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 teams were placed 2nd in the playoffs, and the U16A team were the overall winners of their league- a wonderful achievement. In , 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 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 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. Laughter re- leases anxiety, changes our perception and helps us cope. It doesn’t change stressors; it changes how we relate to stressors. If we laugh more, we stress less. This presentation energizes, entertains, and informs in a unique approach to the wearisome problem of stress. Participants will: • Laugh till their sides ache and their cheeks hurt. • Learn outrageous, practical, specific tools to promote laughter daily. • Be less stressed and more energized. • Be more aware of the vital role of laughter in stress management.

With acknowledgement to http://www.teehee.com. Accessed 2.06.2008 St Mary’s Matters Page 5

Parents’ Association

There will be no winter General Feedback Meeting this term. All interested parents are invited to attend the scheduled Parent Association Committee Meeting on 14 July 2008 at 18:00 in the Old Conference Room.

Please diarize Friday 20 June 2008 for the BINGO EVENING that will take place at 19:00. This is part of our fundraising effort and it prom- ises to be a lot of fun, so please join in!

Please remember to support the My School partners:

• BSXI Hydro Spa Ridge Lifestyle Centre • Ikon Hair & Beauty Shop 305, Brooklyn Mall • Madam et Monsieur Shop 132A, Wonderpark Sentrum • Salon Janika Hokaai Sentrum, Shop 1 Piever Centre • The Hair Corner Marylone Mall, Ave

Please remember to sign up for the My School card on www.myschool.co.za, it will only take a few minutes of your time. You can also get grandparents, other family members and friends to apply for their own cards. They just need to specify St Mary’s DSG, Pretoria as the school they wish to be linked to.

Thank you to those parents that have signed up for and are using the My School card. If you have applied for a card and still not received it, please call Rosemarie on 0824987577.

THE MAKRO REBATE SYSTEM How the rebate system works All parents, teachers and school cards are linked to an internal control number and the sales for the School Group will be accumulated. The school will then receive a rebate on the sales at Makro Silver Lakes.

Please note that the school will no longer receive a rebate on sales at Makro Centurion.

Thank you to all those parents that have linked their cards. Forms are available at senior and junior school offices for those parents who still wish to link their cards. Cards can also be linked in store at the service counter. Remember to get friends and family involved.

REMEMBER TO SWIPE YOUR CARDS!!

St Mary’s Matters Page 6

SPORTS NEWS

SQUASH

The squash league has started with outstanding results for our teams. All the teams won their first matches 6 – 0. Well done players, keep the hard work up! Congratulations to Tamlyn Chippindall who gained 1st position in the U14 Prince Open Competition.

DSG A 6 VS MENLOPARK A 0

DSG B 6 VS MIDSTREAM A 0 DSG C 6 VS WILLOWRIDGE A 0 DSG C 6 VS WILLOWRIDGE B 0

Congratulations to the following players who have been selected to represent Northern Gauteng at the annual Inter Pro- vincial Tournaments in their respective age groups:

U13A Makgosi Peloakgosi Boipelo Montwedi U14A Cyann Camera Tamlyn Chippindall Amy Farrel U16A Dassie P-vd Westhuizen Brigette Botha Nicola Schmidt U19A Helen Coetzee Ashleigh Ferreira

TENNIS

Due to clashes with other sports activities, some of the matches had to be rescheduled to a later date. The teams had mixed fortunes with the league:

DSG OPEN C 62 VS WILLOWRIDGE A 6 DSG OPEN C 23 VS PHSG D 44 DSG OPEN C 18 VS PRETORIA NOORD 49 DSG OPEN B 53 VS MIDSTREAM A 14 DSG OPEN A 59 VS MENLOPARK C 8

BASKETBALL

The basketball teams played several matches in the last two weeks with some outstanding results. The U16 A- team has not lost a match yet. The semi-finals and final matches will take place at DSG on 6 and 7 June.

U14 A vs PHSG 22-1 U14 B vs Glen 16-23 U16 A vs PHSG 26-14 U16 A vs Glen 11-4 U16 B vs Glen 46 U16 B vs PHSG 43-3 The semi-finals and final matches will take place at DSG on 6 and 7 June. The following DSG teams have qualified to participate in these events:

Open A U16A and B U15A and B

Well done, girls! Good luck for the matches! St Mary’s Matters Page 7

STILL ON THE SPORTS NEWS

SENIOR HOCKEY

On 26 May, all the hockey matches against Oos Moot Hoërskool took place at DSG in pouring rain. Congratulations to the U14A team who showed that nothing, not even the rain would stop them from winning their league. Well done, girls and Mrs Vos du Toit on winning the league! You are STARS! U14 A 1-0 U14 B 1-0 U15 A 1-2 U16 A 0-2 U16 B 1-2 U18 A 0-3 U18 B 1-3

Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected for their respective Northern Gauteng Hockey teams:

U14A Lungile Mahlare U14B Kay Kangwa Motlatsi Tsiane U15B Savannah Lodge U16A Dassie Persaud-van der Westhuizen U18A Simone Barrett

JUNIOR NETBALL

Congratulations to Lebogang Mashego who has been selected for the U12 Gauteng Netball team.

