Kingsmead Newsletter November 2022

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

We have come to the end of a very successful year, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my immense gratitude to all who have contributed to making the year one that has been filled with wonderful moments and great achievements.

The Kingsmead Community is one that is very special, and we know that the strength of a school is when there is a strong partnership between parents, staff and the students to achieve a common vision. The community has shown incredible commitment to the school in so many and various ways and I am so very thankful and proud to be a part of this school and this community.

If I just reflect for a short while on the many meaningful and heart-warming moments and events across the year, I am able to find something in just about every day for which I am deeply appreciative. I had the privilege of walking a prospective staff member around the campus last week and was reminded of the beauty of the school as seen through his fresh eyes.

David Whyte writes about “Gratitude” saying:
“Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given, gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without and besides us.

Thankfulness finds its full measure in generosity of presence, both through participation and witness.”

I am acutely aware of all the many things around me that have contributed to my feeling of thankfulness, and I hope that you can join me in finding many things for which to be grateful.

Thank you for an amazing year and I wish you well over the Festive Season and the holiday period. If you are travelling, please do so safely and I look forward to seeing you again in the new year.

With fond regards,
Lisa Palmer
Executive Head: Kingsmead College

Academics

2022 Kingfisher Awards

Out of the many modules we have done over the last two years Kingfisher has by far been our favourite. We loved the fact that we were given advice by professionals before creating our own adverts. The topics that we were given gave us so such free reign to be creative and interpret the international commemorative day each group was given, in a unique way.

This project not only taught us many life skills that will be very helpful in the future, but it was also a fun and exciting project. We really enjoyed working with our actors and group to make our advert and in the process created meaningful relationships and memories.

Our theme for our advert was World Children’s Day. Our advert featured a group of children that held a meeting to discuss some of the many violations against the rights of children around the world. They decide to take matters into their own hands and create a banner that read, “Give A Hand For Children’s Rights.” We displayed the banner at Goodwill Day and many people came past to add their handprints to it, to show their support for Children’s Rights.

The overall process involved the creation and presentation of our storyboard, filming, editing and the development of a soundtrack. Although it was a handful, we worked with the most incredible cast and it was an amazing experience.

For the module we had brilliant judges. Our judges gave us loads of useful tips and tricks on how to make our advert the best that it could possibly be. The team from Xfacta taught us all about different advertising techniques and gave us great examples of adverts that they have designed, that we can use for inspiration. Mr Muir gave us some great ideas for foley effects and helped us with links that we could use for sound effects, and recording our audios to have minimal background sound.

Our team had so much fun at the awards. We loved the way that the judges presented them. It felt like everyone was celebrated and as a grade we had a chance to see all the incredible things that our peers had produced. It was really fun to cheer and clap for everyone. It was so special to win the best acting and the overall best advert.

For us, this module really ended the growth curriculum off on a high note.

Gemma Bouche, Morgan Bunkell, Haaniya Sarang, and Liyema Ngcakaza
Grade 9 students

Arts & Music

Dance
Well done to all our Kingsmead Jozidance dancers who performed in the Dance Showcase this week Monday.

Congratulations to Meera and Maia Luksmidas for achieving exceptional results at the recent Contemporary and Ballet Awards event.

In the under 16 category, Meera’s awards include 3rd place in Contemporary Solo, Acrobatic Solo and Lyrical group formation (Palaces), 2nd place for Contemporary group formation (Porcelain) and 1st place for Lyrical group (The Lung) and she qualified for the finals.

Maia in the category under 17, achieved 3rd place in Acrobatic solo, Lyrical group formation (Palaces), 2nd place in Contemporary group formation (Porcelain) and 2nd place in her age group and overall age groups for Lyrical solos, and 1st place for Contemporary Solo. Maia also qualified for the finals and was awarded the Judges Choice award.

