Preparatory Newsletter No 5 2012

7/31/2019 Preparatory Newsletter No 5 2012

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/preparatory-newsletter-no-5-2012 1/34

18th May 2012

St John’s Preparatory SchoolSt John’s Preparatory SchoolHoughton

Tel: 011 645 3100/ 087 550473 Newsletter Number 5

22/05 Headmaster’s Assembly

Parents’ Information Evening

25/05 Assessments in Afrikaans/

isiZulu LIII & UIII

29/05 Housemasters’ Assembly

Hair and Uniform Inspection

30/05 Inter-Schools’ Quiz

01/06 Prep Music Camp

Assessments in English LII & UII

Assessments in Science LIII &

UIII

04/06 Thinking Skills 101

(Information for Parents)05/06 Headmaster’s Assembly

Thinking Skills 101 Part 1 (Boys)

07/06 Thinking Skills 101 Part 2 (Boys)

19h30 Music Performance

St Mary’s & St John’s Choirs

08/06 Assessments in Afrikaans/

isiZulu LII & UII

Assessments in Geography LIII &

UIII

Reminders fromthe Diary

From the Headmaster…

Without the rain, there would be no rainbow….

Gilbert Chesterton

A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers,grandmothers, aunts and guardians of our boys. Itrust that the boys made you feel truly loved and

appreciated and that you had a special Sunday.It’s good for the soul to take stock on days likeFather’s Day, Mother’s Day, Teacher’s Day or any other special day – both to appreciate and reflect onwhat this person does for us, and also to bereminded how blessed we are. Mother’s Day isparticularly important as it is the start to ensuringour young men respect and appreciate thesignificant female figures in their lives, beginningwith their own mothers, sisters and other family members which will enable them many years downthe line to show the same respect to their own life

partners, in turn.

*****

At St John’s we strive for our boys to become menwho live their lives by our motto, Lux Vita Caritas – Light, Life and Love – essentially men of character.However, their time here in our care at school isshort in comparison to their lifetime ahead. Wehave them for only twelve years of their life, and for

approximately seven months a year of all of those years, one third of all of those hours in a day. Forthe rest of that time, they are in their parents’ care. The value of responsible and good parenting andthe importance of a sound partnership betweenparents and the school cannot therefore beemphasised enough.

I firmly believe that no boy is a bad boy. Some boysmay be a little naughtier than their peers at times,

but right from an early age, they learn, especially here at school through social and learninginteractions, that there are limits or consequencesfor unruly behaviour and better ways to channelfrustrations or outbursts

What has saddened me, however,over the years in education, is thenumber of meetings I have hadwhere parents, concerned abouttheir sons, come into my officeand seem to feel it is theresponsibility of us as educatorsto fix problems, and that it is ourfault that they occurred in the

first place. This has made merealise how critically important itis for us as teachers and asparents to know and love our

boys:



Staff News

Congratulations to Caroline Rimmer on becoming a grandmother.

Callum John was born on 6th May.

Welcome to Sean Logan he will be teaching UIII.

Congratulations to Ben Bornman on the marriage of his son.

Page 2St John’s Preparatory School

we need to be able to understand them and work together in a partnership to get to the

bottom of each and every individual problem. We also need to take responsibility forshortcomings – either at home or at school. Often we are quick to look for externalfactors to blame, such as other boys, the teacher, the system, or the school in general,

rather than looking closely at the individual boy first.

For me as headmaster of the Prep, the single most important thing is that our boys arehappy. If your son gets up in the morning and can’t wait to come to school, things areright at home and things are right at school. Winning our soccer matches, producingmusicians who pass their Grade 8 exam or boys who obtain distinctions in matric is abonus - what is important to me is that all boys are given the opportunity to realisetheir own individual talents and goals. We need to know our boys so that whendifficulties do arise, we are able to find viable solutions quickly. We need to take a closelook at that individual boy’s life and not focus solely on his behaviour, as this behaviour

is more than often a cry for help as a result of an underlying problem. Sadly, more oftenthan not, although that problem may have started elsewhere, it becomes the school’s

responsibility to fix it.

We need to look at things such as significant changes in the boy’s life, or any minorupsets, either at home or at school. We need to know what makes our boys happy andwhat makes them sad or feel uncomfortable. The bottom line is that boys want to feelsafe and they want to feel loved and any small change or difference in their lives canprevent this.

