Dear Kingsmead Community,
It is with gratitude that I greet you this week. Thank you for walking alongside us as we continue to explore the winding path of discovery at the Junior School. Our daughters have risen to expectations and have initiated so many wonderful new ideas as they innovate and seek solutions. Our students have challenged the teachers and parents to be more present as adults and so relaunched the ‘Hello’ campaign. They have requested ‘no phone zones’ when we walk around campus so that we can ‘see’ one another and greet each other. They have encouraged their friends to wear hats at break – even offering incentives to those who remember. We celebrated the true meaning of love on Valentines Day which happily coincided with Footloose Friday. Our Grade 7 students raised an incredible (record-breaking) R14 000 during their Cake and Candy fundraiser on Friday. Our Grade 1 students were thrilled to walk alongside their Matric sisters at the annual PTA event, ‘It’s all about the Dress’. Again, I thank you for your partnership in ensuring that we make things happen as a school!
Please take time to read our newsletter this week. Tarryn Mclaren shares an interesting distinction between tutoring and remediation; Ingrid Beekhuizen celebrates the successes of the week. The Service, Arts, Music and Sports departments have also shared some important information with you.
We wish our Grade 5 and 6 students a wonderful camp experience where they will build strong social relationships, develop a sense of self-awareness and engage with the wonders of nature. I cannot believe that we are already counting down the days to half term. We still have so much to look forward to this week. Please calendarise the Senior Primary Inter-house Gala on Thursday morning. I have no doubt that this will be an energising morning for all involved. If you are travelling over half term, I wish you well.
“There is virtue in work; and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” A Cohen
Kim Lowman
Head: Kingsmead Junior School
When To Tutor – When To Remediate?
Article summarized from Educational Connections – W.G. Ford an Educational Psychologist
When seeking extra academic support for your daughter, it is important to differentiate between ‘tutoring’ and ‘remedial’ intervention. Determining your daughter’s learning disposition and educational needs is a critical first step to take when searching for outside intervention.
However, before proceeding to seek supplementary educational support for your daughter, an important distinction should be made between the terms tutoring and remedial.
Tutoring focuses primarily on content. A tutor makes sure that the student understands the concepts and materials relevant to a specific subject or course of study. Tutoring, therefore, involves the student’s day to day school work or provides “catch up” opportunities for the student who has missed information (e.g. due to illness or a family move). In contrast to remedial intervention, tutoring does not necessarily deal with or address the student’s individual learning disposition. The tutor’s goals are to “coach” the student by explaining material in more detail or by actually “re-teaching” the student.
In contrast, remediation focuses on process and takes into account ‘how’ the individual student actually learns and provides the student with personally tailored skills (i.e. compensatory strategies) in an effort to capitalize on her learning strengths and to compensate for specific learning challenges or barriers (e.g., memory, language). The primary emphasis in remediation is to focus on the learning process itself and application to specific content. Remedial intervention focuses on choosing teaching methods and strategies which match the learning disposition of the individual student. Once the student grasps the method, she receives assistance in transferring the learning process best suited to her needs to school related assignments. The goal is one of ensuring generalization of new learning and the development of compensatory skills.
Tarryn McLaren
Head of Student Affairs and Cognitive Education
TDI Committee Assembly
At assembly on Monday, the Gr 7 Transformation, Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Committee launched their ‘Hello #bepresent’ campaign. Their message of belonging and creating a sense of welcome was warmly received by students and staff alike. We were also encouraged to take time to communicate with each other through seeing each other, not just through technology. The TDI students also created a video to showcase the many ways that we can greet our Kingsmead family. Click here to see the video
Grade 7 Transformation, Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Committee
Thinking School Orientation Workshop
We were delighted at the wonderful turnout of new families, class and subject teachers, support teachers, interns and new students to our workshop on Saturday, 15 February 2020. The level of engagement of all involved created a sense of camaraderie between parents and educators, as well as teachers and students. The Grade 7 NEST students (our Student Thinking Drive Team) shared their learning journeys with parents and teachers, and then assisted in teaching their fellow students about various thinking tools.
Reflecting on their learnings for the morning, some parents commented as follows:
- To be able to grow and think like this is a GIFT for a lifetime.
- The engagement was quite fantastic! Very informative for us new parents.
- My daughter will benefit from my new-found understanding and skills identified to address how I interact with her on her growth-journey.
- SO GRATEFUL that my daughter is exposed to this style of thinking from so young an age.
- The power of ‘not yet’!
- The process of praising kids – for effective praise – need to praise the process and not the intelligence.
- I could use this in my own personal and professional space.
- Growth over time, the need for reflection and to grapple – a fabulous struggle.
- Teaching our girls that learning is challenging and that it should be.
- Correction of mistakes is part of the process of betterment.
We are so grateful to the team of passionate teachers and Grade 7s who invested their time in facilitating the teaching of the various aspects of our Thinking School for both the adults and students.
Ingrid Beekhuizen
Deputy Head
Head: Academics and Innovation
Kids Literature Quiz
A special congratulations goes out to the following Kingsmead students that participated in the recent regional Kids Literature Quiz Competition held at St John’s last week Monday, 10 February. It is an annual international literature competition where teams work together to answer a wide range of literary questions arranged in ten categories.
Kingsmead Teams earned 67 points and 64 points respectively. Thank you for your commitment to strengthening your literature knowledge throughout your extension programme ‘Literature is Lit’ during Term 3 of 2019 and remembering to have fun along the way! Well done to the winning school – Kings School, Robin Hills – who earned a total of 81 points.
