WYNBERG GIRLS’
HIGH SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER
Also available on our website : www.wynghs.co.za
APRIL 2014
Dear Parents I write this on the eve of our 2014 Elections and wonder just how much we have changed in the last 20 years? Parents of current learners have seen and experienced the change in our country, both good and bad, but for our young women, their existence has been entirely in what we have termed our “new” South Africa. It is not the place for a school to offer comment on any political party or policy (nor are we allowed to do so), but it is our place to ensure that healthy debate over various issues takes place, such as those that occur in the Current Affairs Society. It is important that History classes interrogate the past and find a path for the future; that morals and values are at the core of our school code of conduct and systems. However, more than how we as a country have changed, I believe that it is more important to reflect on how we, as individuals, have changed. How have we brought up these children of the new South Africa? Do we encourage them to treat all people as equals – to respect and appreciate each one’s culture, faith, practices? Have we been the best role model to these young people – they who will be our future South African leaders? I believe that Wynberg has been part of this change. However, we are aware that this job is not yet done and we will continue to play our part in this change. We encourage each member of the Wynberg family, during this week of elections, to take stock of how we as individuals contribute to a better society in the area in which we have influence. The day after the election marks the return to some measure of normality in the school calendar! There are few days left before the June examinations and I ask each family to create an environment where school work is top of the agenda to ensure that the girls master the skills necessary to be successful in these examinations. Subject Clinics and Academic Support are in full swing for those girls who need some extra help; too many girls just do not bother until it is too late. Please don’t let this be your daughter – encourage her to use the help that is available. We trust that in these many holidays there has been some good family time and we look forward to seeing you at sports fixtures and at school functions during the rest of this term. Warm regards Shirley Harding
SILVERLEA WIN THE CUP!
TERM 1 PILLAR WINNERS
At the end of each term, the house which has won the House Trophy is announced a much anticipated event! House points were awarded for participation and achievement in challenges and other events, amongst them the Grade 8 Orientation events, the General Knowledge quizzes, the Pi Day Congratulations to the 1st term Pillar winners: celebrations, the Coin and Pet Trishabye Essoo Academic Pillar Back: Lauren Goliath - Head of Silverlea - with Food challenges, the the cup, with Matric Leaders, Vega de Vries Yumna Parker Service Pillar Interhouse Swimming Gala, Front: Zoe Johnson, Kristen van Harten & Zhenya Pietersen Cultural Pillar performances at the V&A Lauren McDonald. Dana Arries Sports Pillar Waterfront, Night of the Stars, the collection of Bread Tags, the Sandwich Drive, and participation in team sports, matches and tours. Constantia had won the trophy at the end of 2013, but at the end of Term 1, 2014, the winning house was SILVERLEA!
SAIIA INTERSCHOOLS QUIZ On Wednesday 26 March, WGHS participated in the Caltex/SAIIA Interschool Quiz, this year held at Bishops. Our team – Ashleigh Thompson, Nicole Wentzel, Jennifer Ely and Isobel Evans – did very well and were placed 7th out of 55 participating schools. Congratulations to Claremont High School which came first.
GRADE 10 LIFE SCIENCES OUTING TO KIRSTENBOSCH On 25 March, the Grade 10 Life Sciences girls went on an outing to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The purpose was to provide further enrichment about the current section of work - ecology - and to allow girls to see and work with some of the plants and animals they are learning about. They began in the education centre, learning about the different biomes in South Africa and discussing things such as their climate and the plant and animal species that they consist of. Then, despite the miserable weather, they went into the gardens to identify some of the things they had talked about. This was followed by a report back (indoors) on what they had seen. It was a very good educational experience for all and hopefully the beginnings of some happy future careers in ecology! We were very privileged to have had this opportunity.
Ashleigh Thompson, Nicole Wentzel, Jennifer Ely and Isobel Evans
THINGS HAPPEN IN 3s! They say things happen in 3s, and when it comes to babies and Wynberg teachers, this does seem to be true! First it was Octavia Ahmed and her beautiful Nina; then Nicole Nel gave birth to her future princess, Eryn Katherine, and now we have news of . . . .
Mrs Ahmed & Nina
Mrs Nel & Eryn Katherine Nel
Mrs Furstenburg & Sebastian Mark
DEBATING
Sam Furstenburg’s beautiful boy, Sebastian Mark, seen above giving Wynberg a high 5! Many blessings and good wishes to all of them from all of us at Wynberg!
On Monday 14 April, the junior and senior debating teams debated against Cedar House and both teams came home victorious! The juniors debated the motion: This house would assassinate dictators, and presented their best debate of the season! Debating for the junior team were Aniqah Regal, Ashley Cozette and Lilitha Njobe. The seniors debated the motion: This house regrets attending the Sochi Winter Olympics. Members of our senior team were Jordan King, Surekha Boyd and Lisa Abrahams. Both teams debated exceptionally well and are looking good enough to progress to the Rotary International semi-finals.
