leave-out 1 term 21 02 2014 final
TRANSCRIPT
21 February 2014, Volume 12 #1
Our Vision: At VGHS we support and respect one another in a safe and happy environment. Our broad spectrum of activities and
facilities enriches all, as we strive for excellence.
WHAT’S NEW?
NEW STAFF
VG is very pleased to welcome a
range of new faces to the teaching staff.
Veronica Bickell – Intern teacher
Olwethu Bunu – Intern Teacher
Megan Hartley – Music Department
Sandy Nichols – Maths and Natural
Sciences Departments
Peter-John Urban – History, Drama,
Social Sciences, English and Creative Arts
Departments
Roxi Vieira – Intern Teacher
We wish them well over the course of
the year, and know that they have chosen
to work at a fantastic school!
OUR PARENTS
PTA JELLY BEAN JAR
As part of the fundraising that the
PTA does over the course of the school
year there is a “Guess the Number of Jelly
Beans in the Jar” competition that is
currently running. For only R2.00 anyone
can buy a ticket and guess the total
number of beans. Tickets can be bought
from Ms Cherry until 20th
March.
THE RAINBOW RUN The main fundraiser this term is VG’s
own take on the popular “colour runs”
that have been held over SA.
Date: Sunday 16th
March
Time: 11:00 – 13:00
Venue: VG/VP campus
Cost: R20 per person (6 paint colours
included)
Wear white and leave bright!
OUR GIRLS
REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL of
LEARNERS 2014 These girls are elected by their register
class to serve on the RCL for 2014. The
grade 8 classes only vote at the end of
Term 1 to give all girls a chance to fully
integrate into high school life.
Captain: Phinda Gqweta
Vice-Captain: Siphamandla Cingo
12T: Sandisiwe Magadla
12R: Zizipho Nonkula
12G: Afezikile Moko
12D: Zenande Ncetani
11T: Lihle Jojo
11R: Nonty Nkone
11G: Likhaya Moko
11D: Lutho Mancotywa
10T: Danielle Walker
10R: Lauren James
10G: Toni Butterworth
10D: Jordan Fischer
9T: Ndimthandile Mfiki
9R: Janet Okoh
9G: Sesethu Mqomboti
9D: Zizipho Kutu
TERM 1 CLASS CAPTAINS 8D Captain: Ntombekhaya Fundani
Vice-captain: Lelethu Mcotsho
8G Captain:Sanele Phillips
Vice-captain: Tyla Fourie
8R Captain:Busisiwe Nojoko
Vice-captain: Linnique Denston
8T Captain:Anda Maphanqa
Vice-captain: Zibusisio Mabizela
9D Captain: Mihle Cobotwana
Vice-Captain: Avuyile April
9G Captain: Kayla Klingenberg
Vice-Captain: Melisa Alexander
9R Captain: Khayisa Marangxa
COMING UP...
21/02 Project Day Leave-out 14:30 Sound of Music – Rehearsal RUME Riebeek College Hockey Festival 22/02 Cacadu Athletics Humansdorp Riebeek College Hockey Festival 23/02 Leave-out 26/02 Sound of Music Rehearsals 17:00 Film Society Evening 27/02 17:15 Finance Committee Meeting
28/02 14:15-15:15 Young Academics Lecture Series
Vice-Captain: Anovuyo Marambana
9T Captain: Anda Magida
Vice-Captain: Uviwe Songca
10D Captain: Zhane Ndlovu
Vice-Captain: Chloe Finlay
10G Captain: Yolanda Niwa
Vice-Captain: Georgina du Toit
10R Captain: Simanye Madolo
Vice-Captain: Amy Grewar
10T Captain: Ntumi Siyepu
Vice-Captain: Milagre Lang
11D Captain: Bulali Ngesi
Vice-Captain: Caryn Potgieter
11G Captain: Khanyisa Gwata
Vice-Captain: Sheugnet Hill
11R Captain: Siyolisa Sazona
Vice-Captain: Mvelo Mcuba
11T Captain: Ayabulela Ngcebetsha
Vice-Captain: Wanda Nyikila
12D Captain: Asivile Mpopshe
Vice-Captain: Zenande Ncetani
12G Captain: Philisa Nomgca
Vice-Captain: Sihle Njwambe
12R Captain: Michaela Fester
Vice-Captain: Nelisiwe Peyi
12T Captain: Elethu Nogumla
Vice-Captain: Deborah Mushwana
Well done to all girls who have been
elected to serve this term.
