Preparatory Newsletter No 9 2013

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4 October 2013

St Johns Preparatory SchoolSt Johns Preparatory SchoolHoughton Tel: 011 645 3100/ 087 55 0473 Newsletter Number 9

04/10 UIII Rowing Tour to HiltonLII & UII Maths AssessmentsLIII & UIII History AssessmentsCricket vs WHPS

05/09 Hockey vs WHPSSport & Cultural PhotographsHousemasters Assembly

09/10 Inter-School Quiz (Pridwin)10/10 Cordwalles/ Clifton Cricket Tour11/10 LII & UII Afrikaans/ isiZulu

AssessmentsSwimming Gala

12/10 Rowing Regatta (Wemmer)14/10 LII & UII Production (Big School)

Grade 2 Parent Information

Evening (Jeffrey Auditorium)17/10 UI Camp (Kloofwaters)

LII & UII Production18/10 LII & UII Hist/Geo/ Science

AssessmentsSwimming GalaLII & UII Production (Big School)LIII & UIII Science AssessmentsSwimming GalaLII & UII Production (Big School)

22/10 Headmasters Assembly

24/10 HALF TERM

Reminders fromthe Diary

From the HeadmasterAnnie Murphy Paul is a book author, magazine

journalist, consultant and speaker, who helpspeople understand how we learn and how we can doit better. I subscribe to her newsletter and in herlatest article she writes

Given all the roiling debates about how Americas children should be taught, it may come as a surprise

to learn that students spend less than 15% of their time in school. While theres no doubt that school is important, a clutch of recent studies reminds us that

parents are even more so. A study by researchers at North Carolina State University, Brigham Young University and the University of California-Irvine, for example, finds that parental involvement - checking homework, attending school meetings and events,discussing school activities at home - has a more

powerful influence on students academic performance than anything about the school the students attend.Another study , published in the Review of Economics and Statistics, reports that the effort put forth by

parents (reading stories aloud, meeting with teachers) has a bigger impact on their childrens educational achievement than the effort expended by either teachers or the students themselves. And a third study concludes that schools would have to increase their spending by more than $1,000 per

pupil in order to achieve the same results that are gained with parental involvement (not likely in this stretched economic era).Whilst I understand that we must be careful whencomparing what happens at a school like St Johnsto findings in schools in America, the bottom linehere is that parents matter!

With the advance of technology, we find ourselves ina situation where many of our boys haveunrestricted internet access via their cellphones,tablets or iPads. At school, we are dealing with moreand more incidents of pornography and indecentmessaging, as well as cyber bullying via cellphones,Facebook , Blackberry Messaging (BBM), WhatsApp ,Twitter , Instagram, and the like.

Just as we teach our children notto get into cars with strangers orto take sweets from people they dont know, we have a seriousresponsibility to ensure that weteach them basic safety guidelinesto keep them safe online, toprotect them from exposure to

harmful material, and to teachthem how to behave appropriately online.


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Page 2 St Johns Preparatory School

Interestingly, after investigating several recent occurrences, weve noticed that theseunacceptable cyber incidents almost always occur at home , and often happen verylate at night . I also found it quite astounding that close to half our Upper Is own acellphone and almost all the Upper IIIs do. I wonder how many parents actually knowwhat their sons are posting on their cellphones / iPads and how many have discussed

the seriousness of pornography and cyber misuse?

We understand that the answer is not to ban these communication tools; however, it isour responsibility as a school, and particularly yours as parents, to teach, monitor,guide and keep our boys safe in the cyber world. I encourage you to have a chat to

your son and explain the seriousness of this type of unacceptable behaviour.

I also urge you to ensure that your son does not have access to his cell phone after hegoes to bed at night a solution to this is to ask him to switch it off and put it on ashelf outside his room, out of temptations reach . Apart from the obvious benefit of avoiding unacceptable behaviours online, this will also ensure that he is able to have arestful, undisturbed nights sleep!

For your information, the Protection from Harrassment Act was signed off by government in April this year.

