Grade 11 leadership announcement

GRADE 11 LEADERSHIP

ANNOUNCEMENT

It is always with great excitement that the school announces the newly appointed leaders. Here they are for 2021/2022.

In a very different yet memorable tutor class, the Representative Council of Learners, Matric Leaders, Heads of Pillars and Portfolios, Hostel Leaders, and the Head of School were announced online.

RCL Chairperson: Layla Poole RCL Deputy Chairperson: Yasmin Adams Head of School: Shakeelah Williams Head of Academic Pillar: Pollyanne Carlos Head of Cultural Pillar: Zubenathi Gongo Head of Service Pillar: Shalom Masanga Head of Sports Pillar: Casey Williams Head of Sustainability: Lilitha Ontjies Head of Communications: Lailah Moosa

REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL OF LEARNERS

Grade 8: Tatum Barnes, Carrey Giffard and Janaan Stegmann Grade 9: Azra Hassiem, Hannah Hill and Analissa Mguqulwa Grade 10: Taskeen Hoosain, Mersei Mananga and Florence Omari Grade 11: Yasmin Adams, Pollyanne Carlos and Layla Poole

HOSTEL LEADERS

Head of Hostel: Zubenathi Gongo Deputy Head: Kamva Yozi

AMAQUA

Head of House: Jesse Daniels Matric Leaders: Yasmeen Dhansay, Hannah Thompson, Gadeeja Samaai and Nur Haroun

ARISTEA

Head of House: Anoyolo Mzazi Matric Leaders: Jessica Forbay, Raabia Wentzel, Cheyanne Viviers and Angel Brink

AZIMA

Head of House: Cuba Arendse Matric Leaders: Nusrat Hoosain, Mariam Abrahams, Jodi Meyer and Tahirah Ebrahiem

FERRARIA

Head of House: Zoë Vermaak Matric Leaders: Huda Waggie, Razaan Gamiet, Khanyi Kamisa and Chloe Smith

iKHALA

Head of House: Kian Green Matric Leaders: Leah Geldenhuys, Phinley Constant, Yasmin Adams and Jo Williams

JACKALBERRY

Head of House: Lisakhanya Macanda Matric Leaders: Kiara Davids, Siphosihle Sipoyo, Megan Africa and Caitlin Joseph

MARULA

Head of House: Wren September Matric Leaders: Atheerah Isaacs, Imaan Lalla, Inéz Marthinus and Raeesa Zalgaonkir

MOWANA

Head of House: Chido Mukondiwa Matric Leaders: Norah Kischke, Taherah Orrie, Alexa Loxton and Amy Scholtz

We congratulate these learners and wish them well in their term of office.

10 GRADE 10 REPORT

The words they set to the tunes were heartfelt, hilarious and had them all singing at the top of their lungs.

The Class of 2023 has had a busy year. At the start of the year Class Captains were elected which created an opportunity for the elected learners to take on the responsibility of looking after their classes. The Class Captains did an excellent job communicating information to their classes and creating class spirit. In Term Two we held a Grade 10 Karaoke Competition and each Class Captain had to get their class to create their own lyrics to a popular song. We sang them together during one of our grade assemblies. The songs they chose were upbeat and fun (an ABBA compilation, ‘Youngblood’ by Five Seconds of Summer and obviously there was ‘We’re all in this Together’ from High School Musical). The words they set to the tunes were heartfelt, hilarious and had them all singing at the top of their lungs.

We also held an unsanctioned pajama day in Term Two, when the Grade 10s surprised everyone (except, it must be admitted, their Grade Head) by rocking up to school in their pajamas one Washday Wednesday. The Grade 10s spent a very cosy day, the envy of every other grade and teacher, wrapped up in gowns, furry slippers, onesies and so much flannel.

In Term Three the Geography and Life Sciences departments arranged for Plant the Seed to facilitate a day of environmental workshops. The theme of the day was ‘A New Normal’, a term that has come to refer to how we are having to adapt to Covid. Plant the Seed put a very positive spin on the phrase, encouraging the learners to see that there is an opportunity to define this ‘New Normal’, and have it align more with our core values and in balance with nature. The programme consisted of various workshops that the Grade rotated through: ‘Indigenous Flora and Fauna’, ‘The World of Waste’, ‘I am Water’, ‘Ocean Conservation: The Beach Co-op’, ‘Meditation and Mindfulness’ and ‘Sustainable Architecture and a net-zero carbon house’. They ate black fly larvae, put tufts of indigenous herbs up their noses and were inspired to breathe deeply and think about their world and themselves differently.

Towards the end of Term Four each Class Captain nominated three learners from their class that they thought deserved any kind of award – these ranged from catching ducklings to flying into soccer nets to stop a goal to having great story telling skills and being able to distract their teachers. This was an excellent way to end the year and the grade was on top form, applauding their peers delightedly and laughing at their many inside jokes.

Written by Ms Carynn Underhill, Head of Grade10

Keira Clarence

Florence Omari

9 GRADE 9 REPORT

Ameera Parker

Nikita Abrahams

Keisha Delaney

SEEING 2021 THROUGH THE EYES OF A GRADE 9 LEARNER: BACK TO SCHOOL IN 2021

I have a new teacher. We have a new class. My new class is tiny. We’re all wearing masks. At first I was scared about how things would change. School was closed for so long. Would it feel bad or strange? But today I rode back to my school on my bus. I sat by myself. There wasn’t a fuss. Not on my ride or when we got to school. We stood far apart. We learned some new rules. Our teacher read books. We all shared our names. What I thought would be different was almost the same.

Written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

As the Grade 9 head this year, I realised the Grade 9s needed consistency and structure (as best as we could). The Grade faced two years of online lessons, alternating days in class and load shedding (if the pandemic wasn’t bad enough). I found that in those challenges, the Grade stayed united and grounded in the fact that WE, Wynberg Girls’ High School, had their best interests at heart and most importantly, their safety.

The Grade 9 year is such a crucial year in one’s schooling career, this is the year where you as a student discover yourself, your emotions and try to make sense of what you want out of life. One way we were able to achieve this was by an educational talk by Ron Addinal regarding gender diversity. Not only educating the Grade 9s but empowering them to be mindful and actively aware of the LGBTQIP+ community by the fact that they understand and practice inclusivity in all aspects of life.

Subject choice looms for the Grade 9s in Term 3, where most learners get stressed and overwhelmed by the thought of picking subjects for Grade 10 – Matric. The idea is to not expect the learners to know exactly what they want to do after school, but to think about what subject field they enjoy learning and broadening their horizons for the future. By the end of the subject choice process, they feel empowered and excited for the next chapter of their lives. The Grade 9s unfortunately missed out on Camp in Grabouw this year; however, the learners were involved in some opportunities to build new friendships and fun experiences together. School life after school became more “busy”, and this was a positive step forward for the learners to focus their attention on the four pillars of Wynberg Girls’: Sport, Culture, Service and Academic. This gave many of the Grade 9s an opportunity to get involved and get their hands dirty – in our new veggie garden!

I am looking forward to watching this Grade 9 group grow together as a collective and learn to support each other and encourage one another during the challenging times. I have faith that they will make the best memories in the years to come!

Written by Ms Kerry Hermans, Grade Head

Morgan Thompson

8 GRADE 8 REPORT

Covid has thrown many spanners into the mix and our Grade 8s of 2021 have taken them all in their stride. Our Grade 8s initial welcome to Wynberg was a series of videos from the various leaders as well as their subject teachers introducing themselves and what to expect in their subjects via Google classroom.

A fantastic Welcome Party and Orientation organised by the leaders followed, in which the Grade 8s had a House reveal, presentations from the various pillars and portfolios, and learned the school song (amidst shrieks of laughter).

Throughout the year the Grade 8s have found their way, not only around the school without getting lost, but also the way in which they want to be involved at Wynberg. Many have found themselves excelling in academics, culture and sport as well as getting involved in service related activities. They also engaged with relevant talks from speakers such as Ron Addinall, a gender-diversity expert and speakers from SALT (The South African Large Telescope).

Term 4 saw the Grade 8s complete their official end-of-year assessments and see the end of their first year of high school!

I thank the Grade 8s of 2021 for a good year and I wish them well with the rest of their high school career!

Written by Ms Amy Wilkinson, Grade 8 Head

PILLARS

ACADEMIC PILLAR REPORT

Chido Mukondiwa It is difficult to believe that we are almost at the end of a year during which the school ran under Covid-19 protocols from beginning to end. When one considers the delayed start to the 2021 academic year, the further disruption to the school calendar in the middle of the year and the fact that we did not have all grades attending school in person at various stages of the year, we can feel proud that the curriculum was completed in all subjects and in all grades. Both teachers and learners learned from their experiences in the early part of the pandemic last year and things worked so much better in 2021 when we were able to transition almost seamlessly from face-to-face teaching to online lessons as required.

The year started on a high note when we received outstanding 2020 National Senior Certificate results. Wynberg Girls’ High School placed in the Top 20 schools in the Western Cape, placing12th on this prestigious list in the category of Excellence in Academic Performance. The Grade 12s achieved an impressive 441 subject distinctions between them (averaging 2.7 distinctions per candidate). Our Grade 8 to 12 learners of 2021 have performed well and we are expecting good things from them at the end of the year.

The 2021 Academic Committee, under the leadership of the Pillar Head, Jaime Lodewyk, did an outstanding job and highlights included the return of the Athena Games, the launch of the STEM Club and a successful Subject Choice Fair to assist Grade 9 learners in choosing their FET subjects. The new committee has started their term of office well and we can expect more new events and activities in 2022.

The 2021 Academic Committee, under the leadership of the Pillar Head, Jaime Lodewyk, did an outstanding job and highlights included the return of the Athena Games.

I am very grateful to all who have helped to make 2021 a successful academic year – our teachers and our learners, supported by their parents and guardians as well as our non-teaching staff who played a vital role in this success.

Written by Mr David Burrell, Academic Pillar Head

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Well Done, Pollyanne!

Pollyanne Carlos, Grade 11, placed 3rd in the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) annual Interschools Quiz.

SAIIA’s annual Interschools Quiz began in 1993, out of a hope to see South Africans of all backgrounds involved in the future of the nation’s international affairs.

SAIIA is an independent public policy think tank. They provide a platform for the public to engage with global and national issues such as foreign policy, the environment, economic policy and social development, with a focus on Africa’s development.

We are very proud of Pollyanne’ s participation in the SAIIA annual Interschools Quiz and for representing WGHS so well.

Pollyanne Carlos