BRIDGE HOUSE PRE-PRIMARY PREPARATORY COLLEGE

COLLEGE NEWS

No 27 www.bridgehouse.org.za 4 September 2015

Tutankhamun Exhibition Outing

On Wednesday, 26 August, the Grade 11 History students and some of the Visual Arts students visited the exhibition Tutankhamun - His Tomb and His Treasures. The mystery surrounding the boy king's lavish journey into the afterlife has captured the imaginations of thousands of people since Howard Carter first opened the untouched tomb in 1922. Upon arrival at the exhibition, the stage was set by an exceptional documentary on how the tomb was discovered, followed by a tour through the various chambers of the tomb, with incredibly realistic replicas of the artifacts, laid out exactly as the archaeologists found them nearly a century ago. The exhibit then showed the splendour of each item, along with a detailed explanation of its significance to the burial. It was a privilege to be able to see such an important exhibit in South Africa and we all left in awe of the craftsmanship, artistic flare and cultural intricacy of the burial process. Mr Graham McLaren

Grade 11 History and Art students

Regional Science Expo

On Thursday 27 August and Friday 28 August, eighteeen Grade 9 students competed in the annual regional Science EXPO competition. Our students conducted themselves in an exemplary fashion and their projects were of a high standard. Although not all students received medals and prizes, we can be proud of all those who were selected and participated in this competition. The following students received medals:

Bronze: Shannon Lindhorst Anaïs Masson Tanay Solanki Robin Brewer Kai Grapow Laurien Blaisse

Silver: Thomas Pretorius Jack Dower –received the prize for best project in his Category

Gold: Christa-Mari de Lange - received the prize for best project in her Category Lucca Naudé – selected to represent the region at the National EXPO in Johannesburg

Thank you to the teachers who volunteered as Markers at the regional EXPO this year: Mr McKay, Mr van Deemter and Mrs Greyling. Mr Pieter van Deemter Congratulations to Gold Award winners, Lucca Naudé and Christa-Mari de Lange. Below Left: Lucca Naudé was selected to represent the region at the National EXPO in Johannesburg Below Right: Christa-Mari de Lange received the prize for the best project in her category

Silver Award Winners: Far left: Jack Dower – received the prize for best project in his Category Left: Thomas Pretorius

60 Minutes with the Heads, Marc Barrow and Mike Russell, takes place at 08h00 this Monday 7 September in the Theatre

The agenda is as follows:

· Safety at sports practices: proximity of juniors to seniors’ practices · Bridge House school holidays: synchronised or not with the State schools? · Foreign languages at the Prep: should these be introduced earlier? · Teachers’ management of student work, feedback to students and deadlines in general · Campus security: concerns and queries · Quality of coaching: upgraded facilities – does that mean upgraded coaching? · Student respect and dress/appearance: the skirt for one thing! · Serious discipline issues, random testing, admissions criteria: the events of last term. · Experienced teachers and perceived turnover: are we retaining good staff?

A follow-up on the Finnish education system was requested, but given the pressing nature of the numerous issues raised, we’ll hold that over to a future opportunity.

All parents are welcome to attend.

Mrs Pringle’s Baby Shower Mrs Carla Pringle’s baby girl is due soon and she leaves this week to go on maternity leave. As a send-off, both her homeroom class (below right) and the staff gave her a baby shower with lots of gifts and delicious things to eat.

Bridge House Recipe Book

Bridge House Recipe books, at R275.00 per copy, can be ordered on-line by clicking on the link below. Please note that all orders must be submitted by the last day of term - 18 September 2015. Please click here

In addition to the Brick Campaign, this is also a sports fields fundraiser. Thank you for your support. The Fundraising Committee

Famous chefs and food stylists working on the recipe book this week.

International Exchange

Impressions of their exchange, from two students from the in California, who attended Bridge House as exchange students

Zoe Kusnick arrives in South Africa Posted on August 2, 2015 As someone who has lived in the same country, state, and town my entire life, I definitely experienced culture shock when arriving in Cape Town, South Africa. Even in a ten-minute drive through the city, it is impossible not to recognize the differences between here and San Francisco. One of the first things I saw, on my drive home from the Cape Town airport, was of one of the largest townships around. Townships are large villages where people have built their own shacks out of whatever they can find. It was a phenomenon I had never seen in the Bay Area. It was hard to see so many people struggling, and it made me realize that I often take my life for granted. While I realize I am fortunate even in my own area, it is a whole different reality in many places all over the world.

Another thing living in Cape Town has helped me realize is how dependent I am on electricity. A couple times a week, different parts of South Africa are subject to something called “Load Shedding.” During load shedding, the power goes out for two hours. This is used to conserve energy for the country. However, it can be very inconvenient. It is winter here and this country has much more rain and wind than California, so being without heat can be very, very cold. Driving through a town during load shedding feels a bit like going into a ghost town. Although load shedding can be a hassle, I appreciate the forced opportunity to find entertainment off a screen. For me, load shedding has consistently involved heaps of candles and board games. It’s not my first choice, but it helps you get creative. While living in South Africa has inconveniences I would have never thought of, its multicultural population is something I love. Just at Bridge House, the tiny school outside of Cape Town I attend, I have met students from France, Germany, Dubai, Holland, and more. Having students from all corners of the world brings colourful conversation both academically and among students outside the classroom. I know that the inner city is well known for its diversity, and I am happy even to experience a taste of it in the small town of . I love this diversity as much as I love the stunning mountains, the rainy weather, and the Afrikaans words I attempt to learn.

