St John’s Preparatory School · C Burke, M Mseleku, J Batzofin, R Batzofin, V Pansegrouw, K...

23 September 2009

St John’s Preparatory School St John’s Preparatory School Houghton Tel: 011 645 3100

From the Headmaster... Dear Parents and Boys Welcome back! I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. We are in for another busy term, starting with hockey, cricket tours, a water-polo festival, the Zulu Cultural festival and of course exams for Lower III and Upper III boys. Please also diarise our school play, “Alex in Wonderland”, which will be held in Big School on the 5th, 6th and 7th October. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, I have completed my report on my visit to Singapore. Should you wish to read it kindly contact Brigitte Taylor. I have also just recently attended the ISASA Schools Heads’ Conference, this year held in Swaziland. The conference theme was “Buholi: Kinship in Diversity linking laterally”. Once again the conference was of an exceptional standard and the international and national speakers were superb. As always, meeting colleagues from other regions is useful and a pleasant experience.

Mike Workman

Newsletter Number 8

24/9 Heritage Day - No School

25/9 Area Cricket Festivals

LIII/ UIII Exam Timetable to go

home

29/9 Inter-House Hockey

Play Rehearsal

U13 Water-Polo Festival

30/9 Hockey Matches Vs The Ridge

1/10 Play Rehearsal

2/10 ABRSM Practical Music Exams

Play Rehearsal

1st XI Cricket Festival

3/10 Cricket Matches Vs Pridwin

1st XI Cricket Festival

On the Night

5/10 Play Rehearsal

Alex Dress Rehearsal

Alex Performance 1

6/10 Hair Inspection

Water-Polo Festival

Alex Performance 2

7/10 ABRSM Theory Exams

Alex Performance 3

8/10 1st XI Cricket & Water-Polo

Depart to Cape Town

9/10 LII Market Day

Picnic Concert

12/10 Chess Matches

Family Lit. Quiz

Let the Children Sing

13/10 Let the Children Sing

14/10 Parent Info Evening

Let the Children Sing

Reminders from the Diary

Please Diarise Saturday 3rd October 2009

Education is when you

read the fine print.

Experience is what you get if you

don’t.

Pete Seeger

St John’s Preparatory School

Presents:

Alex in Wonderland Performances in Big School at 19:00

Monday 5 October Tuesday 6 October

Wednesday 7 October To secure tickets to this production please

e-mail Karen Maitland - [email protected]


21 September 2009

Dear Parents

ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN

The Prep is starting an anti-bullying campaign called, “TAKE A STAND – WEAR A BAND”

We will be selling St John’s Prep rubber wrist bands to the boys, with the inscription

“TAKE A STAND” on them. The aim is to create awareness about bullying that may

occur at St John’s. We encourage all boys to buy a band. However, if your son does, he

must be confident that he is committed to anti-bullying. He cannot be a bully himself

and he cannot tolerate seeing other boys being bullied.

Please could you discuss this with your son and explain to him that you would like him

to participate in the programme, but that he needs to be fully committed and needs to

understand the concept.

The bands will be on sale at the school. The cost of R10 and will be charged to your

account. The profits will be donated to a charity.

We trust that you will support us in this initiative.

Kind regards

PATRICK LEES

SECOND MASTER


Individual Achievements

Tennis

Soccer

8th September St John’s vs. St David’s A Team lost 25 games to 3 B Team lost 17 games to 11 C Team lost 13 games to 1 15th September St John’s vs. Jan Celliers St John’s lost 18 games to 45 22nd September St John’s vs. De La Salle St John’s won by 30 games to 15

Nicholas Hallendorff has been awarded his Eastern Under 11 District Colours. Well done, Nicholas!

Keagan Da Silva (LII) and Dale Hallendorff (UI) were part of the Bedfordview U10 Premier Division Soccer team who this season won both the league and the cup in the Eastern Gauteng district. Well done, boys!

