Matters

Newsletter No. 1 : January 2016

Events

13th January Wednesday: First day back for the children

14th January Thursday:

15th January Friday: Assembly 12h35

18th January Monday: Parent Orientation Evening 6pm School Hall

19th January Tuesday: Cocurricular activities begin for Grades 3—7

20th January Wednesday: Hotel Hope for the Grade 7 children

21st January Thursday:

22nd January Friday: Grade 6 Tuck / Assembly 12h35

25th January Monday:

26th January Tuesday: Integrated day for Grades 1 and 2

27th January Wednesday: Book covering Gr 6 and 7 / Cricket fixture

28th January Thursday:

29th January Friday: Grade 5 Tuck / Assembly 12h35

Uniform Shop

Times—2016

Tues—Friday mornings

7:30—8:15

Tues afternoons

12—14:45

Fri—Second hand

Uniforms 1:30

CEA Tool

Dear parents

Welcome to Bellavista 2016 Welcome to the 2016 school year! On behalf of the staff, the Parents Association and the Board of Governors, warm greetings to all the new parents and children who are joining the Bellavista family. A special welcome to new staff joining our school this year – Mrs Aadila Tilly in Grade Five, Mrs Margareta Holleran in Grade One and Miss Samantha Jacquet in Grade Two. In the therapy departments, we welcome Miss Michelle Klompas and Mrs Anna Tyranes (Speech-Language), Miss Miridtzá Erasmus (Remedial) and Mrs Jeandré Cooke (S.H.A.R.E.). Mrs Behrens is recovering from a surgery and Miss Bianca Jacquet kindly steps in to take Art whilst she recovers. Each new member of staff comes with a wealth of diverse experience that will enrich our children’s lives and help them be the best they can be. Remember, the website: www.bellavista.org.za has a staff page for useful email contacts.

It was Socrates who said, “I cannot teach any-

body anything: I can only make them think.”

Every one of us in the community has arrived at a very special place. We are not shy to share that Dr Maryanne Wolf (Mass. USA), acclaimed professor in the area of Literacy and Reading wrote of us: “Bellavista has to be one of the best schools on the continent.” Affirmed then, I encourage each and every member of the school’s enrolment, parent and staff body to grow where you are planted and embrace and enjoy every relationship you make, every milestone you encounter and every moment you experience.

Let me introduce you… This year, the newsletters will share a little bit about all the different activities that Bellavista is involved with as well as a brief ‘introduction’ to the very special men and women that make up our staff and an insight about some of the specific practices that we engage here.

Let me start by introducing you to Bellavista (even if you have been here for a while!) Bellavista is more than just a school. It is an entity with three specific activities that work together to make us who we are – relevant and effective. Bellavista comprises of Bellavista School, Bellavista S.E.E.K. and Bellavista S.H.A.R.E.

More about Bellavista School

Bellavista School is a multi-cultural, co-educational, independent remedial school catering for approximately 200

learners from Grade R to Grade 7. It is a Non-Profit Organisation with a PBO status. Bellavista is a member of The

Independent School Association of Southern Africa, The British Dyslexia Association, The International Dyslexia

Association and SAALED (South African Association for Learners with Educational Differences). The school is

nearing its 50th birthday and celebrates a legacy of excellent delivery over the decades. Past learners of the

school continue to call in and drop word of their progress and success later in life. Bellavista’s established

reputation for excellence and the consistent feedback about the success of past learners testifies to our delivery

and our passion for children, some who will mainstream and others who might not, but who will still find a mean-

ingful place in society.

Bellavista was founded with the purpose of delivering the curriculum to learners with barriers to learning that

prohibits them from participating in mainstream education systems. It is a co-educational school from ages 5 to 14

that attempts to offer:

intervention to remediate difficulties;

excellence to deliver to the child the best possible schooling available;

an evidence based approach that includes innovations like Snoezelen, Tomatis and Cognitive Education;

whole family support; an inclusive, multi-cultural environment that prepares children for the long-term world of work and a meaningful place in society.

Parent engagement is key to our success. Our dynamic Parents Association is capably steered

by Mrs Elmarie Conradie. Our collaborative campaign is “The Power of One”. You will come to

hear this phrase often. What is the ONE thing YOU could do for this school?

More about Bellavista S.H.A.R.E.

Our wealth lies in our professional knowledge, experience and collective expertise. The Board of Governors and

the school’s executive staff committed to release this resource to the broader educational landscape and launched

the Bellavista Educational Resource Centre. We named it Bellavista S.H.A.R.E., an acronym for: “Share what we

know; Help where we can; Advise and assist; Resource and equip; Educate others”. With that launch, the school

harnessed the collective capacity it holds within its own staff to improve the quality of educational delivery,

particularly in the area of literacy, to thousands of disadvantaged learners by developing therapists and educators

working with them in their respective professional designations. A critical strategy for the school has been to

develop public-private partnerships and, as such, we have collaborated with key, senior decision makers at a

provincial and national level, as well as tertiary institutions, to ensure an effective intervention.

Bellavista feels a responsibility and duty to share recent

information and research on learning difficulties with a

wider community. To this end, the school incorporates

the Bellavista S.H.A.R.E. project wherein the professional

staff members are involved in short courses, workshops

where assessment tools, new approaches to teaching

reading and spelling as well as techniques to develop

emotional intelligence, cognitive strategies, thinking skills,

study skills, auditory processing and sensory integration

are shared with educators from both public and independent schools. In addition, information evenings are held

regularly throughout the year when guest speakers address parents, educators and therapists on topics and

issues which impact on learning, for example: depression, attention deficit disorder, sleep disturbance, equine

therapy and the impact of divorce. These events are advertised in the school’s weekly newsletter, on social media

and via a subscribed database. Parents are welcome to attend.