So as a parent of four, and a headmaster of hundreds, the only piece of sound advice Ican offer is that we need to work together as parents and teachers in an open andeffective partnership; we need to become involved in our boys’ lives and ensure that weknow them; and we need to be prepared to answer their calls for help. St John’s is suchan extraordinary place with wonderful parents, outstanding teachers, but mostimportantly, such special boys!

Patrick Lees

Headmaster



Page 3 St John’s Preparatory School

What value do I bring? This is a question I have often asked myself. Is my workplace better off because I workthere?

This is a simple but very profound question. You need to be able to answer thisquestion for yourself because others are asking it about you. Every day you get up andgo to work and you may not realise that others are watching what you are doing. They are looking for you to bring value. Value that they can use. Value that matters.

So if they look at your work efforts, will they see “added value”?

Don’t move past the question at the top of this page too quickly. It is a serious question.Can you really define and demonstrate that your workplace is better because you arethere? Make a list and see what you can write down.

Then ask around to see what others might say. Are the things that you think arevaluable to your firm the same ones that other think are of value? Does managementabove you agree that the valuable efforts that you are working on are the ones thatneed and deserve your attention?

Take some time and think through what you are working on and focused on, as it is avery interesting exercise to do.

Let’s move onto the boys. How do they bring value to their school? How can you as aparent evaluate the value your son brings to this school? Think about this question andthink carefully about how you would answer the question. The answer is that your sondoes bring value to St John’s. Every single boy who walks through the front door bringsvalue to this wonderful school. This school is “rich” because of what each boy brings.

What does your son bring? Character, laughter, energy, enthusiasm, dedication,creativity, inquisitiveness, passion and determination. The list is endless. Do we see“added value”? Yes, we most certainly do. The wonderful thing is that your son is an

individual and, as a result he is unique and special.

As a result of this individuality, there is a place for every boy. Now we have a group of individual characters who now need to work as a TEAM, which stands for:“Together Everyone Achieves More”

If I think of an orchestra, here are some of the instruments required: violin, piano,drums, bass, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet and cymbals to name but a few. Theindividuals playing these instruments are all different, but together can make abeautiful sound. This requires teamwork and co-operation in order for the wonderfulsound to be made. The orchestra also requires a conductor in order to bring it all

together.




In a St John’s context, we are a team working together, and we are intent in “making abeautiful sound”!

As teachers, boys and parents, let’s work together to bring out the best in allstakeholders, in order that the St John’s flag flies strongly and proudly.

The Bible has this to say about value:

“But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

I would like you to congratulate your son on the value he brings to St John’s. I will bedoing that at our Assembly on Tuesday morning!Kind regards

Craig Verdal-AustinSecond Master

0116453116

[email protected]




What does it mean for us to be called St John’s College?

The dedication of churches, schools and other institutions to specific saints is oftendone with the intention and hope that that church or school will embody the samespirit of the saint that it is named after. Individual Christians have often dedicatedthemselves to a saint because they have felt attracted to and inspired by the spirit orcharism of that saint’s life. The central themes of the Gospel written by St John arelight, life and love, which, in Latin, form the motto of our school. The symbols of light,life and love are represented in the College coat of arms, with rays of light, a chalice,and a heart, on the chest of an eagle, which is the symbol of St John. I think it wouldbe safe to assume that when our founding fathers named us after St John, it was their

hope and intention that we as a school community embody something of the charismand spirit of St John.

What do we know about St John? John is known in his gospel as the ‘disciple who Jesus loved’ or the ‘beloved disciple’. He is also the disciple who rested his head upon Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper. This suggests that John’s relationship with Jesus wasone of intimacy and closeness. It was out of this relationship that John ministered tothe world as an apostle and evangelist, and through his gospel brought many multitudes of people over many centuries to find light, life and love in the midst of a

dark world.

In order for us as community to be true to the spirit of St John, we too need to lay ourheads on Jesus’ breast, placing our ear on his heart, listening to his heartbeat, andknowing ourselves to be loved by him. Weekly Mass and other times of devotion are thetimes set aside when we as a community can lay our heads on Jesus’ breast. It is out of this relationship with Christ, that we too, like St John, can bring people to find light inthe midst of a dark world. Therefore the spiritual life of our school community must becentral and paramount if we are to faithfully embody the spirit of St John, which wasthe hope of our founding fathers.

