Plan: Danville Park Girls' High School Organisation: Danville Park Girls High School Administrator: Sarah Alsen
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Plan: Danville Park Girls' High School Organisation: Danville Park Girls High School Administrator: Sarah Alsen Last modified at: 02 Nov 2020, 12:55 Danville Park Girls' High School About us Danville Park Girls’ High School is a secondary school located in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa with about 850 learners in attendance. A beautiful Coastal Red Milkwood tree (Mimusops caffra), a protected species, stands proudly in the centre of our quad. Our school badge incorporates four leaves of the Coastal Milkwood tree. The fruit of the tree is symbolised on our badge by four gold berries, each representing a value upheld by Danville, namely gentleness, tolerance, courtesy and love. Danville has been actively involved in the International Eco-Schools Programme since 2004 and the Water Explorer Programme since 2015. We have an active Environmental Society open to the whole school as well as passionate Grade 11 Environmental Monitors and Grade 12 Environmental Prefects who drive the various environmental projects around the school. The environmental facet at Danville is overseen by our environmental facet educator. Danville’s green business, called Originally Made Green (OMG), was started in 2012, and makes many different products out of waste items collected by the school. Funds raised are donated to local environmental organisations each year. Our vision At Danville Park Girls’ High School, we aim to raise awareness of current environmental issues and encourage each member of the Danville family to commit to sustainability, both at school and at home, for life. We also aim to create a culture of caring for others and making a difference in people’s lives by being involved in community outreach projects. Our goal is to have environmental issues integrated into every learning area of the curriculum. We endeavour to make Danville learners realise that they are the face of a new generation who urgently need to show passionate commitment to ensuring the health of our planet as we cut consumption – buy less and use less – whilst reducing, reusing, recycling and even refusing if needs be. Our plan Danville’s plan is to continue to participate in the Eco-Schools and Water Explorer programmes as these act as major drivers of many of our projects. The Eco-Schools theme we will be concentrating on for 2020 is Climate Change, and our 2020 projects will concentrate on this theme. We also plan to expand the vegetable garden and make it monkey proof in 2020. Through our projects and actions, we strive to make Danville an example of sustainability in all areas. Danville Park Girls' High School Health and happiness Outcomes A clean + litter free environment Negative environmental and aesthetic influences of litter highlighted. Each student takes responsibility for her litter. create a quality living environment adopted shared outcome Plan 3 Good Mental Health for both staff + learners. Ensure every person realises her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make contributions to the community. Good Physical Health for both staff + learners. Encourage all to be physically active in or out of school. Healthy Eating Promoting healthier eating habits. promote healthy + active citizens adopted shared outcome promoting participation in sports and exercise programmes Plan 3: creating a quality living environment Plan 6: a vibrant + creative City Actions Counselling offered at school Two counsellors are available to give guidance to learners, staff and parents. DEAR programme The DEAR (Drop everything and read) programme provides half an hour a week for learners to read quietly. Healthy eating part of curriculum Healthy eating forms part of the Natural Sciences, Life Sciences, Consumer Studies and Physical Education curriculum. P.E. merit system Learners engage in various physical activities in and out of school to earn points. A certain number of points have to be achieved each year. Picking up litter after breaks Prefects and teachers ensure that all litter is picked up by learners at the end of breaks or events held at school. Pleasant and peaceful outdoor spaces provided Beautifully kept (mainly) indigenous gardens with benches and tables provide oases for quiet reading or interactive learning and discussion. Pleasant indoor spaces provided All indoor spaces (classrooms, foyers, reception area, staff room, library, computer laboratories etc.) provide pleasant, stimulating and peaceful environments. Tuck-shop to increase healthy food options Vegetarian options provided. Plan to support meat-free Mondays. Various sporting activities offered at school Sports offered at school include squash, tennis, hockey, netball, swimming, cross country, soccer, athletics, basketball, water polo and volleyball. These can be played at a social or team level and learners are encouraged to reach their personal best. Crunch fit is also offered. Indicators percentage of persons engaged in exercise Percentage of learners/staff engaged in 30 minutes of exercise per day to be assessed. Points system exists for learners. Mental health Percentage of learners/staff engaged regularly in practices which improve mental health such as meditation or mindfulness to be assessed. no of staff/learners with healthy diets Percentage of students + staff who pay attention to the food they eat, and try to eat healthily, to be assessed. Danville Park Girls' High School Equity and local economy Outcomes develop a prosperous + diverse economy adopted shared outcome i.e. Plan 2 high quality of life with access to equal economic opportunities; Plan 4 fostering a socially equitable environment Plan 5 Human Capital Development Encouraging Entrepreneurship Providing opportunities at school. Equal Opportunity All learners and staff, regardless of culture, religion, disability, personal or social circumstances are treated equally. job creation + skills development adopted shared outcome to decrease high unemployment.Plan 2 employment creation Actions Bringing in guest speakers from industry/private sector To promote the entrepreneurship facet. Ensuring gender and cultural equity in promoting/appointing staff Provide equal opportunities for all. Entrepreneurship part of curriculum Entrepreneurship module included in the Business Studies curriculum. Fundraising for local NPO's Collections to support local organisations/charities. Fundraising for school Fun Day held where each class competes to have the most successful stall. The event is well supported by the Durban North community and raises money for capital development of the school. Learners with impairments included Impaired learners are fully included in all school activities as much as possible. Participating in Amnesty International events Ongoing participation. Participating in JSE Schools Investment Challenge The JSE Investment Challenge is a game that aims to teach South African learners about investing on the JSE and the larger role that such investment plays in the country's economy. The Challenge helps those participating to learn about the fundamentals of investment strategy and encourages them to research and strategise issues surrounding the trading of JSE-listed shares. Participants test their share trading skills through an ongoing annual simulated 'host trading' programme. Each team is given an imaginary sum of R1 000 000 to invest in JSE-listed shares. Their performance is tracked and measured in a competition against other teams taking part in the Challenge. This challenge is open to the whole school. Participating in the Allan Grey Entrepreneurship Challenge Learners compete in a web browser and mobile app based game. Weekly micro-challenges expose learners to useful entrepreneurial mindsets and concepts, which are then applied within a variety of real-world scenarios. This challenge is open to the whole school. Participating in the South African Junior Achievement Competition Junior Achievement South Africa provides a platform of opportunity empowering young minds with practical Entrepreneurial skills with sound Financial literacy and Work readiness. This competition is open to grade 11's. Providing aid for disadvantaged learners Fees pro rata to income for disadvantaged learners. Providing opportunities for entrepreneurship among learners e.g. Market Day Market Day, run by INTERACT, is held annually to encourage entrepreneurship. Business Studies learners (specifically) and the rest of the school are encouraged to participate. The money raised from the charge to set up a table is donated to charity. Running a green business Danville’s Green Business called Originally Made Green (OMG) makes many different products out of waste. The business was started in 2012. Learners bring waste items from home. The Environmental Society spends many hours making products which include bracelets and earrings from cereal boxes, containers from coke bottles, book marks from ice-cream sticks, pencil holders from jars and tea bags creatively painted and made into cards. These are sold at La Lucia Mall once a year and at Danville’s Market Day. Funds raised are donated to a different environmental organisation each. 2018 - SANCCOB's Adopt a penguin; 2019 - Project Rhino. Started entrepreneurship facet in 2017 The facet is run by two Entrepreneur Prefects and an educator. The aim is to equip learners with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the constantly changing technological world that we live in and to thrive in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution. Supporting