The voice hs term 1 2018

High School Term 1 2018

The

VOICE

High School - Term 1 2018

From the Principal of the College

Matthew Davies Principal “It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best’. You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” Winston Churchill

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he first term is always an interesting barometer of what we can expect from the remainder of the year and the tone was set with our theme for the College of ‘Present opportunities… Future possibilities’.

The High School space is characterised by a number of welcomes to those who are new to our community. Our Grade 8 camp is always a time of initial trepidation in terms of this intake and it is the first official function of our Grade 12 Leadership team. This delicate interplay was a resounding success as the critical bond between these two important groups was cemented.

The second and equally important evening was the cocktail function for our new parents. Not only was it a wonderful opportunity to establish this critical partnership but also to explore the reasons for placement in our High School and what we can learn. We were delighted that 25% of our Grade 8 intake came from other schools where our High School was listed as the school of choice for them.

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I need to compliment our team of educators as we bravely move into the innovative space that we call the Xtend-it programme. Two years ago, I had the privilege of attending a conference in Helsinki, Finland. Finland is constantly ranked in the top five countries in the world for their educational offering. The essence of this is that formalised assessment is reduced to a minimum and the emphasis is on constructive interaction based on teamwork with a strong cross-curricular flavour. The effect of this is to reduce the impact on Grade 8s coming into the High School and being hit by a wave of traditional assessments. We have been very careful to ensure that the launch of this in Grades 8 and 9 is not going to impact on our core subjects, particularly Mathematics and the languages, but will greatly expand our students’ ability to research and not compartmentalise learning spaces. This approach is reflected in many of our universities and in progressive institutions all over the world. Preparation for this shift

in thinking has seen the creation of learning pods amongst the academic staff. The aim of these pods is to reinforce best practice from high cognitive thought leaders in the educational space.

A particular focus area in the High School remains the offer of a Cambridge alternative to those of our students seeking placement at overseas universities. After considerable research, including the visiting of schools, we have settled on a parallel system offering for Grades 11 and 12, where our students will choose between the current Independent Examination Board assessment (‘Matric’), where we have an excellent track record, and the international Cambridge A-level option which would have a minimum set of criteria that would need to be met before a student would be considered. We are in the process of appointing a Director of Cambridge who will drive this exciting expansion. This will be communicated to you early next term along with any other information you may require.

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This year has seen the introduction of the Leadership Academy that commences in Grade 8 and incorporates intentional leadership training throughout High School as well as the development of a leadership portfolio. This then culminates in the Leadership Programme in Grade 11 when our seniors apply for the leadership roles.

The intention is that students will need to have enjoyed a history of service, outreach and selfdevelopment before they can be considered for prestigious positions in their senior years.

This will also create accountability over a longer period of time.

I always delight in escaping from my office to celebrate the

extracurricular talent we enjoy in our school. Some of the highlights for me this term were the InterHigh Gala, which saw us retain our place in the league, and the Reef Cup which saw our Water-polo boys and girls compete against the strongest monastic schools in the country and conduct themselves with great courage and dedication. Our cultural programme has continued unabated with our debaters, public speakers, dramatists, choristers and marimba players all bringing us great credit. Hot off the press is the news that our High School Marimba Band has made it through to the NEA Young Performers Competition for the third successive year.

In conjunction with the heads of school we also launched a ‘Neat and Greet’ campaign that our students are expected to follow stringently. In as much as we strive to create learning opportunities we also need to continue to instil a sense of pride in our uniform and manners that are non-negotiable.

“Celebrating your achievements and applauding your triumphs is a sure way to refuel your enthusiasm and keep yourself motivated for your future endeavours.” Dr Roopleen Reflecting on this successful first term of 2018, I’m sure you will join me in a collective “Phew”. May you have a well-deserved break, travel safely and return refreshed for an equally busy winter term.

Meet the Board of Governors

From left to right - Back row: Herman Neethling, Max Blecher, Raoul Blignaut, Grant Wolpert*, Lucretia Khumalo Front row: Lance Tomlinson, Terry-Lynne Killops, Brendan Quinn*, Tjaart van Stryp - Chairman, Lachelle van der Merwe, Matthew Davies*, Patti Blackhurst* (* Ex-officio members - College Executive) Not in picture: Sean Browne, Kholofelo Semenya

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High School - Term 1 2018

Getting to know you...

Meet Claire Weerepas - our new head of Life Sciences Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the then Pietersburg now Polokwane in Limpopo and went to school at the only English high school in the town at the time, namely Capricorn High School

What did you study?

I studied a BSc majoring in Zoology, Botany and Entomology at the University of Pretoria, and stayed in residence during that period.

Where did you start working?

Ms Weerepas enjoying the Great Barrier Reef last year

I started my career at Willowridge High School in Pretoria and then moved on to St Alban’s College, also in Pretoria. I lived on campus for most of those years, where I was a boarding master.

Plans for further study?

I am currently studying my Honours in Life Sciences Education through the University of Pretoria. I am considering continuing with my Master’s or else doing my FGASA training at some stage.