Evan Segimoto arrives in South Africa Posted on August 8, 2015 Two weeks ago, I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. As I walked out of customs I saw my exchange, Sidney Gray, standing there grinning ear-to-ear. I knew at that moment we were going to get along just fine. Since then, he’s kept me busy with sightseeing, running, hiking, studying, and hanging out with other students from Bridge House. Life outside school is very similar to how it is in California. Every weekend a group of us will get together to hang out; but when I say “hang out” I don’t mean go to a movie or anything like that. Instead we all meet up at the café in town, order a coffee or hot chocolate, sit around the fire, and chat for a couple hours. It may sound boring and not a lot of fun, but everyone ends up having a lekka time.

This brings me to my next point, the slang. The slang here is quite interesting actually. Take the word “lekka” I used earlier. “Lekka” is the South African way of saying that something’s good, awesome, or incredible. It’s the South African equivalent to “chill.” You often hear it paired with the words “my china” (pronounced “ma chano”) which means the same thing as “bro.” There is plenty of other slang that I’ve heard and picked up while here, but those are the two major ones that everyone says. Now, on to the school. The Bridge House School is different from Athenian, but similar in some ways. The biggest difference that I’m having trouble getting used to is calling the teachers “Ma’am” and “Sir.” This creates a definite line separating the students from teachers. To me it feels as if the teachers are there for learning purposes only, not to get to know the students. On the other hand, they do have a homeroom class every day where a group of 10-15 students meet with a teacher. This class closely resembles our advisory meetings. They also have school-wide assemblies every Friday, which are similar to our morning meetings. But during their Friday assemblies they did something that I’ve never seen done before… they sang a song. It wasn’t just any song, it was their school song. It’ll take some time to get to know the words, but by the end of my stay I should know the song by heart.

Two College pupils played at the Valley Eisteddfod in the strings section

Congratulations to the following boys on their results:

Robin Brewer: Gold + Adam Sendzul: Gold

Round Square Facts in Scotland, the founding school of the International Organisation, has a Round Square courtyard (photo below) built in the 1600s by the Laird of Gordonstoun, Sir Robert. According to legend, he built the courtyard to confuse the devil and avoid having his soul taken at his death. Gordonstoun now a school, which could be a model for Hogwarts, boasts such alumni as Phillip Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh and Charles, Prince of Wales.

In 2006 at the International Round Square Conference held at Gordonstoun, Bridge House was accepted as a full member of the organisation. The delegation which attended the conference was made up of Anne van Zyl (Head at the time), Grade 10s Ben de Vos, Simóne Redelinghuys and Jane Messina and Brian Robertson (Chairman of the Bridge House Board at the time). They are pictured below at the 2006 Conference in the famous Round Square Courtyard at Gordonstoun.

Buy a Brick Campaign Pathway to the Future

Have you found your brick?

There is a new pathway which runs next to the parking area backing onto the Learning Commons. Here you will find named bricks which parents and friends of the school have bought, committing themselves to building a bright future of sport at our school. The proceeds of this campaign are going directly into the development of the new sports fields.

Additional pathways are planned and you can leave your family’s mark and a legacy for future generations by buying a brick and contributing to this fundraiser. To do this please contact Cheryl Wittles on [email protected].

Above: Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, Ken Kinsey Quick, laying out the named bricks in the pathway. Sports Update

There was no sport this week because of the camps and Week Without Walls.

The third Inter-school MTB completion took place last Saturday at Montana High School in Worcester. Konrad Blümers competed in a very strong under 17/18 group with several professional riders. He managed to achieve a very commendable 15th position overall, Well done to Konrad on his commitment and perseverance.

Sport arrangements for next week: MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER & St Andrews Netball squad 15:00 – 16:30 WEDNESDAY 9 SEPTEMBER Cross Country 15:00 – 16:00 Team Tennis Boys & Girls 15:00 – 16:30 Boys Indoor Hockey 15:00 – 17:00 Water Polo Girls & Boys (dry land training) 15:00 – 16:00 Climbing 16:00 – 17:00 TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER & Mountain Biking 15:00 – 17:00 (Tuesday only) THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER Cricket 15:00 – 17:00 Girls Indoor Hockey 15:00 – 17:00

SUMMER SPORT PHOTOGRAPHS The following summer sport photographs will be taken on Monday 7 September.

08:10 Cricket 08:30 Indoor Hockey Boys 08:45 Indoor Hockey Girls 09:05 Tennis Teams Boys & Girls 09:25 Boys Water Polo 09:45 Girls Water Polo 10:05 Swimming

Pupils should check their school emails for team lists and what they are expected to wear for these photographs. These details are also up on the notice board outside the Sport Office.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION TO LET

This stunning property is situated in Cape St Francis. It sleeps 8 and the cost per day is R5 000 in high season (low season rates are available). Contact Keith Vermeulen on 083 267 2942 or [email protected]

This property is on the books for the Bridge House Sports Fields Fundraising project. By renting this property you will be contributing to the funds being raised.

Please make sure to mention Bridge House when you contact Keith.

This agreement is between the owner/appointed agent of the property and not Bridge House. The agreement will be managed solely by the property owner or their appointed agent. Bridge House will not be held responsible for any part of this agreement including dany amages.

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.

Parents’ Association Raffle

For those who keep forgetting, THE ABSOLUTLEY FINAL FINAL DAY FOR RETURNS OF MONEY AND STUBS AND / OR UNSOLD TICKETS IS MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER BECAUSE THE DRAW TAKES PLACE ON TUESDAY AT THE BRIDGE HOUSE GOLF DAY

All unsold tickets must be returned.