A sense of unity and pride filled our halls over the last month as we celebrated our school’s 91st birthday, our matric class of 2024 and many academic and sporting achievements. Read more in our October 2024 highlights below.
Congratulations to Lucy Davis for being selected for the Elevate Waterpolo U19 team at the Next Generation Cup 2024 in Spain.
Competing against top teams from around the world, Lucy excelled, earning the title of Player of the Match in her team’s impressive victory over CN Sabadell, who made it to the finals.
We’re so proud of you, Lucy. Keep shining!
Watch the exciting highlights from our diving clinic with Olympian Julia Vincent and two incredible South African divers.
Designed for all skill levels, this clinic offered personalised sessions focusing on technique and diving board skills. Participants refined their diving abilities and gained invaluable insights from Julia and her expert team, creating unforgettable moments and nurturing a lifelong passion for the sport.
A huge thank you to Julia, Kate Shepherd, and Micaela Bouter for sharing their expertise with our students! We also appreciate our diving coach, Nicole Gillis, and former pupil, Sarah Benning, for their contributions in making this clinic a success.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this amazing experience! We can’t wait for more exciting events in the future.
Congratulations to Owethu Sibisi for representing Gauteng at the South African National Gymnastics Championships held on 27 September at the Western Cape Sport School in Cape Town!
As a proud recipient of her Gauteng colours, Owethu competed in the Gauteng Women’s Artistic Gymnastics team, showcasing her incredible talent among some of the best gymnasts from all nine provinces. This prestigious event marked the largest gathering of the gymnastics community in South Africa, and we are so proud of her achievement.
Well done, Owethu, your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring.
In October we wished our Kingsmead Jewish community a very happy and sweet New Year as they celebrated Rosh Hashanah. May this time of reflection, renewal, and hope bring peace, joy, and prosperity to you and your loved ones.
Shanah Tovah!
During October, we had the privilege of hearing from our council, Ms. Palmer, our guest speaker, Olympic diver Julia Vincent, and the matric Leaders of 2024. As we stood at the end of one chapter and the exciting start of a new journey for our matric class.
A special thank you to our guest speaker, Julia, for sharing her incredible journey and words of wisdom with the outgoing matrics.
Here’s to the Class of 2024 – may you dive into the future with courage and determination!
Kingsmead is truly a special place! As we wrap up a week filled with excitement and the hustle of the silly season, our matrics took a moment to give back. On Thursday, they honoured the incredible service staff who support our school community, serving and sharing quality time with them.
It’s these connections that make Kingsmead feel like home. Here’s to the meaningful moments and the people who make it all possible.
Our Grade 4-7 choir is soaring to new heights with a series of fantastic performances! They earned an incredible A++ at the Jan Celliers Eisteddfod in September and geared up for The Ridge School’s Combined Choirs Festival at the Linder Auditorium. We also had the honour of rehearsing with renowned conductor, Richard Cock, as we prepare for this exciting event.
BRAVO! Congratulations to the Grade 12 Dramatic Arts students who performed their IEB Final Practical to a packed Mkwanazi Theatre.
In October, a group of students and teachers had the opportunity to visit Vega School for an engaging photography workshop. They explored the school’s impressive facilities and learned about exciting future opportunities. The highlight of the trip was zooming down the school’s epic slide!
The students also gained hands-on experience in Vega’s professional photography studio, experimenting with lighting, composition, and creativity.
Thank you, Vega School, for hosting us and inspiring our students to see the world through a new lens.
We celebrated the heart and soul of our school in October – our teachers. Your passion, dedication, and commitment to shaping young minds is an inspiration to us all. Every lesson, every conversation, and every moment of guidance helps build the future, and we are endlessly grateful.
Our founder, Ms. DV Thompson, once said, “The work of education is noble beyond all others, for it is concerned with the mind, spirit, and character of children.”
Thank you, teachers, for your unwavering support and for making Kingsmead a place where learning thrives and students flourish. You are the heartbeat of this school, and we appreciate you today and every day!
Happy 91st Birthday, Kingsmead College!
