Kingsmead Newsletter March 2023

Dear Kingsmead Community,

We have come to the end of a very busy term, and I would like to thank you for your support at our various events – sporting, cultural, service and academic. The calendar seems to have been very full this term, but it has been wonderful to experience such a successful term. In reading the students’ reports, I can see just how busy they have been. Please take the time to go through the reports carefully, as they give a holistic view of the activities and academic pursuits this term.

Last week we held a TDI Parent Connect and I have summarised some of the important themes, discussions and points made:

Noluthando Mdhluli (Head of Kingsmead TDI) opened by explaining to parents what we have been doing with staff and students in our transformation journey in both the Junior and Senior Schools.
She referenced the IQAA survey which we had done last year and how it has informed our themes and structures of curricula going forward.

The next part of the session was facilitated by Onke Mazibuko (psychologist who partners with many schools in their transformation journeys). Some of the points covered:

• Parents feel that they are being left behind in the transformation journey as many of the discussions and interactions are happening at school with staff and students.
• Parents would like to be better equipped to have the conversations at home with their daughters.
• A discussion was held as to how to best bring parents on board and how to get them to participate in the discussions.
• The point was made that parents must be an integral part of this journey and so how do we do this together?
• What do parents need from these discussions and workshops?

Please keep an eye out for further communication to parents and we encourage you to become integrally involved in our process.

I wish you all well over the holiday period, if you are travelling please travel safely. We wish our students going on the GVI Expedition a fun and meaningful experience and thank our staff who will be accompanying them.

Fond regards,
Lisa Palmer
Executive Head: Kingsmead College

Academics

Grade 9 Growth Curriculum
Foodology
The Grade 9s have been working on a weekly rotation in their double lessons on a Wednesday for the past month. The rotation was: Sphero coding, cooking pizzas, food tests practical and watching Supersize Me. Here are some of their experiences:

Making Pizza
Salty garlic air, warm toasty ovens, sizzling hot pans and happy smiling faces. This was the atmosphere in the Consumer Studies class, while the Grade 9s embarked on their Foodology pizza cooking journey. After weeks of research, budgeting and planning, our thoroughly executed pizzas finally began to spring to life. After a quick hand wash, apron tie and netted up hair, the gentle aromas of sautéed mushrooms, halloumi cheese and roasted peppers began to fill the room. After the rolling of fluffy dough, the spreading of pizza sauce and a healthy sprinkling of toppings, the pizzas began to enter the oven. Soon, the golden crusts began to emerge with crisp bases and perfectly melted cheese. With the roll of the pizza cutter across the piping hot crust, after much hard work, our delicious visions finally a reality.
Yummy!

Basha Mkhondo
Grade 9 Student

Food Tests practical
We conducted an experiment to test for nutrients in food substances like glucose, protein, and starch. We had many food substances that we needed to test and we had the opportunity to use many different scientific instruments that we hadn’t used before like a mortar and a pestle. It was very exciting and satisfying to see the colours change, I enjoyed looking at them. They looked like a food rainbow. I also learned that some substances I thought had starch, actually had protein. It’s very helpful and important that we are learning about food nutrients because most people don’t know how to properly feed themselves and make sure they get enough of each food group to each so I appreciate this practical.

Nubia Nelson
Grade 9 Student

Supersize Me Documentary
We watched a documentary called “Supersize Me” where Morgan Spurlock did an experiment to see what would happen to his body if he only ate McDonalds for a full month. He first went to do a baseline test where doctors measured his body weight, blood pressure, heart rate & cholesterol etc. He went to a dietitian who then explained what the changes would be in his body. These changes included that he would become very depressed, gaining more weight and his cholesterol would go up. After less than a month, he started experiencing heart problems, a fatty liver, and mental problems and became very tired. It was interesting to see what happened to his body from eating a lot of unhealthy food. Although even after all this that very day I still went to McDonalds and yes, I did enjoy that cheeseburger – who wouldn’t?

