EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE

This week the Foundation Phase children were asked to bring in a bunch of flowers, not only as a celebration of Spring Day, but to be given to local old age homes as a blessing. The fragrant aroma and array of beautiful colours was simply wonderful!

Sp r ing is a great time to renew yourself and gain a fresh perspective on one's life. With flowers blooming and everything coming to life, it's easy to feel a sense of change and rebirth happening all around us. Even if you've had a particularly brutal winter, spring always brings hope that summer will soon be on its way and that a fresh start is all around us. Embrace this new season by asking Him to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

“There shall be showers of blessing, this is the promis e of love; there shall be seasons refreshing , se nt f r o m the Saviour above. Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need, mercy - drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. There shall be showers of blessing, if we but trust and obey; there shall be seasons refreshing, if we let God have His way .” (from song: “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing” by Daniel W. Whittle)

Be blessed - Happy Spring everyone!

Colette Jagles [email protected]

NEWS FROM THE EDITOR

H i l l cr e s t / Waterfall bu s (mornings only ) – we have some space available on this m or n in g’ s only bus. Please refer to the resources tab of the communicator or the website for the application form.

Electronic Board at Gate Entrance – our electronic board at the gate is fairly old and we have been experiencing some difficulty with it sourcing par ts and repairing it. If there are any parents in this line of work or know of a company in who could possibly assist, please contact Kim Hooper.

T h an k you – S pr i n g D ay Special thanks to our Foundation Phase families who donated flowers to the old Hillcrest Hospital for the aged and disabled. We are certain you brightened their day and welcomed the joy of Spring into their lives.

The Senior Primary pupils have supported the Valley Dogs and we are certainly overwhelmed by the commitment and support towards this project. We are so excited to share the amount of dog food, blankets etc. that have been donated (once we can physically get it all out of the storeroom to photograph). Watch this space!

Condolences Our sincere condolences to Mrs Kathy van R ensurg (SP Aftercare) on the passing of her mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and the family at this difficult time.

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za 1

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

Child Safety We have received communication from a parent about kidnapping syndicates operating from areas in and around D urban. We cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of this communication, but would rather be extra cautious when it concerns our children. Please chat to your children about going off with strangers when in public areas, and to ensure that you keep a cl o se eye on your child at all times. Parents, if we could remind you that if your children are being collected from aftercare by aunties, uncles or friends, please can you inform the necessary teachers/secretaries or aftercare staff beforehand.

K i m H oope r Marketing Co - ordinator: Communications [email protected]

NEWS FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL HEADMASTER

It is, once again, quite sobering to acknowledge that we are in the ninth month of the year. Whilst I am energised that Spring has sprung, and the sunrises that greet me daily as I arrive at school continue to fill me with sheer wonderment, it remains mind - boggling to be in the throes of matric prize giving planning and all the related dominoes th at precede Christmas decorations and the sound of Christmas Carols across shopping centre PA systems.

This realisation of a fast - approaching end of 2018 gives me opportunity to pause and think about living NOW. I know I will hear from one or two Grade 12s in the coming weeks of missed opportunities during their time at school; I hear th e se e v e r y year. Thus, perhaps NOW is an opportune time for our Grade 8 - 11 children to reflect on their year to date. Varied and dynamic opportunities for self - discovery prese nt themselves daily at Thomas More College, be these through our academic programme, our extra - curricular programme, our Outreach programme or simply in the multitudinous life - affirming interactions we can enjoy amongst ourselves on this campus.

P e r h aps , f or many of us, it is easier to put things off “until tomorrow”; however, as NOW is all of which we are ever guaranteed, perhaps NOW is the better option. John Maxwell cites the case of best - selling author, Louis L’Amour who, when questioned on his inspirat ion for his writing, simply stated: “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” I believe that it is the Thomas More adult community who should be encouraging our children to “turn on their taps”; make no mistake , we cannot turn their taps on f or them. The tap is th e i r s , n ot ou r s . Similarly, their school w or k i s t h ei r s to do, not ou r s . Their progress, commitment and sense of self are the i r s to explore and hone, not ou r s . D ai l y challenges are t he i r s to navigate, no t ou r s . S e lf - fulfilled children are those who have been allowed to be scratched by difficulty, grapple with difficulty and overcome difficulty. It is only by doing so that they recognise fully the beauty and wonder of living. It is in the struggle that we find our true selves and depth of character.