Dale Hallendorff and Keagan Da Silva

It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

Regina Brett


Individual Achievements continued

Joshua Krynauw, Ross Blackwell and Matthew Dooley have all been selected for the Gauteng U13 Rock Climbing team that will be competing in a national competition from 2 – 3 October 2009. Good luck!

Gauteng Rock Climbing

Congratulations to Dylan Testa and Joshua Buchel, who have been selected to represent Gauteng at U13 level in the inter-provincial tournament to be held in December.

Gauteng Water-Polo

Appeal for suitable used or new DVDs for Baragwanath Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Baragwanath Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit has just been given a TV and DVD player to entertain the children in the ward. Mr Nicolson is collecting any suitable children’s / family / cartoon / documentary DVD’s to give to the unit. If you have any suitable DVD's please would you hand them in to Mr Nic.

Joshua Buchel in goals

Sporting results continued Chess Monday 7th September St John’s A Vs Grayston A Seniors lost 15-17 Juniors won 26 - 6 Overall won 41 - 23 St John’s B Vs Leeuwenhof A Seniors won 21 - 11 Juniors won 19 - 13 Overall won 40 - 24 Well done to the following boys who won both their games: A Bulbulia, S Modi, C Burke, M Mseleku, J Batzofin, R Batzofin, V Pansegrouw, K Kurji, W Kerr-Phillips, M Adams, G Stanchev, S Hunt, A Ionescu, J Braham, and J Arthur. Monday 14th September St John’s A Vs Roedean A Seniors won 28 - 4 Juniors won 30 - 2 Overall won 58 - 6 St John’s B Vs St Mary’s Mixed Team won 23 - 9 Monday 21st September St John’s A Vs de la Salle A Seniors lost 13 - 19 Juniors won 31 - 1 Overall won 44 - 20 St John’s B Vs St Benedict’s A Seniors lost 11 - 19 Juniors lost 14 - 18 Overall lost 25 - 37 Well done to the following boys who won both their games: V Pansegrouw, A Bulbulia, S Modi, C Burke, M Berger, B Thomas, O Kieser, W Kerr Phillips.



This competition included Grade1 – 7 learners from various private schools in Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal and the Western Cape. Teachers were encouraged to enter their students into the competition in order to use Apple software to turn ordinary class projects into something extraordinary and win fabulous Apple Prizes. The 2008 regional winners were St John’s Preparatory (Simon Greeff, Killian Pather and Adam Harvey – Gauteng), Chelsea Preparatory (Kwazulu Na-tal) and Hershel Girls (Western Cape). The Grade category winners for Grade 1-3 were Highbury Preparatory and for Grade 4-7 – Crawford Lonehill. Core Group announced the 2008 winners at an award ceremony at their head office where regional winners received iPod shuffles.

D Mulenga, Adam Harvey, Killian Pather, Simon Greef & Rep. from Apple

Entrepreneurial Day Well done to all our up-and-coming entrepreneurs for running a successful Market Day! Thank you to all our happy shopping parents, teachers and the rest of St John’s College for their wonderful support. Total Tax Collected: R 4242.20 UIIB R775.80 UIIH R485.00 UIIR R347.00 LIIIC R585.50 LIIIL R251.80 LIIIM R394.50 UIIII R208.00 UIIIL R895.00 UIIIN R299.60 This was donated to Bethany House a home for abused women and children. David Mulenga

23 July 2009 – The iLife Competition 2008 Winners


Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful Regina Brett


When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile Regina Brett



Don’t take yourself seriously. No one else does

Regina Brett



Presents

Alex in Wonderland

Our annual Prep play production will soon be presented. Alex in Wonderland, will be staged in Big School on Monday 5 October, Tuesday 6 October and on Wednesday 7 October at 19:00 In order to reserve your seats, kindly complete the booking slip below and return to Mrs Clarence. A donation of R25 for adults and R15 for children is being asked to help cover costs. Please send either cash or a cash cheque along with your booking slip.

