Prep Newsletter No 4 2011

8/7/2019 Prep Newsletter No 4 2011

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7 April 2011

St Johns Preparatory SchoolSt Johns Preparatory SchoolHoughtonTel: 011 645 3100/ 087 550473 Newsletter Number 4

08/04 Final Assembly - Reports go home

11h00 Break up for Easter Holidays

St Stithians 1st XV Rugby Festival

Reminders from theDiary

From the HeadmasterIntroduction

When I take a penalty kick it is 95% mental,5% technique.

Gianfranco Zola (Italy and Chelsea footballer)

As a nation, we are all still battling to come toterms with the self-destruction of the Proteas batting against New Zealand - it was incredibleto witness firsthand (albeit from the comfort of an armchair!) just how important the mentalaspect of sport is and how destiny can change ata moments whim. It seems that the fear of failure was just too much for the Proteas tohandle and it certainly carries an importantlesson for us all. Until we are able to confrontour fears and conquer them, we are unlikely to

reach our full potential in life. This does not onlyapply to sport, but to all facets of our lives.

The common theme which links all fears is afear of rejection, disapproval, failure and, rathermore commonly than one might think, a fear of success.The underlying fear behind all these emotions isthe simple fear of not being able to deal withpossible consequences - of not being able tocope with the rejection, with the disapproval,

with the failure or with the pressure andspotlight that comes with success. It is that fearof not being able to cope which is the fundamen-tal fear which affects us all.

How do we as teachers and parents prepareour boys to conquer their fears?

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, boys arenaturally competitive and need tough challengesand more often than not, they will overcomethese challenges and succeed. However, our role

as parents and teachers is to help our boys copewhen they do not succeed, and also not to putundue pressure on them when they do. We needto let them know that if they give of their best,thats all that matters.

Even if deep down we aredisappointed, we must never showthat same disappointment to ourboys, as then when the nextchallenge arises, they immediatelyhave a fear of disappointing mum,

dad, teacher or coach. What we needto do is to make our boysunderstand that its okay to fail, aslong as they know they have triedtheir best and they learn from theexperience.

The biggest hindrance to success isanxiety. Whether it is in theclassroom or on the sports field; if aboy is anxious, his performance willbe stunted. So as teachers andparents, it is our job to ensure ourboys are as comfortable within them-selves as possible in whatever theydo, and that they know that theoutcome is not important; its theprocess that counts.


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Page 2 St Johns Preparatory School

Remember this:

If you have a challenge and dont try it for fear of failure, youve just given someone else the chance to try it instead - and someone else will.

Thomas Edison is often credited with the invention of the light bulb in 1878, but the truth is that the light bulb was actually invented decades earlier. In 1802, Sir Humphrey Davy discovered that electricity could make a thin strip of platinum glow and give off light, but because platinum was so expensive, he didnt develop the idea much further. In 1840, James Bowman Lindsay put a platinum filament into a glass bulb and removed most of the air so that the filament wouldnt oxidize, and thus the first working light bulb was created. But again, the expense of platinum prevented him from producing the bulb commercially.

Edison came along more than 30 years later, bought the previous patents, and experimented with thousands of different materials for filaments that could be commercially produced, eventually developing a filament from carbonized bamboo that would last for 1200 hours. He didnt stop there - Edison went on to design an electric power distribution system that would make the use of light bulbs practical and profitable. One could argue that all but one of Edisons attempts to perfect the electric light bulb was a failure. Edison considered each failed filament to be an important lesson - he had learned yet another material that would not work. But perhaps more importantly, he didnt let the road blocks that others had met deter him.

Doug Heacock

Dont treat failures as dead ends, but rather as learning experiences which maytake you on other routes and paths. The saying, If at first you dont succeed, try,try again , might be a very old saying, but you have to admit, it gives great advice.

You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesnt exist anywhere except in the mind.

