April Newsletter
Dear Parents I spent this long weekend travelling with the girls to the National Girls’ Schools’ Sport and Cultural Festival in Durban. The festival takes place annually and was hosted this year by Durban Girls’ High School. There were 1020 young women and 250 adults from 23 state schools in attendance and it was the most amazing celebration of girls’ schools. An interesting piece of history is that Wynberg, together with Rustenburg, held the inaugural festival in 2000, when only hockey and netball were played. The festival has now grown to include hockey, netball, squash, tennis, touch rugby, debating, public speaking, chess, vocal ensembles, art and drama. Wynberg Girls’ High School will host the festival again in 2021 – girls’ schools certainly plan ahead! The atmosphere was incredible and, although competition was present, many girls will remember this tour for the sense of camaraderie which was felt and the friendships formed. The enthusiasm and pure pleasure of living life to the full was evident. It was electric to be part of such an amazing group of young women who were encouraged at both the opening and closing ceremony to be the change-agents in our country, to take the incredible power of so many girls and use it not only to succeed personally, but to use their skills to unite every team in which they played and group in which they participated. It was a wonderful privilege to travel with the Wynberg girls who, in my (unbiased) opinion, are the most superb young women. They did not win everything, but they had courage, they had spirit and they were proud ambassadors for their school. Now we have to leave tours behind as we all put our heads down to prepare for the June examinations. A young prospective 2017 grade 8 learner who I interviewed recently admitted to being anxious for examinations but hastily added that it was only when she had not learnt well enough. We trust the current Wynberg girls will have no anxious moments when they sit down to write each examination! Regards, SHIRLEY HARDING Principal
NEWSLETTER | MARCH
Wynberg Girls' High School
WGHS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS BLUE PLAQUE AWARD
On 15 March, Wynberg Girls’ High School had the honour of unveiling a prestigious Blue Plaque. It was awarded to our school by the Simon van der Stel Foundation as testament to the age of the school and a distinguished past pupil, Ingrid Jonker. We were fortunate that Simone Venter, her daughter, was able to attend and she delivered a personal and heart-warming poem in memory of her mother who died 50 years ago. All guests present had the privilege of joining Mrs Harding and Mrs Venter for the unveiling of the Blue Plaque outside the Ballet Hall which was built in 1891 and is the oldest school building.
#LASTONTHEGRASS PICNIC THE END OF AN ERA
On 16 April, Wynberg Girls’ High School’s friends and families gathered for a sunset picnic on the “sacred” grass. The grass, which has always been regarded as hallowed turf, is now being removed to make way for a state-of-the-art campus upgrade featuring eco-classrooms. The celebratory evening gave picnickers the chance to savour the opportunity to sit on the grass for the last time. The new and improved Wellington Quad lawn will be used as an amphitheatre for concerts and drama as well as a recreational area.
THE VISION: CAMPUS UPGRADEBUILDING COMMENCES MAY 2016
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAKESPEARE! With love, the Grade 10s
Friday the 22nd marked the last day before the sacred grass would be cut up into squares which are being sold as a fundraiser. Our Enviro Club used the opportunity to raise awareness of and celebrate Earth Day and had much needed hot chocolate and brownies on sale. Soon we’ll be surrounded by construction noise that we will have to get used to. The noise, however, will result in the provision of much needed classrooms.
A DAZZLING AND SENSATIONAL MATRIC DANCE FASHION SHOW
KIRSTEN HOUSE CHALLENGE: SPELLING BEE! The Kirsten house challenge took the form of a spelling competition. There were eight candidates (one from each house). The challenge was carefully graded to increase the levels of difficulty as competitors challenged each other. It seemed fitting for us to invite our Academic Head, Mr Burrell, to be the chief adjudicator and equally appropriate to invite AP Maths teacher, Mr Roberts, to tally the numerous points. Despite the fact that all competitors had their wits about them, it was unsurprising that the 2016 (Student) Academic Head, Meg Anderton, won the competition for Constantia. We’d like to thank all participants and our enthusiastic supporters for making this a most successful challenge.
On 13 April, Wynberg Girls’ High School’s Matrics got a chance to put on their Matric Dance dresses one last time! The girls put together a fashion show for the whole school where they showcased their spectacular Matric Dance dresses - shoes, accessories, make-up and all! The school cheered and applauded as they watched each Matric girl parade her dazzling outfit on the catwalk. The girls even made it into the local paper:
CONSTANTIA HOUSE CHALLENGE: BUILD A BOAT! The “Build a boat that floats” challenge took place on 15 March during break on the Sacred Grass in the Wellington Quad. Each house was given a plastic sleeve with set materials to build a boat. The objective was to make sure that they could build a boat in the designated time and then to make sure that it could float. From there the houses had to race their boats across the diving pool. The girls seemed to have loads of fun and actually had to think quite hard to build these boats. Well done to all the girls who participated!
Watch the video HERE! OUR LIBRARY GETS A MAKEOVER Our new and improved library features interactive desks with colourful chairs, increased shelf-space and a fresh and modern look while maintaining the deep, rich ceiling structure and wooden surfaces. We aim to add more comfort elements into the library to make it a truly effective ‘work, read and relax’ space.
LET’S GET KNITTING - WOOL FOR WONDERS HAS LAUNCHED!
OUR DYNAMIC JAZZ BAND PERFORM AT V&A BAND SLAM!
We have officially launched our Wool for Wonders campaign for the sixth year running! Between WGJS and WGHS, we hope to collect more than 5000 items! The junior school will be knitting blankets and the high school will be knitting jerseys. A unique jersey pattern has been designed by the Wynberg Old Girls’ Union, in conjunction with the Wynberg Girls’ Schools.
DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN HERE.
However, both schools encourage any knitted materials to come in. Please note: All items can be dropped off at either Wynberg Girls’ High School or Wynberg Girls’ Junior School. If you would like to donate wool to be knitted by others, have wool delivered to you or for any other queries, please contact: Hilary Mills by calling 021 764 2200 or email hmills@wynghs.co.za
U14A HOCKEY GIRLS BEAT RUSTENBERG
On 15 April, our school jazz band took to the band slam stage at the V&A Waterfront for the 3rd time. This year, our band, consisting largely of new members performing for their very first time, blew us away yet again as they had all of us dancing in and out of our seats. The Wynberg Spirit was at an all-time high, and the excitement to see our girls on the stage was infectious. With loud cheers and a thundering applause our Jazz Band performed a repertoire of songs: opening the sequence were the haunting harmonies of “Ubuntu”. In this context, the Pointer Sisters’ song “We are family” had a fierce support and resonance that was difficult for anyone to challenge. Charismatic, engaging, electric, our jazz band vocalists energised the crowd. There is little doubt that the hours of intense rehearsing proved well worth it.
win a There was much excitement and anticipation as the U14A hockey team warmed up to play their first match for Wynberg. They did both themselves and the school proud as they played some good hockey to achieve a 3-0 victory over Rustenburg Girls. They used their scoring opportunities to good effect and played well defensively to prevent Rustenburg from scoring. Goals were scored by Alyssa Isaacs (2) and Caylee Nel. Well done girls.
bursary
FOR YOUR CHILD SCORE FOR YOUR SCHOOL TO
win R100 000
SQUASH GIRLS SHINE AT ST STITHIANS
The Wynberg Girls First Squash team had a fantastic Easter festival tournament at St Stithians College in Joburg during the holidays. The festival was played over five days. The team went into the tournament really focused and ready to play quality squash. We came 4th overall and both Inge Tripod and Isobel Evans won all their matches. This meant both made it onto the Top Player rankings for the weekend. The team did fantastically in the tournament and we are very proud of them.
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CULTURAL COLOURS We congratulate the following girls who were awarded cultural colours in a number of disciplines for their work in 2015.
MAJOR PRODUCTION: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A CAST MEMBER
Being a part of the cast of this year’s major production has been an absolute honour. The play itself is a captivating play that addresses so many issues that resonate currently. Because my character is shared, I have been able to watch the play as well as perform in it, and every time I have seen it, I have been profoundly moved and amazed at the professionalism of the performances. I have also had the opportunity to see the director at work. We started rehearsing this play at the beginning of the year: time has flown as we moved from scripted reading to performance. During that time we have been challenged and we have learnt. It has deepened our discussions and expanded the world as we worked to walk in our characters’ big shoes. At the end of this process it is now not uncommon to address each other by our stage names. We have grown together and some great people have been met along the way. It has been an extraordinary experience working with Keenan. His vision, his choice of play on the occasion of the school’s 175th anniversary is one that will be remembered. His attention to detail, use of space, costume design worked to inspire: we cannot thank him enough for all he did for us. The skills we learnt on stage will be ones I will definitely use in the future. During the process there have been shifts from what might be comfortable to include an expanded and enriched perspective. The first production in which I performed in high school in grade 8 was directed by Keenan Oliphant and now, in matric, the last Major Production has been directed by Keenan Oliphant too. I can’t think of a better way to end my high school acting career. - Danni Alves
SAILING REGATTA:
DEBATING RESULTS: JUNIOR AND SENIOR TEAMS TAKE BEST SPEAKER AWARDS We were delighted to hear that members of our debating teams were awarded “Best Speaker” in their debates on 18 April. On this occasion we were debating against LEAP College. The juniors who debated were: Stacey Muzanya - Best speaker; Rebecca Espin and Zarah Nordien. The junior motion was: This house would pay additional benefits to families on welfare according to the child’s academic performance. The seniors were: Stacy Goliath - Best Speaker; Thandeka Chakanyuka and Mikayla Schilder. The senior motion was: This house would privatise electricity.
GIVING BACK: We are proud of our fantastic sailors who recently participated in the Southern Charters Interschools’ Sailing Regatta. Wynberg Girls’ High was represented by two teams: in our first team, sailing in the Laser Radials class was Sarah Jane Deary (Grade 10) and Sonja Stock (Grade 11) who were placed second in their fleet. Sailing in the Laser Picos class was Mia Stock at the helm and Shannon Burridge as crew, who were placed fifth in their fleet. Out of a total of nineteen schools, WGHS came seventh but were the first girls team! Our brother school, Wynberg Boys’ High School came first overall for the third year running.
Pictured below: Wynberg Girls’ collect Easter Eggs for Capricorn Primary.
OUTINGS THIS MONTH: Pictured below: Our Grade 10s on a History exursion to the Slave Lodge and BoKaap Museum.
ATHENA GAMES REPORT The Athena Games, the annual academic competition organised in conjunction with Wynberg Boys’ High, was held last month and was everything it promised to be and more. Participants were encouraged to come dressed in the colours of their favourite Olympic teams. These ranged from Brazil, all the way to the US and some people were quite dedicated to their outfits. Working through the stations, each based on a different school subject, was very exciting. There was a lot of bonding between the teams and the competition was fierce. Every station presented a new challenge and what made the stations more enjoyable was the fact that everything was relatable to us and we could solve problems by working together. The stations were a perfect mix of subject knowledge and general knowledge and this was great, as it meant it was not all school-based. Overall, the evening was really well organised and everyone had a lot of fun.
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