The aim is to provide an inexpensive civil remedy to protect South Africans from behaviour which may not constitute a crime, but impacts on their rights. The new legislation means people who feel they are being harassed can apply for a protection order at their local Magistrates court. The procedure is straightforward, and no legal

representation is required. After the order is granted, anyone who contravenes the conditions could face a fine or up to five years in jail. Justice officials say the Act will benefit those who arent able to afford expensive legal remedies. It will help address bullying in schools, people who are harassed by cyber stalkers and those subjected to sexual harassment.In essence, if one of our boys is involved in a cyberbullying incident, he could bereported and convicted.

Also, this is a good time for a reminder that it is illegal for any Prep school boy to havea Facebook account as stated below, in an extract from the Facebook terms andconditions!

Membership in the Service is void where prohibited. This Site is intended solely for users who are thirteen (13) years of age or older, and users of the Site under 18 who are currently in high school or college. Any registration by, use of or access to the Site by anyone under 13, or by anyone who is under 18 and not in high school or college, is unauthorized, unlicensed and in violation of these Terms of Use. By using the Service or the Site, you represent and warrant that you are 13 or older and in high school or college,or else that you are 18 or older, and that you agree to and to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

Remember, there is no job more important than being a parent. Become involved in your sons cyber life. Take a real interest in what he does and sees online. Make himunderstand that you are there to guide and protect him, because you love him.

Patrick Lees


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Dear Parents

We have completed almost a month of Michaelmas Term and it is pleasing to note thepositive energy in and around the Prep. The boys are settled into a routine and it ismost encouraging seeing the boys involvement at school.

Hockey season ends tomorrow and the boys have acquitted themselves very well on thefield. Well done to all the boys on their commitment this term!

Extramurally, we now turn our attention to the Michaelmas 2 Timetable. Cricket isour major sporting code as of Monday. Swimming, Basketball and Water Polo also formpart of the new timetable. Please note that the Michaelmas 2 Timetable has beenemailed out and is also available on the Communicator.

We see several sports tours off in the next few weeks and we wish the staff and boyssuccessful tours. Basketball and Water Polo head down to Cape Town, while our U10A,U11A and 1 st team cricketers head off to Kwa-Zulu Natal over the half term.

May I take this opportunity to wish all our boys a tour of significance, whereby they grow and develop both on and off the field. Many thanks to our parents supportingthese tours.

We also welcome Cordwalles and Clifton Prep to St Johns next week. Our 1 st XI andU11A boys will be in action. We look forward to renewing and strengthening therelationship between our schools, as well as watching some entertaining andcompetitive cricket.

On a separate note, the Prep has decided to initiate a Blitz Week for the coming week.We, as a staff, are focusing on the boys punctuality to class. We have noticed that boysare getting to class very late after break and between lessons.

In addition to this, boys are getting to class late after morning sport. Naturally beinglate to class affects the content of that lesson, and it is very disruptive for the teachersto be interrupted whilst teaching.

The boys will be notified of the intentions and purpose of the Blitz Week at Friday line-up. We ask that you, as parents, support this initiative and remind your boys thatit is disrespectful to arrive late to lessons.


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Next week also sees the Sport, House and Cultural Photographs being taken on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th October. It is vital that your son has the correct attirefor his photographs. A list of the photographs and the expected dress code has beenemailed out to all parents.

Finally, BrainPower Week, in late November is planned and ready for implementation.Please note that you will soon be receiving the programme for this week of 25-29November.

We are clearly in for a busy end of year and may I take this opportunity to wish the LIIIand UIII boys the very best in their Exam Week .

A motto that I attempt to put in place each day is, Fail to prepare, prepare to fail .Certainly it is easier said than done on some days, but I do believe that if your son isprepared and has revised his work, he will be absolutely fine.

Please know that the St Johns staff are available to offer help and support for yourson. Please have a look at our website to locate the email addresses of our staff, should

you wish to be in contact.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with regard to any of the matters mentioned above.