Team 1:
Thiya Naidoo
Anna Lipchin
Amy Teeling-Smith
Nina Schoeman
Team 2:
Jessica Linfield
Milli Seekins
Isabella Cadman
Zeenat Patel.
A special mention must also go out to the following students and teachers that attended the event in support of their friends and our school. Thank you for being present!
Mila Smolicz van Breda
Amelia Cadman
Jaeda Motala
Mahdiyyah Wadee
Mrs Lauren Myburgh
Tania O’Maker
Junior School Media Specialist
SERVICE
FOOTLOOSE FRIDAY
Thank you to the Kingsmead community for their generous donations on Footloose Friday. 1472 pairs of gently worn shoes have been donated. The beneficiaries are Isipho Primary School, Sunshine Association, Fight with Insight, Rays of Hope, Hotel Hope, Dlala Nje, Kids Haven and Rata Social Services in Sebokeng.
DANCE MARATHON 2020
Kingsmead College is hosting a Dance Marathon on Wednesday, 26 February from 11:00 to 14:15 in the Joel Hall. This will be the main Service fundraising event for this semester. The Dance Marathon will raise funds for each grade’s community engagement partner. Each grade will be allocated a time slot to dance within their school day and the girls may wear PE kit with funky socks.
The following organisations will be supported:
Grade 7 The Society for Animals in Distress
Grade 6 JAM (Joint Aid Management)
Grade 5 Sunshine Association
Grade 4 Fight with Insight
Grade 3 Owl Rescue Centre
Grade 2 The Bunny Hop Haven
Grade 1 St Vincent’s School for the Deaf
Grade 0 Little Star and Moseka Pre-Primary School
Buttercups Little Stars and Moseka Pre-Primary School
Bluebells & Butterflies Kingsmead College Legacy Project
We encourage Kingsmead students to each raise donations to the value of R200 to sponsor specific items identified for each partner orgnisation. However, any contributions, regardless of the amount, are most welcome and appreciated.
Please note once your daughter has received a donation form, we are unable to issue a replacement donation form due to the legal implications around donation forms. The donation form MUST be submitted to the Class/Lead teacher by 26 February. Donations can be given in cash or charged to the school account.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
Jenny Venter
Director of Service
ARTS & MUSIC
PRACTICE ? WHAT IS THAT ?
Learning to play an instrument can be a most rewarding and enjoyable endeavor. Music teachers use the word ‘practice’ in lessons, report comments and in communication with parents, while we seldom unpack what we mean by this instruction…
A few tips to ensure a successful practice routine:
- Routine is the key word – the more often you practise, the better.
- Practise slowly and accurately, paying attention to the details in the music. Isolate tricky bits and repeat these until they can be played effortlessly, while accurately.
- HOW you play matters – remember to maintain the correct posture, finger and hand positions.
- Technical work such as exercises and scales should be done as often as brushing your teeth!
- In every newsletter, we will post one practice tip. These will also go on the app in the Arts & Music folder. Remind your daughter of these practice tips.
MEET YOUR DAUGHTER’S MUSIC TEACHER
Thank you to all the parents who popped in last week to get to know us! If you were unable to meet us last week, please contact the relevant teacher to set up a time to meet. We would love to get to know you.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please diarise the upcoming music events. More details to follow:
| Tuesday 10 March | 18:30 – 20:00 | Singing Sistas Choir Evening at St Mary’s |
| Saturday 14 March | 9:00 – 13:00 | Kingsmead Music Eisteddfod |
| Thursday 19 March | 18:00 – 19:00 | Grade 1-3 Music Concert |
| Thursday 26 March | 18:00 – 19:00 | Grade 4-7 Music Concert |
| Saturday 28 March | 9:00 – 12:00 | JS Orchestra Rehearsal (TBC) |
| Monday 30 March | 18:00 – 19:30 | JS Kingsmead Orchestra Festival |
| Tuesday 31 March | 18:00 – 19:30 | JS Kingsmead Orchestra Festival |
| Wednesday 1 April | 18:00 – 19:30 | JS Kingsmead Orchestra Festival |
Elsabe Fourie
Director of Arts & Music
Mia Loock
Head: Junior School Music
SPORTS
Extra-Curricular – Grade 5&6
As the Grade 5 and 6 students will be leaving early on Wednesday morning for camps, there will not be early morning activities for the two grades. Other grades will continue as normal.
On return from camp, all team swimmers will be expected to report to the gym for roll call so buses can depart at 1pm for the respective galas. I therefore recommend that the girls pack their correct swimming kit:
- White flip-flops/sneakers
- Skorts
- V-neck match shirt (no round neck old Kingsmead t-shirts will be allowed)
- Kingsmead College green swimming towel
- New Kingsmead swimming costume (Grade 4-7)
- Grade 3’ can wear either the old or the new costume.
Special Achievements
Hockey: Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to attend the U13 Southern Gauteng trials as part of the D9 private schools team:
Jessica Stevens
Hannah Schwegmann
Swimming: Congratulations to Zahra Khan who swam the Midmar Mile alongside Natalie du Toit to raise funds for The Teddy Bear Clinic. She completed the swim in 37:54
Important Dates to Diarise
Grade 4-7 inter-house swimming gala
27 February 2020
8:00am – 10:00am
Grade 3-7 inter primary swimming gala
6 March 2020
2pm – 5pm
A Team St Andrews
B Team St Mary’s
C Team St Teresa
Sheillah Muchauraya
Junior School Head of Sport