ACADEMIC ACTION
ACADEMICS: GRADE 9S
Ms Hayes
We would like to give early
warning to the parents of our grade 9
learners that there is a compulsory
Subject Choice Meeting for parents and
girls at the end of Term 3. It is vital that
parents attend this meeting in order to
fully participate in this very important
decision that your daughter will need to
make at that time. While it may seem
very early in the year to be writing to you
about this; it is really important that your
daughter begins to think about her future
subjects NOW. Not least of all because
many of our subjects are limited by grade
9 marks in their feeder subjects.
So for example, if your daughter
wishes to do Physical Sciences, she must
achieve at least 60% for Maths in grade
9. Class size, of course, is also a limiting
factor. Last year, for instance, there was
much competition for spaces in the Life
Sciences classes. So... please start talking
to your daughter as soon as possible
about her dreams and aspirations. If
there is a subject she is desperate to do,
the best thing she can do is to work as
hard as she possibly can NOW to get the
best marks she possibly can in the feeder
subjects to ensure that she will not be
disappointed at the end of the year. Girls
are welcome to ask me specifics about
feeder subjects and which subjects are
historically the most difficult to get
into. Please remember that, at the end of
the year, promises to try harder NEXT year
will fall on deaf ears. There’s a reason that
the expression “there’s no time like the
present” is so well know.
CAREER COUNSELLING AND ADVICE Girls that would like advice regarding
subject choice, careers, university
entrance requirements and bursary
application forms can make an
appointment to meet with Mr Mitchell to
discuss their options.
YOUNG ACADEMICS LECTURE SERIES Mr Stoloff
On February 28, The Young Academics
Lecture series for term 1 will take place.
This is an opportunity for our girls who are
interested in Science to listen to Biological
Scientists explain their work. We are very
lucky to have Dr Olaf Weyl (from the South
African Institute of Biodiversity) coming to
speak about his work on eels and invasive
fish species, and Kennedy Zimba , an MSc
student from Zambia, working on parasitic
control of citrus pests. A sign up list will
be put up shortly. The talks start at 14: 15
and end at 15:15.
RHODES AND SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE for AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY BIOLOGY INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
Mr Stoloff
Girls who are interested in this
wonderful opportunity, and who are
currently achieving 70% in Life Sciences,
have been given application forms to take
home over Leave-out. The main objective
of this programme is to enhance the
quality of pupils at high school level, but
also to boost excellence within tertiary
education, in order to form responsible,
motivated, internationally competitive
scientists by instilling enthusiasm and
awareness for Science in young
learners. Please read the selection criteria
below before returning the application
form. Take note that competition for a
spot is fierce as only the best candidates
are selected, and Graeme College and
Ntsika Senior Secondary School are also
likely to participate in 2014!
• Successful applicants should be
achieving a minimum of 70% in Life
Science (based on the results of the
most recent examinations or averaged
CASS marks up to the time of
application). Any application should
also be strongly supported by the
pupil’s teacher.
• Only Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils are
entitled to this programme. Grade 12
pupils are allowed to work in a
laboratory only until (and including)
the July holidays.
• Due to logistic problems, only pupils
that live in Grahamstown (or that can
find their own accommodation in
Grahamstown during vacation – VG
hostels are not available) will be
eligible for this programme.
• The lecturer that provides you with
some work will ask you to write a short
scientific report that will help
improving “scientific writing” skills and
that will be handed out to your teacher
as a proof of participation to the
internship.
• You may attach a motivation letter if
you/your teacher need more space.
In order to qualify for a letter of
attendance from Rhodes University or
SAIAB, you need to work a MINIMUM of
30 hours during at least TWO holiday
breaks – no excuses or exceptions will be
made!
The application forms must be
returned to Mr Stoloff by Tuesday, 04
March.