The Contemporary and Ballet Awards is an annual competition held in the Roodepoort Theatre. The competition’s aim is to create exposure for dancers. They host workshops taught by internationally and nationally acclaimed choreographers and teachers. Their panel of judges consists of industry leaders and they offer scholarships and sponsorships with amazing opportunities (bursaries for Jozi Youth Dance Company, Joburg Ballet, World of Dance and many more).

Dancers who make it through to the gala (like Meera and Maia) get the opportunity to learn a commissioned solo taught by an internationally acclaimed judge.

Best Speakers Competition
At the end of the October the annual Best Speaker Competition resumed post lockdown. This internal public speaking event gives students a chance to practise expressing themselves and gain experience speaking in front of an audience. The event featured some fascinating and eloquent insights into a variety of topics. Congratulations to all of the participants for their thoughtful and well-prepared speeches. The results were as follows:
Juniors:
1st – Thando Sibanda
2nd – Oprah Orimoloye
3rd – Ella Stuart

Seniors:
1st – Mbali Ndlela
2nd – Tyla Kassen
3rd – Hameeda Malik

Music
We have had the most wonderful month of performances for all age groups, from Grade 0-12 at assemblies, concerts and the Junior School Days of the Arts, and look forward to concluding the year with the return of our annual community Festive Christmas Carol Service.

We are so grateful to the Kingsmead Community for the incredible support we have enjoyed this year. Thank you to our music parents for standing by us this year in all our many events. Thank you to the heads and management teams for their ongoing encouragement and support. Heartfelt thanks to our music teachers for their unwavering passion, energy, and efforts to keep music alive in our school. We are so fortunate to work with enthusiastic, keen young musicians every day.

“Music isn’t extra. Music isn’t additional. Music isn’t discretionary. Music isn’t an add-on, and music isn’t disposable. Music Education is core. It’s fundamental. It’s necessary. It’s an irreplaceable component of a holistic and meaningful education. That’s what music is.”
Vaughan Fleischfresser, Music Educator and Keynote speaker

The Arts & Music department wishes the Kingsmead community a wonderful holiday, blessed Christmas and happy and prosperous 2023!

Sports

Sporting Highlights of 2022

Daniëlla Hewartson, Emma Spronk, Caroline Spronk, Mixo Salani were selected to represent District 13 at the Inter District Netball trials where they will select Gauteng netball teams.

• Our U15A Netball Team won the D13 league and finished 3rd in District play-offs.
• Kingsmead hosted the inagural U17 Netball Festival which was a great success.
• Caroline Spronk(U19A) and Emma Spronk(U16B) were selected for the Gauteng Indoor Netball sides.

Our Equestrian team won their league and Amy Falcon, Sarah Florence, Ella Hunt and Rania Motara were selected for the provincial team.

We are thrilled about the completion of Kingsmead’s new Astro. We look forward to a playing on this surface in 2023.

• Lesedi Magondo(U18B), Mia Speirs(U18C), Nina Evans(U16A), Nozipho Magondo(U16D) and Charlie Dalling(U14B) were selected for the respective Southern Gauteng Provincial hockey teams.
• Biathlon – Isabella Cockeran was selected for the Central Gauteng Biathlon team that competed in the SA Biathlon Championships in Port Elizabeth last month. She ran very close to her personal best in the 800m and bettered her best time in the 100m swim by 2 seconds. She placed 8th overall in the SA championships.
• Caitlin Stott was selected for the SA U18 water polo side and named a reserve for the Senior National Woman’s water polo team.

Kate Chapman and Kagano Khoncha were selected to attend the SA U16 water polo training camp.

Gauteng Schools water polo representatives – Caitlin Stott(U18A), Alison Gace(U18B), Kate Chapman(U16A), Kagano Khoncha(U16B), Olivia Cooke(U16B), Lucy Davis(U15A), Francesca Druce(U15B), Holly Franks(U15B), Annabelle Smith(U15B), Elena Rovelli(U14B), Bethany Sinclaire(U14B), Clea Ellens(U14B), Ariana Boyd(U14B), Charlee Davis(U14B), Lola-Rose Jooste(U14B).