Maya Khoza
Grade 9 Student

Sphero Coding
Nearing the end of the Foodology module the Grade 9s all did a sort of activity rotational. We would get double lessons once a week to make a pizza (final project), watch a documentary, do an NS practical and learn about block coding by navigating Spheros. The Spheros are spheric Bluetooth devices that connect to any mobile device using an app. On this app, you can drive the Sphero around and practice and learn about block coding. Block coding is a type of coding in which different blocks initiate different commands for the Sphero to perform. For example, a block would say “roll at _° (degrees) for _s (seconds)”. The Sphero will then follow those instructions.

For this specific practical, we were asked to draw a biological drawing of the digestive system. Making sure that each part of it was enhanced so that a Sphero could pass through them. Next, we had to drive the Sphero through the different parts of it in the order of which food would be if the Sphero were food being digested. This links to the module in that in NS we learnt about the digestive system and in EMS we learnt how to make a budget for food. Linking to our final project on making a pizza that answers a dietary requirement and then making a digital diary with a budget for the food.

I learnt a lot of patience in this activity. To program the Sphero correctly you had to make sure you had the correct angles marked down to navigate the digestive system. Getting the angling correct for the beginning was testing. If it was wrong the rest of the program would be incorrect. Overall, this was my favourite practical because it was engaging, testing, different and most definitely fun.

Mo Mlobela
Grade 9 Student

Consumer Studies
On Saturday 18th March, The Grade 12 Consumer Studies students had their 1st practical exam. The scenario for 2023 is to create 2 short-crust pastries (savoury and sweet) using different types of pastry-making methods. The 2 pastries must have a fruit and a vegetable and must look appealing to the eyes before all other senses could be used. We are very proud of what was produced and look forward to watching the refinements of the pastries for the final practical in July.

Grade 10 & 11 Geography BTE Renewables Guest Speakers

On Thursday last week, the Grade 10 and Grade 11 Geography students had a very engaging presentation from two members of the team from BTE Renewables. BTE Renewables delivers utility-scale wind and solar projects across Africa and is one of Africa’s leading renewable energy companies, with an operating portfolio of nearly 500 MW of wind and solar PV projects in South Africa and Kenya. BTE Renewables is expanding on the African continent, focusing on the development, financing, construction, and operation of renewable energy projects.

The students had the pleasure of hearing from Mrs Kay and Ms Moloi. Mrs Kay is the companies general counsel, with over a decade of legal experience in project financing transactions and corporate transactions, across numerous sectors, including renewable energy and power. She is responsible for all legal and compliance aspects at BTE. Mrs Kay gave us very interesting insights into the company’s line of work, outlining what goes on behind the production of solar and wind power, and looked at the South African power crisis currently plaguing the country with rolling blackouts. Ms Moloi – head engineer of their projects – spoke to us on how their wind farms are built and how the various turbines work – outlining the parts put together for the turbines and how they are accessed in Africa. She also spoke about what goes into maintaining and running the farms from an engineer’s perspective.
Both speakers were wonderful to hear from, giving the students perspective of how portions of our power in South Africa are generated, and an even deeper understanding of the topics of power being covered by students in Grade 10 and 11.

Amy Falcon
Grade 10 student

“Incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the talk and found it very informative and interesting. I enjoyed and was very intrigued to see the amount of work and finances that go into the production of wind turbines. The research that goes into these renewable energy sources is astounding and I was very impressed.”
Aimee Motani – Grade 11 student

“Very educational and informative. Learned a lot of new information and inspired me to potentially study renewable or environmental resources!”
Kaylee Wiggill – Grade 11 student

“I found it quite interesting. I learnt more about loadshedding and how it is more about not having enough money to develop the substations, and cables and not because there is a lack of resources. It was interesting learning about BTE renewables and what they do too.”
Kirsten Botha – Grade 11 student

“I found it extremely interesting and intriguing. I learnt more about renewable energy and the processes that need to be put in place in order for it to work. I found it very interesting how complicated it is to produce renewable energy and how many people are actually involved. I loved it!It was very interesting and I liked getting to know how turbines worked. I liked knowing how there are many job opportunities that geography would help with.”
Julia Tonetti – Grade 11 student

Mathematical Literacy
The Grade 10 Mathematical Literacy students had fun in the kitchen this term making Rice Krispie Treats!