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How do you spend your holidays?

I love to travel and utilise most holidays to visit different places.

I have been to Ecuador and Galapagos, Australia, China, Japan, Bali, Malaysia, Mauritius, Kenya, Boston USA and most of Europe. I also grab every opportunity to safari anywhere in Africa.

And leisure time?

I love to read fiction and my favourite authors at the moment are Dan Brown, Tony Park and Jodi Piccoult.

To keep me company I have two dogs - vegetables aptly named Pumpkin and Gemsquash and an 18-year-old cat called Rapunzel, though she is not longhaired!

How are you enjoying Dainfern College?

I am currently teaching all levels of Life Sciences and am an assistant tutor in Griffin. I am slowly finding my feet at Dainfern College and everyone has really made me feel comfortable and welcome

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Meet Jocelyn Bretherick - our new Maths teacher I actually studied Physiotherapy at Wits University first and starting my working life as a physiotherapist. As much as I enjoyed helping people get better, I felt that my passion was teaching so I went back to university to get my PGCE so I could start teaching. My varsity days were still filled with sport, mostly water polo and triathlons.

I grew up in Rivonia, Johannesburg, with two older brothers and an older sister.

School life was spent doing as many sports as Brescia House could offer and I represented the school first teams in netball, hockey, swimming, diving and occasionally squash. I also played provincial netball and swam for the province in my school years.

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In 2008 I did two major lifechanging events: I competed in and finished my first Ironman and I moved overseas to the UK. My UK stint was only supposed to be for eight months but it turned into ten years away. During this time I worked seven ski seasons in Verbier, Switzerland. I also competed in and finished six Ironman events, including the world championship in 2017 in Kona Hawaii, and numerous Ironman 70.3 events, including two World Champs( one in Australia and one in Austria). I also lived in Australia for two and a half years.

I have been lucky enough to see the Grand Canyon, spend a night on Maya Beach in Thailand, walk around Yosemite, fly over an active volcano, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, and so much more. I loved living overseas: the people I met and the places I saw have made me the person I am to day. But after ten years I chose to return to our beautiful country of South Africa and return to my passion of teaching.

I am still very involved in my triathlons and have also tried mountain biking, recently completing my first Cape Epic (below). I enjoyed it so much that I have already entered another mountain bike race on 14 and 15 April. My next major triathlon race will be the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Port Elizabeth in September.

I was lucky enough to get a post at Dainfern College in the Maths department in February and have loved every day since.

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High School - Term 1 2018

Celebrating...

Our staff already have several reasons to celebrate this year!

The stork has been busy! Mrs Sonia Claassen and her husband Stefan welcomed baby Emily Sophia on 26 March, much to the deligt of big sister Angie.

Well done, Miss Zeelie!

Mr Craig Morris and his wife Tammy also had a daughter, Jamie, on 5 April, sister to Daniel.

Mrs Morris pushed her luck right to the end, accompanying our Netball team on the Treverton Tour two weeks before!

Very special congratulations to Miss Christine Zeelie, our Information Technology teacher, who received a Top Achiever’s Award from the University of Johannesburg. The award recognised Miss Zeelie’s achievement as the Best Full Dissertation Master’s in Education graduate in ICT - a phenomenal achievement. Miss Zeelie was presented with the award by Professor G Lautenbach, who was the cosupervisor on her thesis.

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Swimathon 2018: Raising awareness of PLASTIC POLLUTION

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ur annual Swimathon

fundraiser was given an environmental twist this year when the Dainfern College Foundation and Student Head of Environmental Affairs, Stella Rutsito [1], got together and decided to do something bold to bring to our pupils’’ attention the damage created by our consumption of plastic. They were supported in this by our Round Square organisation.

Environmentalism is one of the key IDEALS of Round Square [2], so Mrs Sonia Claassen, Head of Round Square at Dainfern College, was very happy to support this initiative.

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The annual Swimathon, a tradition driven by the Dainfern College Parents’ Association for many years, involves our Prep School pupils swimming lengths to raise funds for Dainfern College and its outreach initiatives. The school’s Foundation, which promotes student social engagement, saw this as a perfect opportunity to put experiential education in motion.

Once the Grade 2s and 3s had completed their Swimathon laps, the High School students polluted the pool with plastic bottles so that the Senior Prep pupils could experience the destructive nature of plastic and how it affects

one’s ability in the water, thus showcasing the ongoing aquatic crisis affecting our planet [3].

The Grade 8 students then set an excellent example to the younger pupils by removing all bottles from the pool after the event [4], until the pool was restored to its usual pristine state [5].

“What started out as an awareness campaign for the pupils,then went viral on Facebook, as environmentalism is such a topical subject,” says Mrs Tracey Blyth, our Foundation Manager.

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High School - Term 1 2018

Reaching out...

Our High School Outreach motto for 2018 is

“Help yourself by helping others”

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erm 1 has been a busy term for Outreach, from the new initiatives of the Sports Equipment drive, the improved Facebook presence to the very successful Crèche Day, the famous Easter Egg drive, the CANSA Shavathon and all the Saturday events. This term Saturday outings have taken place to Fight with Insight, Stop Hunger Now and the veggie garden at ReShomile Primary School in Diepsloot.