We are living in the world on the brink of destruction. Society is pervaded by obscene

levels of greed and self-interest – evident in our ecological crisis and global poverty.Materialism and an insatiable desire for prosperity are ruining our society. ‘Eat today for tomorrow we die – and life is too short for me to care about anybody other thanmyself’ is the maxim by which many live their lives today. To be worthy of callingourselves St John’s College then, we have to make it very clear to the world that we do

not stand for those values.

Instead of becoming indistinguishable from the world around us, we are called to be alight that shines in the darkness. We can only do this if we are prepared to regularly and faithfully lay our heads on Jesus’ breast, and allow ourselves to know Jesus’

passionate love for us. For us to have St John as our patron saint is a statement to theworld that we are not just a secular educational institution. We are a community of faith, and as our boys receive, not just their education, but their formation, they aredaily encouraged to follow the example of St John, and look to Jesus Christ for the

courage and the humility to love and to serve the world in His name.

Fr Chris Uitzinger Assistant Chaplain




Sever’s Disease The Prep Sports Department has seen a number of boys who have presented withSever’s Disease. This insert is aimed at creating awareness about this condition, and toallow you to recognise it and take action in the early stages, before the condition

progresses.

What is Sever’s Disease?

Although the name might sound pretty frightening, Sever's Disease is really a commonheel injury that occurs in children. It is a painful bone disorder that results frominflammation (swelling) of the growth plate in the heel. This is where your Achilles’ Tendon joins the heel bone (calcaneus). It usually occurs during the growth spurt of

adolescence, the approximately 2-year period in early puberty when children grow mostrapidly.

This can begin any time between the ages of 8 and 13 for girls and 10 and 15 for boys.You seldom find this in older teens, because after 15 the growth plate has hardened

and the growing bones have fused together into mature bone tissue.

How will you know if your child’s heel pain is caused by Sever’s Disease?

It can happen in one or both heels. It usually starts after a child begins a new sportsseason or a new sport. He may walk with a limp. Pain will often increase when he runsor jumps. If you watch him carefully during sport, he will have a tendency to tiptoe. If you perform the ‘squeeze test’ (squeeze both sides of the heel towards the very back

with your fingers) you will be able to reproduce the pain.

Although Sever’s can affect any child, the following conditions increase the chances of it

happening:

A pronated foot ( a foot that rolls in at the ankle when walking)

Flat or high arch which affects the angle of the heel within the foot. It causestightness and shortening on the Achilles tendon.

Short leg syndrome where one leg is shorter than the other (not easy to see )

Overweight or obesity puts weight-related pressure on the growth plate.

How is it treated?H++e needs to cut down or stop any activity that causes heel pain. Apply ice for 15 to20 minutes three times per day. If he is cutting down on the activity, then he shouldnever go barefoot. While doing this it would be wise to have your diagnosis confirmed by a relevant health professional. They need to identify the root cause of the condition andrectify it.

Treatment will then range from medication and orthotics, to stretching andstrengthening exercises. Your child can start a gradual return to sport from as early astwo weeks to two months, as long as the pain has subsided. It is also important to con-

firm with your health professional when it is safe to return to sport.

If you have any questions feel free to speak to me. I would be more than willing to meet

with you.

Kind regards

Mr Joe Xaba

Registered Biokineticist




7 May 2012Dear Parents

Parent Information Evening: Nutrition and Fitness

We invite you to attend an informative evening where we will discuss

and address some of the concerns around proper nutrition and fitness.

We have invited two speakers for the evening:

• Zhan Otto, a well known nutritionist, will address parents on the

do’s and don’ts nutrition for Prep boys. She will discuss howhealthy eating and a balanced diet can ensure our boys are ready

and able to attend to the challenges of a busy day.

• Joe Xaba, a teacher at the Prep, is also a registered biokineticist.

He will address parents on the need for exercise and fitness, to

maintain not just a healthy body, but a healthy mind too. Joe will

also discuss both the positives as well as some of the potential

pitfalls of too much exercise in this age group.