Mathematical Literacy is about making Mathematics more tangible and applying it in everyday life.

The students worked with ratios, converting, and measuring ingredients as well as calculating the percentage and cost of the ingredients used in the recipe. We explored cost and profit by calculating the total cost of the recipe, the selling price as well as the profit and profit percentage made should the Rice Krispie Treats be sold at a bake sale.

Students worked in teams in the Consumer Studies kitchen where they got to make and enjoy these delicious treats.

Celebrating the Success of Kingsmead College’s DIY Elective
We at Engineering Club are thrilled to share the success story of the DIY elective at Kingsmead College. The program, which took place over the first term, was a fantastic learning experience for students as they discovered new skills and explored their creative abilities. We are grateful to Kingsmead College for providing us with the opportunity to contribute to the education of their talented students, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration.

The DIY elective focused on teaching students’ essential handy work and power tool skills, culminating in the creation of beautiful jewellery stands. After mastering the techniques involved in the jewellery stand project, the students embarked on a mini-project to design and build their very own cell phone stands.

Throughout the course, students were encouraged to think critically and independently, empowering them to tackle challenges with confidence. The elective was a massive success, with students thoroughly enjoying the hands-on learning experience. They gained valuable practical skills and discovered the satisfaction of seeing their creative ideas come to life.

Engineering Club would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Kingsmead College for entrusting us with the responsibility of conducting the DIY elective. We are proud of our strong partnership and the opportunities it has provided for students to explore their interests and develop new skills.

As we reflect on the success of the program, we are excited about the potential for future collaboration, enhancing the educational experiences of Kingsmead College students through innovative and engaging STEM-based activities.

In conclusion the successful DIY elective at Kingsmead College is a testament to the hard work and dedication of both the students and the Engineering Club team. We are proud to have been a part of this enriching journey and look forward to nurturing the talents of Kingsmead College students in the future. Through our continued partnership, we aim to inspire students to explore the exciting world of STEM and develop the skills needed to thrive in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Adriaan Croucamp
Engineering Club

My New School
The Grade 8 students were taught about the fundamental concept of business accounting, which is the Accounting Equation. To make the concept more tangible, the students were given sweets as an aid. This helped them understand that every transaction impacts two accounts and that the total value of assets will always be equal to the sum of liabilities and owner’s equity.

Mathematical Literacy
The Grade 11 Mathematical Literacy students had their creativity put to the test when they had to meticulously create a mocktail of their choice. The students, after exploring the concepts of rates, finance, and ratios in the classroom, got together to make mocktails as part of their class project.

Creating mocktails involves much more than just mixing ingredients; it requires a thorough understanding of finance, rates, and ratios. The Grade 11s had to consider various factors, such as the cost of the ingredients, the quantity needed for each mocktail, and the overall cost per mocktail. This required the students to use their financial and mathematical skills to come up with a cost-effective and delicious mocktail. This unique activity allowed the students to apply the knowledge they have gained in class to a real-world scenario. By mixing different ingredients in specific proportions, the students were able to create delicious and refreshing drinks. Along the way, they had to consider important factors such as the ratio of each ingredient to the overall volume of the drink.

The project not only helped the students to better understand the concepts of rates, finance, and ratios but it also allowed them to develop their critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. By working together and sharing ideas, the students were able to come up with a variety of different mocktails that were not only delicious but also visually appealing.

Arts & Music

WHAT A WONDERFUL TERM WE HAVE HAD!

MAJOR PRODUCTION 2023 The Custodians of Courage
The Custodians of Courage was created and performed in honour of Kingsmead’s 90th birthday. The production celebrated the history of Kingsmead College and the stories of courage that are held in the beautiful and accepting environment that we know it to be today, through an amalgamation of the Arts. This included choir members, a small orchestra including both professional and student musicians, professional and student light and sound design, and the cast, all of whom worked tirelessly for 6 weeks to produce this theatre production. The script was created especially for Kingsmead by the renowned South African theatre maker, Kirsten Harris. This collaboration produced a vibrant and celebratory performance that touched the hearts of our community.

