If you would like to comment please email: awright@standrews.co.za

  

What was also fascinating is how different the career choices have become for young women. One lady related how, when her sister failed matric, the headmistress reassured her father that she was sure to marry well !!

This was certainly a contrast to the many Old Girls who are enjoying exciting careers and have experienced many countries through work and travel. Today an Old Girls’ business network has been established and is providing an important communication link for past pupils.

Here at school, girls have enjoyed successes in debating, plays, hockey and netball festivals.  We are very proud of our 1st netball team which won the Kingsmead, St Andrew’s and Saheti festivals.

I have been impressed by the Form 2 Science Expo projects and the Climate Disaster Conference conducted by the Form 3s. The quality of our education was affirmed during an inspection by Umalusi (schools’ accreditation board). The assessor was impressed by our girls, educators and systems.

It has indeed been an eventful month, with temperatures plummeting and causing the chapel fountain to be draped in ice.  

I trust you will enjoy the activities reported on in this issue of Sentinel.


May has been a month of further 105th anniversary (birthday) celebrations. Old Girls from South Africa and abroad gathered at St Andrew’s for a reunion. The day included a chapel service, school tours and a luncheon.  Past pupils were impressed by the new physical and educational developments, as well as the atmosphere amongst our girls.  There was a group of matriculants from as far back as 1947!

Another spirited reunion evening was also held at St Cyprian’s School in Cape Town. Listening to report-back speeches it was refreshing to hear how different some things were and yet how similar in nature girls still are.

 

  

Mrs Fry celebrating Africa Day with
some of her girls
Back: Ms Aziezah Abrahams, Art teacher
& Daniella Pallotta
Front: Coral Kim, Mrs Cathy Fry (Junior School Headmistress), Rethabetse Ntswana, Neave Geoghegan

The second term has got off to a busy start with netball tournaments, hockey matches, strategic planning sessions in the Junior School and a site visit from Umalusi.  Mrs Maureen Rollinson has resigned with effect from the end of the second term to help her husband in his business and Mrs Jill Ablett is retiring at the end of the year.

There is such a shortage of teachers worldwide.  In “The Star” on Monday evening there was an article about the teacher shortage in South Africa.  There will be a shortfall of 35 000 teachers in South Africa next year.  The country is unable to train and recruit teachers at the rate that teachers leave the system partly due to the poor image of the profession.  The country needs to have approximately 5000 teachers to graduate each year.  We are currently producing 1000 annually.

Worldwide, teaching organizations are marketing teaching as a profession and encouraging our youth into the profession. Teaching is such a special profession and one of the most rewarding.  Teachers are undervalued in our society and yet the role they play is one of the most crucial in a country’s future. 

Make your teacher’s day this month with a note of thanks, a bunch of flowers, a few words of acknowledgement of what they do for your child daily.

CAMPS & TOURS

The Grade 5s went on a great
tour to Camp David

Our 1st stop was the Hartbeeshoek Radio Astronomy and Observatory where we learnt about our solar system and played with some interesting things like the water rockets and sundial.  Then we stopped at the elephant sanctuary for an amazing experience with these giants. We got to touch and feed them and Mrs Price and a few other girls even got a muddy kiss!  Our 3rd and final stop for the day was our home away from home, Camp David, where we had a lot of fun.

The next day we headed for the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre. Here we learnt all about cheetah and loads of other animals including caracal, wild dog, African wildcat, vultures, eagles and more.

Our next stop was Peter’s restaurant for everyone’s favourite meal, spaghetti bolognaise. Here we were taught correct table manners and how to be well behaved young ladies! Our last stop was a treat for the girls who love horses, Die Groote Verlange Horse Academy and Safaris, where we learnt how to groom and ride horses, as well as watch some show jumping.

Look out grade fours, there is so much fun coming your way!

Tayla Stephen


  

The Grade 7 Tour Boishebelo

Akintomiwa Bamigboye beading
bracelets with one of the
Ndebele ladies at Boishebelo. 
French Tour

The senior French learners discovered that studying in a foreign country can be fun and exciting. They recently spent three weeks in France living with French families and studying at an international school.

Back: Claudia Loureiro, Palesa Mabuza, Michelle Raath, Philippa Abrahamse,
Michelle le Grange, Bronwyn Allcock,
Ashley Dearling, Chencen Zhang
Front: Renee van Wyk, Tracy Royal,
Kirsty Smith, Lauren Taylor

Art Tour
In the August holidays thirty-one art students will be visiting art galleries and museums in Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Florence and Venice.

Bronze hike for the President’s Award
Fifteen Form 1 and 2 girls joined Mrs Bosman on a hike in the Magaliesberg during the first weekend of this term.  All fifteen girls enrolled in the President’s Awards programme and the hike was organised in order for them to meet the requirements of completing an adventurous journey.
  The conditions were very testing. Due to the drought in the area we all had to carry at least 4 litres of water in addition to all our food, sleeping gear, tents, stoves and pots! Feel free to try this at extremely high temperatures!  After cooking our own meals some girls settled down in their tents while Mrs Bosman and seven of the girls decided to sleep under the stars. We were rewarded with the most spectacular view which included a full moon. Congratulations to the fifteen exceptional young women who were prepared to step out of their comfort zones –
you did St Andrew’s proud!

