NEWSLETTER 07/2017 2 MARCH 2017

Dear Parents THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“Nothing is as contagious as a happy heart.” (Anonymous)

IN THE NEWSLETTER Important dates FROM THE OFFICE I would like to begin with the wisdom of Albert Einstein: “Learn from yesterday, Parents‘ Forum live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop Grade 1 learners for 2018 questioning.” We learn so much from this and the important message: ask Change to Calendar what you don’t know and learn from it. Congratulations to our phenomenal A-team swimmers! The title of “Best Bicycle helmets Team in Pretoria”, has not quite hit home yet but the excitement Chess - Team selection tournament certainly has. Each and every learner contributed to an amazing final result Chess lessons and when the winners were announced the atmosphere was electric. We are Scouts incredibly proud of each and every single exceptional Midstream swimmer!

Makro card Good luck to our top athletes who will be participating at the Primary Wrestling Schools Championships this weekend. Sports results It is always wonderful to receive compliments from outsiders about our Lost and found learners’ good manners and respect for others. We are not only proud of our

learners’ achievements, but also of their attitude and behaviour. IMPORTANT DATES EVENT DATE GRADE/PLACE GOLF (GRADE 1 TO 7 LEARNERS) 2 March MIDFIELD GOLF COURSE (14:00) NETBALL AND RUGBY MATCHES 2 March @ MSC VS STEPHANUS ROOS SWIMMING LEAGUE: B TEAM (INTERSCHOOLS 3 March @ MIDSTREAM RIDGE PRIMARY (10:00) SWIMMING) JUNIOR REVUE WEEKEND PRACTICE 3 March HALL (14:00 – 16:00) HOT CHOCOLATE CIRCLE 3 March GRADE 5 LEARNERS U/11A: COMPULSORY RUGBY TOURNAMENT 4 March @ LOFTUS JUNIOR REVUE WEEKEND PRACTICE 4 March HALL (9:00 – 12:00) NETBALL DISTRICT TRIALS 6 March u/12 AND u/13 NETBALL TEAMS U/13A BLUE BULLS PRESTIGE DAY 7 March @ LOFTUS (12:00) PARENTS FORUM 8 March AUDITORIUM (18:30) GOLF (GRADE 1 TO 7 LEARNERS) 9 March MIDFIELD GOLF COURSE (14:00) NETBALL AND RUGBY MATCHES 9 March @ MSC VS SWARTKOP NETBALL DISTRICT TRIALS 10 March u/12 AND u/13 NETBALL TEAMS HOT CHOCOLATE CIRCLE 10 March GRADE 6 LEARNERS MIDSTREAM BLUE BULLS U/13 RUGBY DAY 11 March @ MSC PERCUSSION BAND PRACTICE 11 March HALL (8:30 – 13:00) NETBALL MATCHES (u/10 – u/13 A AND B TEAMS) 11 March @ LAERSKOOL WIERDAPARK EQUESTRIAN QUALIFIER 2 11 + 12 March EATON FARM GRADE 1 SWIMMING GALA (BY INVITATION) 13 March MOVES FROM 10 TO 13 MARCH (7:45 – 9:00) PHOTO DAY 15 + 16 March ATHLETICS, SWIMMING, , REDENAARS RUGBY AND NETBALL MATCHES 16 March @ MSC VS LYNNWOOD GOLF (GRADE 1 TO 7 LEARNERS) 16 March MIDFIELD GOLF COURSE (14:00) CROSS COUNTRY TIME TRIALS 17 March RUGBY FIELD (7:00) SCHOOL HOLIDAY 20 March ALL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (PUBLIC HOLIDAY) 21 March ALL 2 NUUSBRIEF/NEWSLETTER

PARENTS’ FORUM – 8 MARCH (18:30) We would urge you, our parents to attend the Parents’ Forum on this very important and current topic: THE LEGAL, DISCIPLINARY AND REPUTATIONAL RISKS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Lizzie Harrison is a qualified medical doctor, with a BA in Neuroscience, who graduated from Cambridge University in the UK in 2010 and practiced in England as a doctor for 2 years. She has a special interest in Paediatrics and particularly Paediatric Neurology and Psychology. Lizzie has written numerous articles on the topic of Children and Social Media. She is in the process of writing a book addressing the issues surrounding privacy. Lizzie has been involved in numerous social media legal cases and has assisted in the drafting of submissions to effect changes in the laws surrounding social media in South Africa.

The following aspects will be covered:

the social media landscape in South Africa; the legal considerations of using social media, including defamation, privacy, hate speech and intellectual property; cyberbullying and harassment; the disciplinary consequences of using social media; personal reputation management on social media; online safety.

The duration of the talk is approximately 1 hour with time for questions afterwards.

This talk will be delivered in English.

GRADE 1 LEARNERS FOR 2018 Here is a friendly reminder to parents of prospective grade 1 learners to submit the necessary application documentation as soon as possible. All parents who have already submitted an application should have received more information by 1 March 2017, together with an invitation to make an appointment for your child’s assessment for grade 1 for the 2018 intake.

Application forms are available in the office, or can be requested via email from Corrie Burger ([email protected]).

