St Johns Preparatory School

St Johns Preparatory School Houghton Tel: 011 645 3100/ 087 550473 20th September 2013 Newsletter Number 8

From the Headmaster

Have you done your homework? Please go and have a bath! Are your bags packed for school? Supper is ready, come and eat! Get up! Eat your breakfast! Get in the car; were going to be late... sound 20/09 Prep Cultural Day familiar? LIII & UIII Math's Assessments We have just completed the Independent Quality Assurance Agencies (IQAA) School Evaluation which will be available for your perusal shortly. The results are extremely encouraging and the whole process was very worthwhile. Having read it and in preparation for our strategic planning day, with all the many different areas of the school on the agenda to be discussed, it made me realise how busy we all are.
23/09 24/09 27/09 LIII & UIII Social School Holiday Public Holiday - Holiday LII & UII English Assessments LIII & UIII Afrikaans/ isiZulu Assessments SJP 1st XI Hockey Festival Rowing Regatta (Roodeplaat) ON THE NIGHT Mad Hatters Tea Party - 150 Years of Alice In Wonderland Hooked On Books Headmasters Assembly Parent Information Evening Waterpolo Tournament Cape Town

Reminders from the Diary

28/09 30/09

All the boys seem to be doing is taking orders or 02/10 listening to instructions from their parents and from 03/10 their teachers. During term time, how often do we actually just take some time out? How often do we have a conversation as a family that is not schoolIf your son is 9 years old, that related? means that he has been with you for 3 285 days. In another 3 285 My family has supper at the dinner table every days he will be 18, and there is a night, and I often, without realising it, find myself good chance that he will be off to questioning my children about what they should university and never come back and shouldnt be doing at university and school. I home permanently. Scarily, for see them tense up, and generally my daughters both the most of us it is even less than roll their eyes. I need to remind myself about the that! Now, do we want to spend importance of quality time and the importance of the rest of our parenting days just free conversation. Children need to be encouraged telling our children what we want to speak openly in a secure and comfortable them to do? I dont think so. environment. You may remember what I always tell the Grade II parents at the Upper I parent-information evening, but in this context I thought it was worth repeating... And so the challenge I have for myself, and perhaps you would like to try it too, is to spend 10 minutes every evening talking about something totally different.

01/10

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It may be as simple as how Arsenal are going to win the league, or perhaps some current news which is not too daunting or horrific - it doesnt matter. What matters is that as a family we all enjoy each other, we slow down and we have fun. I hope that you all have a wonderful term, that you take time to reflect on all the good things that have happened this year and you look forward to all the exciting challenges that lie ahead. But most importantly is that you talk to, love and have fun with the most valuable people in your lives your family. A short poem as a reminder Why do you offer material things to show me how much you care? Gifts of gold are lifeless and cold. No matter how precious and rare. These are not gifts but apologies you give Because you are not really aware. That the only true gift is the gift of yourself, In the time and the love you could share. May I wish you all a wonderful long weekend and a fantastic Heritage Day! PATRICK LEES

Spring Assembly

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The future of learning

At the end of last term, I was privileged to attend the Future of Learning Programme at Harvard. The course is run by the Harvard Graduate School of Education as one of their summer programmes, beginning online with a series of pre-course readings and webinars, and culminating in a week of full-time lectures, workshops and group projects on campus in Cambridge MA. The programme focuses on questions such as: What do we know about globalisation, the digital revolution and mind/brain research, and their influence on education? How might we rethink learning as a result of these changes? What should we as teachers do differently to meet the demands of the future of learning in practice? What will these changes lead to? Speakers included some of the best minds in education in the world, such as David Perkins and Howard Gardner, and at times I almost had to pinch myself to believe it was real! Ideas shared included David Perkins views around change: we live in a world that is changing so rapidly that to all intents and purposes we are educating for the unknown (Perkins, 2013). Our teaching needs ensure that what we teach results in learning that matters in the lives our students are likely to live, in lifeworthy learning. We need to nurture students who embody Howard Gardners Five Minds for the Future, who are comfortable with the complexity and ambiguity in relationships with others and the world. Skills needed to navigate a path through this changing landscape include collaborative learning, expert thinking, complex communication and effective thinking routines. We also need to factor in the impact of technology on knowledge and learning, and the impact of the many new developments in mind and brain research and the resulting neuromyths that may arise. During the course, I volunteered to participate in a group research project a charrette learning experience that taught me to think about the ways in which some of these changes might be made in my own teaching and in the learning process in my classroom. Charrette learning is based on design thinking and our group was encouraged to problem solve, experiment, create and collaborate in a studio-like environment. At times, I found myself well out of my own comfort zone, but I cannot remember when last I have felt as invigorated and challenged.

