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DELTA NEWS 2015

Term 4 - No 4 of 2015

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE

Dear Parents / Guardians

So we come to the end of yet another year. This year has truly challenged our learners, staff and parents alike. Despite the renovations and the scaffold accident I am pleased to say – we’ve survived.

Temperatures in our mobile classrooms are either freezing cold or boiling hot. Thank you for your understanding in this regard. The renovations were supposed to be completed in 54 weeks, but alas, we will still be in the mobiles for at least another year (see article).

Looking back at all the newsletters throughout 2015, it has been a very busy year: Delta Dash, various camps, NEA and Eisteddfod, merit awards, parent meetings and parent evenings, community outreaches, Caxton articles, sporting activities and of course our Family Day, which was a huge success. Early next year we will have our annual class braai, and if all goes with the renovations, we will host the family day later in the year.

Please take note of the following VERY IMPORTANT arrangements / information:

School reopens 13 January 2016 at 7:45 sharp.

Learners MUST be dressed according to the Learner Code of Conduct from day one, which includes the correct school uniform, neat and tidy hair, nails to be clean and short and boys to be clean shaven. We want to instil a sense of pride in our learners from the start and we need your assistance and support.

Danny, our security guard, has been the saving grace of many a child this year, having to wait until 20:00 at night for parents to fetch their children. Please show him the necessary respect which he deserves.

Please be considerate towards fellow drivers in the parking area. The safety of our learners is crucial and for this reason we ask you to obey traffic rules, especially when Danny or the educator on duty asks you to comply.

Learners have been bringing e-cigarettes / Twisps to school. ACCORDING TO OUR CODE OF CONDUCT, THIS IS NOT ALLOWED AND WILL BE TREATED THE SAME WAY AS CIGARETTES. Until there is legislation, learners must comply with our decision.

The most useful asset of a person is not a head full of knowledge but a heart full of love, with ears open to listen and hands willing to help. It is not about quantity but quality; it’s about focusing on that which we CAN change – OUR ATTITUDE!!!!!

Wishing you all a blessed and wonderful festive season. Should you be travelling, please travel safely and enjoy the time with friends and loved ones.

Looking forward to yet another exciting year!!!

Festive regards

Dr JJ Britz

Principal

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FAREWELL TO MRS PARNELL

It is a sad day, as we bid farewell to Mrs Cheryl Parnell who has been an educator at Delta Park School

since day 1 of the existence of the school. Mrs Parnell started at Delta Park School in 1992 under the

leadership of Mr Div Horak (currently at School of Achievement). She formed part of the mere 8 staff

members and only a handful of learners.

She has been with the school for 23 years and her legacy for Maths and Science, filled with passion and

motivation for these subjects, will remain with the learners and colleagues for a lifetime.

Mrs Parnell also formed part of the management team for the last few years, leading the Grade 7 educators.

We are grateful that Mrs Parnell will be assisting us from January – March 2016, as we are awaiting the

Gazette to advertise her Departmental Head post. Although in a smaller capacity, we are grateful that Ms

Parnell’s cheerfulness will still be enjoyed as she assists us in the classroom for Term 1 and continues with

her passion for Aftercare.

Mrs Parnell, will definitely leave a void in education and we thank her for her many years of dedication,

passion and commitment. Fortunately we still know where to find her. We would like to send our best wishes

for her “retirement” and we wish her many years of happiness and good health.

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STAFF MATTERS We unfortunately have to say goodbye to the following staff members and wish them well for their future:

Ms. Cheryl Parnell (Departmental Head for Grade 7’s)

Ms. Sharon van Rooyen (Grade 5 teacher)

Ms. Kirsty Tillyard (Remedial Therapist)

Ms. Lisa de Klerk (School Nurse)

Ms. Adri Booysen (Foundation Phase teacher)

Ms. Jackie vd Hoven (Gr R teacher)

We welcome the following people who have joined us: Ms. Candice Samuel Ms. Manketsi Mahlophe Psychologist Grade 2 teacher

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS

Mr. Visagie

Our very own departmental head, Mauritz Visagie and his wife Louise tackled the 94.7 cycle challenge in

tandem style and completed the race in an amazing time of 5hrs 23 mins

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SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Delta Park School is extremely proud of its SSMT (Senior School Management Team) as they cinched first place at the National Teachers’ Awards/Service Excellence Awards on 2 December 2015. They were nominated in the category: Diamond Award: Excellence in dedication and commitment. The team consists of the Principal (Dr. JJ Britz), Deputies (Mrs. L Rossel and Mr. W Jacobs) and Business Manager (Mrs. R Weideman). It is pleasing to see that the team has received this accolade and acknowledgement for their hard work and dedication.