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Hugo Meirim

Clinical Psychologist and Head of Pastoral Care

[email protected] (011) 645 3154

Date: Tuesday 22 May 2012

Time: 18:00 – 19:00 (tea and coffee to be served beforehand)




4CTea

May 2012

Good English Work

Miles Li

Khaya Ntuli

Hard Work and Reaching His Goals

Rumani Rikhotso Good Behaviour on Camp

David Green




Individual Achievement

Bradley Dunbar, LIII has been selected to play for the Central Gauteng Inter-ProvincialGolf Team for the Quadrangular in Nelspruit on the 15 July 2012. Well done, Bradley!

Chris Pearce, U1L competed in the JKS National Karate Championship held on 12 May and won a bronze medal for Kumite and silver medal for Kata. Well done, Chris!

Karate

Tariq Seedat, UIIB received his

brown 1 belt in Karate. Well

done, Tariq!

Golf

Individual Achievement

James and Alex Barrow have been selected to play for Gauteng in the inter provincial

squash tournament. James has been selected to play in the U13 tournament in PE from 22 to 28 June andAlex for the U11 tournament in George from 23 to 27 June. Well done, boys!

Squash

Soccer

Nicholas Ives, Jordan King and Giulio Pallotta were selected for Central 2 Area Team

soccer trials. Well done, boys!




The tennis season has begun and we have had a good turnout of boys at the practiceson Mondays and Fridays. With the busy sport timetable at the Prep, it is encouraging

to see that there are many boys who are keen to improve their tennis and to participatein the weekly matches.

At the practices, the boys are divided into those who want coaching and those whowant to play for the teams. Coach, Howard Espley-Jones and his assistant, Sam, havehad a large group of U1 and L2 boys at each lesson and they are pleased with theirprogress. The potential team boys participated in a Round Robin to determine theladder. During the matches, they learnt the etiquette that they will be expected toknow and to use in their weekly matches against other schools. The ladder is dynamicand the boys are encouraged to challenge those above them to improve their ranking.Each week the teams will be chosen according to the ladder. Our first matches are

against St Peter’s this week.

The present ladders are as follows:

U13 U11

Vermeulen Scholtz

Milton Jurgens

Scholtz Barrow

Durlind Clarke

Barrow Milton

Chilvers SmartBlok Gush

Williams Graham

Morshead Cheadle

Bester Faesen

Gultig Murray

McKernan Milos

Stride Henning

Healey Orritt

SmartMattiuzzo

Ahmid

Lansdown

Mammen

We encourage any boy who hasn’t been to tennis yet and who would like to play, to join

us next week!

Tennis News




Just One Bag

Jordan van der Walt addressed the pupils at Rosettenville Central Primary about the

campaign. Mealie meal was distributed to the children.




One Warm Day Friday 25 May 2012

Keep warm!

Wear your favourite beanie to school on Friday 25 Mayand bring along a few items of non-perishable

foodstuffs to remember those less fortunate whostruggle in the cold weather.

Tinned food, pasta, rice, peanut butter, mealie meal, milk powder areexcellent choices.

Part of Jordan van der Walt’s ‘Just One Bag’ Initiative




Upper 1

The Upper Is ended the last week of term with some activities relating to the theme of The Lorax . After watching the movie, which they thoroughly enjoyed, they created some

Truffula Trees!




Lower III Camp to Lapalala Wilderness School







Lower IID Activities at Kloofwaters

By Nihal Ranchod By Matthew Bester

By Zaahid Suliman




By Matteo Paparella By Ethan Berriman

By Thulani Vein




By Nathan Bothma By Julio Mordoh

By Alexander Rekhviashvili




Lower IIV Activities at Kloofwaters

By Keane Dooley By Kwindla Mangaliso

By Ronin Quinn




By Daniel Segal By Nicholas Koutromanos

By Kieran Lomax




By Ekow Daniels

By Sean Faesen

By Sebastian Shearer




Two terrible teenagers tormented a tiny tiger on Tuesday. Graeme Gush

Two tigers teach Tom to take ten tummy tablets. Andrew Geerdts

The terrible tiger turned twenty two turtles into toads today. Timothy Martin

The talking tiger terrified two toddlers at the toilets. Matthew Chow

The tiny tiger tried to tie the tiny tie. Joshua Luke Martino

The toothy tiger tangoed to the trumpet tune. Tayne Beswick

Tony the terrifying tiger took some terrible tart to town. Adam Jacobson

The Lower II’s have been playing around with alliteration.Here are some examples:

The Lower II’s made up their own collective nouns!