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I am indebted to John Lobban and the Board at ISASA who so kindly awarded me the generous visitorship that made this experience possible. I am also indebted to the Council of St Johns College and to Patrick Lees, Prep Headmaster, without whose support this exciting adventure would not have been possible. I hope to be able to share all that I have learned at every opportunity, both at St Johns and in the wider community. A full copy of my Harvard report is available on the Prep website for anyone interested. Alternatively please feel free to email me if youd like a copy, or if you have any questions.

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Margot Long longma@stjohnscollege.co.za

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I have been really pleased with the general progress of our boys on the sports fields over the past 18 months. Our results have improved steadily each season. The performances of our teams, especially the mixed ability teams in the lower age groups, promise that this trend will continue. Our PE programme ensures that every boy has the opportunity to develop his skills, his fitness and his understanding of the sport. During our morning lessons we dont create just a thin veneer of excellence, but we are maintaining that excellence and creating substantial depth within each age group. Although I believe that we still spend far too much time competing instead of teaching, the weekly matches have served as reliable bench marks to plot our progress and to work out our strengths and weaknesses. Although this progress is encouraging, we must keep reminding ourselves of our purpose and keep checking to see whether our programme fulfils that purpose. We have to ensure that every boy has developed the foundation on which any future physical activity can be built. We need to give him the tools to play the traditional games like rugby, tennis, cricket, basketball or water polo and, also at a later stage, to participate in the less traditional sports like canoeing, cycling, rock-climbing or trail running with confidence and competence. Our programme must piece together the building blocks to ensure that our boys are comprehensively physically literate. We see Physical Education as a process. Initially, the process began in the Pre-Prep and continued into the Prep and then on into the College. Now, it starts in The Bridge! In the 70s and 80s, the trend was to push young athletes to reach high levels of excellence as early as possible. It was not uncommon for 15 year-olds to compete in the Olympics , in Grand Slam tennis tournaments or in swimming or athletics World Champs. Supposedly, the thinking was that if they started their careers young, they would have long careers. Often they were put through tough accelerated training programmes where important developmental phases were overlooked. Some were given drugs to delay the onset of puberty to keep them light and agile and others were given drugs to build muscle in order to enhance their performances prematurely. Many never reached their projected potentials and others were one-hit-wonders who were never heard of again. A teenager may have many of the qualities required to participate at the highest level but it is highly unlikely that he would have developed sufficiently in every aspect required to produce a senior elite athlete to maintain that level of performance. Thankfully, we see that the trend has changed. Forgive me for choosing tennis as an example, but this years Grand Slam winners serve as perfect examples of my point. Serena Williams won the Ladies Singles title at the US Open at the age of 31 and Rafael Nadal (27)won the mens title. Both of these players also won the French Open earlier in the year. Marion Bartoli (28) won the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title and Andy Murray (25) won the Gentlemans Singles title. Novak Djokovic (27)won the Australian Open and is ranked #1 on the ATP World Rankings. The Bryan brothers, the American twins who have dominated the mens doubles for several years, are 34 years old. (They were hoping to win all of the 4 Grand Slam titles this year but were beaten in their own backyard by Paes and Stepanek in the semi-finals!) The success of these mature sportsmen and women tells us that our boys have many years of competitive sport ahead of them and that we need not be in any hurry to push them to peak too soon.

