Senior School Newsletter

Transcription

1 20 May 2016 Senior School Newsletter Dear Parents There are those watershed moments in life when one suddenly realises that one s little girl is growing up. The recent matric dance highlighted this so clearly when our Grade 12 girls exchanged their school uniforms for exquisite gowns and matching accessories. What emerged from the cavalcade of high-end cars that delivered the grade 12s to the waiting red carpet were beautiful and graceful young women. And what a spectacular evening this turned out to be! Clever detail, photo booths and popcorn were just a few of the design elements that delighted and enchanted guests this year. Heartfelt thanks to Mrs Brennan and Mrs Geier supported by the Grade 11 girls and an army of parents who gave up their holidays to paint, hammer nails and paint some more. The new Grade 10/11 Matric Dance committee is already waiting in the wings and had its first fundraiser in the shape of the Mother and Daughter Tea. This year the theme was flowers and each table came up with unique and clever ways to highlight this idea. And what an inspiration our guest speaker, Mrs Lorna Cochran! At 92 she candidly spoke about raising six children, losing her husband at a young age and having to return to full-time work. Encouraged by her children, she swam her first Midmar Mile aged 74 and is still swimming the event 14 years later. Next week the school will host its annual Fun Day! This is the main fundraising event held by the PTP. If you have ventured to the grandstand lately, you will have noticed that the area around the new tuckshop has been paved, the school gates have also been refurbished and made taller. These are just two examples of the wonderful work this committee of dedicated parents do. Your daughter will have brought home an envelope requesting a R150 for the Fun Day initiative, please return this as soon as possible. The theme for this is celebrations and we have much to celebrate: the Preprimary turns 25 this year and we also celebrate the 800 year anniversary of the Dominican Order. Please join us for a day of fun-filled activities and team-building and lots of laughter. Kind regards Mrs Sharon Fitzgerald One School, One Family, One Spirit Inside this issue Mother & Daughter Tea...2 Swimming News...3 Swimming News...4 Maths Department...4 Matric Farewell...5 Matric Farewell..6 Matric Farewell..7 Banango Traders.8 MySchool News...9 Dates to Diarise....10

2 Mrs Evans and Mrs Murray One of the exquisitely decorated tables Mother and Daughter Tea The Mother and Daughter tea was held on Mother s Day in the beautifully decorated matric farewell hall. Those who hosted tables at the tea did the most incredible job of beautifully decorating their tables and good food abounded. Thanks to various sponsors, the grade ten parents and the grade tens themselves, a lovely morning was enjoyed by all. Mrs Evans and Mrs Murray Netball Chelsea Okoye in Grade 8 has been selected for the u13 Gauteng Provincial Netball team. Hockey Ashleigh Teixeira made U16 Eastern Gauteng Schools Hockey and will be representing St Dominic s. Mother and Daughter Tea Another beautifully decorated table 2 One School, One Family, One Spirit

3 Swimming News Ashleigh Munks Ashleigh Munks (4th from the left) Ashleigh Munks participated at SA Nationals Level 2 which was held at Ellis Park from the 28 th to the 31 st of March 2016 and the SA National Open Water Championships held the 5 th and 6 th of March Ashleigh has performed really well in both the Pool and Open Water Championships that she competed in. Ashleigh swam personal best times (PB S) for all the events she participated in. Her final results were the following and these can be confirmed if necessary on the Meet Mobile App or from her Coach Wade Marshall. SA Open Water National Team Ashleigh Munks (Back row, 5th from the left) 400m Freestyle - 1 st Place 4: m Freestyle 2 nd Place 2: m Freestyle 1 st Place 1: m Backstroke 2 nd Place 34,32 100m Backstroke 2 nd Place 1: m Backstroke 2 nd Place 2: m IM 3 rd Place 2:43.64 One School, One Family, One Spirit 3

4 Swimming News Carissa van Rooyen and Tatum Peyerl's performance at SA Nationals and Olympic Trials Tatum Peyerl Youth Silver Medal - (Woman age 19 and younger with Youth qualifying times) for the 50m breast stroke. Carissa van Rooyen Elite Youth Bronze Medal (Woman age 19 and younger with SA Senior National and Youth qualifying times) for the 100m back stroke 4th place for woman in Finals for the 100m back stroke 200m back stroke - 11th place over all for woman 50m back stroke - Gold and SA National Champion 2016 Silver medal for the Central Gauteng Aquatics Woman A team in the 4 X 100m Medley Relay Both girls had an extraordinary experience as they witnessed history in the making with our swimmers qualifying for the Olympics. Well done! Maths Department News Dayna McClean The Maths Department is proud to honour a very special, young grade 9 lady Dayna McClean. You may have seen the recent article about her in the Boksburg Advertiser stating that Dayna successfully remembered 661 digits of Pi in our annual St. Dominic s Pi Day competition. Dayna now not only holds the St. Dominic s Pi Digits record, but it came to our attention that she also holds the African Continent Record and she is currently ranked 158 th in the world. How amazing is that! Well done Dayna McClean, we are so proud of you. May you achieve the goals that you set for yourself. We support you all the way! Please visit: page=lists&category=pi 4 One School, One Family, One Spirit

