THE PULSE
Issue 3
The High School newsletter of Sacred Heart College
Issue 3 Midterm issue 22 February 2016
IN THIS ISSUE Reading in the spotlight: media centre news Matric Original Plays Festival Jazz band finalists at St Mary’s Battle of the Bands Radio Veritas taking on the airwaves
Sacred Heart College learners shine at Viebz Swimming in full flow Midmar Mile Basketball news Sharing our call Counsellor’s corner
DATES TO DIARISE February/ March
Riley Pam-Grant awarded ‘best instrumentalist’ at the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands last week Wednesday 24 25
From the principal’s desk [by Mrs H Blanckensee] HHHBblBlaBlanckensee
27 29 1 March
Dear parents, guardians and learners We are half way through our first term and almost at the end of our summer sports programme. Some of our learners spent their mid-term playing basketball, practicing for the Matric Original Works play festival, while others caught up on schoolwork, friends and family. This is a reminder that school is about
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Inter-Catholic Swimming Gala midday Open ISSA cricket tour depart (26-28 Feb) Open day 09h00-12h00 Inter-high swimming gala PA meeting; Grade 6 visit; English Olympiad, Grade 6 parent information evening Matric Original Plays Matric Original Plays Debating- junior rounds 1&2 Winter sports start Prestige Gala; Grade 12 Art moderation Instructional rounds, Summer sports awards, isiZulu Olympiad 1st round; Leadership Booster Instructional rounds
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more than learning specific facts and that this learning happens beyond the classroom. School is about learning how to learn, how to practice and develop self-discipline, and to persevere despite having to grapple with difficult concepts, frustrating experiences and demanding schedules. Parents and teachers need to support learners as they struggle with some of the more mundane tasks or those tasks that seem too difficult without doing the work for them or giving them permission to give up. Teachers should try to make learning more engaging wherever possible, but without learners taking responsibility for that learning, no amount of “edutainment” will help. More and more the demands of 21st century learning encourage the learner to take responsibility for their learning. One local
school has changed the name of homework to “Own Work”. What a shift in paradigm! The idea of the flipped classroom supports this philosophy and places a significant demand on learners having to work things out for themselves and bring that knowledge to the classroom to be interrogated. The role of the teacher is shifting from being the source of all knowledge in the classroom to that of expert facilitator. With that shift in teacher role comes a similar shift in the learner’s role. If we, as parents and teachers don’t encourage this shift we will continue to dumb down our learners’ experiences at school. We are preparing learners for a future where it’s not what you know but what you do with what you know, and how motivated you are to find out more that will make a difference both at school and beyond.
Media centre news [By Lynette Ziller]
The media centre continues to be busy this year with homework and studying being priorities. The Emmaus Centre has joined the Media Centre so there is a constant buzz. As part of a reading campaign we would like every learner to have a book in their bag. Most books will fit into the IPad bags and are easily accessible. A large number of new books have been added including Afrikaans and isiZulu. So there is something for everyone. Our top readers for the beginning of this term are: Lethabo Sephuma; Joy Tlakula and Linda Kefale. Well done girls. And a challenge goes out to the boys to read more. Some books worth reading include: Al Capone does my shirts and the sequels by Gennifer Choldenko. This is the story of Matthew ‘Moose’ Flanagan who lives on Alcatraz Island and the infamous crime boss,
Al Capone. Well worth a read if you enjoy humour. I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you by Ally Carter is the first in the series about The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women which trains girls as spies. As the series unfolds we learn more about Cammie and her secrets. Watership Downs by Richard Adams while not a new book is well worth a read. Not only is it beautifully written but it tells the story of Fiver and Hazel, two rabbits who lead a group of refugees to their new home. On the way they visit various Warrens which reflect different societies and political systems. See if you can spot both communism and a dictatorship. If you have enjoyed a book why not write a few lines and your book review will be published in the next issue of Pulse.
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Matric Original Plays Festical (MOP) By Roslyn Wood- Morris [HOD: Drama]
This year we are rebranding house plays as the MOP Fest (Matric Original Plays Festival). Every year the drama department provides a platform to showcase original plays that are conceived and written by the matric drama students. Auditions were held at the beginning of the year to much excitement. I am extremely proud of the focused collaborative spirit amongst the four plays being rehearsed in the early evenings. It is such a pleasure to watch learners from Grades 7 to 12, creating work together that has meaningful content and poses strong social and political commentary about the world they live in. Keep the 3rd or 4th of March open. It promises to be a wonderful evening.
___________________ ___________________ _____ Music department [Above: news Dani Costella and Oratile Molefe]
Jazz band finalists at the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands
[Above: Nolufefe Maswanganyi and Dani Costella in Amandla, now where to?]]
