2016 The Reddam Reporter

NEWSLETTER | 19 AUGUST 2016 | VOLUME 24
From the Headmaster
Barry Nieuwoudt
“If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.”
― Albert Einstein
The building work at Clara Anna Fontein is progressing very well and we are all on
track. We are extremely excited about the new campus and it is wonderful to see the
weekly progress as we drive past the campus.
Several improvement projects have started on our current Chesterhouse campus and will continue
throughout the year, as we move towards our new revamped campus for 2017. Our stage is being
constructed over the weekend and will be finalised during next week, before our Preparatory production
of Porridge takes place.
On Wednesday evening our Grade 8 & 9 students had their Science Fair and what an incredible evening
was had by all. Once again our amazing students treated us to some outstanding work. Congratulations
to all the prize winners on the evening. Thank you to Mr. Gozzard, Mr. Marais and Mrs. Patrick for their
inspiration with our students.
EARLY YEARS
Food, glorious food….
In the Early Learning School we have been learning about healthy food. We discussed how nutritional
food can help our bodies grow and develop and the importance of physical activities every day.
We ended our week with a healthy food party where the children could choose fruit and vegetables of
their choice to eat. It was wonderful to see how many even tried some fruits and vegetables that they
have never eaten or tried before.
We all know that childhood is a time of learning and for forming good habits. Children growing up in
families where a variety of nutritious foods from the Five Food Groups are included, are more likely to
make healthy choices as they get older.
You can help your whole family by:
• Choosing ‘everyday foods’ for home and school from the Five Food Groups.
• Saving ‘treats’ for special occasions.
• Including a variety of types and colours of fresh vegetables and fruit that are in season.
• Enjoy reduced fat varieties of milk, yoghurt and cheese (once they are 2 years or older).
• Eating mainly wholegrain cereal foods and breads.
• Drink plenty of water instead of sugary drinks like cordial, energy drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks,
vitamin waters and soft drinks.
• Eating a healthy breakfast every day.
• Learning about how foods are grown and where they come from.
• Trying new foods and recipes – include everyone when cooking and preparing foods and drinks.
• Turn off the TV and computer during mealtimes – make this your special family time.
• Washing of hands before eating or cooking.
• Be physically active – play outside, walk the dog, ride bicycles or run around in the local park.
PREPARATORY
The excitement is mounting and there is an air of expectation as you walk around the Prep School. It is
almost time for our stars to show off all their hard work. We are in the last days of preparation for
Porridge, a musical production. With the stage being completed final rehearsals will be in full swing
during the school day next week. Information pertaining to dress rehearsals and school times, during the
week of the play, have been emailed to all parents. Please direct any queries you may have to your
child’s class teacher. There are only 10 more days until the first performance, so please make sure to get
your tickets. These can be purchased from Mrs Cronje for R60.
This Week’s Habit of Mind goes hand in hand with last weeks. Last week I wrote about being aware of
our thoughts, which lead us to being aware of our actions and the things we say. This week’s habit of
Mind is ‘Managing Impulsivity’. I think you will agree with me that the first step to managing impulsivity
well is to think first. Other important aspects to consider are ensuring you have a plan before rushing in to
solve a problem. This reminds me of a story I once heard about a hiker who happened upon another man
while out on the trails one day. The man was waist deep in a pool of sinking sand. The hiker rushed
straight into the pool in his effort to save the man and both of them ended up in the sinking sand waiting
to be rescued. If the hiker had taken a moment to think through a possible solution before rushing in, he
may have saved the man and himself. Benjamin Franklin once said: “It is easier to suppress the first
desire than to satisfy all that follow it.” And that, I believe, is the key to managing our impulsivity.
I would like to send out a BIG congratulations to all our Eisteddfod participants. In the last few weeks I
have heard multiple reports of excellent performances from our children in a variety of Eisteddfods. This
ranges from musical performances, art exhibitions, poetry performances and public speaking, to mention
just a few. The final results will be published as soon as all Eisteddfods have been completed.
COLLEGE
On Monday we held the first Reddam House Durbanville mid-year academic awards ceremony. Students
were awarded with Reddam House Certificates, Merit Certificates and Academic badges and the top 3
students in each grade were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates. Zak du Plessis (Grade 11)
was also awarded the University of Cambridge IGCSE Award for achieving Top in South Africa for
Computer Science in November 2015
Congratulations to all of our award winners. We hope to see a lot more names on the list in December.
A special thank you to all of the award winners’ parents who attended.