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As parents, we know the importance of allowing a baby to master each step in his developmental sequence before moving on to the next. Every milestone in the process has a purpose and if, for example, he walks before he crawls, he will have missed out on several aspects of his development, creating a gap in the foundation of his future physical development which will be difficult to fill at a later date. Similarly, in a Physical Education programme, there are window periods in which children are most receptive to acquiring specific skills. If these window periods are missed, it is unlikely that the child will ever reach his full genetic potential. It is, therefore, essential that we recognise these window periods and design our programme with them in mind, in order to ensure that our boys complete every phase before moving on to the next. We should not be tempted to rush into teaching them advanced drills. Time spent on teaching them the basics will give them the edge. In our screen-dominated world, children are less likely to develop these skills naturally through play and so, the onus is on the PE staff to ensure that the opportunity is created for them to learn these skills artificially. I fear that the sport systems created in prep schools in South Africa dont allow children to take advantage of the windows of optimum learning because the league systems introduce too much formal competition too soon. Too much time is spent playing and preparing for matches rather than on making the most of these critical periods of learning. When advanced concepts are taught before the foundation stones are laid, it will be less likely that any of those skills will be completely mastered. At St Johns we are acutely aware of what is required and we try to ensure that our boys are given the very best opportunity to reach their full physical potential but we are caught up in the system and it is worrying that, because of this, our good intentions may be compromised. Swimming Our first gala will be held on the 11th October. The College has given us some space in the Valley Pool in the mornings. Until the Long Walk Pool warms up, early morning training will be held in the Valley Pool on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6h15 to 7h00, starting on Wednesday 25th September. Trials will be held during PE lessons in the week starting on Monday 7th October. Lynn Joubert Director of Curriculum and Staff Development (Sport) joubert@stjohnscollege.co.za

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An Interns Perspective
Its that time of the year when everyone seems to have almost reached the top of the long hill and we just need that final push before we can relax on the descent. These next few weeks seem to be what the teachers and boys have been working towards the whole year. For the UIIIs, this is the last stretch of their Prep careers and they are at the point where they begin to plan for next year. We the, interns, find ourselves in a similar situation. Some of us will finish our studies and will also finish our Prep career. I find myself sharing the same questions as some of the UIIIs, have I done enough? Have I missed an opportunity? Will I be remembered? The most important question I ask myself is Have I learnt enough to move on? I am very privileged to be surrounded by teachers who are leaders in their respective fields. I have learnt more from observing lessons than any textbook could ever teach me. To see the time and effort that all the teachers put into lesson plans, coaching sessions and general running of the school often leaves me in awe. Their effort is not for fame or a big pay-cheque. It is for the one child that will come back one day and say, Thanks, that was awesome!. I want to be a teacher so that I can too, have a positive impact on childrens lives. I have had the privilege to have started at St Johns Prep when the current UIIIs began in UI. I have watched them grow up. I was there when they were learning to read, I was there when they took their first catch and played their first soccer game. I have shared some of their most important moments in their young lives. Those moments make the long hours, stressful deadlines and tough days worth it. To the teachers at St Johns Preparatory, Thank you for helping me become the teacher I want to be. To the boys, Thank you for reminding me why I want to be a teacher you deserve. Tony Johnson johnsont@stjohnscollege.co.za

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Tennis
9th Private Schools Under 13 Tennis Tournament Sun City During the August holidays, our five Prep first team tennis players participated in the annual Private Schools U13 Tennis Tournament. This was held at Sun City where the boys enjoyed fantastic facilities. Over the first two days, St Johns drew 40 games with the very competitive Jan Celliers, and convincingly beat Cornwill Hill 51-27, but then lost to a strong St Stithians 18-56. The boys started the final days play in 4th place on the log, but with two terrific victories over Pridwin (46-38) and then The Ridge (49-31), they finished in second place. Our five players, Bradley Milton, Janovin Scholtz, Alex Barrow, Ethan Chilvers and Christopher Williams proudly represented St Johns Prep We look forward to next years tournament at Sun City, where we will be entering our 2nd team in addition to our 1st team in this competitive and exciting weekend of tennis. Detailed Results: vs Jan Celliers Day 1 Singles: Williams 8-1 Chilvers 8-6 Barrow 7-8 Milton 2-8 Scholtz 5-8 Doubles: Chilvers & Williams 8-1 Scholtz & Barrow 2-8 vs St Stithians Day 2: Singles: Milton 0-8 Chilvers 2-8 Williams 6-8 Scholtz 4-8 Barrow 2-8 Doubles: Milton & Scholtz 3-8 Chilvers & Williams 1-8 vs The Ridge Day 3: Singles: Milton 4-8 Scholtz 8-5 Barrow 8-2 Chilvers 5-8 Williams 8-0 Doubles: Milton & Scholtz 8-2 Chilvers & Barrow 8-6

vs Cornwall Hill Day 2: Morning vs Pridwin Day 3: Morning Singles: Singles: Milton 6-8 Chilvers 8-1 Barrow 8-1 Williams 5-8 Scholtz 8-2 Doubles: Milton & Barrow 8-5 Chilvers & Williams 8-2 Milton 8-0 Scholtz 8-3 Barrow 5-8 Chilvers 5-8 Williams 8-7 Doubles: Milton & Scholtz 8-4 Barrow & Williams 4-8

Sean Logan Director of Sport logan@stjohnscollege.co.za

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Cricket

James Barrow, Ciaran James, Ethan Chilvers and Shaun Jacobs who have been selected to represent the Johannesburg North-East U13 Area Cricket team.