On 3 February, the Sacred Heart College’s jazz band particpated in the audition phase of the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands. The band rose to the occasion despite feeling a little overwelmed by the large stage of Johnson, The Edge theatre at [Above: Luke director] St Mary’s and was chosen [Below: Juliaof Barry] as one the eight finalists to perform at the final on 17 February 18h00. The competition rely’s heavily on the audience vote and the band needs as much support as possible. Tickets are R100 and be bought online at http://www.stmarysschool.co .za/senior
[Above: Norman Nlapo, lead actor in Take him to the cemetery]
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Music department news [by Wayne Purchase, Deputy Principal and music teacher]
Radio Veritas taking on the airwaves [by Renee Randall-Taylor]
Jazz band shines at the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands The jazz band participated in the finals of the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands on 17 February. The band, one of only eight finalists, delivered an outstanding rendition of Roy Ayer’s Everybody Loves the Sunshine and had the audience clamouring for more with their sophisticated original composition, Mondays. The standard of the competition was incredibly high and Riley PamGrant of Sacred Heart College won the best instrumental category with R2000 worth of prizes and Mark Millward, also of Sacred Heart College, was awarded best lighting design. Congratulations!
Radio Veritas is up and running and on air. On Tuesday afternoons we depart directly after school for the Radio Veritas studio to record our segment which is aired on Saturday afternoons at 4pm on DSTV channel 870 and on AM. Currently there are six learners who participate in this activity ranging from grades 10 to 12. Each learner has the opportunity to host a broadcast. They must compile a theme, delegate various segments to other members of the team and basically lead the overall flow of the production. Collaboration is imperative within the team and skills required are, amongst others: broadcasting within the Radio Veritas parameters, listening, responding appropriately, voice control, including prayers, making musical choices, marketing Sacred Heart College, doing thorough research, etc.
[Above: The jazz band in action at the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands] _________________________________________________________________
Viebz Contemporary Music Competition
[Above and below: Sacred Heart College learners in the radio studio]
Three learners of Sacred Heart College entered the St Andrews Viebz contemporary music competition: Lerato Dieterich, Angel Gwanda and Riley Pam-Grant. Lerato performed an outstanding vocal rendition of Feelin’ Good, a Nina Simone classic, and Angel performed a stripped down version of the Simply Red classic, Holding back the years. Riley performed a beautifully crafted guitar piece. Lerato as well as Riley made it to the finals which was hosted on 17 February at St Andrews. The judges were particularly impressed with their musicality and stage presence.
SACRED HEART COLLEGE EDUCATION WITH HEART THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS
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Issue 3
From the sports desk Swimming in full flow [by Cindy Niken: Acting HOD Sport] It has been unfortunate for the swimmers that some training sessions and galas have been called off due to inclement weather, but this has not dampened the spirit of our Dolphins. We attended our first league gala on Thursday 4 February at La Salle College in Florida with only 20 swimmers, and managed to achieve a well-deserved 2nd place out of 5 competing schools. Training sessions have proceeded steadily and I am pleased to report no less than 25 swimmers have attended each Tuesday afternoon. It is great to see beginners showing an interest in learning how to swim, intermediate swimmers showing an interest in correcting their stroke, and team swimmers pushing themselves to achieve greatness this season. The Midmar Mile [by Cindy Niken] The Midmar Mile Tour took place from Thursday 11 February to Sunday 14 February 2016 in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The team stayed in Ballito, attended an annual, traditional gala at St Henry’s Marist College on the Friday, enjoyed some time at Gateway theatre or shopping, and spent plenty of time at the beach and in the pool. All the learners swam the Mile on Sunday morning, and all entrants successfully completed the swim.
Congratulations to all the swimmers. Especially to the nine who swam for the first time! _____________________________________ A valentine’s weekend of basketball [By Jean Bwasa, basketball coach]
Over the valentine’s weekend Sacred Heart College participated in the prestigious Under 16 Invitational Basketball Tournament hosted at St John’s. In his welcome message, Paul Edey, Headmaster of St John’s College states that this event has become the “flagship for basketball in Southern Africa”. This tournament is in its 8th year since inception. Over the recent years, basketball is increasingly becoming a sport revered by many youths
partly due to the NBA broadcasts and video games related to the sport. In several schools traditional sports such as rugby, hockey, cricket or water polo are losing sportsmen to basketball – a very fast paced game that requires incredible skill. We went to the tournament full of apprehension since the squad was much younger than expected. None of our five
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starters had reached the age of 16. Our hope was only to participate and make as suggested by the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the initiator of the modern Olympic Games: “What is important, is not to win but to participate”. This participation gained Sacred Heart an honourable 11th place after being defeated in the semi-final of the plate competition 11 – 20 against Hilton College.
we collapsed 43 – 36. St Benedict was victorious. In the last game of the pool, we tried our best against a three-time winner of the tournament and were defeated by St Alban 24 – 39. Ranked 3rd in the pool we were to play the plate competition and not the championship. Finally, I would like to thank all the parents who came to support their children at the tournament. It made such a difference from the usual drop and collect. The song Sacred Heart, no more broken hearts was sung by one of them. Tears were flowing after that victory. To the coaches who devoted their time in yelling, shouting and encouraging players to achieve a better performance, may you always share your extensive knowledge and skill with our children at Sacred Heart College.
