Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow
We can feel it in the air – Winter has arrived. I recently attended the South African Girls Schools Association, which was themed Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow. These words hold profound significance, guiding our approach to nurturing your daughters into confident, compassionate, and capable young women. Leading me to focus on the importance of reflection, together with our OISESA self-study report, for our upcoming site visit during June.

Reflective Practice is central to our learning and teaching approach at Kingsmead. The ability to step back from a situation and objectively reflect on the process and outcome is critical for self-improvement and the development of self-awareness. Today I proudly reflect on how we continually and intentionally create a happy school environment. When referring to harmony, we refer to the distinct role we each have to play in this organisation. When we work with a diverse group of people, all with their own skill sets and strengths; and this clicks together – it feels great.
As we take time to reflect back on Book Week, I can certainly say that we have achieved so much together! The teachers spent hours collaborating and designing the most rigorous inquiry learning opportunities for the students. The children rose to the occasion and shared learning way beyond our expectations. Learning like this is so powerful. The connections that were made between the various disciplines, the play, and discovery, have led to outstanding levels of innovation at all age levels. Thank you to all our Junior Primary families who joined us Tuesday morning for our Reading Breakfast. It was wonderful to see our girls so engaged in their books while being able to spend precious time with you all. Reading with your child is one of the most important factors in developing lifelong learners and lovers of reading.
In one week, we have achieved more than many would achieve in a term. My gratitude goes to our staff for their intentionality and passion; the children for meaningfully investing in their learning, and exhibiting superior levels of intrinsic motivation; and to the parents for your ongoing support and authentic encouragement. Thank you to the PTA who continue to build our community so effectively! To top it all off we ended the week with the incredible Book Fair. Thank you to our Marketing Team, and to all involved for the long hours and commitment to a most successful day for us all.
Learning from yesterday: In the classrooms and corridors of our school, we cherish the lessons of the past. Every historical event, literary masterpiece, and scientific discovery serves as a path to knowledge. By understanding yesterday, our girls gain insights that shape their present and empower them to create a brighter future.
Living for today: The joy of learning, the thrill of discovery, and the warmth of friendship fill each day at Kingsmead. We encourage our students to embrace the present moment, to immerse themselves fully in every lesson, activity, and interaction. It’s through living fully in the now that they develop resilience, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for the richness of life.
Hoping for tomorrow: As teachers and parents, we share a collective vision for the future—a future where our daughters thrive as leaders, innovators, and changemakers. Through nurturing their dreams, cultivating their talents, and instilling in them a sense of purpose, we plant the seeds of hope that will blossom into a world of endless possibilities.
Looking ahead: As we embark on this journey together, let us embrace the value of possibility. Each day is an opportunity for growth, for exploration, and for making a difference. Let us nurture in our daughters the courage to dream big, the resilience to overcome obstacles, and the compassion to uplift others along the way.
So, on reflection we intentionally create joy!
#Thriving in Possibility
Tarryn McLaren
Junior School Head
Resources of Parents – Connecting with your Daughter
We trust that you have enjoyed our bi-weekly parent slot… This week, I’d like to share the work of Rachel Simmons. Her book titled, Enough as she is, provides you with ways to support your daughter in helping her move beyond impossible standards of success to live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives. Furthermore, she suggests tools to help girls reject “supergirl” pressure, overcome a toxic stress culture, and become resilient adults with healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives.
We welcome the following members of staff in June:
Alison Tresling as the new Head of Marketing. Alison joins Kingsmead with a wealth of marketing, branding and communication experience. Alison has a track record of success in developing and implementing and growing business at Tiger Brands, Foodcorp and Premier FMCG. She has been a part of teams that worked on some of SA’s most beloved brands like All Gold Tomato Sauce, KOO, Black Cat Peanut Butter, Nola Mayonnaise, Manhattan Sweets and many more.
Alison has strong strategic insights and project management skills and we believe that Alison will bring her considerable experience to the role at Kingsmead.
Arts & Music
🥳 Congratulations!
Ava Wild recently participated in the Johannesburg Music Festival and achieved a silver certificate for singing. Well done, Ava!

Noa Naude showcased her dance skills during a recent workshop at the Orlovska Dance Academy. We look forward to seeing her continued growth and future performances.Well done, Noa!

🎶 Masicule Sonke Choir Festival
On Wednesday, 22 May, the Grade 4-7 Choir and Glee group performed at the annual Kingsmead Masicule Sonke Choir festival. Their performances were exceptional, earning a standing ovation and enthusiastic applause from the audience. We are incredibly proud of our choir and glee members and grateful to our parents for their ongoing support and encouragement.

