Kingsmead Newsletter May 2022

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

What an unbelievable few weeks it has been on the Kingsmead campus. The Kingsmead Book Fair was a resounding success (in spite of the inclement weather) and many people have commented that the programme on the day was superb with such a variety of excellent speakers. It was wonderful to be onsite again and to listen to the authors and panelists in person. An enormous thank you to Alex Bouche and her team for putting together our signature event.

I was invited to speak on a panel at the Book Fair with the title: “It takes a village: raising resilient teens in turbulent times.” While I cannot purport to be an expert on the matter and I certainly haven’t written a book about it, one of the most important pieces of advice that I can give to parents and guardians from the school’s perspective is to be in partnership with the school. It is so much easier to solve any issues when we are all working together. The students also then feel that they are supported and this will ultimately build their confidence and their resilience.

Quote from Pamela Power’s blog: “I loved what Lisa had to say about partnering with a school in your child’s education. Not seeing the school as some sort of enemy to be conquered. I often wonder if we don’t bring our own perhaps not-so-happy memories to ear when our kids start school and start punishing the teachers for what we went through? Something to think about?”

The Arts events are back on site and last week we enjoyed the Senior School Ensemble evenings. The Kingsmead Orchestra, Jazz Band, Marimbas and Drum Gym group did us proud. It is so enjoyable to be watching netball and hockey matches again at school and to again hear the campus buzzing with noise and the excitement of playing matches against other schools.

Take care and stay warm during this cold spell that we are having.

Fond regards,
Lisa Palmer
Executive Head: Kingsmead College

Academic

Growth Curriculum

Click here to read a wonderful article that appeared in the autumn edition of the Independent Education Magazine about the Growth Curriculum.

Grade 9 Module: Adrenalin Rush
On Friday, 13 May the Grade 9s went on a fun filled outing to Gold Reef City for our Growth Curriculum Adrenaline Rush module. There was an excited buzz around the locker room on Friday morning and we couldn’t wait to ride all the rides and fill our mouths with loads of junk food. Upon arrival at Gold Reef we were each given a booklet to fill in with a few questions from Computer literacy, Natural Science and EMS. We were told that we had to take note of the structure, colour theme and shape of all the rides to get inspiration for when we had to build our own ride prototype later in the term. We also had to take note of our heart rates to see what it is like to experience an adrenaline rush. Thankfully the booklet didn’t require too much time, so there was plenty left for fun!  There was something for everybody at Gold Reef… from the thrilling drop of the Tower of Terror to the calm trip down the river rapids or even spending all our money at booths where we were very unlikely to win anything. We got so much inspiration from  rides and can’t wait to make our own. Our day at Gold Reef City was so much fun and most of us left on a sugar high. We would like to thank the teachers who came with us and organised this outing. You showed us that learning really can be fun!

Gemma Bouche and Morgan Kohler: Grade 9 students

Grade 10: Heart Dissection
Walking into Life Sciences class, early in the morning, to a dozen animal hearts layed out on the tables before you may seem like a rather daunting experience. However, for a young and enthusiastic class of biology students, it is the exact opposite. With the hearts lying there, begging to be explored, we put our lab coats, gloves and goggles on and got into pairs, eagerly waiting to begin. With a scalpel in one hand, tweezers in the other and permission granted, we began to dissect and investigate the scientific wonders of the heart before us. As we cut, stretched and pulled on the heart it became so much more real than any of our diagrams, yet we could still clearly identify almost every network, section and blood vessel in that heart and managed to find all the different aspects we were taught about. Having a physical visual aid, to pick up and help us explore every perspective of the heart, allowed us to form a clear picture of the structure and make up of the heart in our minds. We inspected and observed the various tissues and blood vessels such as the capillaries and arteries of the heart and also got a chance to further examine the trachea and the lungs found near the heart. This allowed us to create a relationship between these aspects of the body and connect them in our minds. After we were satisfied and content with our analysis of the internal properties of the heart, we placed the used equipment in a washing box, removes our gloves, scrubbed our hands clean and began to gossip between one another about all the fascinating and slightly disgusting observations of our dissection. And with that the bell rang, our heart exploration came to an end, and we walked out the class with a fresh perspective and understanding of the structure of the heart.

Roha Pillay: Grade 10 student

Grade 11 Brain Dissection
In the second week back at school, the Grade 11 Life Sciences students were welcomed by a sheep’s head. Strange right? We are currently learning about the nervous system. We stood in awe as our Life Sciences teachers dissected the sheep’s brain in front of us. Some were quick to volunteer to hold its brain, and some admired it from a distance. It was absolutely amazing how we could see every single detail of its brain. From the cerebellum to the corpus callosum. It truly was an exciting but terrifying experience.

Lesedi Moloi: Grade 11 student

Grade 12 Geography Urban Walking Tour of Rosebank Precinct
On Wednesday, 25 May, the Grade 12 Geography students together with Ms Tillier, Ms Rademacher and two members of our security team, set off to explore the Rosebank Precinct on a walking tour.