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crèche children how to tie their laces, learnt to use a sewing machine while making bean bags and also created facecloth Easter gifts for our friends at Jordan House old age home.

We have achieved our goal of building wonderful relationships with the Grade 8s that we assist with Mathematics at Diepsloot Combined School every Tuesday afternoon.

A huge thank you to the Dainfern College Community for the amazing support of the CANSA Shavathon again this year. Sana Moodley bravely cut off her pony tail; the hair she donated can be used to make a wig for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The High School Raised R7 300. In total the College was able to donate R31 294 to the CANSA Shavathon.

The monies raised will be used for cancer research and awareness.

A big thank-you to the team of Outreach moms who come every Thursday to assist in Outreach activities at school. This term we decorated the recycled tins, created tackies to teach our

Our Easter Egg drive was yet again a huge success, with the High School collecting over a 1000 Easter eggs which were distributed to our two crèches in Cosmo City, to Diepsloot

Combined School, The children at Fight with Insight, the aged at Jordan House Old Age Home and the children on the Dainfern College Feeding Scheme.

2018 is our year to make a huge impact in the world! As an Outreach team we have had such an amazing term and we aim to carry this on throughout the year, so thank you so much for all the support and effort everyone has put into making a difference in our community.

Term 2 marks the start of our Winter Woollies drive so please start clearing out your cupboards this holiday!.

Dainfern College, thank you for showing that you care!

Cayla Bergman-Ally & Zahrah Mahomed Student Heads of Outreach

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High School - Term 1 2018

Round Square “What I enjoy most about being a part of a Round Square school is all the opportunities that we are given, some of which we would never have dreamt of before being involved in Round Square. These opportunities range from exchange to tours to conferences and daily adventure, outreach, leadership and environmental activities in line with the Round Square IDEALS.”

Shirean Redman - Head of the Round Square

Exchange Programme 2018 looks to be another busy and successful year of exchanges. Term 1 saw us welcome three exchange students. We hosted Antonia Martinez and Julliette Giron from Markham College in Peru and Manuella Barrera from the Colegio Anglo school in Colombia.

Once again we would like to thank our Dainfern College families who open their homes and offer to host these incoming students.

All our exchange students leave with heavy hearts after having the most amazing opportunities and experiences with us.

We are also delighted to have two outgoing exchanges from our Grade 10 year: Jenna Smart is already having a wonderful time at Cate School in California, USA, and Kyra Killops departs for her exchange in the next few days to Hackley School, New York, USA.

Stoke City Adventure Day A Saturday adventure at the newest theme park, Stoke City, saw a group of our students enjoy a day out in the sun.

Some of us conquered our fears at this cable and aqua park while others had a good time laughing at their expense.

Overall the day was a blast and we hope to go back soon.

“South Africa was everything I’ve ever dreamed. Everyone I met was so kind and welcoming to me, always greeting me with a smile. My time at Dainfern was truly amazing. I was lucky to be hosted by two host families and would like to thank all my teachers and fellow classmates for making me feel so at home.

Thank you so much to Dainfern College for everything!” - Julliette Giron, exchange student

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Junior Round Square Conference – Tanzania Round Square is an amazing platform that links Dainfern College students to lifetime opportunities that simply cannot be missed or forgotten. With Round Square you meet extraordinary and diverse people, from all around the world.

This year’s Junior Round Square Conference took us to the beautiful country of Tanzania. The Conference was hosted by St Constantine‘s School in Arusha and we were welcomed with open arms. We were soon divided into our baraza groups in which we would build fantastic relationships with others through our team activities. The theme of the Conference explored the importance of culture and diversity. We saw wonderful sights in Tanzania and some of the amazing wildlife too, on our overnight camp out. The opening and closing ceremonies were also highlights.

For our post-conference trip we travelled to incredible Zanzibar with other South African Round Square schools, Stanford Lake, St Stithians and St George’s. We all stayed at the beautiful Uroa Bay Resort. While we were in Zanzibar we got to experience a breath-taking sunset cruise, snorkelling and an historical trip through Stone Town. We had the most incredible time and would like to thank Mrs Claassen and Mr Morris for making our whole experience in both Tanzania and Zanzibar possible.

Calila Bergman-Ally

Upcoming tours and excursions 2018 Euro Express: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Netherlands (11-26 April) We are sure the group of students and staff currently travelling around Europe are having the most incredible time and we look forward to hearing about their ventures on their return. Safe travels!

K9 Service Project: Kruger National Park (4-9 August) We are pleased to confirm that we have a lovely group signed up for this service project in August. This small group is excited to work with the Canine unit who serve in the fight against poaching in the Kruger National Park.

Round Square International Conference: Toronto, Canada (29 September – 6 October) Appleby College in Toronto will be hosting the International Conference in Term 3.

The group will spend three days exploring the sights of Toronto and the great Niagara Falls before heading to the International Conference at Appleby. There are still spaces available for this tour should any students be interested.