Jack Lees, Jack Stewart, Jack Montgomery, Tarun Gupta, Riyaadh Haffejee and James Ives. They have all been selected to represent the Johannesburg North-East U12 Area Cricket team.

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Waterpolo

We wish our St John's Preparatory School 1st team waterpolo boys every success at the upcoming and very competitive SACS Waterpolo Tournament in Cape Town. Back row: Mr Bornman 2nd row: Gavin McPherson, Garyn Berry, Ethan Roets, Daniel Harding, Luca Allasio Front row: Jordan van Der Walt, Kieran McKenna, Michael Smith, Stefano Cavalieri, Simon Shelton.

Swimming
Peter Buckle, LIIH, has been selected to swim for Central Gauteng in the Highveld Inter-provincial Gala. Well done, Peter!

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Hockey

Congratulations to the 1st XI hockey team who kicked off their season with a fantastic 2-1 win over Pridwin on Wednesday 11th September at St John's. A promising season lies ahead!

The 2nd XI hockey team began their season with a fantastic 2-1 win over Pridwin on Wednesday 11th September at St John's. Well done, boys!

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Chess
16th September St John's A vs Pridwin St Johns won 38 - 28 St Johns B vs APPS St Johns won 28 - 12

Congratulations to boys who won both matches - James Arthur, Khavish Govind, Brendan Thomas, Andi Qu, Gregory Thompson, Alistair Van Der Riet, Taylor Williamson, Corijn van de Loosdrecht and Montsi Manyatsa.

St Johns A Team

St Johns B Team

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4CTea

80% and over for Spelling Test Thendo Mudau Trishan Moodley Jordan Van Der Walt

85% for Afrikaans Poem Luca Harding

Presenting Their Book Reviews in Assembly Sebastian Whitehead Yusuf Ganchi

Early Morning Friday Run with Mr Logan Kieran McKenna James Burgess Nicholas Lansdown Anthony Mason-Gordon

Hard Work and Excellent Effort Richard Wattam

Much Improved Drama Journal Writing Kgotso Bogoshi

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Interact Day 2013

Drawings of Mr Lees by the Pre-Prep boys on Interact Day

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Last term, the Lower III boys read the novel Silverfin by Charlie Higson. The book is about young James Bond, Before the name became a legend. Before the boy became the man. The Lower III R boys were given the difficult task of summarising the novel into pictures for each chapter.

By Jack Montgomery

By Dylan Van Der Walt

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By Tarun Gupta

LIII musical instruments made from recycled materials

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On Saturday, 31st August 2013, Jordan Van Der Walt was the motivational speaker for FOTAD. Future of The African Daughter. This is a development project for girls aged between 12-19 years old, who come from previously disadvantaged areas. Girls are equipped with knowledge, invaluable skills and academic support through various workshops.

Jordan, pictured with Miss Gqbelo Dandala - Project CEO Tom Sandilands, Stef Cavalieri and Nick Siedle have been involved with the Jacoba Football Academy since May this year. They have been helping to coach soccer to the primary school boys on their free afternoons at the Sasol grounds near KES. This has been an enriching and enjoyable experience for the boys where they have grown enormously. Last Sunday the boys, along with Jordan and Dylan van der Walt, hosted a party for 86 players from The Jacoba Football Academy. These boys come from disadvantaged communities in the Berea, Hillbrow and Yeoville areas. Their coach Dimitri voluntarily coaches these boys on a daily basis. Dimitri believes "a child in sport is a child out of court". The Jacoba Football academy is also provided with a daily meal. Jordan also donated 1.5 tons of maize.

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Thanks to Lynhill Celtic for coming to play a few games against Jacobas older soccer players.