Kind regardsCraig Verdal-Austin

Second Master

010 492 0116

[email protected]

www.stjohnscollege.co.za

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We have come to the end of yet another action-packed and successful Hockey Season.It has been wonderful to see the boys fully involved in the sport; from the morning PElessons to the afternoon practices and during matches.

Summer sports will commence from Monday the 7 th of October during both morningand afternoon sports sessions. Due to the number of options available, this can bequite confusing for the boys, so we will need your help in checking the timetable andensuring that they have the correct kit for their lessons.

During the Monday and Tuesday PE lessons, Bousfield and Carter boys will attendswimming practice, while Cullinan and Darragh boys will alternate each week betweenCricket at the indoor centre and field drills on the field. During the Wednesday and

Thursday PE lessons, Cullinan and Darragh boys will attend swimming practice, whileBousfield and Carter boys will alternate between the indoor Cricket centre and the fielddrills.

Swimming is compulsory for all the boys.

Boys need to wear protective cricket gear for the Indoor cricket centre lessons. They need to have a St Johns swimming costume for the swimming lessons and the normalPE kit for the field drills lesson.

The LIII and UIII boys that do not play cricket have the option of going to the indoorcentre or joining the other house on the field for the field drills session. This will not bean endurance fitness session, where the boys spend a lot of time running, but astructured, fielding, agility, gross motor control, hand-eye co-ordination, speed workand core strength lesson. Half of the lesson will be aimed at improving fundamentalmotor skills based on their developmental ages.

We are unable to offer basketball specific drills during the morning PE lessons becauseof staffing and time constraints. However, be rest assured that the drills being doneduring the field session will be beneficial for all land based sports.

We wish all the boys a successful final sporting term ahead.


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St Johns Preparatory SchoolPage 6


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Since the beginning of this term the boys have been working on a leopard awarenessfundraiser project. Drawing from a reference, the boys have accurately copied thedrawing and are mostly now completing their work with colouring pencils. Someexceptional work has already been produced.

This project was inspired by recent sightings of leopard in the Magaliesberg area. The Johannesburg Zoo is currently researching these cats to help understand their plightand establish proper conservation for them.

Once the boys have completed their drawings, a fundraiser initiative will take place. These funds will contribute towards the purchase of a radio collar for the tracking andstudying of one of the Magalies leopards. Well done to all the boys!

Bruno Poco

[email protected]

Nicholas Ching Robin Swartz


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Henry Rochester Joshua Myers

Daniel Burke Joshua Sansom and Keagan Lion-Cachet


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During the course of the second term, the Upper 1 boys completed a project on variousaspects of South Africa. The research of the various topics was given as a homeworktask and done over a period of time. Once all the research was completed and collated,the boys illustrated and completed their projects at school. The boys enjoyed doingthese projects especially as it incorporated the use of the iPads to illustrate and presentsome of the topics. At the first school assembly after Heritage Day, the boys were giventhe opportunity to present some of the projects.


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Individual Achievements

Chess

16th September

St John's A vs St Peters St Johns B vs St Benedicts

St Johns lost 25 - 39

Congratulations to Nicholas Moschides who won both his matches

St Johns lost 18 - 46

MUSIC

Dino and Nicholas Koutromanos participatedin the Brait mountain-bike race on Saturday

28th September in Magaliesburg. Nicholascame first overall! Well done, boys!

The following boys did their International Rock School practical exam:

Michael Giltrow Guitar

Joshua Myers Guitar

Reece Wilford Drumkit

Tiyani Mthombeni Guitar

Thomas Vermooten Guitar


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On Friday 20th September, the St Johns Prep 1 st hockey team played against theSicelo Primary School hockey team from Meyerton. This team is a development side

that was started by Nicholas Dube, one of our coaches at St Johns. Nicholas hascoached the team for two years and they have done exceptionally well in their localleague. A few of the players were chosen to represent Southern Gauteng in the recentInter-provincial tournament and, as the area winners of the league, they have beeninvited to play in a Top Schools tournament. They have been sponsored by CliffysCash and Carry, without whose help the team would not have been able to travel tomatches or buy kit another Lead SA moment! The final score was St Johns 1 Sicelo 2.

