Dear Parents
My sincere thanks goes to Mrs AK and the coaching team for taking over 50 girls away this weekend to Camp Discovery. The girls had a wonderful time and played so well. We have an excellent Netball season ahead.
Thank you, too, to the staff and girls who were at school on Saturday afternoon for the Rays of Hope Buddy Reading experience. The boys and girls had a wonderful afternoon and were enthralled by the activities. I was so proud of our team on Saturday afternoon. Building meaningful relationships and giving of time and energy is imperative when our girls learn to engage with their community partnerships.
I also want to extend a sincere congratulations to the Senior School for their courageous Sarafina Performance. I attended the production on Friday night and was completely overwhelmed by the powerful message relayed and for the exceptional performances of our girls.
As parents and teachers we are often needing some support and guidance in relation to setting boundaries and turning conflict situations into meaningful learning opportunities. I have shared an article titled “Shame- the most destructive weapon of all”. https://santamaria.wa.edu.au/shame-most-destructive-weapon-of-all/
The article highlights some practical and worthwhile points with regard to discipline both at home and at school.
Lost property
A huge thank you to some of our class reps who have assisted in the sorting and rehoming of lost property at school. It is evident that the vast majority of items at school are not marked. We have focused on this with the girls and reminded them to please mark all items of clothing brought to school. All items which have been marked have been reunited with their owners.
On the 29th March, the class reps will be displaying all the unmarked clothing and lost property items near the reception area. Please feel free to come sort through the items and claim anything your daughter may have misplaced this year. All uniform items which have not been claimed, will be sent to the uniform shop.
Regards
Kim Lowman – Head: Junior School
WEEK AHEAD:
Tuesday 20 Mar
- 17:30 Grade 1 – 3 Music Concert (Joel Hall)
Wednesday 21 Mar
- PUBLIC HOLIDAY – Human Rights Day
Thursday 22 Mar
- 17:30 – 18:30 Grade 4 – 7 Music Concert (Joel Hall)
Friday 23 Mar
- 07h45 JP Assembly
- 10h45 SP Hymns / Chapel
- JS Netball matches:
- Grade 3 and 4 (A – D teams) at St Mary’s
- Grade 5 – 7 (A – D teams) at St Andrew’s
- 17:30 PTA Movie Evening
The Development of Girls
So often, we speak of girls’ education and the developmental phases that girls face as they grow and develop. These become more apparent, typically, when our girls hit a bump in the journey, and suddenly, things feel different. This is usually tied to friendship, when girls shift in their groups, or practice their autonomy and experiment with different “parts” of their personalities to develop their identity. It can also happen when there are shifts at home in the family dynamic, and a child assumes a more independent role. We have also seen this happen cognitively, as children experiment and take Responsible Risks (one of the Habits of Mind), to argue a point critically (you may relate to this when it is time for pocket money…); or, as they develop more abstract thinking and start to grapple with new concepts which are more challenging and can, at times, cause frustration.
The journey is quite normal, and while it is quite hard as a parent to remain calm in these moments, particularly when you may feel hurt, anxious or worried, it is an important phase of development that we are taking with your daughters; in partnership.
This week, we would like to share some recommended reading with you, which is focused on the development of girls and the social dynamics of raising girls. We hope that you enjoy them, perhaps over one of the long weekends with some hot chocolate and a blanket .
Take care
Marisa Di Terlizzi
Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman
Synopsis from www.bookbrowse.com
Parents Can Make A Difference In Girl World
Do you feel as though your adolescent daughter exists in a different world, speaking a different language and living by different laws? She does.
This groundbreaking book takes you inside the secret world of girls’ friendships, translating and decoding them, so parents can better understand and help their daughters navigate through these crucial years. Rosalind Wiseman has spent more than a decade listening to thousands of girls talk about the powerful role cliques play in shaping what they wear and say, how they feel about school, how they respond to boys, and how they feel about themselves.
Untangled by Dr Lisa Damour
Synopsis from www.goodreads.com
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Lisa Damour, Ph.D., director of the internationally renowned Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls, pulls back the curtain on the teenage years and shows why your daughter’s erratic and confusing behavior is actually healthy, necessary, and natural. Untangled explains what’s going on, prepares parents for what’s to come, and lets them know when it’s time to worry.