NATIONAL TEACHERS’ AWARDS

At the National Teachers’ Awards/ Service Excellence awards, a very special teacher, Ms. Sarah Biley

placed third in the province in the category: Special Needs and Inclusive Education. She displays

unprecedented dedication and commitment to Delta Park School and she is involved at every level in the

school. She is a prime example of what we strive towards at Delta Park School.

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ADMINISTRATION LIFT CLUB:

Collect and drop off service for school children. Please phone Shafiek Sallie on 0823408384 /

0110299854

Transport needed to and from delta park school for 2016. contact les: 0829270485

FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL We have come to the end of another year and Delta Park School staff would like to extend a warm thanks

to all the parents for their help and assistance throughout the year. We are looking forward to the same good

relationship in 2016.

Monitors

We bid farewell to our monitors of 2015. The school thanks you for your dedication and assistance and wish you all of the best for the future.

Outgoing Monitors:

Alexia Bailey Kyle Chellan

Shivaun Duggan Trisha-Lee Fourie

Ricardo Jacobs Tristan Mitchell

Bogosi Mohoale Neo Morobe

Jarred Niekerk Shoba Sibran

Nikita Stapelberg Shae Van Wyk

Ndalo Khulu Thando Bhegala

Congratulations to the learners who have been elected as monitors for 2016. We wish them everything of the best and are looking forward to working with them next year.

Incoming Monitors:

Tyrique Africa Tyrece Africa

Abigail Devenish Chloe Goliath

Malefo Mailula Sarah McTurk

Gcinile Motaung Trevis Steyn

Taygen Naicker Lindo Phiri

Tshepiso Mosia Tsholofelo Notsebe

Jamie-Lee Pylman Dyllon Williams

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Academic achievements

The following learners are acknowledged for their outstanding academic achievements. The following learners achieved top honours in their respective grades.

Grade 4 – Qaylah Bhamjee Grade 5 – Cassidy Germishuys

Grade 6 - Tshepiso Mosai Grade 7 – Asleigh Egan

DID (Department of Infrastructure and Development) RENOVATIONS

Due to the scaffold incident on 1 September, all renovations to the school have been put on hold. The construction company is involved in a court case regarding the incident. The good news is that both Michael Ross and Singen Green are doing very well. Doctors established that Singen does not need another operation and can gradually start taking off the neck and back brace. For this we are grateful.

The way forward:

Please note that the school and management do NOT form part of the project as it is the DID who is in charge. The contract is between DID, LLA (architects) and the contractors.

The last communication that we have received stated that an advertisement was placed in newspapers on 22 November, advertising for a tender to take over the renovations.

Block C and D (Foundation- and Intermediate Phase blocks) which the previous construction company worked on, is not up to standard as everybody believed, thus a large part of the renovations will possibly be redone.

We are preparing ourselves for at least another year in the mobiles, with the possibility of the high school also moving into mobile classrooms on the athletics field at the bottom.

Please be aware that the mobile classrooms were allocated to us and any extras like shading or a heating and cooling system is the school’s expense. Although we will do anything to make life more

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bearable, we have to take into consideration the finances of the school. Quotes received for aircons ranged between R380 000 and R400 000.

We are hoping to receive larger mobile classrooms in 2016. This will to a large extend, address the issue of extreme temperatures.

Once we know what DID’s intensions are for 2016, we will ask parents for assistance regarding contacts or donations.

We appreciate the staff, parents and especially the learners’ patience and cooperation, and know it is difficult and challenging.

You are welcome to contact any of the SGB members should you have any queries or concerns.

Mr Wilfred Jacobs is the liaison between the DID and the school. You can contact Mr Jacobs regarding queries, concerns or suggestions.

Grade 3 Camp

On the 18th to 20th November the Grade 3’s went to Konka camp. The learners took part in many exciting

group and team building activities. The adventure camp was an incredibly valuable, educational experience

for all of the learners.

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Foundation Phase Art Club

We had a wonderful and creative year at art club this year with so many exciting art activities. We ended the

year with a party and fabric painting t-shirts.

Grade 3 Outing to Douglasdale Dairy

The Grade 3 learners went to Douglasdale Dairy to learn about how milk is processed. It was a great outing

and everyone had lots of fun!

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LEARNER ACHIEVEMENTS

We are extremely proud of the following learners:

MERSADEZ VAN ZYL Mersadez recently placed 2nd in the Worker Hunter Class and received Provincial colours for horse riding.

KIARA ABRAHAMS

Kiara was chosen as a semi-finalist in the Mr/Miss Kofifi 97.2 FM beauty pageant. This pageant, in conjunction with Saeed Abrahams Productions and Events aims at enhancing positivity towards the youth.