Booking Slip – Alex in Wonderland

Pupil’s Name: Class: Performance No of Adults No of Children

Mon 5 Oct 19:00 Tues 6 Oct 19:00 Wed 7 Oct 19:00 Amount enclosed R


UPPER III HISTORY In History this term the Upper III boys are studying South Africa’s recent Apartheid years. To make the boys aware of some of the difficulties faced by so many women in this country, particularly women of colour, they were asked to walk, quite literally, in someone else’s shoes. Boys had to adapt pairs of shoes and make them extremely uncomfortable to walk in – so that they could empathise with the women who had participated in the Women’s March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on the 9th August 1956.

Shoes made by Joshua Buchel (left) and Jeremy Prior

Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple Regina Brett

Mondi Paper Competition

The winners of the Mondi paper competition were

Aiden O’Hanlon, Oliver Kieser and Walter Malan.

St John’s came 2nd overall for the

month of July.

A very big thank you to all the parents for their participation.

UIII boys in their mum’s shoes and clothing


Soweto Tour 2009 On the 3rd of August 2009, my fellow UIII pupils and I went on a tour to Soweto. I really enjoyed the tour and so did my friends. On the tour we saw where the Defiance Campaign was read out in Kliptown. We also walked along the famous Vilakazi Street where Nelson Mandela once lived and where Desmond Tutu still lives today. The sad part of the street is where Hector Peterson, aged 12 and not 13, was shot in the Soweto Riots on June 16, 1976. Just before lunch we went to Hector Peterson Museum which was interesting but also depressing. After-wards we went back to Vilakazi Street where we ate lunch at Sakumzi’s which was delicious. Then we went to a pre-school in the Kliptown informal settlement. For me, this was the best part of the tour because the kids were so adorable! They would come up to you, give you a hug and say “Sharp” which was so cute! I just wanted to take all of them home! We also met this very nice caring man: Father Bob, who started this play centre out of his own pocket and from donations. Suddenly, it was time to go home. We said goodbye to the little kids and Father Bob and got into the bus and headed for home. I really enjoyed the tour and would love to do it again. By Callan Hartman UIIIM


UIII Soweto Tour

On Wednesday 29 July the Upper III’s went on a tour of Soweto to help us understand the Apartheid Era. We departed by bus in the morning. Our first stop was at a four roomed house. I was shocked to see how small the living space were. This was a typical matchbox house given to people who were forcibly removed from places like Sophiatown. We stopped at the Kliptown Freedom Square, where the Freedom Charter was first read. We saw a round table divided into ten equal parts each with one point from the Freedom Charter. We visited a nursery school where the children sang songs for us and we saw some of their lessons. We visited the Hector Peterson Museum and saw different exhibits. I was particularly interested in the pictures of the children protesting because they were children of our age standing up to the police. They were protesting because they didn’t want to be taught Afrikaans and they weren’t getting a fair education because of the Bantu Education Act. We also saw the spot where Hector Peterson was shot. Lunch was at an African restaurant which served traditional cuisines such as tripe. The next day we went to the Constitutional Hill. We saw the Constitutional Court, Women’s Prison and the prison that was the much dreaded Number 4. They have taken the bricks from the holding cells and built a part of the court with them. This is a fitting tribute to all whose constitutional rights were violated there. At the Apartheid museum we saw Caspirrs. I was interested to see that an entire wall was filled up with all the names of the different acts that made the Apartheid system so cruel and rigor-ous. I didn’t realise there were so many Apartheid laws. The tour helped me to under-stand how serious Apartheid was and how privileged we are to live in an equal society. Aashish Diayar. UIIIL


Book Review This award winning book “The Way of the Warrior” Young Samurai series) by Chris Bradford is reviewed by Taine Cabral (UIIB). Jack Fletcher is a “rigging monkey” on board the Alexandria. The boat is ship-wrecked off the coast of Japan and his father and the crew are slaughtered by ninja pirates. Jack is rescued by swordsman, Masamoto Takeshi. Jack’s only hope is to learn to be a Samurai, and so his training begins. But life is not easy and he soon finds himself a big enemy with bullies. Even with his friend Akiko, he is still treated as an outsider. With training, can Jack defeat his deadliest rival yet?? It is a very fast paced book that keeps you reading morning, noon and night.

