PREP NEWSLETTER

Issue 31 www.bridgehouse.org.za 27 October 2017

Grade 3 Camp O n our grade 3 camp I loved the delicious food and the cosy beds and the wonderful games and the exciting challenges. I loved stalk the lantern. It was a bit scary but I got used to it. Hannah Whitson

I enjoyed camp cause it was the most amazing thing I have ever done. The facilitators were very friendly. I loved the equipment they let us play with. thank you to lead 4 life and the teachers for letting us go on camp. Matthew Cardoza

This year camp was brilliant and exiting I really loved playing! Nicholas Green

To be honest camp was amasing and wonderfully beautifully. Camp was also around nature which was fantastic and I definitely would go again. Sid Fishlock

On Camp I enjoyed playing soccer and the food was amasing. The activities was very good and the rooms were very nice and the view. Stanislas Maniora

In the Bright and early morning we went for a refreshing walk before breakfast.

Trinity Ethelston

The Museum Experience!

Last Thursday the Grade 6s went to the Heart Museum in and learnt about the first heart transplant and the man who performed the surgery, Christiaan Neethling Barnard. He did the surgery on Louis Washkansky who had had three heart attacks, so his heart was extremely weak.

We were taken to the rooms where it all happened! There were silicon sculptures of Chris

Barnard and the other surgeons performing the operation over Louis Washkansky’s open silicon chest. We then went into a replica of Denise Darvall’s bedroom. Denise Darvall was the donor of the heart. She was sadly hit by a car in Cape Town. She was declared brain dead at the hospital and her heart was used for the successful operation.

We saw a movie which gave us more information about and his successes. We learnt so much in one day!

Michael Gibson

Wider World Experience The ethos of academic delivery at Bridge House places great emphasis on relevance, context and ‘the real world’. At this time of the year, the Grade 7s spend a week consciously integrating curriculum outcomes with collecting ‘proof’ of what they are learning ‘out there’.

From the District Six Museum(forced removals) to MOCAA and Rhodes Memorial (symbols of art and architecture); from photo-journals of land use and inequality to a walking tour of Kayamandi; from eating fish on the rocks while considering the layout of Hout Bay to the World of Birds (conservation), the group has gained insight into the ‘overlap’ between History, Geography, EMS and Science, and then used language and technology to express their findings in reports, poetry, graphs and commentary.

The ‘soft skills’ were included with a presentation by a social entrepreneur who uses the production of skateboards to expose disadvantaged children to art and design in her Social Enterprise, Sk8forGr8. The final task of WWE involved small group collaboration to analyse land use in Hout Bay, and an evaluation of its potential to exist as a sustainable independent republic. Each team produced a fully illustrated book of their findings.

I am always amazed by the engagement and standard of application by our Grade 7 pupils to what are complex social and economic issues. What a privilege it is to be part of a school that promotes such an innovative model of education.

Mrs Sandie Parker

Grade 7 WWE outing to Kayamandi On Monday, 23 October, the grade 7s nervously boarded a bus to Kayamandi. There was a tangible sense of uneasiness as we neared our destination. The learners were not given any form of preparation or talk on ‘what to experience’. The idea being that there were no preconceived ideas of what it might be like given by the teachers.

There were no cameras or recording devices, it was to be just us and Kayamandi. And it was exactly that. Everyone was encouraged to see and hear. There were no distractions like notepads or iPads and this resulted in eyes being like saucers for the vast majority of the time. Aubrey, better known as Madiba, introduced himself to every single learner...individually. Despite this taking a fair few minutes, we were able to experience the personal relationship which this isiXhosa man wanted to have with each person as he made an effort to relate each name to something personal for him.

As we began our walk we were given a brief history of Kayamandi and Madiba’s experiences there. The smells and sights of Kayamandi were significantly different from each other depending on where you were and even more so from what we are used to.