Rosebank has become a hub of new businesses, trendy restaurants and art gallery openings and it is one of Johannesburg’s success stories in terms of managed precincts and a growing economic node in the city. It is bounded by Jan Smuts Avenue, Jellicoe Avenue, Bolton Road and Oxford Road.

Our main aim of this walking tour was to become more informed about the urban settlement concepts surrounding us. We started our outing with a quick picture at the ‘BE KIND’ sign on the corner of Oxford and Bolton. Afterwards, we officially started the tour by walking around the gardens at Standard Bank, followed by the Rosebank fire station and perhaps, more importantly, made a pit stop at Motherland Coffee for a break and snack.

We looked particularly at examples of facadism, invasion and succession, gentrification and modern developments in the Rosebank CBD. The Geography Tour was an interesting and informative experience. Another amazing and interesting tour to enlighten us about the world around us.

Ms Rademacher, Jade Hunt and Catherine Gallagher

South African National Geography Olympiad
The South African National Geography Olympiad (SANGO) took place on the morning of 17 May. Kingsmead College entered 43 students from Grade 10 – 12

The Geography Olympiad was an enriching and interesting experience. While the questions were challenging for a Grade 10 student, many could be approached with logic. The questions themselves allowed for a glimpse into the world through time. The Olympiad had a section on the Arctic which we found to be fascinating and gave us the chance to explore History and Geography which we may not have encountered in the classroom. The Olympiad was easy to navigate and because there was no academic pressure we could take risks, follow our instincts, and have fun.

Danielle Tillier, Maryam Bux and Amelia Granig
Geography Department

Wear It Wild Day
On 19 May, the school had a ‘Wear It Wild’ civvies day in support of Endangered Species Day on 20 May. The ‘Wear It Wild’ day is an initiative that was started by the World Wildlife Fund. On the day, people came dressed in any animal-inspired costumes and donated R10 to MDC. There was certainly a vast array of colourful costumes at school. From hippos, giraffes and penguins to bears, the school saw it all. The top three best dressed even got to take a little plant friend home. The winners were: Madison Miller as a ring-tailed lemur, Lathitha Ngqula as an octopus, and Ella Hunt as a penguin (walking sideways up the stairs in flippers certainly required dedication). Thank you to everyone who dressed up and we hope that you learnt more about endangered species.

Lara Gush: Head of Green Team

Arts & Music

NDALO Film Festival 

Imbizo Marimba Festivals
On the 17th and 19th of May, our Junior and Senior Marimba bands participated in St Andrew’s’ Imbizo Marimba Festivals. The excitement in the hall was palpable and the schools enthusiastically cheered for each other, singing and dancing along with each performance. Marimbas are versatile instruments and the audience enjoyed listening to a range of styles of music, from traditional to

Kingsmead Senior Schools Ensemble Festival
On the evenings of 24-26 May, we hosted our annual Kingsmead Ensemble Festival. Our marimba bands performed every night before the start of each concert while the Kingsmead Orchestra, Jazz band and Drum Gym performed on the opening night. Nine schools as well as the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra joined us at this event and it was absolutely brilliant to hear the excellent level of playing and range of musical styles performed. This event was a reminder of the significant role music plays in our schools and community.

“The Music Department is an alternate universe where pupils are often unrecognisable from who they are outside of it. The shy become confident. The agitated become calm. The lonely become included. The quiet become heard. And the lost become found. Music reveals the real child.” Vaughan Fleischfresser

Masicule Sonke Choir festivals
We are SUPER excited about our upcoming Masicule Sonke Choir festivals!
Senior School festival: Thursday 9 June 18h30-20h00 at Kingsmead, Lange Hall
Junior School festival: Tuesday 12 & Wednesday 13 July 18h00 – 19h00 at Rosebank Union Church

We hope to see you there!

Thank you to all our Kingsmead families and friends for your continued support of the Kingsmead Arts & Music Department.

Sport

Hockey
Congratulations to the following students for their selection into the Provincial teams:

Equestrian
Congratulations to the following riders that competed in very cold and wet conditions at Qualifier 3 and achieved top results in the classes.

Our Squash 1^st team, who won the league earlier this year, qualified to compete in the Top School Squash Tournament on the weekend of 28 May.

The team lost 3-2 to St Mary’s in a thrilling final and finished 2^nd overall.

Well done to the team and coach Linda for an amazing season.

The following players participated in the 2022 Joburg Junior Squash Closed Tournament:

In addition Rachel Shannon and Amy Falcon have been selected to participate in the upcoming 2022 Inter Provincial Tournament scheduled to take place from 25 to 29 June 2022.