IMPORTANT DATES EVENT DATE PLACE TIME / INFORMATION OPEN DAY Wednesday 29 March Midstream College 15:30 – 18:00 INFORMATION Wednesday 3 May Midstream College Auditorium (18:30) EVENING Appointments at Midstream Saturday 6 May OR ASSESSMENT Midstream College College from 1 March Saturday 13 May (7:00 – 15:00)

CHANGE TO CALENDAR Please note that the Grade 7 learners will be writing Computers on 14 March 2017 and not Science as shown on the calendar sent to you. These learners have already made the change in their diaries.

NETBALL There will be no netball practice for the U12 and U13 players on Monday, 6 March due to District trials being held at Midstream College. HOWEVER U7 – U11 netball practices will continue as usual.

BICYCLE HELMETS We would like to impress upon our parents the need to ensure that all learners travelling to school by bicycle wear bicycle helmets.

3 NUUSBRIEF/NEWSLETTER

CHESS – TEAM SELECTION TOURNAMENT The chess team selection tournament will take place on Tuesday, 7 March and Tuesday, 14 March 2017.

All grade 3 to 7 chess players who would like to participate should be available during their scheduled chess practice time on these afternoons.

The tournament will consist of 5 rounds. We will be selecting two teams in each of the u/9, u/11 and u/13 age groups.

Chess league matches take place on Wednesday afternoons during the second term.

CHESS LESSONS THE CHESSMASTER ACADEMY Chess is extremely beneficial for your child’s development, as it improves memory, attention span, critical thinking, spatial awareness and problem solving strategies. Renier de Jager, our chess coach, offers weekly tutoring chess lessons at your convenience for learners from grade 1 to 7. Many parents of Midstream College learners have reported pleasing results from their children attending private chess lessons – please refer to www.chessmaster.club. We follow a proven system that caters for chess players at all levels, including learners that have little or no knowledge of chess. For those learners who are already chess players, we assess their ability and place them in the correct playing level in the Chessmaster system so as to support their further development and growth in chess. Contact Renier de Jager on 082 6488645 or email him at [email protected].

SCOUTS Are you a boy or girl and between 7 and 10 years old?

Being a Cub is fun and exciting! You learn new things, make new friends, do good turns to help people, and protect nature around you! Play, sing and build things with friends, discover and explore new places, plants, animals, cultures and technologies, camp or have a sleepover.

We meet on Fridays at Midstream College Primary from 17:30 to 19:30 and you are welcome to join us. If you would like more information, please contact Alene Candy (Akela – Cub Pack Scouter) on 072 446 3655 or email her at [email protected].

SCOUTS: Be prepared . . . Are you an 11 to 17-year-old boy or girl?

Being a Scout teaches you how to be independent, how to take responsibility, and how to protect your environment, how to contribute to your community and how to be prepared for success! Hike, sail, fly and camp, get active, respect your environment, be a leader and team player, be inventive, experience the adventure.

We meet on Fridays at Midstream College Primary from 18:00 to 20:00 and you are welcome to join us. If you would like more information, please contact Johan du Toit (Bigfoot – Troop Scouter) via email at [email protected].

We would like to invite you to our parents information evening on Friday, 3 March 2017 in the Midstream College Auditorium at 18:00 for 18:30. Please RSVP to Alene Candy (Akela – Cub Pack Scouter) on 072 446 3655 or email her at [email protected]. 4 NUUSBRIEF/NEWSLETTER

MAKRO CARD Please remember to use your Midstream College linked Makro card when shopping at Makro.

Makro has an incentive programme for the community which Midstream College participates in. If you already have a Makro card, please link your card to Midstream College, and if you don’t have a Makro card, you could apply for a new card.

Each time you use your linked card, the school gets a financial benefit. There is no cost involved for parents who link their cards.

If you would like to participate in the programme, you can link your card online or apply for a new card by following these easy steps:

 Go to www.makro.co.za .  Choose the “School Programme” option at the bottom of the page.  Click on the blue block on the right-hand side “Complete the form to link to your child’s school and get the back to school deals now” or click on the link “Apply for your free card”. o The closest store to the school is: Centurion, Pta. o The school is: Midstream College.

WRESTLING If your child is interested in participating in wrestling, please visit our website at www.midstream- primary.co.za for more information.

SPORTS RESULTS SWIMMING We would like to congratulate all our A team swimmers on their exceptional achievement at the Tshwane Primary Top School’s Gala, which was held on Tuesday, 28 February.

Herewith the swimming results

SCHOOL POINTS Midstream College 650 Southdowns College 646 DSG-WHPS 541.50 Laerskool Anton van Wouw 488 Laerskool Monumentpark 463.50 Laerskool Menlopark 417 Woodhill College A 397 Laerskool Hennopspark 387 Laerskool Garsfontein 361

TENNIS Here are the results of tennis matches played on 27 February 2017. TEAM OPPONENT RESULT Girls U11A CANCELLED Boys U11A Anton van Wouw Won 55 – 0 Boys U11B CANCELLED Girls Open A team Laerskool Hennopspark Won 48 – 7 Boys Open A team Southdowns Won 16 – 0 Boys Open B team Laerskool Elarduspark Lost 12 – 6 Boys Open C team Laerskool Louis Leipoldt Won 33 – 22 5 NUUSBRIEF/NEWSLETTER

LOST AND FOUND  Santhan Pillay lost his black Coca-Cola bag with his PE shorts and t-shirt, swimming shorts and shirt, tackies and goggles. Should you find it, please send it to the office.

Midstream greetings

Ms. H. HILL PRINCIPAL