STAFF SUPPORT SERVICE PILLAR WGHS is based on four pillars: Academics, Culture, Service and Sport. Members of staff perform duties in all of these pillars but many are probably not aware of the staff’s involvement in the Service Pillar. There is a staff civvies day on the first Friday of each month when money is raised for different charities. Staff nominate the charities that they would like to support and pay a minimum contribution of R10 for the right to wear casual clothes. During the first term R910 was raised for the Uitsig Animal Sanctuary, R820 for Animal Welfare and R600 for Tears. Staff involvement in the Pick n Pay Pink Drive has also yielded impressive results. Pick n Pay and the Pink Drive are hosting a number of 5km fun walks across the country in aid of breast cancer prevention. They fund mobile units that travel to rural and disadvantaged areas where women are examined and educated about early breast cancer detection. Thus far, the Wynberg staff, family and friends have raised R 1760 for this worthy cause. In addition, several members of staff make monthly contributions towards providing food for Capricorn Primary School, a school with which our Service Pillar has an ongoing relationship. Liezel Opperman
Staff & girls at the Kenilworth Pink Drive walk BREAD TAG CHALLENGE Bread tag totals for Term 1: 1. Waterloo 9470g 2. Cavanagh 6761g 3. Kirsten 5803g 4. Silverlea 3198g 5. Copenhagen 2862g 6. Wellesley 2602g 7. Constantia 1658g 8. Apsley 1563g
COIN CHALLENGE Coin Challenge Term 1: 1. Silverlea 2. Wellesley 3. Kirsten 4. Cavanagh 5. Waterloo 6. Apsley 7. Constantia/ Copenhagen
EASTER @ CAPRICORN Donations from Wynberg girls & staff, and 2 other organisations meant that every child in the school received Easter eggs! In addition, Alex Kourie and her daughter provided a special Easter treat of a jar of Nutella to go with the bread. Capricorn Primary with their Easter eggs (left) & Nutella (above)
BLOOD DONATIONS PET FOOD CHALLENGE Head of Service, Lisa Abrahams, received this letter from the SPCA after WGHS supported them with a pet food challenge: Dear Lisa and all who were involved in the pet food collection for the SPCA, We would like to take this opportunity to thank those involved for donating the collection of pet food to the SPCA. We know there are hundreds of good causes that you could have supported, yet you chose our Society. On behalf of the hundreds of animals we speak for, we want to thank you so much!
This thoughtful gesture from the Wynberg Girls’ High Family reminds us of the many good and caring people out there who share our commitment to making this a better world for animals. We can only hope that your school will continue to support our work in this special way. Your kindness really does make all the difference. Sincerely The Cape of Good Hope SPCA Education Team
The second blood clinic of the year took place on 16 April 2014. It was a very successful clinic with 40 previous donors and 12 new. We were very pleased with the 52 pints of blood that were collected in comparison to 44 pints last term.
Carla Stokes recovers
MATRIC DANCE 12 April marked one of the most important school events in the lives of the 2014 Matrics: the Matric Dance. After months of planning and stressing, the time had come to dress up and celebrate. This year the dance was held at a surprise location. Matrics met at school (good photo opportunities with family and friends!) and boarded the buses. The mysterious location turned out to be the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West (and not the Blue Route Spur - nice try, Mr Burrell!), and the Matrics and their guests received red carpet treatment as they were welcomed by Mr and Mrs Harding into the elegantly decorated hall, filled with flowers, purple lighting and the promise of something magical.
Mrs Harding welcomed everyone and starters were served. Then, Georgia Bailey, Head of School, spoke about making the most of their night. The opening waltz, chosen by the School Council, was You Light Up My Life and then the dance floor was opened to all. After much dancing and singing, and a delicious buffet, it was finally time to head back to Wynberg. Afterwards, Matrics had this to say about their night:“Absolutely incredible!”, “A night to remember!”, “Amazing!!”, “… easily the most magical experience that I’ve ever had!”, “I had the time of my life!” A huge thank you to the teachers who coordinated and organised everything, especially to Mrs Coetzee for taking the lead and for making the night the incredible, amazing and magical night that it was.
MATRIC DANCE FASHION SHOW It is traditional at Wynberg, that a week after the dance, a fashion show is held for the rest of the school and parents, so that Matrics can show off their beautiful dance dresses and the school and parents can really enjoy the moment with them.