Following the experiences of three Grade 8s; Faye, Khanyisile and Frances, names linked to the school’s motto of Franc Ha Leal, the audience caught a glimpse into the whirling world of the first few days of high school. The fear, anticipation and excitement that culminate in a sensation not unlike the swirling that took the Grade 8 characters around the Lange Hall during the first energising musical number Babethandaza, accompanied by Kingsmead’s frog mascots. This song laid the foundation for the rush between each lesson in the timetable, punctuated by the convulsing effect of the school bell. From the Growth Curriculum’s ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ to house meetings, the audience experienced a real day in the Senior School. After this full first day of school, the Grade 8s fall asleep – we all know the decade-long nap you need to recover from your first day back at school. Faye, Khanyisile and Frances were then lead by our school’s founding mother, DV Thompson, into a dream world. Guided by other important Legacy figures from Kingsmead’s history, including Miss Wilkinson, St Brigid and Faiza Garda, the Grade 8s were shown the roots of their new home and the importance of embodying courage in their everyday lives. A spectacular chorus narrated DV Thompson’s life story and her brave decision to begin a school for girls in 1933; through the use of individual voices unified in their purpose of sharing their stories. This was followed by the story of Kingsmead’s first student of colour, Faiza Garda, who joined the school in 1978. And finally, Kingsmead’s journey through the COVID-19 Pandemic, ending on a strong and impactful message of resilience and hope: Woza Phaphaphama by Ruth Everson. The finale was a rousing musical number composed and orchestrated by Kingsmead’s own Mrs Fourie with words by Mrs Mia & Mr Hannes Loock, called ‘A Brand New Day’ which had the audience clapping along. A reflection on this year’s Major Production would be incomplete without a mention as to the very special debut performance of Ms Palmer as herself – we hope to see you in many future productions, Ms Palmer!

By Leah Falcon
Student co-director

Singing Sistas Choir Festival
The Senior School Choir and Glee performed with gusto and enthusiasm at this year’s Singing Sistas at St Mary’s. It was wonderful to perform alongside St Stithians and Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls and sing mass items together. As always, our Choir and Glee did Kingsmead proud.

St Mary’s Ensemble Evening
Our Jazz Band had a special evening at St Mary’s last week performing alongside the St Mary’s Jazz Band and Orchestra. What a privilege to perform a range of South African songs with the arrangers in the audience. It was heartwarming to have so many girls on stage, performing music traditionally often ‘reserved’ for male musicians.

Day of the Arts
We will not have evening music concerts for the senior school this term but instead, a wonderful day of music performances on Thursday 6 April as a ‘Day of the Arts’. Our solo instrumentalists and singers, Marimba groups, Choir, Glee, Orchestra and Jazz band will all perform as part of this day.

THANK YOU to the Kingsmead community for your ongoing support of Arts & Music at Kingsmead. We wish you a wonderful April break and look forward to another fun-filled and exciting term ahead!

Chess Update
Our Chess Club had a very exciting term this far and we have seen immense growth in this activity. Some of our Kingsmead Chess Club members participated in tournaments this term where they did us proud.

Kayla Wong was placed first in her section (Grade 0- 2) at the JCC Linksfield unrated rapid tournament that was held at the end of February. In March some members participated in the Ekhuruleni Chess Tournament which took place in Springs, a rated tournament, and the pathway to nationals. For many of the chess players, it was a first time to participate in a tournament, so the results were truly commendable.
Kayla Wong achieved a 3rd place, Amahle placed 15th and Tamishka Pather came out 20th. in their respective sections.

Kayla Wong also participated in the SA Close Tournament which started on  Friday the 31 March. What a wonderful achievement to participate at a national level, congratulations to Kayla!