Grade 8
Gold - Keenan Kapnias
Silver - Paige Forrester
Bronze - Zanita Volschenk
Grade 9
Gold – Cassidy Forsyth
Silver – Carli Loubser (Absent)
Bronze – Sean La Grange
Grade 11
Gold – Zak du Plessis
Silver – Jenna Hayton
Bronze – Rebecca Bibergal
Grade 12
Gold – Nikita Reid
Silver – Caitlin Hayton
Bronze – Aimee Unger
Grade 10
Gold – Camryn Ferns
Silver – Carli Costa
Bronze – Chloé Bovim
TOP in South Africa
Computer Science
IGCSE 2015
Zak du Plessis
WORDS OF WISDOM
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
TODAY, 19 AUGUST 2016, IN HISTORY
1848 - The discovery of gold in California was reported by the New York Herald.
1909 - The first car race to be run on brick occurred at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1934 - Adolf Hitler was approved for sole executive power in Germany as Fuehrer.
1964 - The first American tour by the Beatles began in San Francisco, CA. The tour would cover 26
cities.
1972 - NBC-TV presented "The Midnight Special" for the first time with John Denver as the first host.
1983 - 22 people were killed and over $1 billion in damage was caused when hurricane Alicia hit the
Texas coast.
1991 - Soviet hard-liners announced that President Mikhail Gorbachev had been removed from power.
Gorbachev returned to power two days later.
1999 - In Belgrade, thousands of Serbs attended a rally to demand the resignation of Yugoslavia's
President Slobodan Milosevic.
2004 - Google Inc. stock began selling on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The initial price was set at $85 and
ended the day at $100.34 with more than 22 million shares traded.
Dear Parents,
YOUR 2016 SCHOOL PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE
Your children’s 2016 school photographs are now available for viewing and purchase online on the
That’s Me Photography website.
Please visit www.thatsme.co.za to access your photos. If you have not used the website before,
please first click on REGISTER to register an account. If you are already registered, just click on
LOGIN to login with your username and password.
For security purposes, please ensure that you register using one of your email addresses that the
school has on their records.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or queries.
Kind regards
That’s Me Photography
www.thatsme.co.za
info@thatsme.co.za
CULTURE
ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Thando Yedwa
Grade 9
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE WEEK
Rizqah Hassiem
Grade 10
WRITER OF THE WEEK
Imagine – by Matilda Steele-Smith (Grade 9)
Imagine a world where there are always borders, Perimeters, rules, and soldiers
Regulating my every step, Wake up, work, torture, sleep
They force me to forget my name, become the number on my sleeve,
But they have no right, they all have names carefully selected by loving parents,
And yet I am not even allowed to dream.
I cannot take it anymore,
The beatings, swearing and the smell of death As I walk down a makeshift street,
Men shoot words like bullets, and sneer at me as if I am an animal.
As they believe I am in fact a savage, I deserve to die, I am no hero,
And my innocence counts for nothing,
As they look at my face with anger and contempt, Brainwashed soldiers taught to hate.
Why would they care anyway? They are the perfect Aryan race,
God’s chosen people, who do nothing wrong. Of course I am unsatisfactory, a disgrace
I live this way for months, years if I am lucky,
Until I hear the screeching of a siren outside my working space, And I step into the sunshine, into line,
and into place.
I was dehumanised
I became that indelible number
So I obeyed my master completely
Walked into the gas chamber with my head held high,
And was carried out with my head dropping low. Nobody knew my name.
And nobody ever would.
I was just a number in an unjust world.
Imagine.
Imagine that was my story,
that my body had been given to the flames, that I had done nothing wrong,
My world was dead
And nobody could remember my name.
CULTURE HIGHLIGHTS
This past week was a memorable day for Culture as our talented past and present Art students achieved
outstanding results.
ART EISTEDDFOD CATEGORY WINNER
Thando Yedwa, a very talented new addition to our school, was announced as the
Grade 9 Category Winner in the 2016 Tygerberg Art Eisteddfod.
His artwork scored Highest Honours in the competition and he received his trophy at
the opening ceremony on Tuesday this week. Congratulations Thando, we are very
proud of you
YOUNG CREATIVES SHORTLIST
Two of our Matrics, JaeHyeoung Park and Monica Boje made the Top 10 Shortlist in this year’s Young
Creatives Competition run by Cape Town Creative Academy. This competition draws hundreds of
national entries each year and only 10 are allowed to proceed to the next level. Out of a total of 10
shortlisted entries, only 6 were from the Cape Province. Reddam Durbanville was the only school to have
two Matrics on the shortlist. They stand in line to win a possible bursary to study at this prestigious
academy and will go through a rigorous interview and selection process this week. We wish them the
best of luck.