Some significant realizations were as follows:

 the close proximity to which people live to one another

 the distance to ablutions

 the fact that this place was safe

 the joy of the children despite only having the bare minimum

 the lack of service delivery (refuse collection)

One of the most notable moments of the day was when a learner mentioned how significantly someone’s attitude shifted towards her when she tried to speak isiXhosa to them. Showing that just attempting to acknowledge someone in such a way as speaking to them in their own language, while keeping in mind culturally appropriate behaviors, can have a powerful impact on the outcome of the interaction.

We all went home having learnt a great deal about the way in which the majority of South Africans live. We also learnt to appreciate everything that we have and not take for granted the opportunities we are afforded on a daily basis. Yoh, we actually have so much!

We say enkosi kakhulu to the team of teachers for joining us and ensuring that every educational opportunity was taken full advantage of. This went a long way to improving the enthusiasm towards learning an additional African Language.

Mr Bruce Blaine Gr 7 Xhosa teacher

The Grade Os used the Senior Primary chessboard to practise left and right turns as well as being coders and robots! csk@bridgehouseSchl

The Grade 1s are growing beans and they documented the process using @Seesaw # lifesciences # ipaded@BridgehouseSchl

On Wednesday, the Grade 0s came to visit the Grade 1 classrooms and the teachers. They visited each teacher in each classroom as it will be a surprise next year to see in which class they will be! They felt very grown up doing a bit of work at the Grade 1s desks and some even had a turn to write on the ‘magical’ SMART board!

Save the Date! Grade 1 2018 parent information meeting on Wednesday 8 November @13h00 in the Grade 1H classroom.

Bridge House had the long awaited visit by accreditation body UMALUSI on Wednesday of this week, thus hosting five team members who interviewed all tiers of constituents throughout the day to verify and thus validate evidence we submitted at the start of the year to ‘prove’ that we are doing what we say we are doing. Complicated! But such rigorous inspections serve to remind us of how much we have to celebrate in this wonderful school! Kudos to our prep children from Grades 3- 7 who were selected to meet the UMALUSI representatives in forum discussions for their poise and willingness to chat about school life!

But life went on this week, nonetheless, as our Grade 2s went camping at Kijk-in-die-pot and had a wonderful time, rain notwithstanding. To conclude their WWE experience, the Grade 7s went on an walking tour of Kayamandi - read the report in this newsletter.

Summer sport is well underway, with athletics fixtures, cricket and tennis matches taking place this week, and a mini-cricket festival tomorrow. The long-awaited water polo sessions for Prep pupils have started – although they will, of course, be dependent on the water situation as regards the availability of the pool.

As the days grow longer, we are all reminded that the end of the year is fast approaching, with the Grade 7 Farewell next week, and the Boarders’ Dinner, Concerts and Awards events popping into sight on the calendar. One becomes conscious of the fact that the temptation is to slow down, turn a blind eye … because we are ‘nearly there’. As any athlete will remind us, ending well is a very important stage of the race! So let’s prepare well for those final assessments, let’s take the time to add the finishing touch to that project or task, let’s wear our uniform with pride until the final bell rings, let’s continue to engage positively and with utmost respect in all our dealings with others.

Have a good weekend!

Swartland Primary Athletics Meeting – Saturday 21 October Last week Saturday, a group of our athletes took part in the Swartland Primary Friendly Athletics meeting held in Malmesbury. Bridge House was one of 6 schools participating on the day in both field and track events. Well done to our athletes, who managed to bring back a total of 33 medals from the event (12 gold, 15 silver and 6 bronze). Well done to all the boys and girls, who represented Bridge House with pride on the day!

Tennis Well done, to the u13A Boys team who put on a fine display of tennis to beat the team from Courtrai Primary (0 – 6) in their league fixture last week. Well done, boys!

Canoeing news Congratulations to Tia Hector who has started the new sprint season on a good note. Last Saturday she came 2nd in the U10 girls age group in the first regatta of the annual Triple Sprint Series. Good luck for the next two events, Tia!