[Above: Sacred Heart College in action at the St John’s U16 Invitational Tournament]
The Kwazulu Natal team had the better on us, seldom letting any perimeter to Norman Sikakane (Sacred Heart College) to score or pierce their defence. This talented rookie, who has clinched his second selection in the AllStars team for the second time, contributed to all the scoring and also assists the young Dolphins. Congratulations on this achievement. As an expert in the sport, I would like to underline the fact that much work needs to be done regarding the fundamentals of the rest of the players. Their contribution was erratic and if Norman Sikakane had not taken his role as the captain we would not have sung, Sacred heart, no more broken hearts after the quarter final of the plate competition against King Edward VII School (Houghton) who was leading 11 – 00 in the first half. It was a mammoth mountain to climb and clinch the victory against our closest neighbour. We finally overcame them 20 – 13.
[Above and below: Sacred Heart College basketball team at the St John’s U16 Invitational Tournament]
During the round robin stage, we won two games against Michaelhouse (KZN) 24 – 18, Grey College (Free State) 17 -14. On Saturday morning, the boys played a nail-biting game that went to extra time after Norman Sikakane re-established a 10 points deficit and clinched a much deserved equaliser 35 – 35. There was too much pressure for a one- man-show and
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RESULTS: SHC Team
Opposition Team
SHC Score
Opposition Score
Result
Comments
U16 Boys
Michaelhouse
24
18
won
U16 Boys
Grey College
17
14
won
U16 Boys
St Benedicts
(35) 36
(35) 43
lost
U16 Boys
St Albans
24
39
lost
U16 Boys
King Edward VII
20
13
won
Plate quarter-final
U16 Boys
Hilton College
11
20
Lost
Plate semi-final Final ranking 11th / 20
_________________________________________________________________________________ Glory to the female Dolphins [By Jean Bwasa, basketball coach]
On 17 February our U16 and 1st team girls played St Mary’s Waverley. I believe that these two games will be remembered by the Sacred Heart Community for a very long time. This year our girls were much more competitive than last year, so much so that St Mary’s was left gasping for air. The U16’s team showed that they have progressed both offensively and defensively. All this is partly due to the acquisition of a professional certified FIBA coach who has extensive knowledge of the game and expertise both as a professional national team player and coach, but also as coach who instils discipline and passion for the game. He is a coach who believes in the development of fundamental skills step by step rather than playing to win at all costs. Needless to say that our girls have come to the party and understood their responsibility as team members. Each player can now catch, pass and shoot the ball to score….it is not always accurate but the progress is noticeable. The atmosphere of the venue was electric with male players chanting and dancing to encourage their peers. Our girl of the match, Jodell Tantij showed such a determination to win that she has shown more progress in comparison to her peers who started before her and is singularly promoting herself as a model champion. It was really thrilling to see her fighting to keep the ball on the ground not sparing any effort to defend after losing the ball to the opponent. Our 1st team were not as successful as the U16’s despite leading throughout the first half. Fatigue started to take hold as a lot of the juniors had to play with the senior team with little recovery period between the two games. However the fixture was equally entertaining and nail-biting as we lost 16-24. This is really a vast improvement compared to our lacklustre performance last season when we lost by 30 points to St Mary’s. Congratulations!
Sharing our call [By Masego Mafata and Daniel Hewlett]
In the first week of the December holidays of 2015, both of us were fortunate enough to travel down, along with the other Marist school heads to the Addo community in the Eastern Cape.
We spent an incredible and unforgettable seven days amongst the people and environment of the Sunday’s river and the mark left in our hearts was one which we felt we could not save for ourselves and had to be shared. We have decided to involve the whole
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school in collection drives that we intend to donate to Addo towards the end of the school year. This is in keeping with “Sharing Our Call”, which was the initiative we were able to be part of, founded by two Marist alumni whereby the heads of Marist every year will travel to the Addo community. Our visit to the Marist/ Sisters of Mercy community furthermore links with embracing the year of Mercy that has been declared by Pope Francis.
[Above: children from the Addo community] [Below: Daniel Hewlett and Masego Mafata in action]
The first donation drive will start at the beginning of this year’s Lenten period. We hope to make it a sustainable initiative that would continue once both of us have moved on from Sacred Heart. We truly wish to continue to “Share Our Call” and strengthen our relationship with the Marist and Mercy communities in Addo. For both of us, our trip left us with mere memories and experiences but for the people of the Addo community, this is their lives and we deeply believe in improving them. No child should have no toy to play with and no parent should have to send their child to sleep hungry. _____________________________________
Counsellor’s corner [by Marie Grobelaar]
SACRED HEART COLLEGE EDUCATION WITH HEART THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS