Dear Parents
As the winter term comes to an end, we would like to say thank you for your support and commitment to building a stronger community. We return to school on the 10th September in full summer uniform and embrace the warmth and energy of the final school term for 2019.
Please join me in wishing Mrs Anneline Gouveia and her family a happy move to Portugal. I am confident that Mrs Gouveia will continue to bring light and love to the young lives she will continue to teach.
We also wish Mrs Kerry Drake and Miss Christine Botha all the best for their well-deserved long leave break. Mrs Kerry Drake will return to school in January 2020 and Miss Christine Botha will return after half term in October.
I would like to say a very big thank you to Mrs Sandy Sharp for her assistance as a locum teacher this term. Also thank you to Mrs Tarryn Mclaren for her assistance as Acting Deputy Head while Mrs Ingrid Beekhuizen had the opportunity to take her sabbatical leave this term.
I wish you all a blessed winter holiday. I trust that our families will enjoy the time to rest, re-energise, read and relate!
All the best,
Kim Lowman
Head: Junior School
LOST PROPERTY NOTE:
Several interventions and conversations have taken place in an attempt to solve the lost property challenge at the Junior School. We continue to have large piles of clothing, lunch boxes and personal items in our lost property areas as well as classrooms and locker rooms. Please encourage your girls to return items that they may have taken home accidentally; remove all personal items from their lockers or classrooms and; check lost property. All items left behind at the end of this week will be sent to the uniform shop for resale or donated to a suitable community partner.
From the start of the third term we will be implementing a new lost property process;
Properly labelled items will be returned to the girls when found. All other items which are not marked will go straight to the school uniform shop. These items will not be stored in lost property at all. Please use this holiday to check and mark all items of clothing clearly and fully. Please do not mark items with initials, please use surnames.
Bullying and Social Conflict:
A Reminder Guide for Parents
Bullying and Social Conflict-What is the Difference?
In our Social Emotional Learning classes (SEL) in the Senior Primary, we have been focusing on running workshops to concentrate on the vital issue of being able to accurately identify the difference between the issues of bullying and social conflict.
It is key that we as parents and the school, are equipped to respond to our girls adequately in these times of social crisis and provide the support and care, as well as the mentorship that they seek.
As a result, I would like to share the following points, to assist.
Defining the Difference
Firstly we define bullying and social conflict differently. We have tabulated how this has been summed up in our lessons, for your clarity.
| Bullying | Conflict |
| Repetitive | Once-off |
| Imbalance of power | Power is relatively equal between the parties |
| The intention is to cause harm | The intention is to resolve a dispute |
| Is never healthy | Can be healthy |
| Must be treated deliberately and seriously | Is less serious than bullying, but may still require intervention/mediation or support |
Types of Bullying
We consider different types of bullying, which include:
- Physical
- Verbal
- Exclusion/Othering (Social)
- Cyber
It is important that we, as adults, are able to support our students in being able to identify whether they are dealing with bullying or conflict, in order to help them to respond appropriately in the situation and to find resolution.
As a community, we are aware of the significant effects of bullying and the tragic consequences that may result. Hence, we may, through our own fear, be hyperaware of normal conflict and this can easily be confused with bullying. It is imperative that we are clear to treat each separately by distinguishing through intent, repetition and power differential. Resolved healthily, conflict is a natural and strengthening aspect of human relations. It teaches us to be assertive, confident and to have an opinion and view on something.
The Consequences at Kingsmead
Bullying is treated very seriously by the school and is considered an act of serious misconduct by the school. As such, acts of bullying may result in a disciplinary hearing, the sanctions of which could include expulsion.