For more information please email sclaassen@ dainferncollege.co.za.

Cultural Tour cancelled It will with regret that we announce that the scheduled Cultural Tour to China will not go ahead in August as proposed.

Tours 2019 The exciting announcements of the proposed Tours and Excursions for 2019 will be made at the beginning of Term 2, so watch out for this information!

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High School - Term 1 2018

Musically speaking Zelda Martin Director of Music

A

s Term 1 of 2018 draws to a close, it is time to look back and celebrate this busy and successful musical term. The new Music department initiatives which started at the beginning of the year have proven to be popular and have gone from strength to strength.

Both our Senior Marimba Band and Senior Rock Bands have been joined by a new Junior Marimba and Rock Band respectively. We are very proud of our Grade 8 and 9 musicians who

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have committed to joining these groups with such enthusiasm. Our Junior Marimba Band is almost full! We are also very proud to announce the start of our very own Jazz Band. We look forward to hearing them perform at the beginning of Term 2.

Our Theory group, which caters for High School musicians, continues to grow and the 100-hour GoldenHour practice challenge has encouraged many High School musicians to begin a sound practice routine.

We were so proud of Victoria Pettitt (Piano - Classical section), Matthew Pretorius (Drums Contemporary music) and our Senior High School Marimba Band, who all made it through to the Quarter-finals of the National Eisteddfod Young Performers Awards competition. We have just heard that our Marimbas have been selected for the Semi-finals for the third successive year - we wish them the best of luck.

I look forward to an excellent musical Term 2!

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The Sound Our Hgh School musical highlight of the term was ‘The Sound ‘music competition. Seelcted from the many auditions received, 14 finalists made it through to the final evening. Our adjudicator expressed what a difficult task he had been given to choose the top three places, who together received prizes worth R3000 and a recording for the winner. This certainly will become an annual event as students and audience members expressed how much they enjoyed this evening. Congratulations to

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High School - Term 1 2018

Academic overview Karen Cosh Deputy Principal: Academics Ms Claire Weerepas - top educator worldwide in Biomimicry current century will be influenced by biology and particularly biologically inspired engineering.

In June 2013, a global call was made through Biomimicry 3.8 for nominations of educators, designers, businesspersons, or leaders in our community who stand out for their commitment to promoting the practice of biomimicry. There were four categories recognising the Best of Biomimicry in

This term we welcomed Ms Claire Weerepas to Dainfern College as head of Life Sciences.

A passionate and invested Life Sciences educator who strives to be at the forefront of her subject, Ms Weerepas embraced with enthusiasm and rigor at its inception, the field of Biomimicry, incorporating it into her Grade 9 syllabus. Biomimicry is the examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration from, in order to solve human problems.

If the 20th century was dominated by physics, there is a strong body of thought that suggests that the

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• • • •

Informal education Formal education K-12 University level and Best regional network coordinator of Biomimicry

The selection criteria included the following minimal qualities: •

•

•

•

Strives to incorporate into their work Life’s principles and all aspects of biomimicry thinking: ethos, emulate, and reconnect.

Has a significant impact on the biomimicry knowledge of their peers and/or students.

Shows creativity and leadership in their biomimicry teaching and/or work.

Their work in biomimicry has produced an outcome that has had a local and/or global impact

The South African Network nominated Ms Weerepas’ work with her then Form 2s (Grade 9s) in the category of ‘Best of Biomimicry in formal education of K-12’. Attending the Annual Biomimicry Educators’ Conference at Harvard University in Boston, USA in June 2013, Ms Weerepas was named the top educator in the category of Best of Biomimicry in Formal Education K-12, ahead of all the other US and worldwide nominations. She received her award from Janine Benyus, who is considered one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of Biomimicry.

Since 2013, Ms Weerepas has continued to use her knowledge in the field of Biomimicry in all her classes at all grades. She has also actively been assisting Biomimicry SA with some introductory talks at schools and been co-leader of two Biomimicry education training courses (one in KwaZulu-Natal and one in Cape Town) for teachers interested in implementing the principles in their classes.

We are so fortunate to have an acknowledged expert educator in Biomimicry on our staff at Dainfern College.

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Thinking pods M otivated by a desire to open more meaningful discussions, encourage collaboration and learn from each other, our High School staff gather together in what have come to be known as ‘Thinking Pods’. These smaller clusters of teachers - who collaborate across traditional subject boundaries - support each other in creating a learning environment where criticalthinking skills can be understood and applied.

When staff are in ‘pod’ mode, they focus on growing their competencies by sharing ideas and celebrating successes.

The pods act as a gateway to advancing the integration of critical thinking into our everyday teaching. With this shared

purpose, our teachers have sought to understand more about concepts such as Thinking Maps, learning through conversation, De Bono’s Thinking Hats and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

The most recent focus has been on ‘whole brain learning’, derived from studies that suggest that students make better connections when engaging both hemispheres of their brain. Teachers worked on strategies for engaging multiple parts of the brain when teaching, in order to provide multiple pathways to learning. The main aim of the Thinking Pods is to enable our teachers to develop creative strategies to equip our students with the thinking skills so crucial for their future.