If you have any more questions about Arts & Music at Kingsmead, get in touch, we would love to chat.
Elsabé Fourie
Director of Arts & Music
efourie@kingsmead.co.za

Mia Loock
Head of Junior School Music
mloock@kingsmead.co.za
Sports
Sports News
Netball
We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible performance of our grade 3 – 7 netball teams this season. Our players have showcased exceptional dedication and skill, demonstrating remarkable growth. Their unwavering commitment to the sport and tireless efforts on the court have truly inspired us all. We are immensely proud of the team’s achievements and look forward to their continued success in the seasons to come.
Equestrian
Congratulations to our equestrian riders for their excellent performance at the SANESA Equestrian competition this past weekend. Their results were as follows:
Lucy Berry
70cm Speed Jumping – 3rd
Anvita Nunna
Jumping competition level 1 – 5th
Jumping other level 1 – 7th
Prix Caprilli level 1 – 8th
Equitation level 1 – 10th
Outside Sport
Gymnastics
Congratulations to Sophia Roos, Zanengcebo Dlamini, Neo Mosome and Sophie Duggan who recently competed at the SA Gymnastics Level 1 Provincial competition and all received medals. This is an outstanding achievement, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication.
Their next competition is scheduled for the weekend of June 14th. I’m sure our gymnasts are already training hard and preparing for this upcoming event. We will be sure to cheer them on and support them as they continue to excel in their sport.
Well done! Your success is a testament to your skill and commitment. Keep up the fantastic work, and we look forward to following your progress in the next competition.

Karate
We are thrilled to congratulate Amelia Southey who recently competed at the JKA Karate Nationals. Amelia gained valuable experience and exposure. Well done, Amelia!

Archery
Morgan Chen-Heyneke was invited and had the privilege of joining the Taiwanese Olympic archery team’s specialized archery training in Taiwan at the end of March this year. She gained a wealth of knowledge and learned unique techniques from some of the world’s top archers. Additionally, Morgan has been invited to compete at the World Archery Indoor Series tournament in Taiwan this December. Wishing you the best of luck with your preparations, Morgan. We are exceptionally proud of your accomplishments!
Upcoming Events
21 June: Grade 4 – 7 Hockey Matches vs Assumption/St Stithians (Grade 4 & 5 – Kingsmead, Grade 6 & 7 – St Stithians)
All students are required to travel on the bus to the venue. There will be a bus returning to Kingsmead after the fixture. Students may also be collected at the end of the fixture from the venue. All players are expected to stay and support until the end of the last match.
A few reminders for parents & guardians:
1. Please send any sports achievements (school & non-school) to Mrs Hanekom.
2. A reminder to please download the Kingsmead app as this will be the direct method of communication to parents on sports fixture days.
3. All team lists will be published on the app by no later than Tuesday for a Thursday fixture and the Wednesday before the Friday/Saturday fixture. Please ensure that you let the coaches know if your daughter is not able to attend a fixture.
Kingsmead College extends its warmest wishes to Carolyn Grainger as she embarks on her second Comrades Marathon on Sunday, June 9th. We admire her dedication and commitment, and we have no doubt she will achieve great things. May strength and focus carry her across the finish line.

Yours in sport
Shavaun Hanekom
Head of Junior School Sport

JHB Mini Council
In January 2024, Kingsmead Junior School joined the Johannesburg Mini Council (JMC). The council serves the community by engaging in social service activities, sharing initiatives with Kingsmead, and developing leadership qualities amongst the representative of councilors.
Two nominees from the Grade 7 group of 2024 have been selected to join the JMC. We are proud to have Leah Schoeman as our Mini Councilor of the SMILE committee and Lamiah Bux as the Vice Chancellor. These nominees underwent a rigorous selection process, which included a camp where they received training and were observed for their specific roles. The selected nominees will be mentored by the council of 2023 as they embark on this exciting journey of leadership and community engagement.
The Councilors’ first event for the year was the Easter Egg Collection, a resounding success with Kingsmead contributing over 6,600 eggs and the Council as a whole collecting an impressive 200,000 eggs across Johannesburg. These eggs were distributed to numerous charities on 20th March, making a significant impact in the lives of children who otherwise may not necessarily be afforded the opportunity to celebrate the festivities of the season as we traditionally know it.
This term, on the 28th May, the Johannesburg Mini Council hosted a Leadership Dinner, where our Kingsmead Councillors were presented with an opportunity to invite 8 guests of honour to join them as they experienced an evening of fellowship, connection, and relationship building. Our attending students were introduced to the greater JMC community and enjoyed Caroline Bailey, the guest speaker who addressed mental health and anxiety in adolescence. Healthy conversation was started and our students have developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of the JMC’s role and the opportunity it could potentially present for their future schooling careers.
We look forward to the many successes of our Kingsmead JMC Councillors and encourage all to support their projects as we strive to drive initiatives rooted in our school values.
Kendall Phillips
Deputy Head – Senior Primary
Conversation Starter
We hope that you enjoyed the last conversation starter…as we know, one of the signs of a healthy family is open and meaningful conversation/communication. But often finding the time or the points to speak to, don’t always come easily. We thought we would share some prompts to facilitate this process, which are ideal to share around the table, on a trip – anytime, anywhere.
