WYNBERG GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER Also available on our website : MAY 2014 www.wynghs.co.za Dear Parents EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENT! Several months ago, Fairlady magazine asked us to participate in a survey they were undertaking. Of the 25,000 government schools in South Africa, they used the Department of Basic Education's list of the top 100 schools that received the high- est Bachelor Pass rates (eligible to attend university) in the matric 2013 results and asked all these schools to complete their survey. The results of the survey were published in the June edition of the magazine and we are pleased to be named in this alphabetic list of top schools. These schools were then ranked according to various criteria (I have recorded some of our survey responses in italics after each criterion): Academics (30% of score) - the Bachelor pass rate (95.6%), the Diploma pass rate (3.3%), the number of matrics who received four or more subject A's On the evening of 23 April, the University of (42), the number of Grade 11's who progressed to matric (176 of 178), and Stellenbosch honoured those Western Cape the number of Grade 10's who received an A for Mathematics (25 of 177) schools with an exemplary achievement, based on the 2013 Matric results. We are Number of subjects offered at Matric level (10% of score) - 15 subjects very proud that Wynberg Girls’ High is one Extramurals and Support (15% of score) – especially: of these schools! Mrs Shirley Harding received a certificate on behalf of Wynberg Sport portfolios (aerobics, athletics, cross country, diving, hockey, indoor hockey, from Professor Russel Botman, Rector and hockey 5's, karate, netball, road running, squash, swimming, synchronised Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University. swimming, tennis, walking, waterpolo), Cultural portfolios (afritwin, art, capstone, chess, choir, culinary arts, current affairs, dance, debating, drama, environment, film, marketing film crew, MSA, WELCOME TO WYNBERG mountain/hiking, photography, public speaking, Ubuntu, Music ensembles - A warm Wynberg welcome vocal, baroque, brass, flute, marimba, saxophone, string, guitar, clarinet), to Mrs Shaheema Marlie Outreach portfolios (weekly academic outreach with Zimasa school, sandwiches who has come to teach CAT and fruit for Capricorn Primary; Termly collection of bread tags for wheelchairs; to Mrs Furstenburg’s classes Annual collections of dog food, used clothing, books; Wynberg individual while she is away. We are learners winners of the prestigious Amy Biehl Youth Spirit award in very grateful to her as she is 2010/11/12, winners of the Rotoract Shield for community service 2012 & a busy mom to Siddeeqah 2013, Interact, Grade 10 community service, Cansa Relay for Life) (Grade 12) and Nuraan (Grade 9) and still a Leadership programmes (Grade 11 camp, learner leadership programme, grade permanent member of AmIT Consulting. 10 seminars, class captain and charity reps training, School Council seminar) Counselling (2 clinical social workers, academic counsellor, peer counsellors), and tutoring (several subject clinics, peer tutoring and academic support. WOOL FOR WONDERS Calling all knitting enthusiasts! The Facilities (15% of score) Wynberg. Old Girls' Union, in conjunction School fees (15% of score) with the Cape Community Newspapers, The teacher learner ratio (15% of score) Number of learners (943) / number of have started their annual Wool for full-time educators (51) Wonders Campaign where baby jerseys & beanies are knitted and provided to Well done to the Wynberg girls for achieving a place on this list and for what they charities. Completed garments should be do in so many different areas of the school. I am very proud of them and of the delivered to reception by 1 September. teachers who give so much to achieve this level of excellence. Patterns are available from the school or on their website (www.wynghs.co.za) It is interesting and exciting to note that 17 of the top 25 government schools are and will be published in the girls' only schools. I trust that this information supports your decision to send your Constantiaberg Bulletin. daughter to Wynberg. We certainly hope that she is taking advantage of the many Donations and/or sponsorship of wool opportunities available to her! are welcomed. Should you wish to donate to this worthy cause please email Warm regards Hilary Mills: [email protected] or Shirley Harding phone 021 764 2200. WINDWORX FANFARE DEBATING The Junior and Senior debating teams were faced with serious opposition at Windworx Fanfare took place at WBHS on Bergvliet High School on Monday 5 May. Unfortunately neither team was Saturday 17 May. It is an annual show- successful but both received excellent adjudication. casing of wind bands from around the In the final round of peninsula. The Windworx Fanfare is not a the Rotary Debating competition or an eisteddfod but an League, both teams opportunity for musicians to share