Maths matters MATHS OLYMPIAD ROUND 1 On Wednesday 14 March, 80 of our students participated in the first round of the South African Maths Olympiad. The questions are complex and require well-developed critical thinking and problemsolving skills. Well done to all those students who entered the competition: a certificate of participation will be awarded to those who wrote. Just under 50% of the students who wrote the paper made it through and will be proceeding to the second round on 16 May. Congratulations to the following students for achieving 50% and above: Grade 8: Uzondu Berto, Jenna Cassel, Jeff du Toit, Lukas Esterhuizen, Isabella Fish, Rushil Naik, Makanaka Nyengerai, Amogelang Sambo, Syed Shah, Kate Weir, Samuel Willemse Grade 9: Alexia Duvenage, Elly Kim, Ipeleng Mashamaite, Nonhle Mchunu, Victoria Pretorius, Jenna Sampson, Megan Spencer-Young Grade 10: Xiaoya Huang, Bongumusa Khanyi, Hamza Mahmood, Victoria Pettitt, Matthew Pretorius, Gabrielle Smith

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Grade 11: Rachel Calaz, Hong Chen, Limpho Dipico, Christopher Flood, Thoriso Lamola, Nicholas Munro, Amber Oelschig Grade 12: Gina Ballard, Michael Browne, Illinca Stefan, Erin van den Heever, Micaela Venter.

PI DAY 2018 On Wednesday 14 March, our students celebrated the well-known irrational number called pi (π) by bringing ‘round food’ for a picnic during their Maths lessons. They decorated the classrooms with the digits of pi and participated in group and individual competitions for memorising the most digits of pi (the aim of this exercise is to illustrate the irrationality of pi – a number that never ends). The students handed in their pi projects after spending a full month of investigating and gathering information about this special number. We ended the day all together with some more competing and lots of spirit. Much fun was had by all, including the Maths teachers.

The prize-giving took place during the following Thursday’s assembly.

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High School - Term 1 2018

Xtend-it: Grades 8 & 9 When researching international educational trends, and studying the educational landscape and the context in which we find ourselves, we evaluate which trends are applicable and beneficial to us at Dainfern College. Any move in terms of curriculum is carefully researched and implemented in the best interests of our students and staff.

One of the most recent trends is the integration of various subjects in the senior phase. An integrated curriculum connects different areas of study and emphasises unifying concepts, allowing students to engage in relevant, meaningful activities.

This integration also leads to less assessment and teaches skills more than content.

Getting creative in English In Term 1 each year, the English department encourages students to explore their creativity and many of their tasks display incredible talent: 2018 has been no exception.

novel in the extra reading programme. his task assesses the students’ understanding of characterisation: they have to choose a secret that a character might have and present it in a creative format – a postcard or a model etc to suit the secret. Teachers always look forward to marking these tasks as students often have startlingly creative ideas.

The Grade 8s explored modern songs in order to establish whether they could be analysed The Grade 12s enjoyed the as poetry and gave PowerPoint presentations on their discoveries. ‘Evolution of the Superhero’ theme in film study and had to The Grade 9s dramatised scenes create their own superheroes from Shakespeare’s Much Ado and villains. They also had About Nothing and wrote their own fun designing five frames of a sonnets for Valentine’s Day. storyboard to depict a clash The Grade 10s began developing between their superheroes and villains. a compact disc cover for a soundtrack on Shakespeare’s Term 1 in English has definitely Macbeth where they have been been successful on the tasked with finding songs or creativity front and we look instrumental music that pertain to forward to what the rest of characterisation, themes, conflict 2018 has in store. and relationships.

Heather Parry The Grade 11s produced a ‘Post Head of English Secret’, based on their chosen

Initial changes in our Grade 8 and 9 curriculum were made in 2017, where Visual Arts, Drama and Music were merged to form Creative Arts. This year we merged Design & Technology and Information Technology as Technology. The curriculum includes relevant skills from both subjects, as well as a strong focus on research. We believe this will be of great benefit to our students.

For Terms 1 and 2 our subjects continue as normal and there will be a cross-curricular project for the students in Grades 8 and 9 respectively.

In Term 3, the Grade 8 and 9 students will attend the core subjects as per usual, but they will also then elect modules that integrate History, Geography, EMS, Creative Arts and possibly some other subjects. These modules will be cross-curricular, theme-based and subjectintegrated modules. Although the core subjects will not be involved in the modules, where possible they will incorporate the theme into their curricula as well.

These modules will comprised ‘Conflict Studies’ and ‘Power Studies’. There will be portfolio tasks but no examinations.

Various types of assessment will be incorporated, making use of layered assessment where different tasks are set but the academic rigour is consistent.

This is an exciting journey: one that requires innovation and change management, but one that undoubtedly will grow and stretch our students, enhance thinking and encourage curiosity.

Hold on to your seats as you join us as we enhance the students’ experience at Dainfern College High School and give them a phenomenal journey.