And so, may we encourage our children to find that which is vibrant and resonates deeply in their lives today. May we allow them the space to find their own solutions and coping mechanisms in times of challenge and difficulty instead of trying to remove the difficulty ourselves. We do them no favours whatsoever when we do so.

I believe unequivocally that we are nurturing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today. Leaders lead. They lead their lives; they lead themselves through t imes of darkness; they lead others through times of darkness; they do hard things. Leaders lead not on their own; they have reinforcements around them, and that’s us, the adults of this community. Let us, therefore, reinforce and support. In so doing, we w ill give our young people permission to empower themselves exponentially, TODAY.

Notes from the Head’s desk: I take this opportunity to inform you that Mr Justin Lanz, Mathematics teacher in the high school, will be leaving us at the end of the year. Mr Lanz has accepted a Maths post at Reddam Umhlanga which is mere minutes from his home. Whilst he will be sorely missed, the move is a good one for him on many practical levels. We will bid farewell to Mr Lanz appropriately at the end of the year. D av e W i gge t t HS Headmaster [email protected]

2

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL HEADMISTRESS

Thank you for the support both in terms of your voluntary contributions of dog food and by permitting your children to wear civvies to commemorate the arrival of spring. The R10 for the permission to wear civvies will be debited to your account, the procee ds going to the Valley Dogs, a most worthy cause.

Our athletes who took part at the Kings Park Stadium Zonal Christian School athletics meeting did very well, gaining a number of places and many of them qualifying with their times or distances for the next r o und in Sasolburg at the end of September. A huge thank you to those teachers who gave up their Friday afternoons and their whole day Saturday to accompany them, and manage, or assist with the event. We are indeed grateful to staff members Tracey Meikle, Marie Steyn and Jade Goosen as well as Jason McGarry, Lindo Mthalane and Josh Wiborg in addition to a number of our coaches. Special congratulations once again to Kaelah Balarin for yet again being victr ix lud o r um – we are very proud of you!

On Saturday 1 st September TMC had 7 teams take part in the World Robotics Olympiad competition. This was the 1 st r o und at provincial level and it took place at Curro Mount Richmore in Ballito. The 7 teams worked for months in preparation for the event and put in many Thursday nights and Sunday mornings as well as many hours during school time. We congratulate two of our HS teams who won silver medals. In the SP, Bethany Steenkamp, E than Roome and Hugo Gildenhuys also came in 2 nd with silver medals in the Elementary category. The following teams also took part: - James Harrison and Joshua Fitzpatrick; Lwazi Gumede and Greg Acklom; Ben van der Walt and Vasilios Kapnias. The competition was stiff but a good day was had by all and a great deal was lea r ned .

TMC would like to thank Fem Steenkamp for all the time and effort that he has put into getting robotics going to the WRO competitions. His help and guidance has been invaluable to both teachers and students, We would also like to thank his wife Kathryn for all her support throughout, but most especially for designing and having the robotics T - shirts made. Thanks too to Kim Nicholas and Rani Mudaly for their support, assistance, time and encouragement. We would like to thank all the competitors for their commitment and hard work as well as their parents for their support.

A reminder that you need to RSVP by this Friday 7 September to Silvia Grunow at [email protected] to attend the highly r ec o mmen d the Talk on Screen Addiction by Dr Di Pickford, who worked with children in a rehabilitation centre and is presently the school chaplain at St John’s DSG in Pietermaritzburg. Information about th is very informative talk, a must for parents and staff, is on the communicator. It talks in particular around the addictive challenges around social media in society today; not only in o ur children but in fact, in the parenting generation. It takes place o n

Wednesday 12 September at 17:30 for 18:00 - 19:00 at Durban Girls’ College Centenary Hal l.

It is also Secretary’s Day this Wednesday 5 September. We would like to pay tribute to these very special people who support us in what we do, make our lives stre amlined and work very hard behind the scenes to make things possible. We appreciate you and salute you for the special role you play at Thomas More!

I particularly wish to pay tribute to our SP secretary and sick bay assistant, Mrs Gabi Marais who was du e to retire at the end of the year. As Mrs Marais has procured further employment, she will be leaving us at the end of the term. We want to thank her f o r the valuable role she has played for many years and wish her all the very best in her new employment, as from 1 October.

We have appointed Mrs Hajira Dladla in her role from 1 October. Mrs Dladla is a Christian lady whose values embody our ethos a nd we trust she will also make a valuable contribution to Thomas More College.

