6Th Issue-June 06
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
6 June 2008 St Mary’s Matters St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls From the Head’s Desk Dear Parents, The term continues to provide a busy life for the girls and teachers alike. The sports girls have been particularly active play- ing matches up to three times a week. The successes have been impressive in both the Senior and Junior Schools and it is a real pleasure to see the improvement in the standard of play. The league matches are mostly over and I must thank every- one involved in coaching and sport administration for all their hard work. The results have been impressive, particularly as we are now playing in stronger leagues in most of the sports. Where teams have lost they have done so by very narrow margins. In the Senior School, the U14A hockey team won their league section and will participate in the playoffs. We have yet to hear if other teams will be invited to their playoffs. The U14A and U15A netball teams were placed 2nd in the playoffs, and the U16A team were the overall winners of their league- a wonderful achievement. In basketball, the Open, U16 A and B, and U15A and B teams are all involved in playoffs this weekend. Three hockey girls have been chosen for Northern Gauteng B teams. One of our girls has also been chosen for each of the U14A, U16A and U18A teams. Three of our U16 girls have been chosen to play netball for Northern Gauteng, one of whom went on to be selected for the Gauteng team. In squash, ten girls have been selected for provincial A teams. Results in the Junior School have been just as pleasing. For the first time in a long while we have a girl selected for the U12 Gauteng netball team. The hockey results have been amazing, with three girls selected for the U13A and four girls for the U12A Gauteng North teams. Three girls also made selection for other teams. The U11A, U12A and U13A hockey teams are all involved in league finals this weekend and we wish them well. Many of our girls have been involved in the Pretoria Eisteddfod with excellent results being achieved. The highest accolade must certainly go to Candace Gawler who walked off with 4 trophies and was named the overall winner of the Senior Section – well done. The St Mary’s Singers have been very busy singing in several Choir festivals. They were awarded a Gold Certificate in the ATKV competition – this time singing in the Experienced Choir section – and we have high hopes that they will be invited to sing in the finals in Cape Town. I must congratulate Mr Christo Burger, the new conductor, and our girls for all the hard work they have put into the term’s events and for their successes. The Senior School House Masses followed by the House Dinners have been particularly enjoyable, with the ingenuity of the Grade 11 girls in running the evenings very much appreciated. Ms Genis and her team had a busy time preparing for the dinners but as always rose to the occasion to serve delicious meals to the girls. The Matric dance was held in the Main Hall last weekend. The venue was beautifully transformed with the white drapes, the beautiful décor creating a magical setting and adding to the Vogue theme. The girls looked stunning and I was pleased to see so many parents here for the pre-dance cocktails which had been sponsored by the Parents’ Association. My thanks go to Mr Enslin and the Grade 11 girls for all they did to make the evening such a success. Academically, our girls have been hard at work with the matrics in the midst of several CTAs which form part of their school- based assessment. The senior girls are preparing for midyear and the mock matric examinations. In the midst of this busy time, it is heartwarming to see the way girls and staff in both the Junior and Senior schools have con- tributed to assist the many displaced families in the recent unhappy violent attacks that have taken place in parts of our coun- try. It is, indeed, a pleasure to be involved in school such as ours, where I really believe a positive and thriving spirit is growing amongst the whole community. With kind regards F Tempest Head of School St Mary’s Matters Page 2 Junior School News We have enjoyed a wonderful winter sport term so far, and our girls have done so well. I would like to thank all parents for their support at matches. We are looking forward to the Grade 3 Dads’ and Daughters’ Barn Dance on Friday 6 June, and trust that the Dads will en- joy this event with their daughters. Good luck to all parents participating in the forthcoming Comrades’ Marathon.54 "We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."Emil Zatopek Mrs B. Craig Principal : Junior School Foundation phase The Grade 1 girls are learning about Houses and Homes. We had a very informative talk given by one of our Mums, on what an architect does. Then we created a mosaic house which the girls thoroughly enjoyed making. Thank you to our Mums for being part of our theme The Grade 1s held a Cake and Candy Sale on Friday 30 May which was very well supported. Our thanks to everyone involved for making this fund-raiser such a success. Mrs F. Pienaar Grade 1P St Mary’s Matters Page 3 Still at the Junior School Children Around the World When it was time for “Children Around the World” I was soooo nervous. And when it was my turn, I could not breathe at all. But when it was all over, I could breathe again. When it came to the tasting, I loved it. A lot of people ate my foot, it went like a flash. When it was the time for us to eat, we had so much fun. Dita Gcabo Grade 2C Intersen Phase “Hooked on Books” On Tuesday 27 May, “Hooked on Books” visited DSG. This day brought many new thoughts to us about books, and made us think differently about the importance of books! The people introduced books that some of us would never ever dream of reading, but now we have become quite interested in these stories. I am sure the girls enjoyed “Hooked on Books” as much as I did, and I am certain that we are now really “Hooked on Books! Jessica Slabbert Grade 7E The Impact of Self-Esteem Parents need to be aware of how critical it is to encourage a healthy self-esteem in children Here are several ways to encourage positive feelings of self-worth in a child. • You’re Special - Help your child feel special and appreciated. Research indicates that the presence of at least one caring adult helps a child become resilient. Adults should not ignore a child’s problems, but focus energy on a child’s strengths. Set aside specific time each week to focus on things your child enjoys doing. • Learning to Cope - High self-esteem is often linked to problem-solving skills. Help your child think about his/her problems and brainstorm possible solutions. It is also helpful to role play problem situations with your child so that you can demonstrate the thought process and behaviors that help to resolve problem situations. • Watch What You Say - Try to encourage your child by phrasing what you say in positive terms. For example, instead of saying, “You need to try harder,” try saying, “We need to find a better way to help you learn.” • Give Options - To avoid power struggles with a child, give him/her options for completing tasks. For example, provide different options for places at home or school where the child can do his/her work. Providing these initial choices helps the child feel as if he/she are a part of his/her academic success or that he/she has some control . • Don’t Make Comparisons - Especially within family units, it is important that parents don’t compare siblings to each other. • Emphasize the Positive - . Parents must take every opportunity to make a big deal about any strength the child exhibits. For example, if the child does well on an art project, make positive comments and display the art to rein- force that you are proud of the child. • Opportunities to Help - Most children have an inborn desire to help others. A great idea would be to involve a child in charitable work. Helping children understand themselves and develop healthy self-esteem is critically im- portant. They also want to feel like they are contributing to their home and school in a positive way. Mrs G. Wöcke Special Needs Department St Mary’s Matters Page 4 Counselling Centre Laughter Therapy It is a busy time of the year, the weather is not always pleasant and the stress is build- ing up. This is the time when you need to rediscover the value of laughter. The best part of laughter is you really don't need any "reason" to laugh....just start. But if you are feeling a bit nervous about laughing here's a list of excellent reasons to do just that: laugh. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Laughter: The Light Solution for Stress One could name 101 solutions for stress and all of them should be laughter.