The Curse of the Good Girl by Rachel Simmons
Synopsis from www.amazon.com
Bestselling author of Odd Girl Out, Rachel Simmons exposes the myth of the Good Girl, freeing girls from its impossible standards and encouraging them to embrace their real selves
In The Curse of the Good Girl, bestselling author Rachel Simmons argues that in lionizing the Good Girl we are teaching girls to embrace a version of selfhood that sharply curtails their power and potential. Unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless, the Good Girl is a paradigm so narrowly defined that it’s unachievable. When girls inevitably fail to live up-experiencing conflicts with peers, making mistakes in the classroom or on the playing field-they are paralyzed by self-criticism, stunting the growth of vital skills and habits. Simmons traces the poisonous impact of Good Girl pressure on development and provides a strategy to reverse the tide. At once expository and prescriptive, The Curse of the Good Girl is a call to arms from a new front in female empowerment.
ARTS AND MUSIC NEWS
Upcoming Events:
| Tuesday 20 March | 17:30 | Grade 1-3 Music Concert | Joel hall |
| Thursday 22 March | 17:30 | Grade 4-7 Music Concert | Joel hall |
| Tuesday 27 March | 18:00 | JS Orchestra Festival | Joel hall |
| Wednesday 28 March | 18:00 | JS Orchestra Festival | Joel hall |
| Thursday 5 April | 18:00 | Kingsmead Music Festival | Rosebank Union Church |
Kingsmead Junior Schools’ Music Festival
This year, Kingsmead will host the 8th annual Music Festival on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 March in the Joel Hall. The 8 participating schools over the two evenings, will perform a variety of styles of music and it is always a delightful event, much enjoyed by parents and pupils.
Kingsmead will perform on Tuesday 27 March and our programme will include the Junior School Orchestra and Marimba Ensembles. Our girls must wear their summer school uniform and look smart. They must arrive at school by 17h15 and unpack their instruments in the designated room. Refreshments will be served to parents, staff and pupils from 17h00. The concert starts at 18h00 and should be finished by 19h30. There will be no tickets as entry is free of charge. Please note that our girls are expected to stay until the end of the event.
Kingsmead Music Festival 5 April
On the 5th of April, the Music Department will showcase the Choirs and Orchestras from Grade 2-12 at the Rosebank Union Church. This will be a wonderful evening for parents to spend time together over a cup of soup or a glass of sherry and thereafter be entertained by a varied programme presented by our young musicians. Tickets to go on sale this week.
Elsabé Fourie – Director of Arts & Music
SPORTS NEWS
NETBALL NEWS
Natalie Morris attended the second round of trials on Saturday, 17th March at E.G Jansen, but the trials were rained out. The rained out trials will now be held on Wednesday, 21st March at 07h00. We wish Natalie all the best!
Week behind:
16th to 18th March:
A group of 48 girls attended the Netball Clinic at Camp Discovery. Over 800 netball payers from Grade 3 to Grade 7 attended the clinic this year. It was well organized and the girls enjoyed the weekend. The netball clinic was presented by Jenny van Dyk, the Head coach of TUKS as well as the coach of our Protea players. The netball players of TUKS (also playing in the Protea team), helped the girls and it was just such a privilege to see them in action! Our girls played many matches and applied the techniques and skills that they were showed during the weekend. Thank you to all the girls who attended the clinic! We are looking forward to a very successful Netball season.
Week Ahead:
Friday, 23rd March: Grade 3 to Grade 7
- Opponents: St Andrew’s and St Mary’s
- Venues:
- Grade 3 & 4 AT St Mary’s
- Grade 5, 6 & 7 AT St Andrew’s
- Transport: Buses will leave from Cecil Road Gate at 13h15 and will return to Kingsmead at approx. 17h00, depending on the traffic.