Roger da Costa from Maroka Swallows who came to "meet and greet" the boys.

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Author Visit By Kei Prior UIIB

Last Friday the author Dianne Hofmeyr came to speak to the UI, and UII boys about her latest trilogy of books about Oliver Strange. The first two, Oliver Strange and the Journey through the Swamps and Oliver Strange and the Ghosts of Madagascar, have already been released and the last book will be published next February. The trilogy is about Oliver whose father is a herpetologist (a person who studies frogs) and he often goes missing on the journeys to look for rare frogs. The books tell of the adventures Ollie goes on to save his father. Ive read the first book which I enjoyed a lot. Ollies father goes to Botswana in search of the painted reed frog and he gets captured by crooks and Ollie gets worried so he flies to Botswana to try and find his dad. Dianne spoke a lot about her third book set in the jungles of Columbia where Ollies dad goes in search of the poison dart frog. Ollie gets more than he bargained for when he discovers an anaconda under his bed! These exciting adventure stories are available in the School Library.

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Notices
iCare
Whilst we hope and anticipate that all boys will feel able to approach their teachers or a member of staff should they feel that something is wrong, we understand that this will not always be the case. Some boys may feel unsure of how to approach a staff member or unsure of what they should say. For this reason we are continuing to use the iCare box, which is now located in Mrs Powells office. We also have an electronic version where boys can contact the Pastoral Care Team at iCare@stjohnscollege.co.za. The Pastoral Care team is hoping that the boys make use of these initiatives to highlight anything that they CARE about at St Johns Prep.

The aim is to provide the boys with an alternative avenue to voice their feelings around whatever may be on their minds. This extends beyond the reporting of just peer difficulties (such as bullying) the aim is to further enhance the quality of the St Johns experience. All notes placed in the box or sent via email will be treated confidentially and actions instituted where possible.

We ask that you encourage your son to make use of the iCare initiative so that we can make his day all that he hopes it can be. Hugo Meirim meirim@stjohnscollege.co.za

AFRIKAANS TUITION Is your son struggling to communicate in Afrikaans or having difficulty mastering the basics of the language (oral or written)? I am qualified to assist in both of the above areas and would be available to provide the necessary tuition between 15:00 and 18:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at St Johns Preparatory. Tuition will be provided on either a one-to-one basis or in group situations, lessons will last for an hour. Progress will be regularly monitored and pupils will be expected to perform certain tasks and complete basic written assignments. Tuition fees for individual lessons are R250 per hour and R150 per hour for group sessions. Should you be interested in the above, my contact details are as follows: Graham Carroll Tel : 011 534 1224 Fax : 011 534 1225 Cell : 076 858 9420

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Notices
Art club and extra classes
From the beginning of next term, Mr Poco is starting an Art Club (for LIII and UIII boys) and extra art classes for junior boys. Senior boys are encouraged to join the Art Club on Tuesdays from 14h00 -15h00 or Thursdays from 15h00-16h00. Juniors may arrange extra art lessons with Mr Poco at alternative times and on alternative days. We hope to see the senior boys joining the Art Club to create various exciting art works with mediums they do not normally use in class, such as print making, photography, oil painting and many more. This will be a fantastic opportunity for any boy who wishes to develop his art skills. For further information e-mail Bruno Poco on poco@stjohnscollege.co.za

Italian Language Lessons

Small age appropriate classes and individual tuition offered outside school hours at St Johns. Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher using communicative method of conversation, maintaining cultural ties for solid IEB foundation. Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or Lisabetta@iafrica.com

EXTRA MATHS LESSONS

Lower III & Upper III boys in Mrs de Langes classroom Every Thursday 14h00 - 15h00 (Teacher recommendation only)

Upper III Extra English Classes Tuesdays 14h15 to 15h00 Mrs Troleses Classroom

Shop At St Johns College New opening times from 28th January 2013
Tuesday and Thursday: 7am to 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am to 3pm For stationery and labels, as well as all your sports clothes, jerseys, bags and socks

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If I had my life to live over

Id dare to make more mistakes next time. Id relax. I would limber up I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles but Id have fewer imaginary ones. You see, Im one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, Ive had my moments and if I had it to do over again, Id have more of them. In fact, Id try to have nothing else. Just moments. One after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. Ive been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had it to do again, I would travel lighter next time. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

Nadine Stair (age 85)