By Matthew Chow By David Henning




By Luyolo Majombozi

By Tayne Beswick

By Darren Lowery

By Jamie Diesel

By Andrew Geerdts

By Graeme Gush




By Kwindla Mangaliso By Matthew Russell

By Russell Browne

By Ronin Quinn

By Sean Faesen

By Miles Li




Lower IIV “All About Me” Poems

By Khayalami Ntuli

By Fraser McLardy




By Taylor Williamson

By nTando Brummer

By Sebastian Shearer



LOST PROPERTY

The Lost Property Room will now be open during break only

In order to instill a sense of responsibility, please remind your son to

go and collect his own lost property rather than collect it for him.


One of South Africa's most endangered mammals - the Riverine Rabbit - will againreceive a helping hand from its chocolate cousin when Lindt Master Chocolatiersdonates a percentage of sales from any Lindt Gold Bunny to the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Riverine Rabbit Programme. Last year the company donated R250 000from Easter sales to the EWT.

Lower IID boys with their Lindt Easter eggs









What a great blessing the shoes have been! Each child managed to get at least three

pairs! It made a huge impact and we all feel so very special!

Barefoot Day 2012

JP Lubbe, Dudu Mashele, Thuli Ngidi, Karen Maitland and Charné Conway






iCare

Whilst 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 willnot always be the case. Some boys may feel unsure of how to approach a staff memberor unsure of what they should say. For this reason we are continuing to use the iCarebox, which is now located in Mrs Powell’s office. We also have an electronic versionwhere boys can contact the Pastoral Care Team at [email protected]. ThePastoral Care team is hoping that the boys make use of these initiatives to highlightanything that they CARE about at St John’s Prep.

The aim is to provide the boys with an alternative avenue to voice their feelings aroundwhatever may be on their minds. This extends beyond the reporting of just peerdifficulties (such as bullying) the aim is to further enhance the quality of the St John’sexperience. All notes placed in the box or sent via email will be treated confidentially

and actions instituted where possible.

We ask that you encourage your son to make use of the iCare initiative so that we can

make 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 aboveareas and would be available to provide the necessary tuition between 15:00 and 18:00

on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at St John’s 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 to

perform certain tasks and complete basic written assignments.

Tuition fees for individual lessons are R250 per hour and R150 per hour for group

sessions.

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

Graham Carroll

Tel : 011 534 1224

Fax : 011 534 1225

Cell : 076 858 9420

E-mail : [email protected]

Notices



St John’s Preparatory SchoolPage 33

Notices

Art club and extra classes

From 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 opportunity

for any boy who wishes to develop his art skills.

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

ItalianLanguage

LessonsSmall age appropriate classes and individual tuition

offered outside school hours at St John’s.

Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher usingcommunicative method of conversation, maintaining

cultural ties for solid IEB foundation.

Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or

[email protected]

EXTRA MATHS

LESSONSLower III & Upper III boys in Mrs Jean Clarence’s

classroom

Every Thursday 14h15 - 15h00 All Welcome

Extra Maths Lessons

Individual tuition offered

Mrs M Hauptfleisch

Call 011 442 1854

083 256 7714

Mr R MacIntosh has written a book

‘Maccey A Quest for Freedom’

A story of a teacher and his dog

Published by Cobblecrab Publishers

Parents who would like a copy are asked to contactMr MacIntosh on 076 529 5529

Copies can also be ordered through the publishers:

[email protected] R100 per copy




Why God Made Teachers

When God created teachers,He gave us special friends

To help us understand His worldAnd truly comprehend

The beauty and the wonderOf everything we see,

And become a better personWith each discovery.

When God created teachers,He gave us special guides

To show us ways in which to growSo we can all decide

How to live and how to doWhat's right instead of wrong,

To lead us so that we can leadAnd learn how to be strong.

Why God created teachers,In His wisdom and His grace,

Was to help us learn to make our worldA better, wiser place.

By Kevin William Huff

Documents

Preparatory Newsletter No 5 2012