WYNBERG GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER Also available on our website : APRIL & MAY 2011 www.wynghs.co.za Mrs Harding, Dear Parents a very proud granny, with A colleague recently gave me an article from The Independent (UK) of 6 her brand new May 2011. The article “The Truth about Talent” explores Matthew Syed's grandson, suggestion that we are foolish to believe that excellence is only for the few. Luke. Full article available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/the- truth-about-talent-can-genius-be-learned-or-is-it-preordained-2279690.html) The nature (inherited characteristics) vs nurture (what we teach our children) argument has raged for centuries and it is not my intention to enter it. However, every article that gives cause for thought and reflection about how we can improve education at WGHS and support and encourage our girls at school and at home, has merit. We often refer to a child as being talented: someone who excels in maths, sport, drama, music etc. because they are naturally talented in that area. The article asks us to look at the other side of the coin – how much do we adults encourage or dampen a child's ability to achieve in any area, or do we, sometimes inadvertently, rob Wynberg them of the incentive to work hard and the belief that everyone has the ability to be successful? Welcomes Particularly interesting, in the context of school, was the Ms Noeline Faller experiment which took place with a Maths test. Those who did who has joined the well, were praised with: “ Wow, you must be really smart!”, English Department. while the others were praised for their effort: “Wow, you must We wish her a long be really hard-working!”. In further tests, the 'hard-working' and happy stay here. group chose harder tests and succeeded in raising their scores, while the 'smart' learners, praised for their inherent intelligence, chose easier tests (to keep their high score) and, in the final equal standard test, scored less than those who were hard- wynberg weddings working. It seemed in this experiment that praising They may not be intelligence can harm motivation and performance. It is royals, but their possible that excellence in a field is not hard-wired in the brain weddings were – it emerges through practice and hard work. just as special. Ms Serfontein & With the second term examinations upon us, it is important to Ms Dickerson remember that we, teachers and parents, have the power to each married their encourage excellence by allowing every child to believe that Prince Charming Mr & Mrs Furstenburg they can achieve, that hard work and practice always pay off. during the holidays. What your daughter believes about herself will influence almost We all wish them many happy years together. everything she does. If she believes that success in the various facets of life is all about talent, possibly a talent she Mr & Mrs Mostert does not have, she will not be inspired to work hard and practice. However, if she knows that hard work and practice brings rewards, she will be inspired to reach for the stars. An interesting article. An answer to the age old argument? No . but it makes us think, doesn't it? Warm regards Shirley Harding PRINCIPAL term 1 pillar awards kirsten - 1st term winners! Kim Mentor, Head of Kirsten, with the House Cup. Congratulations to Kirsten - first term house cup winners. Congratulations to Ye Ji Jung (Culture), Jamie de Klerk (Academic), Sunel Groenewald (Sport) and Kiara Ramklass (Service) for winning tara notcutt excels again! these prestigious awards. Tara Notcutt (ex-WGHS prize-winning theatre model bridge-building competition director) has done it again! She has been invited to the Kristen Nieuwenhuys, Lincoln Theatre Centre Kiara Ramklass & Directors’ Lab 2011 and will Meghan Daniels be jetting to New York for 3 represented WGHS weeks in June/July. The Directors’ Lab is an at the annual bridge- annual event which runs 10am-10pm, six building competition days a week, involving intense, run by the SA collaborative workshops and rehearsals with Institution of Civil 70 directors from around the world. Tara is Engineering. They only the 3rd South African and one of the spent most of the day youngest participants ever to have been designing and build- invited! While she is away, three shows that ing a bridge out of she has directed will be heading to the long thin pieces of National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. wood and then watching it buckle under the weights placed upon it. At the weigh-in, their bridge took 45 kg maths before it broke, putting them ahead of 7 other schools! Well done, girls. On 14 April, the annual UCT Mathematics Olympiad took place. Each year UCT invites 15 students from each grade at each school to take part in the Grade 10 dance Olympiad either in pairs or individually: this year 75 Wynberg girls took part. We hope they all do well. Melissa Kube maths relay Jenna Busse, Ye Ji Yung, Laylah Ryklief & Kiara Ramklass. Wynberg’s Winning Grade 11's St Cyprians, Herschel, Immaculata and Rustenburg joined Choreography is an important part of the Dance Wynberg in a hotly contested Maths Relay on 10 May. Many syllabus. Here Natalie van der Merwe and thanks to AMESA for sponsoring the event which we hope will be Samantha de Kock can be seen working on their the first of many. Congratulations to Herschel who were Grade compositions. 