Dale Carnegie

So, in conclusion, I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe holiday with yourfamilies and a blessed Easter break. I look forward to seeing you all at the start of the Trinity Term, refreshed, fearless and ready to tackle any challenge that comesalong.

Patrick Lees

Headmaster


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Reports and weightings of marks

Many thanks to all our parents who filled out the report questionnaire on theCommunicator link at the beginning of this month. We had a very pleasing response,and the information gleaned from the ratings as well as from the comments wasencouraging and useful.

The following points were clear in analysing the results:

Most parents (144 out of 157 respondents) agree that the current report givesthem all the information they need to find out about their sons progress.

Virtually all parents (153) agree that percentages are important on reports.Most agree that they prefer these marks to symbols.

The learning outcomes, effort ratings and fixed comments are useful, butparents (135) value the teachers personal comment about their son mosthighly.

Feelings were mixed about the need for an electronic report, with 88 parents in

favour, and 70 parents preferring a hard copy of the report. However, manyrespondents acknowledged the need to save paper and go green, even thoughthey like having a hard copy of the reports.

Reports for this term will remain unchanged. We are currently working with ourreport designer at Pencilbox to create a new condensed format for our reports that wewill be able to email to parents. Some modifications will need to be made to thestructure of our reports to facilitate this change next term.

Weightings

In response to several queries about the weightings of marks, the information on thefollowing page may be useful. We have weighted our marks to factor in the changes intime allocation for core subjects in the curriculum this year:


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LII and UII Subject weightings

LIII and UIII Subject weightings

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. A copy of the fullreport questionnaire results is also available in my office for perusal.

Kind regards,

Margot Long Patrick Lees

Deputy Head - Academics Headmaster

Office: 011-6453122 Office: 011-6453115

[email protected] [email protected]

Subject Terms 1, 2 and 3

English, Mathematics 150 per subjectAfrikaans, isiZulu 100 per subjectHistory, Science, Geography termlymodules

100 per subject for that term

In calculating the year mark, each of these three modules will count 33.33.

IT, Music/Class Music, Drama, Art,D&T

50 per subject

Subject LIII UIII English, Mathematics 150 per subject 150 per subjectAfrikaans, isiZulu, History, Science,Geography

100 per subject 100 per subject

IT, Music/Class music 50 per subject 50 per subjectDrama, Art, D&T 50 per subject 25 per subjectEMS (U3 only) N/A 25


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Individual Achievements

KWF Central Gauteng RegionalKarate Championships Christopher Ching, won silver forKata and bronze for Kumite.Nicholas Ching, won silver for Kataand gold for Kumite. Well done,boys!

On Wednesday the A and B Athletics Teams from St Johns took part in the AnnualPrestige Athletics Meeting at St Stithians. The boys competed against athletes fromSt Stithians, St Peters, St Benedicts, St Davids, WHPS, The Ridge and Pridwin.The following boys achieved a top three place:

In the A Event:

A OHanlon 2 nd Place U11 Shot Put

Z Manaway 1 st Place U10 Shot Put

N Hallendorff 1 st Place Open High Jump

G McPherson 2 nd Place U11 800m

B Vermeulen 3 rd Place U11 150m

In the B Event:

T McKernan 1 st Place U12 Long Jump

M Berger 3 rd Place Open 70m Hurdles

K Motsepe 1 st Place U9 100m

K Motsepe 1 st Place U9 150m

M Masiianoga 3 rd Place Open 200m

Well done to these boys and to all of the boys who represented St Johns so well!

Prestige Athletics

Brandon MacKenzie, UIIIC, competed in theSA Regional Swimming Championships, welldone Brandon!

Tristan Butler won two medals at theBMX, SA Championships.Well done, Tristan

LII Karate Grading

Tariq Seedat- Purple BeltBrandon Badenhorst - Red 1. Well done, boys!