This book is available from St John’s Prep Library.

Taine Cabral UIIB


Zoo Snooze 19 September 2009

Some of the St John’s boys attended a first ever, Zoo sleepover at the Johannesburg Zoo on Saturday, 19 September 2009. The afternoon started off with a ‘behind the scenes tour’ whereby the boys were taken into the back of some of the cages ( tiger and polar bear) to learn a little more about these animals, their behaviour and eating habits. The boys were allowed to touch some of the animals and shared some good laughs. During the late afternoon, it was time to set up camp and the boys had time to pitch tents and prepare their beds. The evening was filled with an exciting tour to the nocturnal cages and we experienced a completely new “vibe” in the Zoo. After building our own bonfire, with permission, we had the opportunity to share some jokes and just get to know each other better. We were very privileged to hear the lions roaring in the early hours of Sunday morning and boy, they made their presence known! We all agreed that this outing must become part of our annual programme at school.


Notices Hair Dee-Lite 082 462 6813/ 011 648 6367

Dee offers excellent work for the whole family, competitive prices and the added

convenience of being on campus.

7 Elm Street (Opposite Rice Field)

Open Tuesday to Friday

08h00 - 17h00

Saturday 08h00 - 13h00

“ To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more: 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. Regina Brett


Notices continued

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 junior boys. 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 medi-ums they do not normally 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]

UPPER III EXTRA ENGLISH

Upper III Extra English lessons with Mrs Long on Mondays from 13h30—14h00. Lower III with Ms K. Maitland Mondays from 13h30 - 14h00 No charge. All welcome.

EXTRA AFRIKAANS LESSONS

Lower III and Upper III boys. Every Tuesday from

13h30—14h00 Please come and join Mrs Malan

in Room 5

Italian Language Lessons

Small age appropriate classes and individual tui-tion offered outside school hours at St John’s. Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher us-ing communicative method of conversation, main-taining cultural ties for solid IEB foundation. Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or [email protected]

EXTRA ZULU LESSONS

Lower III and Upper III boys. Every Thursday 13h30 - 14h00

Lower III Ms Maitland Upper III Mrs Mashele

All Welcome

EXTRA MATHS LESSONS

Upper III boys in Mrs Jean Clarence’s classroom Every Tuesday 13h30 - 14h00

All Welcome


Mentorship Programme The skills for life are hard to pass onto our children, especially with our fast-paced world. Peer pressure, self esteem, discipline and the demands our children’s world places on them are all manageable with the right tools. The rights of passage that our children pass through are no longer clear. Our ‘Hey Dude!’ Programme is about helping our young boys to articulate everything that they are experiencing and finding a way to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming. We give them the tools to move forward confidently and with a strong self esteem. Different programmes run for different age groups. Girls programmes are running this year as well.

For more information contact Lauren on 084 440 0151 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS

Come and enjoy an evening of literary fun for the WHOLE family.

If you would like to be part the Roedean/St John’s Family Literary Quiz on Thursday 22 October, 2009

simply e‐mail your name and the number of people attending ‐All family members and friends welcome ‐ to:

Gill Murdoch, [email protected] Nicky Sulter [email protected]

Quiz starts at 18h00 in Founders Hall, Roedean.Supper provided

R40 per person over 8Lots of prizes to be won

ALL are welcome to join in. Teams – up to 10 members ‐ will be informally made up on the night.

Mike Workman Headmaster


A clean conscience makes a soft pillow

So true about never judging a book by its cover..... THE GINGHAM DRESS A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. 'We'd like to see the President,' the man said softly. 'He'll be busy all day,' the secretary snapped. 'We'll wait,' the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted. 'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him. He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.' The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said, gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.' 'Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.' The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and the homespun suit, then exclaimed, A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.' For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?' Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them. A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes 'People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel'.

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