Lynn Joubert

Director of Curriculum and Staff Development (Sport)

Hockey


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Cricket

Johannesburg North East 1st Cricket Team


St John's Invitational team after beating CBC Boksburg

1-0 in the St John's 1st XI hockey festival


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Extreme Explorers

Page 13St Johns Preparatory School

On Sunday 29th September about 35 Upper I and Lower II boys and their families metat the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve to complete the 10km Hike. After a quick briefing,

the extremist explorers set out under the caring eye of the Extreme Explorer Leadership Team. With over 100 members of the St John's Community taking part, the trail waswell worn! With the underlying aim of getting the boys closer to nature, enjoying theoutdoors, the undulating path provided more than enough opportunities. We lookforward to more of these Prep Community events in the future. Thank you to Ben,Sam, Ant, Chris and Garryn for ensuring the success of the hike. Well done to the boyswho completed the hike!

Jon Gunning

[email protected]


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Hooked on Books

Hooked on Books in the Amphi theatre, Thursday 30September


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Mad Hatters Tea Party


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Cool ChoirMr Nyamezele and I have taken great joy in taking the boys for Choir this year. TheCool Choir recently took part in the St Marys Choir Festival. The boys sang a variety of pieces, entertaining the audience with their eagerness and charm. The performancewas received with great enthusiasm. What a talented group of young boys! Towards theend of the concert, the Cool Choir sang two Mass items joined by St Marys JuniorChoir and Auckland Park Preparatory Choir. The evening was enjoyed by all and Icongratulate the boys on their star performance.

Shannon Frigyik

[email protected]


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Jordan with Ahmed Kathrada

On Friday 20th September 2013 Jordan Van Der Walt was invited to address andcelebrate with Lead SA the Launch of Freedom Friday at Sakhumzis Restaurant,Vilakazi Street Soweto.


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Karabo Ntshweng, 94.7 Ground Patrol; Greg Segel, senior retail operations manager at Spar South Rand; Marcelle Liron, 94.7 Ground Patrol; Jordan Van Der Walt, Lead SA Hero of the Year; and Burton Moonsamy, donor relations manager at JAM SA.

Thanks to a generous donation of maize meal from Spar South Rand, and supportfrom Lead SA Hero of the Year, Jordan van der Walt and Joint Aid Management, 560families in the Itsoseng and Lanseria informal settlements in Johannesburg will havefood to put on their tables.

Garnier Take Care - Walter Sisulu Jordan and Dylan with pupils from

St Mary's School Jordan is featured in the

October 2013 Fairlady Magazine


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Heritage DaySt Johns green group spent Heritage day planting a trees at Masibambane, 12 indigenoustrees were donated by St Johns.


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Try your hand at this quiz. Bring it to the Library to get the answers. Alice in wonderland quiz

Family Name:_____________________________________

1. What is the name of Alices cat? _______________________ 2. Which bird decides on a Caucus race to get dry?

_______________________________________________

3. Why doesnt anyone win the Caucus Race? _______________________________________________

4. Who is the illustrator of the picture below? _______________________________________________

5. When did the first Disney animated movie of Alice in Wonderland come out? ___________________________________

6. Complete this rhyme, sung by the Mad Hatter:Twinkle, Twinkle little bat, ____________________________

_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________

7. What phrase does the White Rabbit say repeatedly? _______________________________________________


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8. What does the caterpillar sit on that can help Alice grow orshrink? __________________________________________

9. In the 2010 film, on what special day is it foretold that theright Alice will slay the Red Queens Jabberwocky?

_______________________________________________ 10. Who owns the Cheshire Cat?

_______________________________________________

11. Who is very sad even though he has no sorrow? _______________________________________________

12. What causes Alice, the Duchess and her baby to sneeze? _______________________________________________

13. Who or what paints the roses red? _______________________________________________

14. Who plays the part of the Mad Hatter in the 2010 filmversion? ________________________________________

15. Who is the illustrator of this Alice in Wonderland? _______________________________________________


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2 October 2013To the St Johns community

On The Night

During the previous two On The Night events, we experienced strong south westerlywinds. This resulted in debris from the fireworks falling over Burger field where visitorswere seated. We apologise to anyone affected by the ash and other debris, some stillburning, that fell on the field.