CULTURAL AFFAIRS
DEBATING Ms Watson
The debating society has started
off well this term with a debate against
Graeme College, the motion was “this
house would legalise the selling of human
organs” and the competition was very
tough. The Junior debators triumphed,
but the Seniors girls lost narrowly to the
GC boys. Sinomtha Quinisile and
Siyavuya Titi participated in the
Department of Education’s Municipal
Debate on 3rd
February in both the English
and IsiXhosa categories. The topic for the
debate was “the Importance of
Education.” Both girls were placed first in
their categories and went on to the
District level debates on 10th
February. At
the District debate the topic was “The
importance of Education After School”
where Sinomtha was declared the overall
winner. In the coming week there are
scheduled debates against St Andrews
College with some very exciting topics.
HIKING AND CAMPING CLUB V. Jackson
Bushman’s River Canoe Trip was held
over the weekend of the 8th
February with
six intrepid girls and three teachers
braving the heat, mozzies and aching
Fort Beaufort, Adelaide, Mthatha. ??????????
muscles to canoe from the Kenton Marina
13 kilometres up the river to the cabin.
The six hour trip was exhausting, but well
worth the scenery and wildlife that we
encountered, as well as spending time
with different people from VG. A big
thank you to Ms Dekker, Ms Woudstra and
Mr Hazell for organising and
accompanying us, we really did appreciate
it - even if there was no shower!
Ready to set off
We made it!
The view from the river cabin
FIRST AID There will be a blood drive at VG on
13th March 2014. Donors must be:
� Between the ages of 16-65 years’
old.
� Weigh more than 50kg.
� Have eaten a good meal before
donating.
� Lead a sexually safe lifestyle.
� Have healthy iron levels.
A reminder to all the girls that wish to
obtain their level 3 St John’s Ambulance
Certificate, the course will be from Friday
14 to Sunday 16 March 2014.
GREEN TEAM Mr Stoloff
The Green Team is raising
awareness about frog biodiversity. The
team will present an informative talk at
the Thursday 27 February assembly. This
will also be a Civvies Day with the
following theme: The Princess and the
Frog. ‘Couples’ (a princess and partner
frog) can come to school dressed to this
theme on the day. Please remember that
civvies can only be worn if the theme and
the 3B rules are adhered to! There will be
no charge for wearing civvies on this day.
SPORT MATTERS
INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS AND GAMES
DAY S. Shahzad
On the 7th
of February 2014 we had our
annual Games day. After a week of rain,
the weather was in our favour. The girls
came with high spirits and showed their
enthusiasm by dressing brightly in their
house colours. The theme for this year was
‘One Wicket Cricket.’ After competing
within their houses, the best team from
each house was chosen to participate in
the semi-finals. The finals involved a play
off between Ruthville and Graeme, which
Graeme House convincingly won!
The positions for Games Day are as
follows:
1st
place Graeme
2nd
place Ruthville
3rd
place Thursford and Dorset
There was no award for the Spirit Cup
this year, as all the houses displayed great
enthusiasm. A special mention was made
to Thursford House for showing great
energy throughout the very hot day.
The final athletics results for
InterHouse Athletics are as follows:
u/14 Victrix – Linnique Denston
u/16 Victrix – Jemma Ginn
u/19 Victrix – Lauren Tyson
The Co-curricular committee leading the
school spirit session
Final house positions are as follows:
Position House Points
1st
Ruthville 299
2nd
Dorset 258
3rd
Thursford 244
4th
Graeme 229
Congratulations to all the trophy
winners and well done to all the
competitors.
u/14 High jump action
Lunch break line dance
TOP 8 TENNIS TOUR
J. Killian
The first weekend of the term saw the Top
8 Tennis girls travelling to Port Elizabeth
for their tennis weekend. On the Friday
evening the team watched the Cheverolet
Warriors play against the Dolphins in an
exciting T20 game, which ended on a
closely run tie. On the Saturday the girls
played some stiff matches against Pearson
High School, although the squad did not
win their games, they played with great
spirit and were incredible sportswomen.
Thank you to Ms Smuts for organising the
trip, and to Mr Still for driving and cooking
for us.
The Top 8 Tennis Players
SPAR LADIES MILE SWIM L. Goodes
On 16th
February six intrepid
team swimmers participated in the 90th
Annual Spar River Mile Swim. This event
was formerly swum in the Red House
River, but due to increased pollution it has
been relocated to the Sundays River.
There were a total of 341 women from 8
to 65 years in age who participated in this
year’s event, so it was no mean feat for
our team swimmers to complete the swim.
This year the wind was blowing
downstream, so the water was very
choppy, that coupled with the heat and
many contestants made for a tough race.