WORLD BOOK DAY Date: 23 April: World Book Day Venue: Bergvliet High School. Posters of the most amazing books adorned the gym walls, with characters from Harry Potter, Hunger Games, The Fault In Our Stars and The Lord of the Rings watching us from every angle. What was truly remarkable was walking into a room filled with people who were there for only one reason, to celebrate World Book Day! We all had one thing in common: a love of books. The evening was filled with questions: easy questions that we all knew the answers to, and questions where the answers WYNBERG’S BOOKISH TEAM T Kendon, E Danielz, K Arnold, S Elkington, C Wilsnagh hovered on the very tips of our tongues. There were also questions where we hadn’t a clue, and a few where we ended up kicking ourselves because, of course, we only remembered the answers when it was too late! We were asked a range of questions from Hogwarts’ motto to the name of the drug in A Brave New World. As it turns out, the Modern Classics and Shakespearean sections were where we excelled. Perhaps this proves that we actually do pay attention in class! What was most wonderful was the quiz-master, John Maytham, the afternoon presenter from Cape Talk. He made the quiz more enjoyable by inserting little snippets of interesting information after a question was answered. This made the quiz very interactive and fun for everyone - even the audience could be awarded prizes for getting certain questions right. Of course our own Mrs Manners won a prize (3 books, no less), for getting her question right. How could we have expected less of her? It was a thoroughly enjoyable way for a bibliophile to spend an evening. Wynberg came 8th overall! Emily Kate Danielz
In the Bokaap
MSA CAPE TOWN TOUR On Monday, 21 April, the MSA girls and their parents were up and ready to embark on their Cultural Tour. With Mr Ismaeel Davids as guide, the group travelled around Cape Town, visiting some of the shrines of those who brought Islam to the Cape when they arrived as slaves and used the Holy Quran to secure the religion. Two of these were the shrines of Sayed Mahmud in Constantia and Noorul Mubein in Oudekraal. Later the group met up with Ms Shireen Nackedien who guided us through the streets of Bokaap and told us about the history of the place in general and some of the buildings specifically. After a brief visit to the Bokaap Museum, we performed our afternoon prayer in one of the oldest mosques in Cape Town.
As one of the parents wrote afterwards: “The guides were very passionate about their subjects and this made the tour an excellent learning opportunity.” “. . . . I felt spiritually uplifted and very privileged to have seen our beautiful city from a different perspective.” Thank you to Mrs Moerat for organising the tour for us. Rifqah Francis
CAT CLASSES MAKE MOTHERBOARDS
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ 2
QUIZ 3
Laura Martin Jenna Roll Tegan Welz Kristen Cay Ashleigh Cozett Ashleigh Thompson Savannah Coutts Jeanne-Marie Giles Julia White-Phillips Nicole Botha Na-eela Coleman Ashleigh Dreyer Kaylin Jacobs Dominique Jacobs Cindi Janari Zayaan Stegmann Rachel Wiltshire Nicole Alexander Gabriella Barries Surekha Boyd Amy Hilario Claire Kiefer-Walker Tayla Pinto Kyra Roos
93 90 89 88 88 88 87 87 87 86 86 86 86 86 86 86 86 85 85 85 85 85 85 85
Consistently in top group: Chloe van Niekerk Jenna Roll Kristen Cay Ashleigh Thompson Nicole Botha Cindi Janari Gabriella Barries Jennifer Ely Surekha Boyd Amy Hilario
Chloe van Niekerk Nicole Wentzel Dominique Mingo Gabriella Barries Kayla Arnold Kristen Cay Jennifer Ely Nicole Botha Cindi Janari Amy Hilario Surekha Boyd Amber Persson Danielle Graney Ashleigh Thompson Mikayla Matthews
90 87 87 86 86 86 86 86 85 85 85 85 85 85 85
CAT classes constructed computer motherboards and tablets in an innovative and enjoyable way: they made them as intricately decorated cakes. Part of the enjoyment, of course, was eating them, afterwards.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE HOUSE RESULTS SO FAR APSLEY 1st, 5th & 8th CAVANAGH 6th, 8th & 6th CONSTANTIA 2nd, 1st & 2nd COPENHAGEN 2nd, 2nd & 1st KIRSTEN 2nd, 4th & 4th SILVERLEA 7th, 2nd & 3rd WATERLOO 5th, 5th & 5th WELLESLEY 8th, 7th & 7th
FACETS On 16 April, our flute and junior marimba ensembles participated in the Sans Souci FACETS (Festival of Arts, Culture, Exhibitions, Technology and Science) competition. We were delighted when adjudicator Alistair McDonald awarded our Flute Ensemble 1st prize, and our Junior Marimba Band 2nd prize. He described our Flute ensemble as a “choir of flutes”, producing “the most delightful sounds”, and our Marimba Band as offering a “spirited performance” and having “excellent energy and spark”. Congratulations to our performers and to Ms Franke and Kiara Ramklass, conductors of the Flute Ensemble and Marimba Band respectively. Then, on 22 April, the Vocal Ensemble competed in the Vocal Ensemble section adjudicated by Antoinette Blyth. Our girls gave a beautiful performance, received high praise for their professionalism, and were ranked 2nd overall - 1st place was awarded to Groote Schuur.
