WYNBERG GIRLS’
NEWSLETTER Also available on our website : www.wynghs.co.za
Dear Parents Get behind our boys! This is probably an unusual beginning to the first newsle er of the year from the principal of a girls' only school. However, I am sure many of you know that phrase and have every inten on of ge ng behind the Protea Cricket team as they leave this week for the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. As AB de Villiers, the talented Protea's captain, commented, “The most important element to come out of our Protea Fire culture is the realisa on that we play for 50 million South Africans. The fan support has been incredible over the summer at home and has really made us feel privileged to be represen ng such a passionate na on.” I am sure that the Wynberg girls will be part of those fans and will wear the green and gold on special days at school. I would like to invite you to “Get behind our girls”. We have 952 amazingly talented young women at Wynberg. They do their best for their school; for you, their parents; and very importantly, they play and work for themselves – to achieve goals, to improve, to be the special person they are intended to be. They live by #Wynbergpride and they would like you to catch that spirit as much as South Africans will catch the Protea Fire. Our girls will achieve in Academics, Sport, Culture and Service – the four founda on pillars of our school. Don't be le behind and miss the ac on! Please encourage your daughter to par cipate herself, and then, also, to support her friends, her house, or the club or society which represents her par cular passion. The school council have chosen the tagline “We are limitless” which es in so well with our ‘Year of the Eagle’. Please be at school events to see your daughter soar like an Eagle. She, and the other Wynberg girls need a fan base and that means we all must be the support team! We are proud of our girls and we cannot wait to see the results of their commitment in 2015. It has been wonderful to welcome the Wynberg girls back from their holiday and to open our school to the new Grade 8 learners and the learners who have joined us in other grades. We are posi ve about this year – it will be a fantas c journey – please come along for the ride! I look forward to mee ng you at school events. May we all, at school and in our personal lives, have a wonderful, successful and happy year!
Warm regards Shirley Harding PRINCIPAL
HIGH SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2015
MATRIC 2014 RESULTS
Azrah Ismail Dux student, very proud Principal, Mrs Harding, Anjalie Kooverjee 3rd and Elsa Nel 2nd. Congratula ons to our 2014 Matrics for their excellent results. While one of our candidates was unable to complete the exam owing to illness, 171 candidates passed the examina on, and 162 (94.2%) achieved a Bachelors Pass. There were 311 subject dis nc ons (80%+) and 32 learners earned 4 or more subject dis nc ons. Of the 19 subjects offered, 3 subjects achieved an average above 80% and 11 an average above 70% – a reflec on of the quality of teaching at the school. The following students, in alphabe cal order, achieved between five and seven dis nc ons: 7 dis nc ons: Imaan Dolley, Lauren Goliath, Azrah Ismail – Dux of 2014, Anjali Kooverjee, Siddeeqah Marlie, Elsa Nel, Cailin Rice, Thaakiyah Ryklieff, Rachel Su le. 7 Distinctions !
Back: Rachel Suttle, Elsa Nel, Thaakiyah Ryklief Front: Imaan Dolley, Azrah Ismail, Anjali Kooverjee, Siddeeqah Marlie, Cailin Rice, Lauren Goliath 6 dis nc ons: Cayleigh Brown, Cindi Janari, Taryn Petersen. 5 dis nc ons: Georgia Bailey, Robyn Burrows, As n le Roux, Laura Mar n, Jacey RomonManeveld, Thandi Wiltshire, Natashia Young
AZRAH TOP IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE ! A ending the Leeuwenhof Awards ceremony, Wynberg was delighted to hear that Azrah Ismail was ranked 1st in the Western Province in Physical Science and was on the WCED 2014 Merit List. Awards are given to candidates who have achieved excellence in the 2014 NSC examina ons. Each person on the list received a cer ficate, an award of R6000 and an electronic device. In addi on to this, WGHS was ranked 16th in the list of top 20 schools. Consequently Wynberg was amongst those who received an award of R10,000 for the purchase of teaching and learning support material. We commend these girls for their success, and congratulate all of the Matrics of 2014 and their teachers who earned this award for the school. In addi on, at the Metro South Educa on District Awards Ceremony, it was announced that WGHS achieved the most Bachelors Passes - 94.2% - in Circuit Two. The following girls were placed in the top 20 in the District: Azrah Ismail was placed 1st overall, Elsa Nel was 6th, Anjali Kooverjee 7th, Rachel Su le 11th and Cailin Rice 12th.