Bellavista S.E.E.K. is an integral part of Bellavista

School’s vision. It falls under the auspices of the school

who engages experienced and insightful professionals

with many years experience in education, remedial

education and children with special needs. Bellavista

S.E.E.K. has a number of psychologists and therapists

who make up the teams that conduct assessments for

children both nationally and internationally. These full

assessments provide the necessary diagnostic framework needed to support children either in the current school

environment and those who will come into Bellavista School.

Practical matters as we kick start the year

Communication lowdown

Please note, newsletters follow monthly. “Head’s Up” notices from myself will arrive in your inbox weekly,

highlighting the key communications of a given week.

Each teacher and therapist has an email address: firstname.surname@bellavistaschool.co.za (cited on the

webpage). Remember, whilst email is quick and easy, it doesn’t replace the relational value of a face-to-face

conversation!

Bellavista sends out news, photos and encouragement on the Facebook page- pop online and “like” our

page to stay in touch.

If you provide your child with 3G access on any device, you are required to complete a letter confirming your

responsibility as a parent to monitor your child’s online activity. A letter to this effect is included in the Agen-

da Book (Gr4-7).

Whatsapp groups set up in the parent body should be used respectfully and not for everyday ‘chit chat’.

These forums can be a powerful tool of community organisation and the dissemination of critical information,

but banter intrudes.

In Grades R-3, the children have a school issue ‘Communication Book’ for day-to-day matters pertaining to

homework etc.

In Grades 4-7, we teach the children to use an ‘Agenda Book’ to organise their lives. This in addition to

encouraging e-diaries and to do lists/ photographs of the homework board.

Parent Orientation Evening

Our Parent Orientation Evening is the ideal way to meet the staff at Bellavista, especially your child’s class

teacher. Please diarize 18h00 on Monday 18th January for this important contact time. After a short welcome in

the hall, we move to the classrooms to get the ‘low down’ on the nuts and bolts of the school day in that grade.

Calendar

A school calendar for the first term will be distributed next week. Please diarise important events. The cricket

fixtures are yet to be confirmed in the league but we will advise the boys when they are available. Please

endeavour to plan all holidays etc. around the school term dates. EVERY DAY counts at Bellavista. If we are to

see the progress we desire, it starts with contact time with your child! You should note that the Department of

Education extended the number of mandatory school days in a year in 2015, and we are compelled to include

some weekend activities in each term. Our community is very diverse and we attempt to distribute the activities

evenly over Saturdays and Sundays to accommodate all.

Co-curricular activities in Grades 3 - 7

This week, your child will select his or her preferred activity for the summer term. The selection happens in class

with the teacher. The co-curricular programme begins next week, 19 January 2016. The schedule is attached for

your information.

Uniforms

Please consult the webpage: www.bellavista.org.za/uniforms for the updated list describing the schools dress

code for formal and sport wear. The lists are also included in the Agenda and Communication Books. This year,

the Grade Sevens will wear a red blazer, a new concept for Bellavista, initiated by themselves, as they get excited

to be the leaders in the school.

Coming and going

A reminder that the obligatory gate for collecting and dropping your child is on Wingfield Avenue. The system in

the morning, and each afternoon, is strictly a ONE WAY system. Further, the road is narrow and, in the interest of

the safety of every child, I must urge drivers to be courteous and mindful of other road users and our neighbors.

Please drive slowly, don’t double park and walk a few meters if the road is congested. Please do not obstruct the

school driveway or the access of any residential property, even for a ’quick drop off’. Our staff at the gate are often

stunned by the rude behavior that can be metered out in moments of traffic frustration. These are the people who

work to look out for your child and courtesy towards them is appreciated, be that staff member a guard, grounds

man or teacher.

Please have your child at school by 07h30 to be settled and ready for line up at 07h45. In the interest of safety,

the children may not enter through the main traffic gate but rather through the pedestrian gate. They should then

follow the boundary up to the main school building. Parents are reminded to ‘drop and go’: say a warm, loving

goodbye, remind your child where you will meet them at the end of the day and wave farewell. The quicker you

instill this independence in your child, the better for his/her growth and development. Teachers are in the class-

rooms to assist you if separation is problematic.

Textbooks and stationery

You should have equipped your child with all stationery before the first day. Exercise books and workbooks that

are additional textbooks have been ordered for you and will be invoiced on your school fee account. Please be

sure to make manual payment on receipt of the statement if you paid your fees upfront. The general textbooks and

some equipment are available at the Uniform Shop at school.

Collection times for Gr 0 and 1:

Children in Grade 0 will finish their day at 12noon Monday—Thursday; Friday 1:15 until the 29th January.

Children in Grade 1 will finish their day at 1pm Monday—Thursday; Friday 1:15 until 29th January. Thereafter the

normal school times apply (refer to the website).

Has anything changed from your side?

If anything has changed on your contact details or pertaining to your resi-

dential address, contact numbers or emergency contact numbers, please

remember to let us know. This is an imperative and a priority. For changes,

send an email to: secretary@bellavistaschool.co.za. Of importance too, if

we are carrying any medication for your child e.g. anti-histamines, please

drop by the office at some point to check that the stock has not expired!

The onus is on the parent.

Wishing you all a good term

Alison Scott (Mrs)

Principal

Notices:

Lift club urgently sought to/from the EDENVALE area. Please contact Angela 0828812265 adelongchamps@gmail.com

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