their debated against talents. Performances are commented on Reddam. The junior by adjudicators who give positive and team, Megan Ingram, negative critique. The combined Wynberg Aashiqah Regal and Girls' and Boys' High Concert Band Aqilah Regal, narrowly lost after putting up a performed beautifully under the baton of Natashia Young, Thandeka Chakanyuka, Jordan King, good fight. The seniors Colin Besaans (coach), Thaakiyah Ryklief & Lisa Abrahams Mr. Catzavelos, their dedicated maestro. proposed the motion The evening ended with thunderous This house would legalize all recreational drugs. Thaakiyah Ryklief, Jordan King applause for a performance by the mass and Lisa Abrahams presented a well-structured argument but could not band of 250 musicians. persuade the adjudicators to agree with them. ELEVATE EDUCATION CAPE TOWN EISTEDDFOD SUCCESSES! Workshop 2: With the June exams just around On Saturday 10 May, the combined Concert Band the corner, the Grade 11s met for the second played three pieces in the Cape Town Eisteddfod. The of three Elevate Education workshops. The performance was very successful and they were first dealt with how to study; this one focused awarded a Diploma. The Flute ensemble also on time management. The presenter, Shaun, participated on Saturday and was also awarded a returned, and with him, the entertaining Diploma! Well done, Wynberg! stories and witty jokes we’d come to expect. Despite all the jokes, the workshop was very STELLENBOSCH BAND EXTRAVAGANZA informative: girls learned how to balance The WGHS/WBHS Concert band performed on Friday 9 May at the Stellenbosch what they love with doing schoolwork, how Band Extravaganza in the Endler Hall - a wonderful night of excellent musical to make successful study timetables and how entertainment. Among the other performers were the Stellenbosch University to stop procrastinating! Elevate Education Wind Band, Hugo Lampretchs’ Wind Band and Harmonic Brass – a phenomenal dealt with every problem students face and brass quintet all the way from Munich! Both the girls and the boys thoroughly by the end, we all felt much more confident enjoyed playing in the concert as well as listening to the other bands. about the coming exams. CURRENT AFFAIRS 49 members - an all-time high - attended the Current Affairs Society this week. Many issues were discussed, amongst them the São Paulo water crisis. Citizens face a critical water shortage as water has been rationed because their reservoirs have fallen to record lows - this as the World Cup prepares to kick off! While the water company blames drought, critics say the crisis was avoidable. At the other end of the scale, we discussed the implications of Antarctica’s melting twice as Robbertze Tania photo: fast as it was four years ago, and the Back: M Langeveld, N Eddy, A Dreyer, A Solomons, C Stokes, E Nel, C Joseph consequent rise in sea levels. Front: S MacDonald, X Lardner-Burke, M Anderton, M Harrison Adjudicator, Carey INTERHOUSE DRAMA McIntosh, Penny Glover & Jessica Carey McIntosh with, from left, best supporting actors: Amy Hilario & Hannah Fuller; Mesham, best actress best directors: Sara Phiri & Diane Munro; best house play: Sara Bell and Jordan King. JUNIOR CITY COUNCIL PIN HOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Asanda Masoka, Delucia Daniels, Hong-Ju Nam and Normally this is a very Lara Harris have been given the opportunity to difficult project to get right represent WGHS in the Junior City Council (JCC). This but Emily Danielz has put in is a two-year term of office that develops youth a great deal of time and leadership and potential, and focuses on the energy and consulted the betterment of the community. There are 91 high experts and has schools from all over Cape Town involved. At the achieved what most meetings which have taken place, the four girls have others have not familiarised themselves with the other members and managed in the proceedings. Asanda and Lara were selected as Junior past - she has Chairs of two of the city’s sub councils. They are constructed a tasked with meeting senior council members to plan functioning pin-hole camera. The photo on the left is a ‘selfie’ which strategies to meet the needs of the community. The Emily took with her camera. girls realise this is an opportunity to network with similar-minded people and are excited to be able to MINQUIZ work hard for the improvement of South Africa. On 15 May, Cayleigh Brown, Azrah Ismail and Anjali Kooverjee took part in the annual Minquiz. Minquiz, run- ning since 1988, is regarded as SA's premier annual national Science competition for Grade Cayleigh, Azrah & Anjali 12s. It aims to encourage interest in science, Hong-Ju Nam, Asanda Masoka, engineering and technology, especially in minerals and metallurgy, and Delucia Daniels & Lara Harris to promote an awareness of the importance of minerals and metallurgy to South Africa. On 14 May, the Grade 8’s were privileged to have Hayley McLellan, leader of the “Re-think the Bag” organisation, speak to us.