PAST STUDENT COMES THIRD IN NATIONAL ARTS
Competition
Tessa Hall, a past Art student, also entered a local Competition called the Kuko
Photography Arts and Writing Competition run by Stellenbosch University’s Culture
Committee. She was placed third in the Art Category, winning R300 for herself. Her
artwork is currently on display at a local gallery.
Congratulations to our budding artists. You have done our school proud!
Kerryann Collier
Head of Culture
TYGERBERG EISTEDDFOD VOCAL ENSEMBLE
On Friday 12 August 2016, a very excited group of Prep School girls participated at the Tygerberg
Eisteddfod. They certainly made history as they were the first ever vocal ensemble in our Prep School to
enter this division. Even though they were nervous, they sang with "beautiful innocence, colour and good
intonation" as quoted by the adjudicator. They rendered two contrasting songs and scored a whopping
87%. They were also commended for the energy they displayed throughout their performance. Well
done!
Senior Prep Vocal Ensemble
Back: Mrs Leonie Beelders, Sarah Warner, Jemma Smith,
Misa Von Wielligh, Megan Gradidge,
Mrs Francel Dunlop
Middle: Tara Singh, Jenna Petersen, Nikita Arendse,
Baluleka (Onke) Mdladlamba, Amanda Vogel
Front: Samke Xaba, Jade Cameron, Rachel Stewart,
Afikile Jayiya
TYGERBERG EISTEDDFOD ORCHESTRA
The 2016 Tygerberg International Eisteddfod marked a very special occasion for Reddam House
Durbanville Music: we entered our Senior Orchestra for the first time.
This group was founded in April 2015 with 4 members under the baton of Mrs. Alet Lambert. Currently
there are 13 members on a variety of instruments. We heard the Orchestra in 2015 at the College Prize
Giving, and this year at the College play in May. It was clear then that there were big things ahead.
One short year after its inception, the Orchestra took to the stage at the Eisteddfod, performing two
contrasting pieces, and obtaining a well-deserved 84%. We are very proud of this group of young
musicians and very privileged to have them under the more than capable guidance of Mrs Lambert. May
this be the beginning of a journey full of successes and enjoyment.
The orchestra is open to any Reddam House instrumentalists from Grade 4 to Grade 12, whether they
receive tuition here or at an outside institution. Prospective members are welcome to contact Mrs.
Lambert to arrange an audition.
Orchestra
Back: Nicholas Bowers, Boyue Yan, Mrs Alet Lambert
Middle: Anais Wentzel, Pascal Smith, Caitlin Hayton
Front: Jade Maart, Joshua Stone, Cameron Lesar,
Talitha Vermeulen, Jenna Rapson, Boyue Yan
Our last set of Eisteddfods took place last week with the Poetry, Art, Public Speaking and CMS students
once again, faring very well.
CATEGORY
STUDENT
MARK BRACKET
Vocal section
Daena Petersen
Honours
Piano (JS Bach)
Alicia Bekker
Highest Honours
Senior Orchestra Ensemble
Caitlin Hayton
Anais Wentzel
Boyue Yan
Scott Smith
Honours
Art section
I-Hsin Wu
Xiao Xue Chen
Daniela Wencke
Alexis Rossouw
Certificate of Merit
Cassidy Forsyth
Tara Hall
Prescribed Poetry
Own Choice Poetry
Unprepared Public Speaking
Prepared Public Speaking
Zanita Volschenk
Nikita Stock
Alicia Bekker
Caitlin Devenish
Tayannah De Villiers
Jade Ing Robinson
Jessica Damon
Savanna Stock
Honourable Mention
Gina Wilkinson
Michelle van der Linde
Rebekah Beelders
Mihlali Ralarala
Sieun Kim
JaeHyeoung Park
Monica Boje
Claudia Becker
Honours
Thando Yedwa
Vida Madighi-Oghu
Highest Honours
Alexis Rossouw
Honours
Zanita Volschenk
Lize Jooste
Margot Wentzel
Highest Honours
Paige Forrester
Daniela Wenke
Alexis Rossouw
Gabriella Festus
Honours
Zanita Volschenk
Lize Jooste
Margot Wentzel
Highest Honours
Chiara van Nikerk
Zanita Volschenk
Honours
Keenan Kapnias
Highest Honours
Keenan Kapnias
Zanita Volschenk
Highest Honours
KEY:
•
Honourable Mention: 70 – 79
•
Honours: 80 – 89
•
Highest Honours: 90 – 100
Congratulations to all who took part. An overall results summary will appear in next week’s newsletter.