Sport

Swimming
Our A and B teams competed at their Inter High events with the A team narrowly finishing 9th, 5 points behind the 7th position.
The B team came 6th in their gala.

Kaylee Wiggill and Kirstin Brady have both qualified to attend Senior Nationals at the end of March in Durban.

Diving
Our Diving team finished 6th at the Inter-High Diving Competition.

Water Polo
Our season ended with a bang.
The U15 team finished 11th out of 20 schools at the Shaun Fuchs National festival.
1st team finished 9th out of 26 schools at the Old Petrians National Festival winning the Plate Trophy. We are very proud of Lucy Davis who was announced as part of the tournament team.

The team then played in the Annual Reef Cup Festival finishing 5th out of 16 schools. Congratulations to Alison Gace who was announced in the tournament team.

Hockey
We were very fortunate to have a camp for most of the teams with Ex National Men’s Coach-Gareth Ewing who set the standards for our players.

Our u14 team participated in the Best of the West and Roedean u14 festivals this past month. At the Best of the West the team won 4 matches and lost 1.
At Roedean festival the team faced some stiff opposition with 1 win, 2 losses and 2 draws.

The u16 team participated in the St Andrews festival and finished 12th out of 20 teams.

District Selections – Congratulations to the following players for making the D9 team that will attend provincial trials in May.

Briony Grubb – u14
Laila Fowler – u14
Neo Mkwanazi – u14
Nozipho Magondo – u16
Charlie Dalling – u16
Mia Speirs – u18
Nina Evans – u18

Netball
The Kingsmead netball season started with our U15, U16 and Open teams attending the Sportissimo Netball Camp and District 13 netball trials over the same weekend. The camp was full of learning for both the coaches and players. A special congratulations to Megan Meddows-Taylor (Grade 10) and Fatima-Tuz-Zahra Peer (Grade 12) for making it to the District 13 team for their respective age groups.

A number of netball festivals took place over the long weekend namely the St Mary’s U15 Netball Festival, St Andrew’s u16 Netball, Hockey and Squash Festival and our very own Kingsmead U17 Netball festival. All our relevant teams performed well over the weekend and came back with some pleasing results which bodes well for the future. Thank you to Planet Fitness who came on as a sponsor for our U17 Festival.

Caroline Spronk has been selected for the Central Gauteng Action Netball team to attend IPT later this year.

Equestrian
The first qualifier had to be cancelled due to poor weather. This past weekend the Saturday was called off due to heavy rain but the riders were able to compete on Sunday.

SANESA Qualifier 1 – 26th March 2023
Congratulations to Amy Falcon, Emma Berry, Hannah Cooke, Katherine Papadopoulos and Sarah Florence who competed at the first Sanesa Qualifier on Sunday.

Well done to the following team members who were placed in the top third of their class:

Hannah Cooke
1st in Level 1 Performance Riding
1st in Level 1 Dressage A
1st in Level 1 Dressage B
2nd in Level 1 Working Riding

Katherine Papadopoulos
7th in Level 2 Dressage B

Sarah Florence
4th in Level 3 Working Riding
7th Level 2 Dressage A

Tennis
At the annual inter-high tennis festival, our B team finished 2nd in their group

Kingsmead Running and Walking Club
The Kingsmead College running and walking club has been a great start to early mornings. This club has brought together an extraordinary group of people who share the joy of group exercise and the tremendous benefits gained both physically, and mentally while bonding with friends.

Our friendly groups meet every Wednesday at 06h00. Once we set off every member runs at their own pace, so everyone has the opportunity to run at their own comfortable speed, or alternatively walk at their own pace. The best thing about the running and walking club is that no one is pressured to perform. Everyone is welcome to join regardless of their running ability. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an experienced runner, you’ll always find someone to run with! Whether it’s Mrs Anderson who runs with the 5km group, or Miss VdB and the 4km group or even if running is not your thing! There are always multiple teachers and students in our walking group.

