Westerford Newsletter 6 (22 February 2018) WESTERFORD HIGH SCHOOL Newsletter 6 22 February 2018

FROM THE OFFICE….

 Thank you for the parent assistance at SLOG. The supply of snacks was never-ending. So appreciated.

 Somebody sent in a basket full of marmite scones. Everybody wants the recipe! If the parent who sent them in would like to share, we would love the recipe. Please send it to: [email protected]

 There are plenty of knitted squares that need crocheting or sewing into blankets before winter. Please come and collect some if you are able. Thank you.

 TENNIS COACHING JOB We are looking for someone who can coach the 4th and 5th team Tennis girls on Tuesdays after 15:15 from next week. OW and parents welcome to apply. Starting date: 27 February Please contact Ms McLaren [email protected] or Ms A Gray [email protected]

SCIENCE AND FAITH On Thursday 8 February at second break, CU (Christian Union) had the privilege of hosting Dr Derek Fish, a talented physicist, passionate about science as well as his faith.

Dr Fish addressed a large group of Westerfordians about how, contrary to popular belief, science and religion do not have to clash, but instead overlap and can go hand in hand. He shared many quotes with us from famous scientists in the past about faith and science coinciding, as well as comparing scientific fact to what the Bible states.

Dr Fish also made time towards the end to answer some of the pressing questions the Westerfordians at the event had, many of which would have been difficult for the average person to answer!

A huge thank you to Dr Fish for taking time to share his incredible insight and wisdom on this subject with Westerford. A big thank you also to Mr Anderson for inviting him to come and speak, and to CU for hosting such a successful event.

Megan Pinder - Grade 12

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SLOG For any other school, Thursday 15 Feb would have been like any other day: school, then sport, and then home. But this was not the case for Westerfordians - it was finally SLOG day.

SLOG is a biennual event designed to unify and integrate the pupils of Westerford High School. Classes compete in what can only be described as a massive relay race, with pupils passing their oddly-shaped batons - be they beach-bats or dustpans - from one classmate to the next. This eight-hour-long event (six hours for Juniors) is, to many pupils, the highlight of the Westerford experience.

The day began with the whole school surrounding Founders’ Field, arm in arm, chanting the school’s war cry, led by the prefects and the Spirit portfolio. This, and the sound of the principal’s starting gun, signified the start of the races, as the first runners set off.

With music, food and unbelievable gees , SLOG lasted deep into the night, with the overall winning class being 11A with 732 laps.

Now the two-year countdown begins, until we can yet again enjoy the eight hours of pure spirit and fun.

Gabi Crafford - Grade 10

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CONGRATULATIONS!

 Ella Woerman, Grade 12, was selected to represent at the Dallas Soccer Cup Tournament in Dallas, Texas. This is a very well-known tournament that many scouts and recruiting agents attend. It is a good opportunity to get scouted and hopefully in the future gain a scholarship to a university in America. The tournament is being held from 20 March until 6 April.

 Laylaa leads Indoor Hockey team to victory The PSI Indoor Hockey Tournament took place from 11- 15 December 2017. This is a national tournament; pupils from numerous provinces come together to participate. Laylaa Davids, Grade 11, represented the Under 16 Cape Seals team and was appointed as captain.

After losing their first two matches, the Cape Seals came back with determination, enthusiasm and courage, winning all their games to make it through to the finals. On the day of the semi-final, Laylaa injured her ankle and could hardly walk. She was devastated at the prospect of not playing in what was to be her first PSI Final. After much doctoring of her ankle that night, it was clear that her participation in the Final was out of the question.

The day of the much-awaited Final dawned. A disconsolate Laylaa sat out the first half, which ended 1-0 to the Gauteng Griffins. But, during half-time, captain Laylaa got off the bench and decided she was going to play!

The second half proved to be super-exciting: the Cape Seals managed to score two goals to take the match, thereby winning GOLD in the PSI Under 16 division!

Laylaa received the honour of being chosen as the Under 16 Girls’ Player of the Tournament. In addition, she was selected to the tournament’s All Star team.

Congratulations, Laylaa! We are very proud of this achievement, and especially of your determination to ‘dig deep’ and to play through the pain of the injury to help your team to success in the tournament.

 Corey Webb, Grade 9, was third man in the open 14-30 year category in the Cape Mile .

 Scott Faurholm, Grade 8, has qualified to take part in the South African Karate National Championships in Durban from the 22 - 25 March, earning his Western Province colours.

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MEET THE MAROONS Jenna Schulze is the First Aid chairperson; she has been an avid first aider since Grade 8, serving on the committee since Grade 9. Last year she gave over 80 hours of her time to Westerford First Aid.

We asked her about first aid, generally, and Westerford First Aid, specifically.

How do you become a first aider? Anyone at Westerford can become a first aider by writing and passing a first aid course. You do not need to be a member on the committee to complete the course. These courses are usually run twice a year by paramedics and they have a practical and written component to them. During the course you will be taught how to perform CPR, how to splint broken bones, and - generally - how to deal with emergency situations.

What makes someone a good first aider? The most important thing about being a first aider is remaining calm and professional when an injury does occur. Under emergency situations you especially need to be good at calming down and reassuring the injured person. You also need to be able to take charge of a situation and you need to know beforehand where the nearest emergency equipment is, and how to use it.

What do people have to do if they become a first aider at Westerford? If you become a Westerford first aider you have to be on First Aid duty for home sports matches. There needs to be first aid provided at most school sports, from rugby to cricket, netball to tennis. While on First Aid duty, you will have to sit on the side of the field and if an injury does occur, you will have to provide whatever assistance you can with the first aid kit that you have. Generally, the injuries that happen are minor; they will be sports-related injuries such as muscle cramps or twisted ankles. This depends on the sport: in rugby, more serious injuries do occur, such as broken bones and concussions. If this happens, you will have to use the emergency equipment provided, or ask another first aider to assist you. Megan Cresswell - Grade 12

PLEASE REMEMBER THE BLOOD DRIVE HAPPENING ON WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY FROM 9am-2:30pm.