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Lower IIT

English

Word Bricks

Natural Sciences

What animals like to eat and how they go about finding their food

By Jack Montgomery By Hansin Prema

By Huzaifah Masood By Patrick Richardson

By Dylan January


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Lower IIT

By Oliver de Sousa By Brandon Badenhorst

18th March 2011 Introducing Joel SheferI am 9 years old and it is 29 days to my birthday. I was born in Johannesburg. Thebiggest family on the earth is my family. In my family there are 8 kids including brotherin law and niece. Not all of my family live in my house some of them have moved andone has kind of moved he is living in the house next to mine. My family has so manypets some of them I dont even know their names but the ones I know are first the dogsSock, Budy, Shorty, Butchie, Sasha, Stanky, Lulu and Fluffypants. Now for the cats.Smeigel, Chloe and Binx. Now the monkeys, George and Susie.

My hobbies are doing random things like in UIL we talked about bugs and while myteacher was talking and she said something about tarantulas and then I shouted outTARANTULA!!! I also like playing playstaion 3 and playing with friends. Another hobbyof mine is playing with my dog Sock. His name is Sock because he has three white legsand one brown leg. I play fetch with him and I also play other games with him .

The school I go to is St Johns the subjects I like are silent reading, Zulu, Mathleticsand readers are leaders. What I dont like at school is Drama, HSS, Afrikaans andresearch skills. My friends are Rian Sadler, Jack M, Jack L, Jack S, Ntsika, Dylan Jand Dino. My favorite sports are basketball, soccer and rugby.

When I grow up I want to be a famous basketball player. My mum was a professionalplayer and that is my passion. The position I play is a runner. I am in the Junior Ateam and sometimes I play for the Senior B team.

By Joel Shefer


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Lower IIT

Introducing Matthew Gouveia Hi my name is Matthew I am nine years old. I have three dogs and two love birds.My three dogs names are Mihlo, Butterscotch and Scully, they are fun to play with.Mihlo is a Golden Retreiver. Sally and Butter come from the SPCA so we dontknow what breed they are. So let me tell you a little about myself. I have blueeyes and blond hair. I live with my mum and dad a brother plus a sister. Its amad family but its a nice family. I live in Mount Pellen Drive. My house is greyand it is big. I have two pools. I have lots of fun at home.

I play cricket in my free time, sometimes I go and play with my ball swing if youare wondering what a ball swing is it is a cricket ball that is tied onto some stringand then you tie it onto the tree and it will swing back. Sometimes my whole familyplays. We have such fun, me bowling at my mom. We still play cricket togetheronce my dad got hit somewhere you dont want to know. Sometimes my dad willcry and then he would say I ate too much and then I would beg for him to comeand play.

My school is St Johns college. I love my school. I play cricket, it is my favoritesport. I play cricket every Saturday. My favorite school subject is English, I loveto write stories. It is weird because I dont really like reading, I dont like mathsbecause I get a bit confused but its kind of fun. My friends are Oliver, Nick, Bradand Kirby. They are the best friends a boy could every have. They are funny, theyare cool. I like them a lot I also have a friend in Roedean her name is Jessie.

When I grow up I want to be a cricket player because I love the sport also I want tobe an author because I just love writing fiction stories.


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Photo gallery - Upper II Camp

After the hike Above the abseil

All together

Building shelters Building a dam


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In the Kloof

Abseiling

Campfire

Fun on the slides

Sleeping out

Telling stories with spoor


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Just One Bag

The Just one Bag initiative was inspired by the concerns of Jordan Van Der Walt, anUpper II pupil at St Johns Prep, regarding other less privileged childrens ability to

attend school and excel if they do not have sufficient food. He proposed this initiative tothe school and it has been taken on as a community service project which is hosted bythe school, every year during the first term. The collection for this cause has been verysuccessful thus far and a number of worthy charities have benefitted, which is veryrewarding.