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Sporting update Koos du Toit Deputy Principal: Sport & Extramurals

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he first term sporting programme of 2018 started early with a preseason Cricket Festival as well as aquatics practices the week before school started. The sporting programme in Term 1 is a busy one, with a continuation of the summer sports season practices and fixtures, the start of pre-season practices for the winter sporting codes, and around

March, the changeover to the winter sport season. We also saw our Houses get stuck into several InterHouse sporting events which were fiercely competitive. Several major sporting events on our Term 1 calendar included the InterHigh Gala, InterHigh Tennis for both boys and girls, an interprovincial tennis tournament hosted

by Dainfern College, Winter sport camps and clinics, the

Johannesburg North District (D10) Secondary Schools Athletics Championships, Water Polo Reef Cup, Dainfern College National Golf Championships, our first Winter Sport festival of the season and the annual Treverton tour.

We have also seen some brilliant achievements from our sportsmen and women this term.

National College Golf Champs This prestigious National College Golf Championship was hosted by Dainfern College at the beautiful Dainfern Country Club last month.

It was another highly successful tournament with some outstanding golf throughout the three days.

A brilliant final round from the St Alban’s pair of Warrick Purchase and Kyle Campbell put them at the top of the leaderboard. Dainfern College’s Marcus and Miles Taylor did superbly well and were leading the Team competition after Rounds 1 and 2, ending up as runners-up, just two points behind.

Our B-team pairing of George Coutlis and Sean Meyers had a great tournament and finished 12th overall in the team event.

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The Individual tournament was won by Warwick Purchase from St Alban’s College; Miles Taylor came 4th overall and Marcus Taylor came 6th position overall. The Best Individual Nett was Kayle Wykes (KES) and the winner of the Individual Gross was Warwick Purchase (St Alban’s). The Esprit de Corps was awarded to Ethan Breen from St David’s.

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High School - Term 1 2018

Sports wrap Swimming

Water Polo

Dainfern College hosted the 2018 C-League InterHigh Gala, using Reddam Waterfall’s stunning 50m pool for the occasion. We are very proud of the following swimmers who came first or second in their respective races, earning them a spot at Prestige: Skyla-Rae Fuller (three 1st places) Jenna Smart (1st and 2nd place) Caryn Love (1st and 2nd place) Jordan Bouchier (two 2nd places) Dylan Sistenich (2nd place) Shirean Redman (2nd place) Of the eight individual records broken on the day, three were broken by Dainfern swimmers: Skyla-Rae Fuller broke both the

50m breaststroke and butterfly records and Jenna Smart broke the 50m Freestyle record. Our U16 relay team did exceptionally well, winning both the Medley as well as the Freestyle relays.

GIRLS

The Gala was won by Reddam Bedfordview; Dainfern College came 4th.

Congratulations to the following swimmers who participated in the Prestige Swimming Gala this term - we are extremely proud of their achievements: SkylaRae Fuller, Jenna Smart, Caryn Love, Jordan Bouchier, Shirean Redman, Dylan Sistenich, Morgan Heystek, Courtney Baker, Ludwig de Ruyter, Marek James and Guilherme Ribeiro.

The girls enjoyed a highly successful season, winning six of their seven matches this season. Our newly formed Junior squad acquitted themselves very well in their first tournament, which was hosted

by Beaulieu, winning four out of five matches. The Reef Cup was challenging, playing mainly against strong monastic schools: we were placed 14th overall. A big thank-you to Hannah Warren (Captain) and Shirean Redman for their huge contribution to the team over the years.

BOYS

Winter Sports Day We hosted our first winter sports day of the season on Saturday­ 17 March with Pecanwood College, Jeppe Boys’ High, the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ), the American International School of Mozambique (AISM), the Lycée Jules Verne International French School, Soweto Rugby Club and Trinity House Randpark. More schools were invited to join us to cover all our teams this year. We fielded seven Rugby sides, five Hockey sides, eight Netball sides, two Tennis sides and a Chess side on the day.

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The VOICE of Dainfern College

With the loss of seven Matric boys from the 2017 squad, a young and inexperienced team tackled the new season with enthusiasm and commitment, winning three out of seven matches. The team found Reef Cup a little overwhelming and placed 11th overall, with the big monastic boys’ schools proving too strong for us.

Present opportunities...

High School - Term future 1 2018 possibilities

Cricket Dainfern Big Bash T20 Cricket Festival: We held a preseason Cricket Festival over the weekend of 12-14 January 2018, hosting 12 teams including St John’s College, Fourways High and Hoërskool Randburg. We had some memorable results, the best of which saw our 1st XI beat St John’s College U16A and the Hoërskool Randburg 1st team.

Season overview: Our cricketers took on some quality opposition from Jeppe Boys’, St Stithians, St John’s, St David’s, Afrikaans Boys’ High, Marais Viljoen and Noordhuewel. Our first XI managed to beat St David’s Marist Inanda by 9 wickets and made it to the semi-finals of the Coke T20 competition.

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Our juniors celebrated victories against St John’s, St Stithians, Jeppe and St David’s, topping off a very successful season.