CONSUMER STUDIES PRAC EXAM Many Grade 11s wish to enter the Pick n Pay School Chefs Cape to Cairo Competition. In order to give them an idea of what it is like to cook at that level and to serve as a first round for their entries, their Consumer Studies June Practical Exam has been based on the competition. The topic is Fine Dining from Cape to Cairo – An African Culinary Tour. The school exam has been modified so that learners produced a 2 not a 3 course meal and their culinary skills were judged according to several criteria: 1. Originality, balance, appearance, skill level, and how well the theme was represented. 2. One course had to be inspired by South Africa, the second had to represent a different African country. 3. Certain set products had to be used. 4. The paperwork with all the costings had to be supplied. 5. Students had to work in pairs. The top 5 Wynberg pairs will be entered into the Pick n Pay competition.
HOCKEY vs HILLCREST HIGH, KENYA A hockey team from Hillcrest High School, Kenya, are touring around South Africa at present. They played a match against our 3rd team. It was a very good game played in good spirit and sportsmanship and was won, 3-0 by the Hillcrest team.
SQUASH The Western Province squash open was held recently. Players from all over the country took part and many of our girls did really well. A particular mention is made of Demi Steenkamp who came 3rd in the girls U16 section. Both the players who beat Demi were from Boland which means Demi was the top ranked Western Province U16 player.
CROSS-COUNTRY The cross-country team ran their first race of the season at Fish Hoek on Wednesday 16 April. Our top-placed relay team of 3 runners was placed 6th out of 72 girls’ teams (most schools entered more than one team) and WGHS came overall 6th out of 12 competing girls’ schools. It was a great event to start the season and the mixed age- group relay format made it fun for everyone! Demi Steenkamp
NETBALL Wynberg’s U14B netball team played against Braeburn Garden Estate School, a touring team from Kenya. The Wynberg girls were extremely nervous as this was the first match they were playing as a team. The U14s don’t usually play a match of 4 quarters and were very excited at the prospect of playing a 40 minute netball match. After the 1st quarter, Wynberg led 6-1, which became 18-2 by the end of the 3rd. U14Bs
Back: K Roodman, M Fisher, J Leverzencie, L Mzamza, Z Wichman Middle: C Spaans, K Vermaak, K Neethling, A Strybis, M Gray, S Wiegand, A Foster Front: K Roodman, M Davids, S Deary
In the last quarter, the Wynberg shooters worked overtime so that the final score was a resounding 24-3 win for Wynberg. The match was played in a fantastic spirit and was thoroughly enjoyed by both teams.
HOCKEY DERBY vs BLOEMHOF
This was the U14A’s first match for Wynberg and although they went down 0-1 to Bloemhof, the team spirit is good and they worked together better in the second half.
U14As
The U16As took on a very assertive Bloemhof team who played good possession hockey and capitalized on that effort, making the first half score 2-0. After a stern half-time talk, Wynberg took more ownership on the field and fought much harder for the ball. Unfortunately Wynberg conceded a soft goal half way through the second half, making the final score 3-0. Although the result was a loss, there is a lot to look forward to the upcoming season. The girls have a wonderful spirit, and with some more hard work, there is plenty to be excited about.
The 1st team game was a humdinger! The game started at a furious pace, with Bloemhof dominating the possession. Once the Wynberg team settled into a rhythm and began playing with more structure, the game became a midfield battle, with Bloemhof still applying most of the pressure. The first goal came from Bloemhof as they capitalised on a lapse in concentration from the defence - an early shot was deflected past Valeshka Harkhu in goals at lightning speed! The Wynberg team kept up their positive attitude and after half time, Wynberg came out with more passion and enthusiasm. Stephanie Lopes-Stuart, Cara Geere, Jamie Southgate and captain, Erin Prince, played important midfield roles on U16As defensively and attack. They were ably supported by Sasha Sivertson and Logan Patel, while new young players, Hannah Hellenberg and Katherine Nicholls, played with confidence and made some driving aggressive runs at the Bloemhof defence. Bloemhof scored again before Wynberg was eventually rewarded after a great build-up from the back all the way through to the Bloemhof circle which resulted in a number of shots at goal and Erin Prince scoring. Final score: 1-2 to Bloemhof. The Wynberg Xl should be heartened by the fact that they fought until the end of the game and earned a number of short corners - with more work, we can be sure of scoring more goals. 1ST Xl