Cricket Bridge House Prep Cricket is all about teaching our boys to set themselves small goals to achieve on and off the field. As the coaching staff we can proudly say that some of the boys did just that. Cricket provides a wonderful learning experience as players encounter different, challenging conditions all the time. This wonderful sport called cricket provides bowlers and batsmen the opportunity to demonstrate a wide variety of skills.

We hosted St John’s on Saturday 21 October 2017 and it was a privilege for our boys to play these matches at Bridge House and at two other historic venues in the Boland.

Bridge House U11B vs St John’s U11B played on the Bridge House Concrete Pitch, with Bridge House scoring 58 /5 while St John’s had scored 72 Unfortunately Bridge House lost the match. Thanks to Mr Poni and Mr Barrow for hosting the St John’s Cricket team at Bridge House.

Bridge House U11A vs St John’s On Saturday, 21 October, Bridge House hosted St John’s at Groot Drakenstein Games Club. We were given an introduction to the facility and its tremendous history by Mr Riaan van de Rheede who also welcomed the parents and touring party as a whole. Bridge House won the toss and elected to bat first. After losing an early wicket, Reuben Sendzul and Ben Dippnall put the team in a commanding position with a 69 (60) run partnership. Sendzul set the pace with an almost run-a-ball 44 (43). Dippnall chipped in with a mature 23* (45). Tristan Harley came to the crease and carried on where Sendzul left off. The day's Master Blaster managed 29 (19) which included 5 boundaries. This fantastic performance left St Johns with a staggering 151 runs needed for victory. With a significant cushion of runs, the Bridge House team could afford to attack from early on, taking wickets at regular intervals. The boys managed to restrict the opposition to just 84, winning by 66 runs. The support from a vocal crowd was most welcome as it kept the boys motivated on the field. We greatly appreciate having the support of parents, family and friends at our matches. A massive THANK YOU to the parents and boys who hosted the St John’s players and to Mr van de Rheede for hosting the St Johns coaching staff at Scorpions CC. It was certainly a memorable day for all involved.

Bridge House U13 vs St John’s Bridge House U13 played at the Distell Cricket Grounds (Old Farmers’ Winery Grounds) and in their club house is a photo of the 1982 Datsun Shied Semi Final when Boland and WP played in this final. The boys were very privileged to play on the same field where players like Omar Henry, Garth Le Roux and many great South African players played their cricket and where Mr van de Rheede still plays his cricket for Scorpions Cricket! Last year on the same field the mighty Joel Garner (65years old) played his 1st match in ever on the same pitch an also took his 1st wicket .

Our boys batted first and scored 106/6 with Jake Downie(50) and Barry John Cadle(16), St John’s went in to bat and managed to score 66/7. Bridge House won the match! Well done, boys!. Jake Downie (13/2) and David Brunt (12/2) bowled very well.

On behalf of the Bridge House Prep Sport Department we would like to thanks all the parents for hosting the St John’s boys on the Saturday evening.

Upcoming Events DATE DAY SPORT FIXTURE VENUE 28 Oct Saturday Cricket Mini Cricket Festival Bridge House U13A vs Pniel Bridge House 30 Oct Monday Cricket U11A vs Pniel Bridge House U13A vs Stellenbosch Primary Brige House Cricket 1 Nov Wednesday U11A vs Stellenbosch HUB Bridge House Swimming Somerset House Girls’ Relay Gala Somerset West U13A Boys vs Hugo Rust Wellington U13C Boys vs Hugenote Primary Franschhoek 2 Nov Thursday Tennis U11A Boys vs WA Joubert Primary Paarl U13A Girls vs Courtrai Primary Franschhoek U11 Girls vs La Rochelle Primary Paarl Paarl Boys Primary – Boys’ Prestige 3 Nov Friday Swimming Paarl Gala Stellenbosch Prim: 6 –Side Cricket Stellenbosch U13 Festival 4 Nov Saturday Cricket Somerset West Prim: 6 –Side Cricket Somerset West U11 Festival

