Welcome back!

Welcome back to the start of the Second Term. As always, it is a pleasure to see the “buzz” from the boys – and staff at the start of term – irrespective of how short the break might have been! On Tuesday morning as I walked past the cricket nets, I was “accosted” by some deliriously happy Grade 3 boys who were all eager to say hello and share their holiday stories. (“Sir, I went on a plane – to Jo’burg!” said one.) Even the typically loud mutual greeting, with which we open our College assembly, was more enthusiastic than normal!

The staff returned to school on Monday for staff development, which comprised a number of workshops and report-back sessions presented by staff who had attended various courses and conferences during the First Term. A plenary session was held where the combined staff of Clifton and DGC were addressed by Mrs Nene Molefi, a global consultant and facilitator. Her inspiring and motivational presentation focused on issues of diversity and unconscious bias. (Her website can be found at www.mandatemolefi.co.za).

As usual, we welcome some new staff to the Clifton Team this term. Whilst all these appointments were mentioned by Mr White and Mr Goedeke in their respective end-of-term letters, it is my pleasure to welcome the following people to the Clifton Family:

In the Prep School:

Mrs Joanna (Jo) Johnson: Remedial teacher. Mrs Johnson will be working part-time, and has a B.Ed. (Hons) in Inclusive Education. She has taught at St Cyprians, and Umhlanga College. She was also a Foundation Phase Teacher at Clifton from 2007- 2014 and she now joins us from Penzance Primary.

Mr Jurgen Kurz: Maths specialist. Mr Kurz attended Clifton Nottingham Road, Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. He is a qualified practitioner in Knowledgeable Number Sense, and joins us from Woodridge College and Prep School.

Mrs Anne Thomson: Prep Librarian. She attended St John’s DSG and Rhodes University, where she obtained her Master’s degree in Psychology. She taught in South Korea for a year, then Danville Girls’ and joins us from St Henry’s Marists where she ran the library.

Mr Richard Nienaber: Head of Grade 7. He matriculated from St Stithians Boys’ College and played provincial cricket and hockey at both school and university. He qualified in Graphic Design and Arts and Culture from DUT and then completed his PGCE. He has taught at DPHS, Kearsney, Highbury and joins us from the position of Deputy Principal at International School of South Africa.

In other Prep staff news, we congratulate Mrs Lauren Klingbiel on the birth of her little girl, Emma Daphney, who was born on 4 April. Mrs Mishkaah Mohamed and Mrs Meg Perkins (Grades 6 and 7 Maths) will be substituting for Mrs Klingbiel while she is on maternity leave.

In the College, we welcome two new staff members:

Mrs Anna-Marie Zeelie who comes to us from Mitchell House School in Polokwane. Mrs Zeelie is taking over from Mr Shaun Fitzmaurice as Subject Head of Business Studies. She was the Academic Co-ordinator at Mitchell House and also a matric marker and Cluster Leader for the IEB in Limpopo. She has two children and lives in Pietermaritzburg where her husband is the Bursar at Epworth School.

Mrs Meryke Terblanche comes to us from Glenwood High School and has previously taught at Stirling High School. She taught Grades 10 to 12 Business Studies at Glenwood. She has marked in the state exam system and is a very keen sportswoman, having coached hockey, swimming and athletics. She has also managed various sports teams including hockey and was the Under 14 KZN Water Polo Manager last year.

We also welcome Mr Justin Bennett, our new “Technology Integrator”, whose responsibility it will be to help staff further integrate technology into their teaching. Mr Bennett is a whole-school appointment and is a certified Microsoft Innovative Educator. He attended Maritzburg College, and studied a B.Soc.Sci at UKZN, majoring in Psychology and Environmental Science. He is a qualified rowing coach and Life Line counsellor. He joins us from Our Lady of Fatima, where he held a similar position.

We wish these newly appointed staff members all the best in their new positions, and look forward to their professional growth and contribution to our school. Photographs of our new staff can be found on the next page.

In addition to these new appointments, in the College, the following current staff will take up new positions, as mentioned by Mr Goedeke last term:

Mr Howieson: Director of Sport

Mrs Kriel: Director of Community Engagement

Mr Rein: Director of Outdoor Education

Mrs Olds: Head of Grade 8, in place of Mrs Kriel

Mrs Callaghan: Head of Grade 10, in place of Mr Howieson

Ms Hendricks: Head of Sutcliffe House, in place of Mr Wienand

As usual, the holiday activities were extensive and a number of boys and staff were busy with various hockey festivals, a golf tournament, rugby matches and festivals, surf lifesaving, the International Youth Leadership Summit and international debating and public speaking. Perhaps the highlight was our hosting of the Independent Schools Hockey Festival at our Riverside campus, which took place over four days. My sincere thanks to Mr Keegan Pearce, our Director of Hockey, all the staff and boys who were involved, the Parents’ Committee and all the other parents who were involved – their combined efforts made this wonderful event come alive. We received very favourable responses from the visiting teams and coaches. Thank you for flying the Clifton flag!

As we look forward to the term ahead, we are very conscious that the first five weeks will be quite disruptive, as we do not have a full five-day week until after the elections in May. We have the Easter long weekend, two public holidays (one of which, at least, falls on a Saturday), and the election on 8 May. In addition, the College has two whole-school tours, to Bloemfontein and Pretoria, during this period. This will cause some administrative challenges, but we will keep in communication with you regarding the potential disruptions.

I wish all our young gentlemen, our staff and our parents a wonderful term ahead.

Yours faithfully

DAVE KNOWLES

EXECUTIVE HEADMASTER