The anxious wait followed by the celebration!
Azrah with her very proud parents. WGHS 2014 MATRIC TOP 10 1. Azrah Ismail 2. Elsa Nel 3. Anjali Kooverjee 4. Cailin Rice 5. Rachel Su le 6. Cayleigh Brown 7. Cindi Janari 8. Thaakiyah Ryklief 8. Imaan Dolley 10. Lauren Goliath
94,0% 90,57% 90,29% 89,29% 88,43% 87,14% 87,0% 86,29% 86,29% 85,43%
4 dis nc ons: Sade´ Carpenter, Charne´ Damons, Vega de Vries, Courtney-Jayne Dykes, Trishabye Essoo, Schael Igwe, Caitlin MacGregor, Zulaikha Mohamed, Deshal Pema, Delia RutherfoordJones, Aqeelah Soeker, Tyler Warrin, Nikiwe Xhakwe. AS Levels are interna onal examina ons run by Cambridge University and wri en by students all over the world. WGHS has been offering A Levels since 1999 and currently offers AS Levels in English and History to Grade 11s who must meet the requirements of both WCED and Cambridge University. Congratula ons to these candidates who all obtained above 70% : Kayla Arnold, Alice da Silva, Roxanne Douglas, Ashleigh Dreyer, Frances Housdon, Tamar Kendon, Hayley Knol, Michelle Langeveld, Michelle Mitchell, Jae-Young Park, Beth Petersen, Anastasia Solomons, Clara Stassen, Zayaan Stegmann, Ashleigh Thompson, Nicole Wentzel and Natalie Winter. Special men on, however, must go to Nicole Wentzel and Clara Stassen - Nicole achieved 86% for English and 96% for History while Clara achieved 80% for English and 85% for History. NAME ENGLISH Nicole Wentzel 86% NAME HISTORY Ashleigh Dreyer 82% Nicole Wentzel 96% Ashleigh Thompson 82% Anastasia Solomons 93% Clara Stassen 80% Casey Homan 90% Zayaan Stegmann 76% Michelle Mitchell 90% Michelle Mitchell 73% Kayla Arnold 88% Beth Petersen 73% Alice da Silva 87% Natalie Winter 73% Roxanne Douglas 86% Michelle Langeveld 72% Clara Stassen 85% Kayla Arnold 71% Hayley Knol 80% Roxanne Douglas 70% Jae-Young Park 76% Frances Housdon 70% Ashleigh Thompson 76% Tamar Kendon 70% Tailah-Claire Standish 74% Jae-Young Park 70%
CAMBRIDGE AS LEVELS RESULTS
Back: Kayla Arnold, Beth Petersen, Ashleigh Thompson, Casey Homan, Tamar Kendon, Nicole Wentzel, Hayley Knol, Zayaan Stegmann Middle: Ashleigh Dreyer, Michelle Mitchell, Anastasia Solomons, Natalie Winter, Michelle Langeveld Front: Roxanne Douglas, Clara Stassen, Alice da Silva, Jae-Young Park
ACADEMIC COLOURS AWARDS
2014 TERM 4 PILLAR AWARDS
Back: S Marlie, L Goliath, R Suttle, A Kooverjee Front: Mr D Burrell, E Nel, A Ismail, Mrs S Harding Many congratula ons to the 4th term Pillar Award winners: Melissa Guthrie - Service; Ashleigh Thompson - Academics; Tasha Ainsworth - Culture; Jessica Virgin - Sport. ACADEMIC COLOURS AWARDS
Special guests at the Academic assembly were 2014 Matrics (seen above) who obtained 7 dis nc ons in their NSC: Azrah Ismail, Elsa Nel, Anjali Kooverjee, Rachel Su le, Siddeeqah Marlie and Lauren Goliath. The Protea colours award was handed out for the first me. It is the highest colours award the school can give. In academic terms, it is given to learners who a ain seven code 7s in their final Grade 11 exam or their Prelim Matric exam, or, at the discre on of the Colours commi ee, for those who have sustained academic achievement at an excep onally high level.