8, 9 and 10 winners, and to Wynberg’s victorious Grade 11's. fashion show success grade 8 market day The Wynberg Girls' High School Fashion Show 'Diamonds in the Dust' took place in April in the school hall and was a resounding success! The hard work put in by ‘models’ and organiser, Ms de Mink, really paid off. It showcased over 16 fashion houses and was sold out on Friday and Saturday! Everyone was very impressed by the professionalism shown by all concerned: the stage set up, sound, lighting and choreography. Well done, girls! general knowledge quiz us graduates NAME GRADE % Congratulations to these past pupils Yashna Garach 12 90 who have recently graduated at Raeesa Brey 12 86 Stellenbosch University: Katrina Lehmann-Grube 11 85 Mary Hartley (’00) MA Khadija Brey 11 85 Anya Hendricks (’05) BCom Hons Sambesiwe Mbatsha 12 85 Liandi Badenhorst (’06) BAcc Hons Alecs Besier 12 83 Haanim Ely (’06) BA T’Nielle Haupt 11 83 Cindy Lewis (’06) BA Hons Melissa Dixon 12 83 Yolandi Botha (’07) BAcc Lauren Gildenhuys 10 83 Katherine Poole (’07) BSc Sport Sc Gabriella Barries 9 82 Judith Roberts (’07) BA Claudia Harrison 10 82 Ashleigh Thompson 8 82 Ameera Conrad 12 82 debating Gabrielle Jacobs 10 81 On Monday 9 May, Wynberg’s Senior Leandre Kleynhans 9 81 and Junior debating teams were in Melandri Naidoo 11 81 action against Plumstead High School Jasmine Kilpatrick 11 81 in the third preliminary round of the Shannon Smith 11 80 Rotary Competition. Each team won Emma Blencowe 10 80 their debate and was congratulated on Zola Mbinda 12 80 the high standard of their debating. Each year the Grade 8's get the Sinako Bovana 11 80 Well done to Thaakiyah Wentzel- amazing opportunity to incorporate Ryklief (junior) and Melandri Naidoo school work with making money! The Constantia 1st, Cavanagh 2nd, (senior) who were each awarded Best Grade 8 Market Day is combined with Apsley 3rd Speaker. Sian Ferguson an U13 hockey tournament for the top girls' schools in the area. The Grade pizza & movie evening 8's have to present a business plan, plus a list of assets, liabilities and other miscellaneous things that a true business entrepreneur needs. The girls then sell their goods on Market Day, which tests whether their idea was economically viable. It also provides the girls with a wonderful opportunity to learn outside of the classroom, something that Wynberg holds very dear to its heart. This year the jazz and marimba bands provided wonderful entertainment while the noise of the market reminded one of the hustle and bustle of the real The money collected from this fund-raiser will go towards the swimming-pool/ economic environment. waterpolo pool conversion. grade 10 braai Peer Guides Kayla Abrahams, spreading easter joy Carryn Peregrino, Donne Daniels In the Big Sister, Little Sister programme, each Wynberg Grade 11 or 12 Peer Guide is teamed up with one of the & Vicky Ross WGJS learners. They meet once a week for a fun session of with Betty, learning activities, the aim being to help them help them- Ms Franke’s selves navigate their way through any difficult circumstance dog, at the they may be facing. Together they undertook a special Grade 10 Easter project. First they had loads of fun creating Easter- braai. egg baskets for the patients at Maitland Cottage Home. They produced beautiful baskets filled with chocolates, Easter eggs and toys, with their own notes to the patients. Then, later on in April, they visited Maitland Cottage and really enjoyed giving the baskets to the patients. A great deal mothers’ day breakfast of care and kindness was shown by the young sisters and a sense of appreciation and joy filled the wards. Everyone left happy, blessed and very thankful for everything they have in their lives. On Saturday 14 May, Wynberg hosted a Mothers' Day Breakfast, celebrating mothers who always have a great impact on who we become, and who shape our communities. Mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters and grandmothers attended the event in our beautifully decorated school hall and enjoyed a scrumptious continental breakfast.