Rob Pullen
Director of Sport

The Grace Factory packing event 
On Saturday 7 May, we volunteered with the organisation The Grace Factory. The Grace Factory is a South African non-profit organisation, who aim to help mothers at birth, supplying them with essential baby care products. The event was a colourful day of music, good energy and laughter. We had a long table, with stacks of various baby products, such as nappies, creams, books, clothes etc. Every now and then, we would hear a soft crash as one of the piles of nappies tumbled down. We then started packing the pink, blue and yellow bags. Everyone had a product that they were in charge of, and we created an efficient packing line. Soon, we had completed 200 packs! It warmed our hearts to know that this was a Mother’s Day gift for mothers who do not have any baby supplies. This was a heartwarming cause to be involved in and we hope that the new mothers and babies enjoyed their packs!

Lara Gush 

Kingsmead College Blood Drive 
On 13 May 2022, Kingsmead College hosted our second SANBS Blood Drive for 2022. The Blood Drive was a huge success with day was nothing more than a successful with 36 donors. Lots of students and teachers as well as parents all came to give a little bit of what they have in abundance. Eager students and first time donors came with energy, enthusiasm and an intention to make a change to someone else’s life. Many donors showed interest and were deferred. 108 lives will be saved or affected. Hosting these blood drives makes a large impact, not only does each donation save up to three lives but it is also an important action towards our service orientated school ethos. As the Kingsmead College Peer Promoters, we would like to thank the community who donated and showed enthusiasm towards this good cause. Thank you for the continuing support! We look forward to seeing you again at the Goodwill Day blood drive…and don’t forget to be a bloody legend! 

Andza Mbelengwa and Scarlett Muirhead 

First Aid with Turtle Life Support 
On Sunday 15 May students attended a practical workshop as culmination of their First Aid Level 2 and 3 courses facilitated by Turtle Life Support.

Watch the video here

Fight with Insight Defender programme
On Saturday 29 May, students and moms attended a self-defense workshop in partnership with Fight with Insight’s Defender programme. The Defender programme addresses gender based violence in South Africa by equipping women to defend themselves. The programme is designed to provide young women with foundational street defense protocols and training to equip them with the confidence and skills to prevent, evade or manage a GBV incident.

After an entire day of learning how to use techniques of breathing, create space, defending and attacking, all attendees graduated with their own unique combination of maneuvers that they demonstrated on the coaches to the entire group.

Lunje Foundation
Our staff also live the value of service. Ms Nobuhle Ngwenya in the Accounts department founded the Lunje Foundation, an initiative for the girl child addressing thigh chafing through education and comfortable and supportive tights.

Lunje Foundation recently assisted learners at Cosmo City Secondary School who suffer from thigh chafing.  The distribution was done on 22 April and Ms Ngwenya said the initiative was designed by women to help female learners. “We want to bring comfort to the girls and help them participate in classes,” she said. Randburg Sun reported on this initiative and the full article can be accessed here.

Jenny Venter
Director of Service

The President’s Award 

Drakensberg Hike, Giant’s Cup, 13-18 April 2022 
A reflection by Tamryn Osler 

On 13 April we departed from the Kingsmead main parking lot, all dressed in our clean hiking attire with plenty of smiles. Our bags were packed to the brim (some heavier than others) and loaded into the trailer. Some 8 hours of driving later, we arrived at a backpacker’s where we would spend our first night in luxury (showers, bed linen and an actual stove!). 

Over the course of the next 4 days, we hiked around 50 kilometers through the Drakensberg Giant’s Cup Wilderness Reserve. We experienced all kinds of weather from lovely (but very hot) sunny days to freezing our fingers off in the typical Drakensberg rain. Our group was a unique one, including individuals from every grade as well as a few teachers. Some of us (such as myself) were completing our gold or silver adventurous journey for The President’s Award, others signed up for fun. With our various levels of fitness and senses of humour, we helped each other over those mountains regardless of the circumstances.  

The first two days were extremely challenging. We had two injuries the first day which forced us to reroute our hike after only two kilometers. After a visit to the local doctor, our group was reunited at the campsite that evening. The second day was mentally challenging as it started off with a very steep climb. Nonetheless, we supported each other and made it through the entire hike.  

Being my second school hike (and one of many I’ve completed in my own time,) I can definitely say that this is the hike that I will remember most clearly. The scenery was magnificent, and the huge mountains gave you a sense of how small and beautifully insignificant we all are in the face of mother nature’s wonders. The drive home was nostalgic as I reflected upon my past high school years, the relationships I’ve built and experiences I’ve endured. I realize that this will have been my last adventurous journey with the school as I complete my matric year. This saddens me; however, I am extremely grateful to have participated in this incredible experience one last time.  

Upcoming Adventurous Journeys 

There are two more adventurous journeys planned for Term 2: 
Kingdom Conservancy from 24-29 June 
High Five Trail from 5-9 August 

Please contact Mrs Jenny Venter for more information (jventer@kingsmead.co.za)