Grade 11 2014 Full Colours Back: Clara Stassen, Kayla Arnold, Tamar Kendon, Natalie Winter, Caitlin Hurry, Carla Mathyse Front: Ashleigh Dreyer, Zayaan Stegmann, Michelle Mitchell, Tamsyn Gaynor
Grade 11 2014 Half Colours Back: Julia White-Phillips, Casey Homan, Raadhiyah Jacobs, Miché Daniels, Robyn Williams, Cara White-Phillips, Lynn-Leigh Plaatjies Front: Zimasa Mamani, Saabira Swart, Anastasia Solomons, Veronique Reagon, Gabriella Schiava
Proud recipients of the Protea awards were Nicole Wentzel (le ), with Mrs Harding, and Ashleigh Thompson (right).
Grade 10 2014 Full Colours Razaana Manuel, Meg Anderton, Aa'isha Dout
Grade 10 2014 Half-Colours Back: Tasha Ainsworth, Rebekah Nathan, Monique Harrison Front: Chloe van Niekerk, Sarah Hardie, Lara Harris, Nicole Chineka
FAREWELL TO MR FERNANDEZ Mr Mario Fernandez joined our school at the beginning of 2008 as a senior member of the History department. Mr Fernandez’ main passion is the teaching of History – a subject in which he has a wealth of knowledge and many Wynberg girls have enjoyed the intellectual debate in his classroom. He has also assisted in various extramurals while at Wynberg, including our informal summer soccer and the Public Speaking Society. It was under his guidance that Wynberg entered and did so well in the UN and Moot Court debates. Mr Fernandez was due to re re at the end of the first term this year but re red early and will con nue his teaching career in a SGB post at Sea Point High School. We wish him well in his new post.
WYNBERG WELCOMES NEW TEACHERS
TAKE A VIRTUAL WGHS TOUR In order to be er showcase our beau ful school, not only to those who are considering coming to Wynberg, but to those who have already walked through the hallways, we embarked on a process of crea ng a virtual tour of the school. An interna onal company assisted us in pu ng together a 360 degree virtual tour, showcasing a number of Wynberg's world class facili es. Take the me to have another look at the school your daughter a ends. Go to the school website and click on Explore, and then on Virtual Tour, or click on the url below to go straight there: h p://www.wynghs.co.za/explore/virtual-tour/
WOGU WALK The WOGU walks con nue. This one started from Tafelberg Road, headed up the zig-zag Saddle Path to Kloof Nek and then back down to the car park.
Mrs Annique Dabrowski, Ms Gabrielle Johannes, Ms Erin Hudson, Ms Caryn Tennant We extend a warm Wynberg welcome to Annique Dabrowski, Gabrielle Johannes, Erin Hudson and Caryn Tennant, who have joined the teaching staff this year. Mrs Dabrowski, who returns to Wynberg a er studying further, will be teaching Maths and EMS. Ms Johannes and Ms Hudson will both be joining the History Department. Ms Johannes will also be teaching some English. Ms Tennant joins us as a teacher intern and will be teaching English and Crea ve Arts.
WOGU VISITOR “Dear Ms Harding, I was a WGHS boarder, and graduated in 1967. I le South Africa in 1972, and recently had the great pleasure of returning for the first me, and visited the school and the boarding house. Lynne Mar n gave me a warm welcome, and suggested I write something up for the newsle er, so that is what I have done. Regards, Elizabeth (Be y) Davies (née van der Graaf).” Ms Be y Davies (le ) visited the school and hostel over the holidays and was fascinated by how much things have changed. When she was a student here there was no swimming pool and the Wellington Quad was the hockey field! Be y has wri en about her early Waterloo House memories - the story is on our school website: www.wynghs.co.za “Four of us from the class of 1967 are s ll great friends, though we have always lived far away from one another - variously in New York, O awa, Paris, Geneva, Barcelona and Brussels as well as Cape Town and Johannesburg. We stayed in touch in the early years by sending le ers and audio casse es, and now by telephone, email and Skype. We also have a great me when we get together, which we do more and more regularly as the years go by. Here is a picture of us a couple of years ago in Paris (from le to right, Janet (née Comay), Valerie (née Cann), me (née van der Graaf) and Les (née Eddy). These las ng friendships are a great compensa on for those lonely first days in the Bug House.” (their name for the hostel!)