Our Grade 7 Science Expo is ea gerly awaited this coming T uesd ay , the culmination of many hours of hard work and testing by our Grade 7 pupils ably supported by Mark Moolman. Please do avail yourself of the opportunity to see this - situated in the Mac kenz ie Centre until Thursday next we ek. Parents of Grade 6 pupils in particular, please do get inspired, with your child for your turn next y ear .

Wishing you all the best for the week ahead.

B arbara Taljard PS Headmistress [email protected]

3

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

Primary School Weekly Achievers

Sponsored by Roman’s Pizza

1B Sophie Suttie – for a wonderful improvement in her handwriting and presentation of her tasks. 1R M ad d iso n - Rose Gibson – for working so hard on the presentation of her tasks. You make me so proud. 1S Erinn Pretorius – for lovely all round progress in her work and for being a kind and helpful friend. 2D Rohin Shiba – for his improved reading fluency and work ethic in the classroom. 2R T r ist an G r eg o row sk i – for wonderful work this week and for kindly helping a Grade 1 boy who had lost his market day t o y . 2K Amelie Gildenhuys – for constantly looking out for and caring for others and working hard. 3B Emily Masson – for her perseverance and deter mination when working on her maths. 3M Nickus Breedt – f o r his love of learning new facts and for sharing them with great enthusiasm. 3R Alessandro Buccimazza – for making so many valuable contributions to our discussions and classroom learning. 4C Gubhuza Mlambo – for always giving of his best and for his lovely manners. 4J Emma Heslop – for her cheerfulness at creative English projects. 4K Lwezi Ngcobo – for excellent manners and cheerful nature. 5M c G Joshua Fitzpatrick – for his cheerful nature and continued work ethic in class. 5M Troy Wentzel – for his continued effort in class and for his quiet determined nature. 5v L Levi Wynne – for his impeccable manners and for always being kind and considerate towards his peers. 6F Anya Chetty – for her positive polite, cheerful interaction with her teachers and peers. 6L Vasilios Kapnias – for his good manners and excellent work ethic. 6M c C Ashley Serfontein – for her bubbly nature, enthusiasm and integrity and honesty. 7M Thabiso Mthethwa – for her mature, positive approach to her school day. 7H Cathkin Millichip – for her excellent dancing and enthusiasm in the school play. 7C Solethu Mdladla – for his fighting spirit towards his sporting activities. 7CH Aidan Hewitt – for his mature attitude towards his schooling day.

4

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

R o b o t ic s On Saturday 1 st September TMC had 7 teams take part in the World Robotics Olympiad competition. This was the 1 st round at provincial level and it took place Curro Mount Richmore in Ballito.

T he 7 teams worked for months in preparation for the event and put in many Thursday nights and Sunday mornings as well as many hours during school time.

We would like to congratulate Faran Steenkamp and Dylan Launspach for coming 2 nd with silver medals in the Senior section. Conall Steenkamp and Nathan Launspach also come 2 nd with silver medals in the Junior Category Bethany Steenkamp, Ethan Roome and Hugo Gildenhuys also came in 2 nd with silver medals in the Elementary category. T he following teams also took part: - J am es H a rrison and Joshua Fitzpatrick, Lwazi Gumede and Greg Acklom , Ben van der Walt and Vasilios Kapnias

The competition was stiff but a good day was had by all and a great deal was learned. TMC would like to thank Fem Steenkamp for all the time and effort that he has put into getting robotics going to the WRO competitions. His help and guidance has been invaluable to both teachers and students, We would also like to thank his wife Kathryn for all her support throughout, b ut mo st especially for designing and having the robotics T - shirts made. We really looked great at the WRO event. We would like to thank all the competitors for their commitment and hard work as well as their parents for their support. We are hoping to b ack next year with more teams and more experience.

SPORT & CULTURE

SP Boys’ Hockey vs Highbury U10A vs U10A – lo st 4 – 2 U10B vs U10C – lo st 5 – 2 U10C vs U10D – lo st 11 – 0 U11A vs U11A – lo st 3 – 0 U11B vs U11C – lo st 1 – 0

SP Girls’ Hockey vs Winston Park U10A won 6 – 2 U10B won 3 – 2 U10C lost 5 – 3 U11A won 6 – 0 U11B won 3 – 1 U11C lost 2 – 1 1 st Team drew 1 – 1 2 nd Team won 1 – 0

So f t b al l Congratulations to the following pupils on their selections into various KZN Teams: Erin Nyland (U15B), Saxon Kriese (U15A), Isabella Velleman (U15B), Tyla Christie (U15B), Ashleigh Heenan (U15B), Bronwyn Cason (U15A), Alexa Vicent (U17A). Absent: Kayleigh Du Toit (U17A) and Jarryd Schoeman (U17A).