The A and B teams played their last league matches against Springvale Primary. U8A lost 4-1 U11A drew 9-9 U8B lost 5-0 U11B won 6-4 U9A won 13-1 U12A won 13-6 U9B1 won 4-3 U12B lost 12-3 U10A lost 10-0 U13A won 17-14 U10B won 10-2 U13B lost 11-4

The C teams played matches against Southdowns College and CBC.

Southdowns College CBC U9B2 won 4-1 U11C lost 10-0 U10C won 7-4 U13C lost 5-0 U11C won 2-1 U13C won 4-2

St Mary’s Matters Page 8

STILL ON THE SPORTS NEWS

SENIOR NETBALL

We would like to congratulate all our netball teams who played and trained very hard this season. The hard work paid off over the week- end when they played in the semi-finals and finals. Well done to the U16A team and Mrs Lynette Ferreira, their coach, on winning the league, as well as to the U14 and U15 teams who gained second position in the league. You did us proud!

The final results were: U14 Silver medal U15 Silver medals U16 Gold medals Open 4th position

Some of the other results over the last couple of weeks were:

Midstream U14 A 12-10 U14 B 5-15 U14 C - U14B 11-5 U15 A 13-13 U15 B 15-7 U15 C – U15B 10-6 U16 A 13-12 U16 B 22-6 U16 C vs Midstream B 10-7

PHSG U14 A 13-17 U14 B 3-17 U14 C 6-12 U15 A 13-20 U15 B 3-22 U15 C 6-17 U16 A 20-15 U16 B 14-10 U16 C 8-11 Open A 5-42 Open B 2-29

JUNIOR HOCKEY

Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected for the Gauteng North hockey teams. We are very proud of you.

U13A Nolo Lerumo, Kabelo Kgoele, Hlengi Hlongwa U13C Meghan Annandale. U12A Makgosi Peloakgosi, Kirsty Gibson, Nokuthula Makhoba, Kabelo Maruping U12B Boipelo Montwedi, Wako Sefara U12C Jenita Jardim.

The league teams have been involved in matches during the weekend. The U11A team beat St Paulus 1-0 and Cornwall Hill 4-0. The U12A team beat Wonderboom 1-0 and Glenstantia 12-0 The U13A team beat Glenstantia 5-0 and drew 0-0 to Irene Primary. The U13B team drew 0-0 against Skuilkrans and lost 2-0 to Wierdapark. The U11A, U12A and U13A teams have not lost a match yet this term, and will therefore be involved in the league finals this weekend. We wish them the best of luck.

The U8, U10, U11B and U13C teams participated in a festival at . U8’s beat 2-0 and St Paulus 2-1, and drew 1-1 with Cornwall Hill. The U10’s beat CBC A-team 3-2, CBC B-team 2-0, St Dunstan’s 1-0, St Paulus 1-0, and Woodhill College 1-0. They drew 0-0 with Curro College, and lost 1-0 to Irene and 2-0 to Woodhill College. The U11C team lost 2-0 to Woodhill B-team and 1-0 to Northridge. They drew 2-2 with Woodhill C-team. The U13C team beat Magalies 8-0 and Cornwall Hill 2-1. They lost 1-0 to .

The U8 and U10 teams played in a round robin at Rietondale the past weekend. The U8’s beat Monumentpark 3-0, 4-0, Northridge 1-0 and Menlopark 2-0. They drew 2-2 to CBC and lost 3-4 to Glenstantia Primary. The U10’s beat Glenstantia 5-0, CBC 4-3, Laudium 1-0, Wonderboom 5-0 and Northridge 6-0. They drew 1-1 to Woodhill College and Cornwall Hill College. Cultural Concert requests your presence!

All St Marys DSG family and friends! You are invited for a cultural concert In the Main Hall At 18:30 On the 12th of June 2008, Thursday A variety of art, music, drama and singing items will be displayed and performed from both the Senior and Junior Schools.

Come and see our stars!