Eastern Schools water polo representatives – Emma Spronk(U16) and Kirsten Lamb(U15)

• Kingsmead took part in Swimming and Diving Inter Highs and combined they finished 6th in Gauteng.
• Our Squash teams finished in the following positions in the relevant leagues: U14A – 1st, U16A – 2nd, 2nd Team – 1st, and 1st Team – 1st.
• Our 1st Team squash finished 2nd at the Top Schools Squash tournament which is a remarkable achievement.
  Rachel Shannon(U18) and Amy Falcon(U15) were selected for their respective Gauteng squash teams.

Rachel Shannon was selected as part of the SA U18 Squash team.

• Our AB tennis team finished 3rd in their league and our CD team finished 2nd narrowly.
• Kingsmead participated in the Parktown Girls Spring Sports Festivals with our Fast5s netball placing 2nd, 6-a-side soccer 5th and hockey 5s team placing 6th.

Transformation, Diversity and Inclusion

Inclusion & Belonging at Kingsmead College
Often in life, something as simple as a greeting can make a profound impact on someone. When we each take the time to perform small acts of kindness, we are in a way, telling each person we encounter that, “I see you. I care about you. I respect you. I value you.” Feeling valued and connected can feed into an individuals’ sense of belonging. And at Kingsmead, we strive to ensure that every individual feels that they have a place in this community.

Having a place can mean a number of things to different people. Having a place is about having the courage to make your voice heard through sharing your ideas, opinions, beliefs, fears and desires. Having a place is about being seen, having your community be intentional about getting to know you for who you truly are, and not only the parts of yourself you choose to present. Having a place is about being trusted, and that is about each individual knowing that they too are seen as a safe place for others. Ultimately, having a place is about being able to show up fully and unreservedly as your unique self and contributing to making the Kingsmead community a diverse space, filled with understanding, respect, connectedness; having every person know that they matter.

Service

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, the 2023 service team has eagerly sorted and packed donations so that everyone has something to celebrate this holiday season.

Last week the service team met to sort and distribute the overwhelming number of donations from this year. The number of donations were spectacular – knitted squares, clothing, meal-in-a-bags, books and stationery.

We are so grateful for the school’s eagerness to donate and the service team’s willingness to spend their time ensuring the donations can be put to good use.

A huge thank you to Ms. Landi, we look forward to many more successful service opportunities with her experience and dedication.

We look forward to another year of generosity from the Kingsmead Community

Scarlett Muirhead
2023 Head of Service

Barista Training
When the Barista training course was introduced to us, I knew that this would be a wonderful opportunity to pick up an interesting skill. When we arrived at the Ciro offices, we were welcomed by our instructor who guided us through many failed attempts at latte art and bitter tasting espressos. Towards the end of the training, most of us felt like we were ready to open up our own coffee shops. When the Kingsmead College annual Goodwill Day came around all the students who attended the barista training were eagerly anticipating the competition, which was just as fun as the classes, and we were awarded prizes for:

– The best letter art
– The best tasting espresso
– The best cappuccino/latte

It was a fantastic experience and I really recommend it to anyone who could have the opportunity to try it out!

Nthuthuko Masetlwa
Grade 10 Student

First Aid Club

There is a very common, yet meaningful saying amongst healthcare workers, “each one, teach one”.

As the newly appointed Registered nurse I have been given the position to take over the First Aid Club.

I am very grateful to have a platform where I can impart my trauma and emergency knowledge and hopefully have an influence on the career path that students will one day take.

I have been very impressed with their enthusiasm to learn and grow as first aiders.

I see so much blossoming from them all.

I know that not everyone will go into healthcare, but the skills they learn in first aid will stay with them forever.

Knowing the information and skills they’ve been taught as a first aider can possibly save lives, gives me an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and joyful pride.