5 Matric Farewell 2016 Tonight your veins are lined with electricity, your eyes are glowing gold, you are adventurous, free, and immortal. Tonight you have earned the right to say I ll have it shaken, not stirred because tonight you have entered into the world of none other than James Bond himself! So, Matrics of 2016, congratulations for making it to your very own, and well deserved Matric Farewell! Do you remember the first time you saw the hall decorated for a matric farewell ; when you stared big eyed and open mouthed at its overwhelming beauty? And since then you ve been unable to contain your excitement until it was your turn to enter the hall as a matric looking like a celebrity. You ve experienced many different themes: Alice in wonderland, Mardi-gras and your own design of the Secret garden. Each theme is unique and perfectly suited to that specific group of matrics. As we all know, James Bond has taken a few beatings in his many years. This is no different for our matrics as they are famous for their notorious acts. You have taken many bullets and pushed yourselves to the limits. You embody the James Bond saying, I don t stop when I m tired, I stop when I m done. You slip in and out of trouble with ease, you take criticism by the bucket-full and instead of throwing it all back, you use it to build yourselves up. This has made you strong in the face of adversity, even when the sky falls. The biggest lesson you have taught us originates from a James Bond quote: Be polite, be courteous, show professionalism and have a plan to kill everyone in the room So matrics of 2016, here you all are, from the Amy's and Abenas to the Zamas and the Zandis, with all the Jessicas and Makailas in between. We hope you now see why we chose such a fitting theme. So why James Bond? What connects this world known icon to you, the matrics of 2016? There are a few noted differences: sadly you don t have any underground lairs filled with weapons and Aston Martins, and hopefully you don t have a License to Kill. But surprisingly there are more similarities. Just like James Bond or 007, each of you has your own nickname or code name for one another, or even teachers. Mr Bond seems to walk into any room and immediately have all eyes magnetically drawn to him, similar to the actions of the matrics. You walk with moons at your heels, galaxies within your eyes and the universe at your fingertips. And with the certainty that tomorrow will never die : a truly admirable quality. You deserve elegance and class because each one of you is stunning, intelligent, selfless an idol in our eyes. You are an unforgettable grade, a timeless classic- just like James Bond. Actually James bond wishes he was as talented and exquisite as you, because you are diamonds, and diamonds are forever. Julian Yeates 5

6 6 Matric Farewell 2016

7 7 Matric Farewell 2016

8 Term 1: Top Ten Academics Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Margaret Lee Nomusa Sidu Kiana De Freitas Gabrielle Padiachy Jayde Polley Claudia Lilje Caitlin Dunsmuir Katherine Thorn Courtney Madeley Anastasia Pesic Nokhanya Sangweni Zoe Robinson Morgan Robinson Kayla Stevenson Kelly Morrison Banango Traders On Wednesday 4 th May, the grade 12 Accounting girls spent the day assimilating trading with banango s (a fruit similar to a banana and mango combined!!) on Clifton Beach. Kiara Schutte Chloe Farinha Kaylee Moss Jenna Bishop Zamazulu Gumede Gabriella Delgado Shannon Noel Nompilo Mpanza Chloe Doust Melissa Kruger Taylor Evans Kayleigh Rose Tatum Peyerl Nicole Dezuluvic Abigail Roberts In groups of 4 they had to make decisions concerning quantities to be purchased, mark-ups, advertising strategies and keeping updated records. Not only did they learn about the dynamics and pitfalls of running a business but also had fun rolling the dice and anticipating the outcome. It is always beneficial to incorporate real life situations into the practical aspect of teaching. In this exercise they also gained useful information concerning companies that will help them in the exams ahead. The Accounting department really appreciates the opportunity that the school offers these girls. HOD Accounting Lynn Young Grade 11 Samantha Johnson Tatiana Cancela Hannah Le Roux Sarania Nayagar Chloe Meewes Jenna-Lisa Da Camara Julian Yeates Chante De Freitas Ungiphile Mhlongo Caitlin Noel The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. H Jackson Brown, Jnr Grade 12 Bianca Costa Tré Jessica Van Der Spuy Natasha Lavis Marcela De Olim Zandile Gando Tanisha Ravjee Caeleigh Foster Savannah Brombacher Sarah Duarte Venisha Govender 8 One School, One Family, One Spirit

9 Matric Farewell MySchool Update MySchool and Woolworths are running an awesome competition for May and June, where a school stands to win R There is also a chance for your child to win a bursary of R So please keep swiping your MySchool card at Woolworths and encouraging your family members to do the same. To date (Jan16 - Mar16) we have raised R37, This money is added to the PTP fund, to be used on various projects that they are busy with. 9

10 Dates to Diarise Monday 23 May Tuesday 25 May Hockey at Assumption Netball at Dainfern Grade 11 CAT Dinner Thursday 26 May Blanket Mass Friday 27 May Fun Day (Day 0) Sunday 29 May Corpus Christi in Jubilee Centre 30 May 3 June Catholic Schools Week Wednesday 1 June Saturday 4 June Sunday 5 June Netball at Redhill Drummie Provincials 2 at St Dominic s Catholic Schools Sunday Please remember your donation of R150 Tuesday 7 June Netball vs Brescia (home) 7 June 1 July Senior School Exams Friday 10 June Winter Choir Festival 10 & 11 June ISSF (St Stithians) Saturday 11 June Inter Catholic Cross Country Coaching for Teenagers What is coaching Coaching is a solution focused approach to personal development, helping people create positive change in their lives. A life coach is someone who helps you reach a goal or make a change in your life; that helps you get from where you are in your life now, to where you want to go. Life Coaching offered for teenagers in the following areas: Subject and Career Choice for Grade 9 pupils Building Healthy Relationships Confidence Booster Goal Setting What is offered: One on One Coaching Included is a complimentary discussion with the parents to discuss their concerns and what they would like their teen to be coached on. Group Coaching How can I help your teen As a coach I do not give advice. Through the use of insightful coaching questions and various techniques, I enable teens to identify their own insights and action plans to aid their path to selfdiscovery. When they uncover their own solutions it is so much easier for them to follow through with the necessary actions. If you are interested in arranging a coaching session for your teen, please contact Hayley on : or Hayley at hayley.daws68@outlook.com One School, One Family, One Spirit