10 October 2024 marked 91 years of excellence, empowerment, and innovation in education. From our founding in 1933, Kingsmead has remained committed to nurturing young women who lead with courage, creativity, and compassion. Over the decades, we have grown into a dynamic, forward-thinking institution while staying true to our core values of inclusivity, integrity and service.
As we look back on the rich legacy of our school, we also look ahead to the future – a future where Kingsmead continues to inspire generations of women to shape the world around them. Here’s to our incredible community of students, teachers, parents, and alumnae who have been a part of this remarkable journey.
“Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.” — Amelia Earhart. This quote resonates with our commitment to empowering our girls to be fearless in pursuit of their dreams.
Thank you for being part of Kingsmead’s journey. Here’s to many more years of learning, growth, and empowerment!
Kingsmead College celebrated its 91st birthday with Goodwill Day, a tradition fostering understanding and fellowship. The day included the Walk for Courage, raising funds for the PTA bursary fund. Students connected with service partners like San Salvador, Hotel Hope, QRate, The Sensory Space, A Few Grey Hairs, Siyakhana Gardens, The Link Literacy and Paws4U through Service Bingo. Highlights included a tea garden, a period pain experience, a record-breaking 51 blood donations to the SANBS, and an inflatable park that raised funds for service partners. Grade 11s hosted a special lunch for 75 children from local charities.
Thank you to all involved, but especially to the Kingsmead College Service team, you can be so proud of yourselves for hosting such a memorable and impactful event!
While October meant celebrating Kingsmead’s birthday, it also marked Mental Health Awareness Day!
In the words of our founder, DV Thompson:
“By a true sense of values, I mean that ability to probe beneath the surface of things to find those great spiritual realities of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty which bind together the material and mental worlds and make sense of the whole.”
We used this day as a reminder to prioritise our mental health, break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage those who need support to seek it. At Kingsmead, we’re deeply committed to mental health and well-being, offering strong support structures for students and staff.
During October, we celebrated every girl’s strength, resilience, and limitless potential worldwide.
To mark this special day, our Grade 3 students each partnered with a Grade 1 and Grade 2 student, sharing stories of inspirational women who have made a difference. This activity was part of an ongoing research project where our Grade 3s are learning about and presenting the achievements of remarkable women throughout history.
We empower and inspire the next generation of leaders, innovators, and change makers.
We hosted the 2025 Matric Dance Invite Ceremony in the beautiful Chapel Gardens, where the highly anticipated theme was revealed! With high expectations for this grand affair, we can’t wait to see how beautiful the girls will look as they bring the glamour of the roaring twenties to life. Stay tuned for what promises to be a night to remember.
Kingsmead is proud to be part of the Roedean School South Africa (Prestige Cup) Water Polo Festival, where schools run a Learn to Swim programme with a partner school.
For many years, we’ve partnered with Parkhurst Primary, and this year, our 1st team water polo players assisted in the gala alongside Storm Ryder and Eden Standard from Swimwaves, based here at Kingsmead.
This ongoing programme is one we hold close to our hearts!
It was a joy to celebrate the special tree-planting occasion with our Grade 3 girls as they embark on their journey to become the future Matric Class of 2033, Kingsmead’s centenary year. The late afternoon Johannesburg thunderstorm felt like a shower of blessings, symbolising the Dombeya tree taking root firmly in the soil of Kingsmead.
As our founder DV Thompson said in 1950 – “It is well that we should all remember that big things start with little things. The bud must come before the blossom; the seed must precede the plant, the acorn, the oak. Start with the little things.”
Socktober at Kingsmead! Our Junior School students wore their silliest, most colorful socks. It was a fun way to embrace creativity and school spirit.
Well done to our Grade 6 and 7 water polo players for their outstanding performance at the St Stithians Invitational Water Polo Tournament! Your hard work and teamwork truly shone through. We are so proud of you.
We hosted the wonderful annual Alumnae Lunch in the beautiful gardens of St. Brigid’s Chapel. The lovely weather, bright smiles, and chiming laughter made for a perfect day as cherished memories were shared and friendships rekindled.
Happy Diwali from Kingsmead College!
As we celebrated the Festival of Lights, we hope this Diwali brought joy, prosperity and peace. May your homes and hearts shine brightly with love, unity and hope.