We introduced a third boys’ Cricket side this year: the Dainfern Cubs. Dainfern cricket side. They had a successful season with stand-out performances from Logan Engela who is the only batsman this season to score a 100, and Thuso Ndlovu who is the only bowler to have taken 5 wickets.

Our girls’ side continues to gather momentum and the players are growing in enthusiasm and experience with each match that they play.

The VOICE Hear of Dainfern us roar! College

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High School - Term 1 2018

Hockey Festival On 10 March Dainfern College played host to St John’s, St Benedict’s, Sicelo Hockey Club and Linden High School. The boys played some fantastic hockey, winning all their games against some tough opposition. The day was a successful start to what promises to be an eventful season.

Golf Our A Team participated in the Gauteng school A League and are currently in 9th position overall.

Tennis

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Term 1 is our busiest time of the year for High School Tennis. At InterHigh our girls gave their all, led very well by captain Gina Ballard. Our boys did very well, beating schools like Vorentoe and Allen Glen, on their way to an overall 15th placing.

Special mention of the following players who participated in InterHigh: Callum Liebenberg, Sean Casserly, Dylan Sistenich, Jay Kim; Gina Ballard, Kim Huang, Ashleigh Keichel, Kate Weir, Sienna Naidoo, Michaela Swinburn, Nyasha Manyame, Nonhle Mchunu.

American International School of Mozambique and Waterford School from Swaziland, making this almost an international event.

Our boys’ 1st team of Logan Engela, Callum Liebenberg and Dylan Sistenich won the boys’ event played on Friday, bringing home the trophy. In the singles events, Logan Engela won the boys’ event, with Dylan Sistenich, Jay Kim and Patrick Casserly all being quarterfinalists, while Ashleigh Keichel was a semifinalist in the girls’ event, with Xioa Ya Huang coming in as the runner-up in the Plate final.

Winter Sports Day On Friday 17 and Saturday 18 March Dainfern College cohosted a Tennis event with the American International School of Johannesburg as part of the winter sports day. Participating schools in the tennis event included the Lycée Jules Verne International French School, the

Tennis South Africa rankings Our boys’ number 1 player, Logan Engela, recently participated in the TSA ranking event held at Groenkloof Tennis Courts in Pretoria. He reached the quarter finals in the singles event, beating some good players along the way.

The VOICE of Dainfern College

Athletics Several of our athletes competed in the Johannesburg North District (D10) Secondary Schools Athletics League this term.

On Saturday 24 February our athletes competed at the D10 Secondary Schools Athletics Championships 2018 hosted at the Ruimsig Athletics Stadium.

Our athletes did us very proud and every Dainfern athlete who competed at the Championships achieved a top 3 place: Gabriella Gait-Smith: 1st - U15 800m, 1500m, 3000m Seth Buck: 1st - U15 Javelin Megan Spencer-Young: 3rd U15 Long Jump Michael Gait-Smith: 2nd - U17 1500m Jenna Smart: 3rd – U17 200m Luca du Toit: 2nd - U19 1500m The 1st and 2nd place winners went on to compete at the InterDistricts Championship.

Present opportunities...

High School - Term future 1 2018 possibilities

InterHouse results InterHouse Swimming Gala Congratulations to all who took part in this year’s InterHouse Gala there were some great performances in the pool and as usual a display of amazing spirit from all the supporters.

The final positions were: 1st: Phoenix - 464 points; 2nd: Griffin - 392 points; 3rd Kraken - 374 points. The Spirit Trophy went to Griffin.

Age-group Trophy winners: U14: Kiera Tomlinson, Dylan Sistenich; U15: Kaylin Fuller, Matthew Love; U16: Skyla-Rae Fuller, Jordan Bouchier; U17: Caryn Love, Luca Ambrogioni; Open: Shirean Redman, Duncan Macpherson Junior Victrix Ludorum: Kaylin Fuller; Senior Victrix Ludorum: Skyla-Rae Fuller Junior Victor Ludorum: Matthew Love; Senior Victor Ludorum: Jordan Bouchier Best Performance of the Gala: Katelyn Marais

InterHouse Cricket After combining the results of the boys’ and girls’ InterHouse Cricket matches, the results were: 1st: Kraken; 2nd: Griffin; 3rd: Phoenix

InterHouse Water Polo As always, a huge amount of fun was had by all, with Phoenix coming out on top at the end of the day.

Girls: Phoenix; Griffin; Kraken; Boys: Kraken; Phoenix; Griffin Final standing: 1st: Phoenix; 2nd: Kraken; 3rd: Griffin

InterHouse Tennis On Friday 9 March at our annual InterHouse event Griffin took the honours again and were crowned Tennis InterHouse champions for 2018. The final standings were: 1st: Griffin; 2nd: Phoenix; 3rd: Kraken

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The VOICE Hear of Dainfern us roar! College

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High School - Term 1 2018

Treverton Sports Tour 2018

Sixty-five players and ten staff attended the 1th Treverton Independent Co-Ed Sports Festival in the spectacular KwaZulu-Natal Midlands where Dainfern College entered a Rugby, Netball and boys and girls Hockey sides. The days were packed with matches starting from 07h30 in the morning and the programme finished around 20h00 in the evenings. The tour and festival provided the players with a wonderful opportunity to compete against school sides from other provinces in a festival atmosphere.