To donate blood you must be over 15 years of age, weigh 50kg or more, and have sufficient iron levels. Everyone who can donate is encouraged to do so. By donating blood, you can help to save three lives.

(If you are playing sport after school on the day of the drive, it is better to donate on another occasion)

 February dates

Thurs 22 Grade 10 Braai

Mon 26 Grade 8 Braai Wed 28 Blood Clinic

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HELP RESTORE DIGNITY WITH INTERACT'S DIGNITY DRIVE Interact - in collaboration with the NGO, Social Capital Network - is holding a drive to gather items for the Dignity Drive. Social Capital Network’s mission is to help promote equality for adolescent girls; the Dignity Drive helps this cause.

The packs which we would like Westefordians to contribute towards, contain certain necessities that unfortunately many of the girls are unable to afford, and this hinders their daily living and their education.

The packs will be given to Kensington High School. Interact appeals to every single person in the school to donate one of the items their grade has been allocated (Donations of items not in your grade’s allocation are also most welcome!)

The allocations are as follows:  Grade 8 - Small bottle of body lotion  Grade 9 - Toothpaste  Grade 10 -Toothbrush  Grade 11 - Facecloth  Grade 12 - Bar of Soap.

All grades are encouraged to bring sanitary towels as well.

The drive will start on 26 February and end on 6 March. There will be clearly labelled boxes for the donations outside the front office, in the front office foyer.

All Westerfordian donations will make a huge difference in the lives of the recipients and will definitely be appreciated, so we urge everyone to make a contribution to this very worthy cause. Luke van Wyk - Grade 12

DO NOT LET THE RAIN FOOL YOU! Despite some rain falling last week - which did create a little bit of relief - unfortunately the massive water-shortage problem is facing has not changed at all.

As of 19 February the dam levels were at 24,4% of which approximately only 14,4% is usable. ‘Day Zero’ currently sits at 9 July, however, this can be pushed back even further if everyone saves water and uses less than 50 litres per person. This could just get us through the crisis.

Water-saving tip: Try and measure your daily household water usage using your outside water meter. And try to maintain an average of less than 50 litres per person per day.

Luke van Wyk, Grade 12

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JUNIOR WEEKS 2018 Over the past two weeks, Grade 8s and 9s have eaten a lot of sugar, learnt lots of new things and had an immense amount of fun during Junior Weeks.

Junior Weeks is a series of events organised by EXCO and hosted by all the cultural and service societies of Westerford. Over forty events were meticulously planned and hosted in order to help the juniors immerse themselves in the wondrous world of Westerford culture.

During the two weeks, many skills were learnt through a Marimbas Masterclass, Xhosa Club’s skip-rope lesson and Display’s Origami decorating. Pupils’ mouths were lit on fire at HSA’s (Hindu Students’ Association) chilli-eating competition. The infamous drought was discussed at HCA’s (History and Current Affairs) Greenpop talk. And through visits at Huis Luckhoff and Vera school for Autism, pupils were able to get in touch with their greater community .

All the events were much enjoyed with MADD's tie dye event being deemed the ‘it’ event to have attended. A grade eight said that the greatest thing she learnt was how “... at Westerford pupils are very involved and committed to their duties and their school.”

Many Marie biscuits were decorated, lots of food was eaten but most importantly, everlasting memories were made. Thank you to the Exco and all other pupils and staff who put in the time and effort for such a fantastic two weeks.

Sarah Woolard, Grade 12

 March dates Thurs 1 FOUNDERS DAY

Fri - Sun 2 - 4 CU Camp

Mon 5 Mental Health Awareness Week

Tues 6 1st Quarterly Concert 19h30 Wed 14 Maths Olympiad Round 1 Wed 21 Human Rights Day Fri - Tues 23 - 27 “School of Rock” Production Mon - Wed 26 - 28 Grade 8 Camp Wed 28 School closes Fri 30 Easter weekend - Good Friday

6 Westerford Newsletter 6 (22 February 2018) WESTERFORD HIGH SCHOOL CARER Do you know somebody needing the services of an excellent Carer? Contact Mr Anderson 021-6899154 or [email protected]

Are you in need of a domestic worker, nanny, trained home-based carer (with nursing experience), efficient driver, gardener, grounds man, waiter, barista, bartender, cashier or general worker? Scalabrini Centre has a database of hard-working migrants willing to work for you now! We also have individuals with welding and electrical experience, as well as seamstresses with sewing experience. Foster integration and help combat unemployment today by contacting the centre at 021 465 6433 or emailing [email protected]

ENGLISH AND TUTORING I teach from home in Observatory, easily accessible via Main Road or highway. I am qualified (BA HDE TEFL) and have many years of experience, both private and in schools. Focus is on both literature and grammar; all grades are welcome. Specialty: Matric preparation. Please contact Hildegarde [email protected] or phone 021/ 4483166 and 0787556834

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Call Clare today for a free consultation and quote. Contact details: 021 689 8547 or 082 412 7211 [email protected]

TUTORING English (grades 8-12 Afrikaans ( grades 8-10) Maths (grades 8-9)  I am a Second year student (female) ♦20 years of age ♦Matriculated from Westerford High  Currently studying at UCT. Distinctions earned in all subjects mentioned above. I am a friendly, motivated student happy to help with any of the current syllabus regarding the subjects mentioned above. I tutor in Rosebank, Cape Town in a safe, secure complex. Feel free to contact me (Caitlin Bowes) on: 0647652577

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