During our runs and walks, we are able to enjoy the beautiful scenery around the school and explore our lovely neighbourhood which makes it more exciting. We also get to catch up with each other and share our stories, which allows us to build a tremendous bond within the group. This club has not only helped us to improve our physical health but also had a positive impact on our mental wellbeing. Exercise allows us to clear our minds of negativity and cope with the stress of the new school year. After each run, we’re left feeling energetic and refreshed.

The running and walking club welcomes anyone and everyone who wants to join and strives to create a comfortable space for everyone to explore new interests. If you’re looking for a way to improve your fitness or to just have some fun the running and walking club is a great place to start.

Helen Cockeran
Grade 12 student

“I joined the walking club at the start of term one. I’ve been on a few of the Wednesday morning walks around Melrose, and I found it very enjoyable! It’s a calming and peaceful way to start your day and I am glad that I chose to join.” -Grace Gilfillan

“Exhilarating, stimulating and electric. The perfect start to my day.” -Hope Ngwenya

“I love running club because it’s really fun, and it’s a great start to the morning and makes me feel awake and energised for the rest of the day.”
-Anna Lipchin

Service

And just like that we have come to the end of Term 1, 58 days of learning and opportunities. Service has curated 12 in person volunteering opportunities offering 28 hours of new experiences, the opportunity to meet and spend time with communities we might not have had the chance to connect with, the space to gain greater insight, understanding and empathy.

Buddy Reading – facilitated by the Junior School Service team and teachers – is becoming a firm favourite on our Service calendar. On 11 March the children from Rays of Hope joined us for 2 hours of reading and activities. Shoes came off – the children and the Kingsmead students – and there was a lot of playing and fun. Activities included sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on pancakes, wax art and reading under the trees.

There was much excitement around Sneakers and Sprogs – the Junior School fundraising dance, arranged and hosted by the KCA. Students volunteered to assist with the preparation and on the night of the Dance.

Mindfulness is kindness, donating Party Packs in answer to specific needs is an act of mindfulness, kindness and generosity. Our Party Packs are making an impact:

“I would like to express our sincerest gratitude for the donation of snack packs from Kingsmead College for the children in our programs. Your support and contribution have made a significant impact on the lives of the children we serve. The snack packs that you provided have not only helped to alleviate hunger but have also provided a sense of comfort and security to these children. Your kindness has enabled us to continue providing them with the necessary resources and support they need the thrive. Your generosity and compassion have inspired us to continue our mission of serving those in need.” ~ Jolene Beyleveld, Resource Manager, Childline

7 schools, 1 goal. On Saturday 25 March, students from: Roedean School, St Andrew’s School for Girls, St Stithians Boy’s College, De La Salle Holy Cross, Marist Brothers Linmeyer, St David’s Marist Inanda and Kingsmead College participated in the first Inter School Volunteering Event. 145 students converged on The Children’s Memorial Institute to participate in an event hosted by Fight with Insight (FWI). Sheri Errington – assisted by the FWI coaches – put the students through their paces in a one hour boxing aerobix class. Luke Lamprecht unpacked Human Right’s Day, rights and responsibilities and the imperative need to understand and lead a life of Dignity. Students were then given a blank canvas, paint and the freedom to capture their learnings and experiences of the morning. Inter School Volunteering is about collaboration, not competition. A chance for young people to meet, engage and do good together. Thank you to Ms Palmer and Mrs Bouche for joining us – and participating in the boxing! To all participating schools and students. To the incredible team at Fight with Insight who made a plan at the 11th hour when the weather put paid to our original plans of an outdoor event, and to Childline who so generously allowed us to use the Sunlight Safe House.

After learning how to make bunnies at our first Service @ School, the students have been creating and crafting bunnies all term. In preparation for Easter, Service @ School was spent preparing the bunnies to be gifted to children at Kids Haven and the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. Next week the bunnies will be delivered, and we do hope will bring a little joy and happiness.

To everyone who has contributed to Share what you Can – a massive thank you! We will be sorting, packing and delivering donations to our partners on Wednesday, 5 April.

Thank you to our entire community for the part that you have played in making someone’s day a little brighter and for being #CourageouslyKind