Our students did us extremely proud on and off the field. Much experience and team-building was gained during the tour, which will stand each player in good stead for the upcoming season.

Rugby: Won one of their three matches Netball: Won three of their ten matches Boys; Hockey: Finished Second overall. Won seven and drew two of their nine matches. Vincent Lesch was the top goal scorer and Sahil Bramdhaw the best midfielder of the festival.

Girls’ Hockey: Won two, drew four and lost two of their eight matches

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The VOICE of Dainfern College

Present opportunities...

High School - Term future 1 2018 possibilities

Special sports achievements Lya Binos was selected for the U15A Central Gauteng Action Netball Team, and has been appointed as the captain for the 2018 Interprovincial Tournament.

Sahil Bramdhaw was selected for the Gauteng U17 A cricket team in November last year.

He then played in the national tournament held in East London in December, where he and his team won the tournament. After a couple of good performances, he was then selected for the Bizhub Highveld Lions (Cubs) side where he played, representing the Lions, against all franchises in South Africa at Stellenbosch during the first few weeks of the new year.

Sahil was then invited to the elite SA U19 training camp which took place over ten weeks.

Dylan Browne completed the Dusi Marathon, covering a massive 120km in three days.

Gabriella Gait-Smith competed in the SA Schools National High Schools Track & Field Championships at the PUC McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom, becoming the SA Schools National Champion in both the Girls U15 1500m and 3000m distances.

Caryn Love was selected to represent her swimming club at the SA Level 3 Regional Age Group Swimming Championships that took place at Hillcrest, Pretoria, from 3-- 6 April 2018.

Gabriela Murray was selected by the South African Gymnastics Federation to attend the Ukrainian International Cup for Artistic Gymnastics.

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Bianca Pitt competed at the South African Championship Horse Show in February. She also participated at the President’s Cup Horse Show, which is a World Cup qualifier. She has now been shortlisted for the Youth Olympic Games showjumping team.

Kiera Tomlinson was selected represent Central Gauteng for U14 Indoor Netball. The interprovincial tournament ran from 30 March to 4 April 2018.

Kiara Rodrigues was selected to participate at the Karate Provincial Championships, competing in the Elite division. She has also been selected as assistant coach for the juniors. Karate Provincial Championships Dylan Sistenich swam in the CGA gala and qualified for Regionals. He also swam the level 3 time in the 200m Freestyle.

He improved his time in both the races. Dylan swam the CGA Champs on 14 and 15 April.

Luke van den Heever has been selected for the South African flyfishing team that will be fishing in the Czech Nationals.

Taylor Vogt was selected to attend the South African Touch Rugby camp in Durban in March.

The VOICE Hear of Dainfern us roar! College

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Future possibilities

News of our alumni Catching up with Melanie Lesch Class of 2016

I am a second year medical student at the University of Witwatersrand. It is no secret that Wits offers one, if not the most challenging of the MBBCh courses in the country and competes with international universities thanks to its high academic calibre.

The biggest reason behind my ability to thrive in such a diverse and competitive environment is Dainfern College and the incredible environment its staff create. Dainfern College pushed my limits physically and mentally by exposing me to academic, cultural and sporting excellence (all of which I had the opportunity to participate in), while having a concrete support structure in place inside and outside of the classroom. I am still in touch with many of my teachers and will always be thankful for their guidance. I have the greatest respect for their wisdom, both academic and otherwise.

University requires students to lead a multifaceted life. I have an 8-to-5 academic schedule every day, hold leadership

positions in three university clubs - Running, Religious and the student committee for MSF (Doctors without Borders) - while also maintaining a rigorous crossfit programme and the most wonderful friendships. The only way I have managed to enjoy my young adult life to the fullest and still maintain a distinction academic average is because of the five years I spent at Dainfern College.

I was taught that I have immeasurable potential and strength beyond my imagination.

I owe a lot to Dainfern College: it pushed me to make a positive change in the world and to follow my passions.

Dainfern College: you will always hold a huge place in my heart.

Celebrating with Khwezi Ndlovu Head Boy of the Class of 2017 Our Head Boy from 2017, Khwezi Ndlovu, was accepted into the highly prestigious Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellowship Programme at the beginning of this year. The Fellowship is awarded to prospective university students studying in South Africa who wish to make a big impact in the country and involves a very competitive application process. Khwezi will be studying Accounting at Stellenbosch University where he will also be continuing his athletics training.

He was thrilled to learn that he had been awarded the Fellowship and joins our 2016 Head Boy, Nicholas van der Meulen, on the Programme.

We are so proud of you, Khwezi!

96 Broadacres Dr, Dainfern, Johannesburg, South Africa info@dainferncollege.co.za www.dainferncollege.co.za