SA HOCKEY STARS VISIT WYNBERG In late January and early February, the SA Women’s Hockey team played a series of matches against Chile and Belgium. This meant, of course, that three of WGHS’ hockey stars - Illse Davids, Quanita Bobbs and Candice Manuel - would be wearing the green and gold and represen ng South Africa. Illse, Quanita and Candice, plus Ms Andi Bernstein, currently SA Women’s Hockey Team Manager and former Wynberg teacher and hockey coach, visited the school on Thursday. Illse spoke in assembly about what it means to play in the SA team and the training and hard work involved. A erwards the school crowded around taking photos and selfies. Then the rest of the SA team arrived and all of them made their way down to the hostel where they were hosted for lunch.
Andi Bernstein (ex-WGHS teacher) Team Manager, with Quanita Bobbs, Illse Davids & Candice Manuel, all Wynberg past pupils.
Ms Opperman got Quanita to tell her class how instrumental she had been in Quanita becoming an SA player. (Ms Opperman was the U14A team manager Candice, Mrs Nel & Quanita back then, and using her famous voice, she would keep Quanita on her toes during matches!) Mrs Nel was delighted to have two of her ex-tutor group girls in the SA team!
The SA Women’s Hockey team pose with their Wynberg fans!
SWIMMING Our swimming team par cipated in a gala at Rondebosch Boys’ High - the first of the season. The new Grade 8s got their first experience of a combined gala and learnt something about the spirit of the schools around them. Our girls swam well and were narrowly beaten by Springfield. We know that this event will serve as a spur for each swimmer to improve.
TENNIS On Friday, Wynberg’s 1st tennis team played against the Springfield A side but things didn’t really go according to plan for them! Although the girls put up a good fight, they lost by 5 matches to 1. This happens some mes and there is no doubt that the team will play even be er in their next match. Well done to them and thank you to the girls who supported.
SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING Ellen Schwerd eger, Gabriella Liversage, Caroline Enslin, Marilyn Papadakis and Jewel Ormond entered the Na onal age group compe on for synchro held at Reddam House during the December holidays. They entered the trio and the group rou ne sec ons of the compe on and won both! They were also voted the best novice team.
INDOOR HOCKEY 2nd team vs Fairmont 2nd: Wynberg won 2-1 With only one prac ce under the belt, the girls were a li le nervous but started strongly. With renewed confidence, the players con nued a acking which soon paid off with a fantas c goal from Tamsyn Gaynor. Fairmont fought back but the Wynberg team held steady and then Wynberg was unlucky not to convert a corner thanks to a brilliant save by the Fairmont goalie. A er much a acking and great defending, Amber-Rose Bailey scored goal number two for Wynberg. In the last few minutes of the game, Fairmont turned up the pressure and scored. The final minutes of the game were fran c but Wynberg held on to win the game 2-1. There were great performances from all players, well-led by their captain, Chelsea Manoek.
Team talk with Mrs Hudson-Windsor
Ellen Schwerdtfeger, Caroline Enslin, Gabriella Liversage, Marilyn Papadakis & Jewel Ormond.
MARTIAL ARTS Jessica Virgin is the youngest student to achieve 1st and 2nd Dan Junior Black Belts at the Claremont Dojo. She was also their student of the year. Jessica was awarded 3 silvers and 1 gold at various Regional Championships in 2014, and silver at the World Championships in July.
1st team vs Fairmont 1st: Wynberg won 3-2 A er much back and forth play, Wynberg forced a short corner and captain, Stephanie Lopes-Stuart, slammed home the first goal. Both teams played great hockey but good goalkeeper play meant neither side converted. Another Wynberg short corner led to another goal and the Wynberg team con nued playing at break-neck pace. Stephanie took her opportunity and scored a great hat trick goal to take her team into a 3-0 lead. In the final minutes, Fairmont took off their goalkeeper and scored first 1 and then a second goal. As the clock cked down, Wynberg ghtened their defence and kept the Fairmont players out. Valeshkha Harku pulled off a matchsaving slide tackle to save the 3-2 win. There were solid performances by all the players with some dazzling skills on display from Logan Patel. An exci ng game all round. 3rd Team vs Fairmont 3: Wynberg lost 1- 3 Fairmont had home game advantage and made full use of it, scoring two goals in the first half and a third early in the second. However, Wynberg did not relax and with just a few minutes le , Lutho Sidzumo scored the final goal of the match, se ling the score at 1-3. On the whole Wynberg’s 3rds played a good game and are looking forward to a good season.