Kerryann Collier
Head of Culture
SCIENCE FAIR
The Grade 8 and 9 Science Fair held on 17 August was a huge success with many students coming up
with interesting and unique projects. The three Judges were Juanelle du Plessis who is currently
completing her PhD in the division of molecular and human genetics, Stellenbosch university faculty of
Medicine and Health Science at Tygerberg; Victor Sabe, who has a Masters in Medical Bioscience and is
currently completing his PhD in Human Ecology and Dietetics at the University of Cape Town and is our
current science technician; Michael Strauss, managing director at Swisspak. Michael started his early
career in electronics in 1969 working for Matherson and Ashley and then Phillips working on main frame
computers. He started his company Swisspak in 1990 and has clients ranging from Tastic Rice, Clipper
Tea and Gordons Sweets.
Projects were judged based on the following criteria,
 the purpose and hypothesis of the project;
 the background research conducted;
 materials and procedures;
 data, graphs and results produced;
 a valid scientific conclusion;
 creativity of the project and the originality of the project.
I would like to thank all the Grade 8 and 9 students for the hard
work and effort that they have put into the science fair – It was a fantastic evening.
Grade 8 Winners
Chemistry
Electroplating
Nikayla Burger, Matthew Herbert
Physics
Wind power electricity
Danielle Alves, Paige Forrester,
Thina Calana,
Biology
Antfarm
Beikor Mengel,
Christophe Neethling
Grade 9 Winners
Chemistry
Antacid experiment
Zaahid Mukuddem
Physics
Granular flow
Thevesh Shunmugam,
Alexis Rossouw
Biology
Enzyme Activity in Detergent
Henrique Mascarenhas,
Thando Xaba,Taryn Bruintjies
WHO’S WHO IN THE REDDAM ZOO?
Today, you may have noticed the baby photo display in the hall. This is the fundraiser for the Grade 7
farewell and we would love for you to play – in fact, you can play as many times as you want!
Here’s how it works.
•
You select whether you would like to match the Prep School teachers or the College teachers to
their baby photo.
•
Buy a sheet for R10. The Grade 7s will be out by the display at break, before school, and after
school.
•
If a Grade 7 is not there, please put your answers on a piece of paper and buy the sheet at a later
time. Feel free to email me at marisa.esterhuizen@reddam.house if you would like to buy a sheet
and I will make a time to meet you.
•
All proceeds go towards the Grade 7 farewell, and the top guessers could win one of our amazing
prizes.
The prizes include:
•
R600 voucher to Tygervalley Mall
•
3 x R200 vouchers to The Body Shop
•
2 night stay at Acacia House, a stunning B&B in Plattekloof
•
Safe Kids first aid kit for the car
•
A bottle of Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon vintage 2013
•
A bottle of Knorhoek Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc-Pinotage vintage 2013
•
1 child’s solar wear bathing suit by Nano334
•
2 x wooden wine box with wine accessories and a bottle of South Africa’s best wine
•
2 x hampers of delectable chocolates
•
A magic show for a child’s birthday party
•
R250 voucher to Sorbet salon
•
Kingsons laptop backpack
•
XTouch 10.1 inch smart tablet
•
An Aquabox Spyder (self-watering system)
Thank you for your support,
Mme Esterhuizen and Mr Strauss
SPORT
BADMINTON
Chelsea Yiatses (Grade 9) participated at this past weekend’s Western Province
U17 Badminton Championships and trials, winning the girls singles title. Chelsea
has also been included in the WP U17 team to participate at the upcoming
National U17 Badminton Championships being held in Cape Town during the
October school vacation period.
This year has seen Chelsea progress steadily through the U17/U19 ranks,
beating two of the four ‘Protea U15’ players that participated at last year’s All
Africa Games. From a club perspective Chelsea is one of the stronger singles
players in the A league participating for Edgemead Badminton Club who are top
of their league at present. Our young Chelsea sure packs a punch!!
CLASSIFIEDS
Weekend Special
FOR ALL YOUR SH'ZEN REQUIREMENTS, OR FOR ANY
FURTHER INFO REGARDING OUR WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS,
PLEASE CONTACT JOAN NORTON ON 0837270005 OR
jnorton@xsinet.co.za
PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR ALL AUGUST SPECIALS www.shzen.co.za
TERM DATES
2016 TERM DATES
TERM
PERIOD
Term 3
Monday 18 July – Friday 23 September
3 August public holiday due to elections
Public holiday/School holiday for all pupils –
8 August & 9 August
***Wednesday 5 October – Wednesday 7 December
School holiday for all pupils – 12 October
Term 4
***IGCSE and AS LEVEL Cambridge examinations
will commence on
3 October 2016
NEWSLETTER | 19 AUGUST 2016 | VOLUME 24