Christian Schools Athletics Congratulations to all our athletes that took part in the abovementioned athletics meeting over the weekend: Cassy Balarin - 1 st 400m (setting a new provincial record), 2 nd in the 200m. Kerryn Bonner - 1 st 100m (setting a new record), 2 nd Sh o t p ut , 2 nd l o n g j ump and 2 nd d isc us Saxon Kriese - 1 st lo ng ju mp (setting a new record), 1 st s ho t p ut , 1 st d isc us , 2 nd h ig h jump

5

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

Cycling/Triathlon We wish Biddi Theunissen, Tiffany Keep and Cian Leveridge all the very best as they compete on world platforms respectively in Triathlon, Mountain Biking and Road Cycling in the coming weeks. We are behind you all the way, and know that you will do Thomas More College and your country proud!

K ar at e Congratulati ons to Liam and Connor Harris who attended their grading examination overseen by the Chief Instructor of JKA, Masaaki Ueki Sens ei (9 th Dan). The boys both received their First Dan Black Belts (Shodan). Well done boys.

Liam and Connor also attended the A frica Cup, unfortunately Liam was knocked out in the first round, but Connor went on to win bronze in Kata in a very close contest, winning a tie - break with a Mauritian competitor, but sadly beaten by a competitor from Madagascar and a fellow South African . Connor placed 2 nd for Kumite, but lost in the finals to another South African team mate. Well done boys.

M us ic Congratulations to the following pupils who completed their M us ic examinations: Caitlin McMurray – Merit for her Grade 1 Trinity College Piano Rachel Montague – Merit Grade 2 Theory Trinity College Mandy Montague – Merit Grade 2 Theory Naomi Smith – Distinction for her Grade 1 Piano

D a nc ing Congratulations to Roxanne Storm who took part in the Move National Dance competition and received an Honorary mention. Well done Roxanne.

H S Boys’ Indoor Hockey U 14A Crawford College LL D r ew : 2 - 2 U 16A Reddam House Umhlanga Wo n : 3 - 2 1st T ea m Westville Boys' U18B L o st : 0 - 2

H S So c c er 1st Team Girls ’ XI St . M ar y 's Wo n 3 - 0 G ir ls ’ - U 1 6A St . M ar y 's Wo n 2 - 1 G ir ls ’ - U 1 6B St . M ar y 's D r ew 1 - 1 G ir ls ’ - U 1 4A St . M ar y 's L o st 0 - 3 G ir ls ’ - U 1 6C St . M ar y 's D r ew 0 - 0 1st Team Boys ’ XI Crawford College LL Wo n 3 - 2 2nd Team Boys ’ XI Cr aw f o r d Co ll eg e L L Wo n 3 - 1 B o y s ’ - U 16A Crawford College LL L o st 0 - 1 B o y s ’ - U 15A Crawford College LL D r ew 2 - 2 B o y s ’ - U 15B Crawford College LL L o st 1 - 2 B o y s ’ - U 14A Crawford College LL Wo n 1 - 0 B o y s ’ - U 14B Crawford College LL L o st 1 - 3

HS Girls’ Softball 1st T ea m K lo o f Wo n 1 2 - 2 1st T ea m West v i ll e Wo n 1 0 - 8 6

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za

EDITION 28 │ 05 September 2018

HS G ir ls ’ - U 1 8A Durban Girls ’ Co ll eg e L o st : 3 - 1 7 G ir ls ’ - U 1 6A Durban Girls ’ Co ll eg e L o st : 1 - 2 3 B o y s ’ - U 18A Kloof High School Wo n 1 6 - 3 B o y s ’ - U 15A Toti Juniors Wo n 1 4 - 7 G ir ls ’ - U 1 8A Danville Park Wo n 1 0 - 3 G ir ls ’ - U 1 6A Danville Park Wo n 1 2 - 7

QUICK LINKS

Academic Calendars Sporting / Cultural Calendars Portals

P a r e n t S t u d e n t P o r t a l P o r t a l

A l u m n i S t af f

P o r t a l P o r t a l

Download D6 School Communicator

7

Thomas More College │ [email protected] │ www.thomasmore.co.za