OF THE WEEK Junior Primary: Alexander Hutchinson-Taylor & Aanya Manek Senior Primary: Jake Downie & Georgia Curd

BH PREP 5’S HOCKEY

WE WILL BE RUNNING FRIENDLY 5-a-side HOCKEY FIXTURES FOR GRADE 2 – 7 ON THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOONS: FRIDAY, 10 NOVEMBER FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER FRIDAY, 24 NOVEMBER (14h30 – ±16h00) @ BH ASTRO The intention is to give our enthusiastic hockey players extra time on the turf, and enable them to stay in touch with the sport through the summer months. Pupils will enter as individuals, after which the Sports Department will draw up the teams.

For entries email Mr Riaan van de Rheede at [email protected]

60 Minutes with the Heads – Monday 13 November In the interests of good and improving communication between school and parents, Mike Russell and Marc Barrow, Heads of the College and Prep respectively, will host the termly 60 Minutes with the Heads meeting, on Monday 13 November in the Learning Commons from 08h00 to 09h00.

In order to help the Heads prepare properly for this, please e-mail any questions or concerns (of a general nature) you may have, to [email protected] by or on Friday 3 November. The PA has kindly offered to bundle these into a folder and forward them to the Heads, who will then prepare responses to the matters raised, and e-mail out the agenda. Parents interested in these agenda items will be welcome to come along and participate in the conversation.

Please note that any issues mailed to PA@bridgehouse after that closing date will not be on the agenda for this meeting, and will either be replied to in the interim, or carried over to the next 60 Minutes next year.

The rules for 60 Minutes are simple:

 it's a constructive and collaborative initiative;  matters raised and mailed through need to be of a general nature;  if deemed a better option to do so, the Heads can respond directly by e-mail to any issues before the meeting;  there will be honest and frank responses and discussion around the topics on the agenda;  questions from the floor need to be only about the agenda issues: no "surprises" and no "general" please!  giving the Heads some preparation time is simply so that if figures and data are required for an answer, or if someone else's expertise is needed, there is an opportunity to gather this and give full answers (and perhaps put it into a presentation of sorts);  time: strictly 60 minutes for the forum, so that it's short and sharp and those attending can plan their morning. Mr Mike Russell

Pre-paid Fee Offer Please take note of the details in the letter about the fee increases for 2018 and the pre-paid fee offer which was emailed to you and which can be found on the D6 Communicator under “Resources” - General: Prep and College.

To request a pro-forma invoice to pre-pay fees before 3 November and receive a 1.5% rebate, please email Philippa Browne before 31 October [email protected].

Condolences We extend our sincere condolences to Mr Rheinie van Schoor and his family. Rheinie’s brother-in- law passed away this week.

Accouchement Leave Lezelda Truter in the Accounts Department leaves next week on accouchement leave. We wish her well for the birth of her baby boy.

Tour of the College for Grade 7 parents If there are any Grade 7 parents who did not get the opportunity last term and would like to join Mike Russell in a tour of the College on Thursday 2 November or Thursday 9 November at 08h00, please email Koelthoem Nackerdien [email protected] If no replies have been received by Wednesday 1 November the tours will not take place.

Talk on Bullying and Cyberbullying The College Educational Support Unit (ESU) invites all parents to attend a presentation by Dr Serahni Symington. The focus will be on the global and national issue of bullying and cyberbullying within school systems.

The talk will take place on 06 November at 18:00, in the Learning Commons. Tickets (R80) will be on sale at the College Reception. Should you have any queries regarding this event, please contact Donna du Plooy ([email protected]) for further details.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The PA’s Fundraiser General Knowledge Quiz takes place next week. If you have not returned the sponsorship forms, please do so on Monday at the latest.

Please note all the advertisements which appear in our newsletters are paid for by the advertisers. Bridge House School does not in any way endorse any of the products, events or businesses advertised in this newsletter and takes no responsibility for the use of any of the products which are advertised here.