Some Tips for Parents
- As a parent, it is important that you empower your child in the situation. Do not try to resolve the issue by intervening
- Respond rather than react to the situation. This means remaining outwardly calm even though you may feel triggered and naturally protective over your child
- Ask your child what you think they should do in the situation. Ask them how they would like it handled. Then you can guide. Try to help them to problem-solve, rather than telling them what to do
- Inform the school of the situation. It is important that your daughter’s register/LEAD teacher is aware of the dynamics that your daughter is managing, so that they are able to provide support and feedback from the school context
- Familiarise yourself with your Bullying Policy available on the school app or be in touch with your child’s register/LEAD teacher to assist you
Boundaries with regard to devices is key. Bullying no longer happens within a singular environment. Due to the nature of technology, children often cannot escape bullying. As a result, it is important for you to be aware of the following:
- What your daughter’s involvement is on social media as well as the legislation for the apps that they use (e.g. age restrictions and privacy policies)
- Having a responsible, caring adult follow or befriend your daughter, can help her to make wise choices and to reflect on content posted on or about them (either yourself, or an older cousin, sibling etc.)
- Teach your child to screenshot anything mean or unkind and report, block and inform someone immediately
- Do not allow your daughter to take her device with her to bed at night. Enforce some down time with a charging station/area in your home
- Embrace the positive aspects of technology and celebrate those so that we do not breed a culture of fear, but rather one of respect
Dr Marisa Di Terlizzi
Head of Senior Primary
SERVICE
Amy Teubes took upon herself a wonderful initiative to collect dog and cat food for the Midrand SPCA in lieu of birthday gifts. We celebrate her spirit of giving and thank her for her contribution to Service.
It has been a busy week, with many of the grades having been out on service excursions. Grade 1L went to St. Vincent School for the Deaf, Grade 2G went to Bunny Hop Haven, Grade 3G went to Park Care and Grade 6X and 6Y went to Little Star and Moseko Early Childhood Development Centres. The photos below share some of the highlights from these visits. Thank you to the staff and girls for giving of their time to serve those in need.
Letter from Baragwanath Paediatric Burns Unit
To all the Kingsmead Grade 0 girls,
From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to say a big Thank You to each and every one of you. The blankets and the cookies that you sent to our children on Mandela Day were so well received (and delicious.) Each item was made with so much love, and the time you took to make these wonderful gifts is much appreciated. I can assure you that every lovingly made item brings so much comfort to our children, especially during these cold winter months.
Your support is so appreciated by all of us, thanks for helping us Heal the Burns.
Kind Regards
Lyndsay Barr
Lauren Myburgh
Junior School Head of Service
ARTS & MUSIC
MARIMBA FUN DAY
On Saturday 3 August, all the girls involved in Marimba bands at Kingsmead had the wonderful opportunity to participate in fun workshops facilitated by experts in the field of drumming, marimbas and movement.
On a rotational basis, the girls attended brief sessions in Marimba technique, drumming, body percussion, movement and learning a new song. The day was concluded with a lovely picnic concert on the lawns outside the music department.
By all accounts our girls had loads of fun and the parents enjoyed some time in the sun, watching their daughters perform. We hope for this to become an annual event, maybe next year, our parents can also attend some sessions!
THANK YOU to all our Music parents for your continued enthusiasm and support of the Music Department at Kingsmead.
Elsabé Fourie
Director of Music & Arts
SPORTS
From the Sports Desk
Equestrian
Congratulations to the following: Jade Anderson, Rania Motara, Francesca Login, Makhutsi Moloi, Sarah Florence, Zuhayra Ebrahim, Taylor Prinsloo, Katherine Papadopoulos, Nuhaa Patel, Amy Falcon, Helena van der Merwe, Faye Pienaar, Karabo Matsoso and Humayrah Ebrahim.
- The Junior School Equestrian team has won the trophy for the highest scoring team in their category. This is the third year in a row.
- They have shown the most unbelievable sportsmanship that I have ever seen. The three of them are responsible for 52% of the school points out of a team of fourteen.
- Rania Motara, Jade Anderson and Francesca Logan have achieved the most incredible results that are a first ever for our school.