ANDREW PHEIFFER & TIM STEYN

Andrew and Tim have been assessed and have received a certificate as being competent lifeguards for open water swimming. In October, Andrew took part in a 3km open water swim at Sun City. He completed this race in a time of 69:00:43. As this was the first time he competed in a 3km swim, his time was rather impressive. These two boys also took part in the 94.7 cycle challenge on Sunday, 15 Nov. The boys raised funds in support of the Philile Foundation. This foundation is a non-profit organisation who run schools for the disadvantaged. Well done on completing the race despite difficult weather conditions and for supporting this worthy cause.

GIRLS’ SPORTS CLUB

The girls’ sports club has come to an end for this year. Thank you to all the girls who have participated this

year! The girls have enjoyed playing netball, volleyball, table tennis, duster hockey, swing ball, touch

rugby, cricket and tennis. We are looking forward to next year’s girls’ sports club and encourage all girls to

participate in this club. Please note that this activity takes place after school ( Mondays 2:00pm – 2:45pm

and transport needs to be arranged for your child, should she wish to participate in this club.

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MATRIC FAREWELL 2015 On 1 October 2015, our 2015 Matrics dazzled the night away at Mount Usambara in celebration of the end of their matric year at Delta Park School.

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DELTA’S GOT TALENT! DPS’s first Delta’s Got Talent was a huge success. There were many prizes, including tablets and school fee

sponsorships to be won.

Our judging panel included sponsors of our event, prizes,

an ex-DPS student and even celebrity judges!

Overall, the event was a 10 out of 10 and we

hope that it continues to grow in 2016.

The Vote of thanks was done by SGB

member Mrs C. Van Zyl.

Prize giving with the winners of beat-boxing, singing and dancing categories.

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2016 GRADE 4 STUDY SKILLS WORKSHOP

Learners who will be in Grade 4 next year will be expected to write formal assessments in the form of weekly Cycle Tests and, with the implementation of the CAPS curriculum, they will be writing exams twice a year. This is a very daunting experience for learners as they have little experience with regards to the preparation and skills required to successfully study and write formal assessments. Therefore, the Psychology Department will present a Study Skills Workshop with Grade 4 learners during school time in the beginning of next year to prepare them with the necessary skills needed to meet this new challenge and to assist with establishing good study habits from the outset. However, the Psychology Department and your child will need your assistance to implement these skills at home. Therefore, workshops for parents will be presented to provide you with the necessary information and skills needed to assist your child in managing and studying for their formal assessments, as this may assist in reducing test and exam anxiety and stress. Please diarise the following dates: WORKSHOP 1: Introduction to Study Skills Saturday, 20 February 2016 WORKSHOP 2: Exam Preparation Saturday, 7 May 2016 More details regarding these workshops will be made available when the school reopens in 2016. (registration forms to book your seat).

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IMPORTANT DATES

JANUARY 2016

13 January 2016: School reopens 14 January 2016: Gr. 10 parents evening @ 7pm All Gr. 8 learners to the gym hall @ 07:45 15 January 2016: RCL and Monitors camp 16 January 2016: RCL and Monitors camp 17 January 2016: RCL and Monitors camp 18 January 2016: Gr. 8 parents meeting @ 7pm 19 January 2016: Gr. 9 parents evening @ 7pm 20 January 2016: Gr. 6 / 7 info evening Gr. 11 parents evening @ 7pm High School Interhouse 21 January 2016: Gr. 12 parents evening @ 7pm Primary School Interhouse 22 January 2016: Gr. 8 outing 26 January 2016: Head Count (Learners MUST be @ school) 29 January 2016: Class Braai FEBRUARY 2016 1 February 2016: Parent Feedback 2 February 2016: Parent Feedback 3 February 2016: Parent Feedback 4 February 2016: Parent Feedback High School Merit Awards @ 10am 5 February 2016: Parent Feedback Gr. 4 / 5 ice-cream sale 12 February 2016: Valentine’s Day Civvies day High School Valentines dance 20 February 2016: Gr. 4 study skills 22 February 2016: Gr. 10 Hospitality outing 24 February 2016: Slipper / Swim day for High School learners 29 February 2016: Career Expo Gr. 12 29 February 2016: High School language week and Spell-a-thon MARCH 2016 1 March 2016: High School language week and Spell-a-thon 2 March 2016: High School language week and Spell-a-thon 3 March 2016: High School language week and Spell-a-thon 4 March 2016: High School language week and Spell-a-thon SU Cake sale Gr. 12 career expo 8 March 2016: Photo day 11 March 2016: Gr. 11 / 12 hospitality outing 15 March 2016: High School civvies 18 March 2016: School closes @ 10am