Jordan Van Der Walt with 94.7

presenters Darren Simpson and Sam Cowen

Mielie Meal arriving at St Johns


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This is where Just one Bag is helping the community

Drop off to TLC on Wednesday, 6th April 2011


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Our rhino populations in South Africa are facing thebiggest threat ever. The rhino numbers in the rest of

Africa have declined to such an extent that SouthAfrica holds about 93% of the African populations of white rhino, and an estimated 30% of all black rhino.We are losing one rhino every one and a half days.Our objectives are to raise significant funds directfrom the public through the sale of one MillionBracelets. The proceeds from each bracelet go towardsfighting rhino poaching and job creation through anon profit BEE Accredited Trust managed by SouthAfricans to ensure that the maximum amount of funds raised go directly and swiftly to effect immediateaction, and halt the slaughter of our national heritage,and preserve it for generations to come. The RHINOFORCE Initiative is not just a bracelet. It is a lifeline .The success of Afrika Expeditionary Force UnitedAgainst Malaria Campaign proved that a personalpledge would mobilize and engage South Africans of all ages to encourage support and urgency for thisproject and highlight the plight of the rhino.

THE CALL TO ACTION ONE WAR WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE

This Rhino campaign has brought together immense support from the corporate sector,captains of industry and highly recognizable passionate and authentic professionalsfrom all business and entertainment sectors, such as Khan of the Parletones and EdJordan whose soundtrack Beautiful Creatures will be the voice of RHINO FORCE andits campaign anthem. It is available as a CD banded with the Rhino Wars Bracelet topromote additional sales.

In addition the campaign will be driven during the duration of the Cricket World Cupthrough the endorsement of Jonty Rhodes. 10% of direct sales of the 100 % PureProtea Cricket Supporters T Shirt will be donated to the Trust. Wildlife film producer

and director Peter Lamberti endorsed RHINO FORCE by pledging the soon to bereleased documentary Rhino Wars .

Rhino Force

Oliver Tambo UIIIJ


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Vintage clothing collections 2011 Vintage Clothing Collections 2011

It's time to clear your clutter and cupboards during the April holidays!

We will be supplying you with a White bag before the upcoming holiday.

Please would you fill it with unwanted items, of good enough quality ready to be resold... clothes, shoes, bags, linen, curtains, leather goods, soft toys, belts, etcno sharpobjects!!

Your unwanted items will be distributed (around the country) to second hand shopsthat sell these items at a very nominal price to poorer communities - so please, totallyunwearable items of clothing!

Please drop your 'full white bags', clearly labeled to Mrs Taylors office by 27 May. Aswe pay for each bag supplied to us, we request that you please return each bag, evenif they are not filled to the brim or are unused. If however you are ready for a greatspring clean, more bags can be collected from Mrs. Taylor's office!

Thanking you for your contributions and valued support.

The Class Mums of Upper III

St Johns College ShopNew opening times:

Monday & Thursday 7am to 3pmTuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10am to 3pm

Stationery and Labels as well as all your sports clothes, jerseys, bags and

socks


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St Johns Preparatory SchoolPage 16

Upper II The Stig Visits St Johns

The PCR Stig paid an unofficial, off-the-record, visit

to the St Johns College Upper II on Friday 18March, along with members of Etana an officialsponsor of this years Top Gear Festival.

Dressed in his Etana-branded racing suit, the PCRStig made his way around the corridors of St Johnsbefore surprising the Upper II learners in the mid-dle of their morning lessons. He stopped off at threeclassrooms, shaking hands, handing out stickers,signing autographs and posing for photographswith the thrilled St Johns learners.

The excitement in each classroom was evident assoon as PCR Stig walked through the door and,before long, the upper II learners were reciting theirfavourite Top Gear quotes, having a giggle as thesilent racing driver wrote his goodbyes and nohomework today on the whiteboard and decoratingtheir Maths books with Top Gear stickers.

Upper II student, Takudzwa Kudzurunga, who wasparticularly excited to meet The Stig at his school,said, Ive been watching him on TV since I was eight.Hes really cool.

Another boy, Mike Ontong, loves the Stig because hesa racing car driver. I watch all his shows. Hes reallyfast, he enthused.