Ubambiswano: Grade 9 Camp 2007
This is the third Grade 9 camp that I have been on and it was certainly the best. In the past we have always gone to a camp where we have stayed put for three days and there have been various adventure/team-building/leadership activities which the children have participated in. This time we did it through Edu school tours and we visited two different educational places each day as well as incorporating some team building exercises and I think that it was a better mix. Mrs Heather Cook

 
SCIENCE EXPO
National Science week is an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology aimed at attracting the youth to these fields of study by highlighting the important role that science plays in everyday life. Although the emphasis is on youth, awareness is also created among teachers who influence the subject and career choices of their learners. The Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena, said any opportunity to do this should be utilized to the maximum. For this reason the Science Department held their science expo for the grade 9 learners on the 15 May.
  


Blair Neely and Ashlyn Cockbain
with their project

 
  HARVEST FESTIVAL & AFRICA DAY
Our annual Harvest Festival was held on Africa Day this year. Thank you to everyone from Grade 0 to Matric who donated fresh and non-perishable foods. Meals-on-Wheels were delighted to receive your donations.
 

Chess
Dayle Nel was chosen to represent Gauteng South U16 Chess Team at an inter-provincial match in Bloemfontein on the 19th May. 

  

Netball
•SS U16
Kingsmead Festival: 3rd
Saheti Festival: 1st
•SS 1st team (right)
(back) Dominique de Gouveia, Samantha Wood, Lisalokuhle Mbobo, Samantha
Blignaut, Nomlando Lukhuleni, Keabetswe Kungoane, Bianca Honey
(front) Jessica Wing, Whitney Taggart
Kingsmead Festival, St Andrew's Festival and Saheti Festival - unbeaten for several years!
• Nomlando Lukhuleni has made the GSS U17 team netball team.

The Junior School hosted a Grade 7 netball festival recently. Enjoying the break between matches were (back) Lyndall Smith, Rachel Maroun (front) Tomiwa Bambigboye, Raquel Rodrigues, Jade Melville, Kayla Hoey and Tanna Loser.

St Mary's beat Holy Rosary in the finals.

 

Hockey
Howell/Pullen Trophy
•SS U16Hockey - 5th place
•SS Hockey Honey 1st team - 4th place
This year the selectors have only chosen one U18 and one U16 provincial team and we are proud of the following girls who have been chosen to represent Gauteng:
•U16: Cindi and Kirsty Tregoning
•U18: Michelle Tregoning, Sian Eustice, Jeanine Louw and Chrislyn Allan
First team hockey sponsored by Honey Jewellery

(left) These girls have been selected to represent Gauteng at the annual
Inter-provincial Schools' hockey tournament.
(back)
Michelle Tregoning U18A,
Sian Eustice U18A, Jeanine Louw U18A,
Chrislyn Allan U18A
(front)
Kirsten Tregoning U16A,
Cindi Tregoning U16A
   
OLD GIRLS

•The Old Girls Reunion was held on 5th May for all the girls who matriculated in the ‘7’ years. (1947 to 1997). Many of them traveled from overseas to attend their class reunion.

•Mrs Jackson and Mrs Wright attended a workshop in Cape Town and followed this with a cocktail party for all the girls now living in this beautiful city. Interesting to note that three Old Girls are involved in the wine business!

•Old Girls Heritage Ball - 6 October 2007
Please support this very special event in our 105th birthday year. Call Mrs Bev Smith to book your table 083 326 3290

JOHN VAN DE RUIT'S VISIT TO ST ANDREW'S
  On Friday 4th May, John van de Ruit, well-known playwright, actor and author of the best-selling books, Spud and Spud - the madness continues…, visited St Andrew’s school. John’s talk was both informative and entertaining. He gave us a brief history of the origins of ‘Spud’: his description of his actor’s tour to Zimbabwe was most evocative.
He told us that as he lay in his hotel room, the smell of rain on wet tar had reminded him of his lonely and confusing first day at Michaelhouse. That memory prompted him to begin writing, and for the next year and a half, he completed ‘Spud’ by mostly writing in hotel rooms.
MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST

A Mother’s Day breakfast was held on the tea lawns as a Grade 7 fundraiser on
the 12th May. Kate Turkington was a charming guest speaker.

Over twenty girls are making a 3-5 minute film as part of the AFDA Young Film makers’ initiative. When the films are completed, they will be screened at a youth festival in September. There are lectures every Thursday afternoon, and at this stage the girls are pitching their story lines and consolidating their teams. This is turning out to be a most productive and rewarding experience.

PRESCHOOL PICNIC AT DRAKES FARMYARD
The whole school was invited to this fundraiser. Everyone had such a
wonderful time that it has been decided to repeat it annually.

  

A community support programme
Please carry your Myschoolcard with you at all times and use it wherever you see the Myschoolcard sign. Every transaction made is recorded and a percentage is paid to the school.

If you do not have a card please email customerservices@vmp.co.za or go to their website www.myschool.co.za
ROWING FUNDRAISER
22 July 2007 @ 14H00
"Tonights the Night" at the Barnyard Theatre
Contact: Marcel 083 3251585 or Fax 011 4659513
CONTACT US: Tel: 011 453-9408 • Fax: 011 453 1112
E-MAIL: andrew@standrews.co.za http://www.standrews.co.za/
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