C van der Merwe FASHION SHOW CO-ORDINATOR We are proud of: Aidan de Jager – we take this opportunity of wishing Aidan success when participating in France during the July school holidays in the world Fly Fishing Championships. Amy Hillier – who received a Diamond Certificate from Prof. George Branch of UCT (author of several books) for attending lectures, snorkeling and examinations at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Amy has done more than fifty hours of voluntary work at the Touch Pool and at the Projection Microscope, organized a beach clean up and also obtained 91% for her examinations. Her commitment and dedication is admired. Yaseen Mowzer – as was previously mentioned in our Term 1 Newsletter, Yaseen will be participating at the Invitational World Youth Intercity Mathematics Competition in Taiwan in July this year. Yaseen was also the recipient of a Gold Award at the annual UCT Mathematics Competition. Gold awards are awarded to the top ten individuals in each grade of over 8000 participants from Western Cape High Schools. They are invited to attend a prize giving at the Baxter Concert Hall where prizes and trophies will be presented.