Michelle Fehrsen, one of the Upper II teachers at St

Johns, was just as excited as her class to meet thePCR Stig. This is just awesome. The boys love the Stigand Im a huge fan. Ive even included Top Gear insome of my lessons, so its great to have the Stigvisiting us today, she said.


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Starting on Saturday 2 April 2011 the Gauteng Schools Water Polo Committee has de-

cided to start a training squad to help develop the U13, U12, U11 and U10 boys and

girls water polo skills. The training will continue throughout winter, twice per week,

depending on demand. The purpose of this training squad is to develop our junior boys

and girls within the province. We have seen a trend over the years, in which our junior

teams struggle to cope with the stronger coastal schools. These clinics will focus on

improving a players swimming ability, ball skills, positioning in the pool and under-

standing of the game. We will commence this weekend and see how many players we

have interested, and then we will decide whether to continue throughout the holidays.

We will use current South African water polo players and a professional swimming

coach to assist with these training sessions.

These clinics are open to ALL Prep/Junior school boys and girls. Each session will cost

R30 (R250 a month for 8 sessions). This will cover the cost of the SA Players, the

swimming coach and usage of the pool and equipment. Please e-mail me for any

additional information with regard to these training squads.

First Invitational Squad Training :

DATE: Saturday 2 nd April

TIME: 14h00 to 16h00

VENUE: St. Johns College

COST: R30

All first team coaches and assistant coaches of the first team are welcome to attend to

work with and learn from the SA Players.

Regards Pierre Le Roux

Development Portfolio, Gauteng Schools Water Polo

Gauteng Schools Water Polo Executive Committee


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Each collectors pack costs just R100 and is purchased directly fromthe school shop or via email orders to [email protected] .

In the run up to the cricket worldcup, the St Johns College Shop isoffering a collector's pack of the FanCan Proteas puzzles at a greatlyreduced price. The collectors packhas four fan cans each containing a252 piece high quality A3 sizejigsaw puzzle that is licensed byCricket South Africa. This is a greatopportunity to build puzzles of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis,AB de Villiers and JP Duminy.


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Notices

Art club and extra classesFrom the beginning of next term, Mr Poco is starting an Art Club (for LIII and UIII boys) and extra art classes for juniorboys. Senior boys are encouraged to join the Art Club on Tuesdays from 14h00 -15h00 or Thursdays from 15h00-16h00. Juniors may arrange extra art lessons with Mr Poco at alternative times and on alternative days.

We hope to see the senior boys joining the Art Club to create various exciting art works with mediums they do notnormally use in class, such as print making, photography, oil painting and many more. This will be a fantastic opportunityfor any boy who wishes to develop his art skills.

For further information e-mail Bruno Poco on [email protected]

ItalianLanguageLessons

Small age appropriate classes and individual tuitionoffered outside school hours at St Johns.Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher usingcommunicative method of conversation, maintainingcultural ties for solid IEB foundation.

Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or

[email protected]

EXTRA ZULULESSONS

Lower III and Upper III boys.

Every Thursday 13h45

Upper III Mrs Mashele

All Welcome

Hair Dee-Lite 082 462 6813/011 648 6367

Dee offers excellent work for the whole family,competitive prices and the added

convenience of being on campus.

Modern cuts, colours (from R300) and hi-lites.

Kids R50

7 Elm Street (Opposite Rice Field)

Open Tuesday to Friday

08h00 - 17h00

Saturday 08h00 - 13h00

EXTRA MATHSLESSONS

Lower III & Upper III boys in Mrs Jean Clarencesclassroom

Every Thursday 13h45 All Welcome

Extra Math LessonsIndividual tuition offered

Mrs M Hauptfleisch

Call 011 442 1854

083 256 7714


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If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again

If I had my child to raise all over again,I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.I'd teach less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.

Author: Diane Loomans

Prep Newsletter No 4 2011

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