The first aiders have had fun, memorable moments this year and these are just a few of the moments I have experienced with them. I look forward to next year where we will make and share new memories and experiences together.

I look forward to 2023 and all the exciting things we are going to learn.

To a new year of mentoring, teaching, sharing, and growing awaits us.

Megan Cluff
Professional Nurse

Johannesburg Junior Council Leadership Dinner
The 31st of October 2022 marked the final JJC event of our year as councillors. The annual Fellowship Dinner was filled with excitement as we reminisced over all the council events that we took part in, in just one year, as well as a tinge of sadness knowing that our year together had drawn to a close. We had the opportunity to welcome the new JJC councillors from Kingsmead College and all the schools who participate in the Johannesburg Junior Council onto the 2023 JJC at the dinner. I am pleased to say that the council will be in very capable and ambitious hands in 2023.

At the dinner, we had the privilege of listening to Dr Karon Marx. She is an anaesthetist who has successfully swum across the English Channel. Dr Marx has also completed many Robben Island crossings including numerous double crossings and many other swims around the world. Her message of perseverance, commitment and indelible strength was personal for many of us there that evening. It connected seamlessly with our year on council, of us celebrating all the accomplishments along the way as well as us having to rethink and redirect ourselves through challenges.

As I look back and reflect on my year on the Johannesburg Junior Council I am overcome with tremendous emotions, the most prominent being gratitude. This incredible opportunity was one I will forever cherish and be grateful for. The memories I have made I will value for a lifetime. The people I have met and the friendships I have created are ones that will stand the test of time.

Looking back on the lives we made a difference to even in the smallest way proves that this famous quote is true: “helping one person might not change the whole world, but it could change the world for one person”. My year on council has taught me an abundance of things and even more about myself. Recently I was asked the question: if given the choice would you go back and join the JJC again knowing what you know now? My answer without hesitation was: “absolutely, I would do it again one hundred times.” I would not change being on council for the world and I would do it over and over again if I could.

All that is left for me to do now is wish the 2023 councillors all the all very best of luck for your year on the JJC. May it be your best year yet. I hope you grab every opportunity with both hands and I wish you every success as you step into this prestigious role and into many different communities to make a difference. Finally, please make the most of your year together. It goes by in a flash.

Megan Taylor
Grade 11 Student

Urban Camp
Spending over 24hrs with your grade, at school seems like a nightmare come true. And that’s what most of us thought coming into urban camp. We were filled with anxiety and burnout accompanied with curiosity. As soon as the activities started, my whole attitude towards urban camp changed and I wanted to be with my grade more than ever. The atmosphere of joy and togetherness spread like an aroma of unity. Other aromas in the air were the immaculate dishes the kitchen staff had graciously prepared for us. After a long day all we looked forward to being fed by the Kingsmead Chefs. Each meal they made was sure to make our stomachs satisfied and ready for our next endeavor. I honestly would have stayed another two days because of how amazing the food was.

We were gifted with such wonderful trainers who never failed to exhaust us as well and tickle our brains. We were given a chance to bond over the fact that we were out of breath or how drenched we were from the menacing water fights. During this time, we became one; literally, whether it was by being someone’s eyes when blind folded or by being joined by the ankle. To top it all off we had an action-packed night filled with phenomenal skits from the artistic minds of the Grade 10s. The skits allowed us to enjoy every comedic aspect of Kingsmead including our iconic PE lessons. After a long day we fell asleep on the Mackenzie floor as we watched a movie. Waking up with a sore back was worth it because in the morning the Kingsmead Chefs made sure to take away the pain with pastries galore. Urban camp helped us put a pause to the life of school, it allowed us to take a breather during the most pressuring time of the year.

Overall, it is an experience that is 100% worth it, and I wouldn’t have loved to spend those 2 days any other way.

Elizabeth Hakizimana
Grade 10 Student