Well done to Leticia du Preez, Jordan
Fischer, Emma and Liza Goodes, Abby Vos
and Danielle Walker on their successful
swim! A big thank you to the parents who
travelled down for the day, to Ms V for
driving the bus, and to Sandy van der
Waal for coaching and guiding the girls
safely up the river during the race; your
involvement is always appreciated.
In our Spar Mile Shirts before the swim
Back on dry land with our medals
SUMMER LEAGUE NETBALL Ms Farquhar
The Summer League netball has been
in full swing with lots of sweaty netball
action. The finals will be played on Sunday
9th
March at 16:00. Supporters are
welcome to attend!
HOSTEL ACTION
ELEANOR BROWN ACTIVITIES
Ms Mitchell
So far this year at EB we have enjoyed
a talent show and an overnight trip to
Chappies Cushion Resort.
At our talent show the girls danced,
modeled and sang. Asaphila Jack was the
overall winner, well done! Thanks must go
to Ms January for organizing the event and
to our stooges for being the judges.
The Grade 8s were treated to an
overnight trip to Chappies Cushion, a
wildlife nature reserve en route to Port
Alfred. The girls were told to bring
swimming costumes and wear proper
walking shoes, because we were going on a
long walk to see zebras and buck. The Grade
8s also packed as if we were going away for
a week and not just for one night!
On arrival we went for a swim and
organized our cooking groups. Some girls
really struggled to make their food and
ended up eating very late! With all the heat
the girls were keen to have another swim
before collapsing into bed. At dawn the
cockerel may have crowed but we all
ignored it and went back to sleep until Sam
arrived, our instructor and then we all had
to jump out of bed and get ready for the
activities that lay ahead of us.
Instructor Sam did ice breaking activities
with us. It was lots of jumping about and
telling us about yourself. At 10am we went
to do the assault course where we were put
into teams and each member of the two
different teams had to help each other
around the course. This was very
strenuous, but really worth it!
That afternoon we were taken for a
nature walk. The guide told Mrs Mitchell it
would only take half an hour, but an hour
later he remarked that it depended on the
speed of the group; and our boarders
clearly are not used to physical activity our
group took nearly two hours! A big thank
you must go Ms and Mr Mitchell for
organizing such a great outing, and a thank
you from Ms Mitchell to the grade 8s for
being so well behaved.
At Mather Pike, Renfrew House and
Denise Long the boarders have enjoyed
weekend activities of walks and swimming
with the stooges as their outings only
happen later in the year.
FOUNDERS’ WEEKEND
Diarise this important weekend – 7th
and
8th
March 2014! This is the celebration of
VG and Graeme College’s birthday
weekends and the programme is jammed
packed. Over this weekend the VG girls will
put on their major production “The Sound
of Music,” participate in Inter-house
Singing, celebrate with service to the school
and a special Assembly.
Girls must arrive at school on Friday 7th
in full VG sport’s uniform, but must bring
their full summer school uniform,
including blazers with them. Grade 12
learners are expected to attend all
relevant Saturday 8th
March events, as
well as the choir who will sing at the
Memorial service. Full programmes will be
handed to all girls after Leave-Out
Weekend.
Any parents who are old girls, or are in
contact with old girls, that would like to
play sport against current VG girls are
asked to contact the office and leave their
names.
The Sound of Music performances:
Thursday 6th
March - 18:30
Friday 7th
March - 18:30
Friday 14th
March - 18:30
Tickets are R40 per adult and R20
for concessions; and can be booked at the
school offices with Ms Strauss. Book early
to avoid disappointment!
IN CONCLUSION
A WORD FROM OUR SCHOOL CAPTAIN
P. Gqweta
The term started busily with
welcoming the Grade 8 Smurfs and other
new girls to our VG family. Grade 12s
have had to start their duties, and find
their feet in their leadership positions
while trying to lead a balanced life. Other
grades have had to adjust to new subjects
and new assessment rules. We had a
successful Interhouse Games Day where
we embraced the true VG Spirit of getting
involved and having fun. So far, we have
had lovely presentations in Assembly that
reflect our excellence on the sports field,
in the classroom, and in making the most
of opportunities.
A WORD FROM THE PRINCIPAL Welcome to 2014! I really hope that
the new school year is everything you
hope it will be.