We have agreed that, should there be similar conditions next year, we will advisespectators to sit further back from the demarcated fallout area, alerting visitors of thepossible risk of being seated too close to the fireworks.

We hope to continue holding this annual event, ensuring that it remains a highlight inthe St John's calendar.

On behalf of the Parents Association, I would like to compliment and thank Dr BenOosthuizen, the Staff and pupils from St Johns Music department for their participation and most fantastic performance at On The Night for the secondconsecutive year.

I extend my congratulations and thanks to Jocelyn Ching and the OTN committee for once again organising a superbly well-managed event.

We also wish to express our appreciation to the parents and families who supportedthe event. I hope that you enjoyed the varied and full program delivered.

St John's College has full medical, fire-fighting, security and management facilities atthese events and this, coupled with the support of staff and parents, results in therelaxed and enjoyable family evening that we have come to enjoy. We are proud toshowcase our community, our majestic buildings and the skill of our musicians.

For any comments or would suggestions regarding this and other events at St John's,please contact me at [email protected]

Sincerely

Damian Boyce


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iCareWhilst we hope and anticipate that all boys will feel able to approach their teachers or amember of staff should they feel that something is wrong, we understand that this will notalways be the case. Some boys may feel unsure of how to approach a staff member orunsure of what they should say. For this reason we are continuing to use the iCare box,which is now located in Mrs Powells office. We also have an electronic version where boyscan contact the Pastoral Care Team at [email protected] . The Pastoral Care teamis hoping that the boys make use of these initiatives to highlight anything that they CAREabout at St Johns Prep.

The aim is to provide the boys with an alternative avenue to voice their feelings aroundhatever may be on their minds. This extends beyond the reporting of just peer

difficulties (such as bullying) the aim is to further enhance the quality of the St Johnsexperience. All notes placed in the box or sent via email will be treated confidentially andactions instituted where possible.

We ask that you encourage your son to make use of the iCare initiative so that we canmake his day all that he hopes it can be.

Hugo [email protected]

AFRIKAANS TUITION

Is your son struggling to communicate in Afrikaans or having difficulty mastering thebasics of the language (oral or written)? I am qualified to assist in both of the above areasand would be available to provide the necessary tuition between 15:00 and 18:00 onMondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at St Johns Preparatory.

Tuition will be provided on either a one-to-one basis or in group situations, lessons willlast for an hour. Progress will be regularly monitored and pupils will be expected toperform certain tasks and complete basic written assignments.

Tuition fees for individual lessons are R250 per hour and R150 per hour for groupsessions.

Should you be interested in the above, my contact details are as follows:

Graham Carroll

Tel : 011 534 1224Fax : 011 534 1225

Cell : 076 858 9420

Notices


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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 from15h00-16h00. 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 MATHSLESSONS

Lower III & Upper III boys in

Mrs de Langes classroomEvery Thursday 14h00 - 15h00

(Teacher recommendation only)

Shop At St Johns College

New opening times from 28th January 2013Tuesday and Thursday: 7am to 3pm

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am to 3pm

For stationery and labels, as well as all your sports clothes, jerseys, bags and socks

Upper III Extra English Classes

Tuesdays 14h15 to 15h00Mrs Troleses Classroom

Appeal ForD & T

Plastic bottlecaps,

softdrink,water, milk, all

twist off bottlecapsThank You!


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Dust if you must

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better To paint a picture, or write a letter,

Bake a cake, or plant a seed; Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb; Music to hear, and books to read;

Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there

With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair; A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,Old age will come and it's not kind.

And when you go (and go you must) You, yourself, will make more dust.

Anonymous

Preparatory Newsletter No 9 2013

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