ST STITHIANS EASTER NETBALL AND TENNIS FESTIVAL:
- Dates: 5th, 6th and 7th April
- Venue: St Stithians
- Transport: OWN TRANSPORT
- Only 6 tennis players will be selected to play
- Grade 5, 6 and 7 A team players will participate in the netball
- The players will receive letters this week with all the information
PLEASE NOTE:
Kingsmead will not participate in the normal netball matches on the 6th April, due to the St Stithians festival.
HOCKEY NEWS
On Sunday, 18th March, the Final round of the U13 Southern Gauteng trials were held at St Andrew’s. Three of our U13 Hockey players were selected to play in the trials on the 25th March, where the final team will be picked. Congratulations to Natalie Morris, Anne-Marie Sutherland and Lillian Turvey.
EQUESTRIAN NEWS
SANESA Qualifier 2 – 17th and 18 of March
We had 11 girls that were due to compete at Eaton Farm this weekend: Francesca Logan, Jade Anderson, Jessica Schroeder, Katherine Papadopoulos, Leeya Motara, Lesedi Moloi, Makhutsi Moloi, Paula Prinsloo, Rania Motara, Taylor Prinsloo and Zuhayra Ebrahim.
Unfortunately all Saturday classes were rained out and the team didn’t get to compete. Notable results for team members who competed in show jumping classes on Sunday were:
Jade Anderson: 3rd in Level 1 Show Jumping Round 2 and 7th in Level 1 Show Jumping Round 1 riding Surprise
Taylor Prinsloo: 5th in Level 0 Show Jumping Round 2 riding Komati
Francesca Logan: 8th in Level 1 Show Jumping Round 2 riding Gypsy
Pic caption: Katherine Papadopoulos riding Comet, Taylor Prinsloo riding Komati and Francesca Logan riding Gypsy
OUTREACH
Kelsey Cloete is in Grade 10 and her younger sister, Courtney is in Grade 6 in the Junior School. Their granny, Vera Orchard, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the end of August 2017. She was admitted to hospital so that a biopsy of the tumor could be taken to determine if the tumor was benign or malignant. The biopsy determined that the tumor was cancerous and that their granny had the most aggressive of all the brain tumors. Her life expectancy was 6 – 12 months without treatment and 12-18 months with treatment. My mom had specified prior to the biopsy that if the tumor was malignant that she did not want chemotherapy. As a result of the biopsy my mom sustained a major bleed on the brain. This resulted in an emergency craniotomy been performed to drain the blood from the brain and to remove the blood clots. My mom underwent two surgeries that lasted more than eight hours in less than 24 hours. She was left in a critical condition. She was given many units of blood after the surgery as she had lost a lot of blood.
Due to my mom’s limited mobility, she required a lot of equipment to assist her at home. One item that she desperately required was a wheelchair. On behalf of Kingsmead and all the bottle tops and bread tags that have been collected by the girls, my mom was the most recent recipient of the wheelchair that has been donated by the school. It has been a great blessing in her life and she enjoys having the opportunity to be taken for walks in the garden, and to sit outside and enjoy the view from their balcony. Every bottle top and bread tag that is collected can help someone in need so from the bottom of our heart’s we say a HUGE THANK YOU!
Keep up the excellent work and keep on collecting bottle tops and bread tags – every one collected is one step closer to making a significant difference to someone in need and that difference is made by you!
Mrs Cloete
BUDDY-READING WORKSHOP
Last Saturday afternoon we held our first workshop of the year. Our buddies from Rays of Hope (and our girls) thoroughly enjoyed playing on the new playground equipment and turned the parking area into a race track!
Some of the girls on the NEST drive team did an activity with the children which resulted in the creation of some delightful works of art. Thank you, Julia and Ilani-Mari for presenting the story. Just before our buddies left, we had an Easter egg hunt which was great fun.
Jennie Morley, who is one of the facilitators at Rays of Hope, commented that the children love coming to the workshops and constantly ask her, “When is Buddy?”
The taxis left laden with the shoes collected on Footloose Friday, large bags of clothing, a donation of fresh vegetables and fruit as well as books and stationery items.
Thank you to all our girls who participated on Saturday – you made the afternoon such a special one.