- They have been ranked in the top three best riders in the entire Johannesburg District in terms of overall performance. Details as follows:
- Rania Motara – Silver Victrix Ludorum – 2nd place across the entire Johannesburg District Francesca Logan – Bronze Victrix Ludorum – 3rd place across the entire Johannesburg District
- Top discipline awards:
- Rania Motara – Gold medal for In-Hand Utility – 1st place for this discipline across all Levels in Johannesburg District
- Jade Anderson – Silver medal for Performance Riding – 2nd place for this discipline across all Levels in Johannesburg District
Important Dates for TERM 3
Athletics
27 September St Andrew’s
4 October St Stithians
11 October St Andrew’s
15 October Interhouse (Wits Education Campus)
18 October St Peter’s
1 November St Stithians (Prestige)
Diving
28 September Gauteng Schools Trials @ De Jong Diving Centre, Pretoria
10 October St Mary’s
17 October Kingsmead
19 October SA Schools Championships at Epworth College in Pietermaritzburg,
24 – 28 October Half Term
31 October St Dominic’s
7 November Kingsmead
14 November INTERSCHOOL DIVING @ ROEDEAN SCHOOL
GRADE 6&7 A&B: 13:00 – 17:30
21 November Grade 1, Grade 2 & Grade 3 Diving Festival @ Roedean School
Sheillah Muchauraya
Junior School Head of Sports
Sherpa Kids After Care at Kingsmead
We wish to thank the Kingsmead Community for the warm welcome that we have enjoyed since commencing the Aftercare services in May 2019 for Grades 2-7. We have truly enjoyed getting to know the girls. It’s been most rewarding to see the sparkle as each girl came to their own in sharing their interest and talents. Our aim is to continue to reach, engage and challenge them through play while having fun.
Sherpa Kids is an international provider of Out of School Hour Care with a passion for delivering quality, structured and safe services. Our programme offers weekly themed activities that are age and stage appropriate. These activities provide fun-filled yet structured engagement with learning outcomes.
Activities Enjoyed:
It is very important to us that all children in our care are afforded time to recharge with both free play as well as participating in our structured play-based learning activities. Time for creativity is set aside with activities centered around arts, crafts, music, drama, experiments and games.
During the second school term, we have facilitated activities ranging from Mother’s day flower bundles to fairy tales play re-enactments. Food and technology required sourcing and mixing ingredients such as smoothies and preparing dough for ginger man biscuits amongst others.
Creative play also involved practicing concepts like balance and proportions in building geometric shapes while outdoor play ranged from ball games, hoops to hot potato balloons. Fridays have been dedicated to free play with music and games as the central focus.
At Sherpa Kids we strive to ensure that aftercare should not simply be a “lunch and homework” solution but a rather a “home away from home” where children really enjoy their afternoons filled with fun, friendships, care and attention.
School Community:
Studies show that children perform better at school when their parents show an active interest in the school and their schoolwork, so we always encourage our parents to also check in and to discuss the day’s activities. It was wonderful to see parents involved in active reading with the girls during the Junior school reading breakfast. We have dedicated reading time and will use every opportunity with the girls to reinforce the love for reading.
After Care Staff:
Stephanie and Charmé – our Sherpa Staff on site would welcome your feedback and suggestions. Our aim is to ensure that the girls absolutely enjoy their afternoon time at school.
Miss Stephanie Bizzah (067 191 5621)
Mrs Charmé Coetzer (082 564 5651)
You can contact us via email (theparks@sherpakids.co.za) or directly
There is an allocated After Care pigeon hole at Junior school reception should you have any items to drop off.
We look forward to seeing your girls, our ongoing commitment is to:
- Provide high-quality out of school hour care
- Encourage self-management skills to complete work independently, with guidance
- Instil principles and a love for lifelong learning.
- Make learning fun.
Nellie Lester (083 303 5294)
Sherpa Kids Team (The Parks).
Art Cards
Dear Parents,
Should you NOT wish to participate or should you wish to order more than X1 pack, of greeting / ART cards, please email Sandra Muller (sandra@wbs.co.za), by 8 August 2019.
Your school account will be debited by R170 for a pack of X10 cards.
