As we enter a new term, after having faced a time of uncertainty and change, there is a sense of excitement as we reach a little closer to a new normal. It is Man-dela Day this week and I could not think of a betteropportunity to reflect on past challenges and prepare for the future. The dedication and perseverance that has been shown by College during this time – staff, families and girls – has really portrayed our school’s strong ethos and unity. As we now take on a new term, with its new challenges, we want to unite as a school after a time of separation from one another. Mandela once said: “I dream of the realisation of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses”. So, in the light of Mandela Day, let's come togetherto make a difference in our wider community!

Our community engagement initiatives were put on hold in March due to lockdown. We are, however, proud of the girls and families who took charge and gave back in their own way individually. We are now excited to be launching our first project in a while as a whole school. As we remember that education wasone of Madiba’s most important beliefs, we are part-nering with an inspirational NPO, Singakwenza. They provide workshops to caregivers to empower them with the knowledge of how to make toys and educational aids for children out of recycled materials. These toys enable basic, but vital, development and educational

skills of young children as well as help to reduce household waste. All phases of our school are par-ticipating in this initiative, with the Junior and Senior Primary making their toys in 67 minutes on Friday. Connected with the previous projects of stationery bags and bean bags made by our girls for our‘Count on Us’ nursery schools at the end of lastyear, the educational toys and aids will also begiven to the children at these schools.

One of Nelson Mandela’s most admirable traitswas how he honoured every person, despite anydifferences. DGC is privileged to also support the Bhambayi Project’s Mandela Day challenge,#ItStartsWithMe. The aim of this challenge is tohonour Mandela by honouring each other. This in-cludes 3 aspects: to honour everyone around youon the day, participate in a personal 67 minute‘Honour Reflection’, and take up the challenge tolive on less than R10 for the day. Through this cam-paign, we give each other something far morevaluable than any material gift – ongoing honourand empathy – and it allows all South Africans totake part.

This Mandela Day, and beyond, let’s honour each other in a spirit of togetherness as we commemorate Madiba for all that he has shown and done for us.

Grace Maitin-CasalisHead of Community Engagement

College Chatter Issue#97

From the Helm

College MomentOur SP girls

working hard on their Mandela Day

activities, constructing educational

aids and toys.

#ItStartsWithMe

Join us in Bhambayi’s initiative and make sure thisMandela Day is a day to remember.

The challenge:

1. Honour everyone we think about or encounter on Mandela Day.

2. Spend 67 minutes for the ‘Honour Reflection’.

3. Live on less than R10 for the day and choose to give the amount you save to an organisation invested in changing lives.

We encourage everyone to post their ‘Honour Heroes’ – those you know who live this type of honour in their lives, every day.

Visit Bhambayi’s website https://bhambayiproject.co.za/mandela-day

to find the 67 minute ‘Honour Reflection’ template,meal ideas and more information.

We all need to positively contribute to building thefuture of our nation.

It starts with us!

67 MINUTES WITH SINGAKWENZA

This week, the whole school will be supporting DGC’s Community Engagement Committee's Mandela Day initiative to create education aids and toys out of recycled materials using

The educational aids and toys will be distributed to the schools supported by the DGC Founda-tion's Count on Us Programme.

Learn more from the video created by ourCommunity Engagement Committee.

Well done to our enthusiastic CommunityEngagement Committee: Grace Maitin-Casalis (Head), Yaseera Jazbhay, Lara-Leigh Jonesand Jenna Pearson. We are inspired by yourbig hearts and your contribution to the wider community.

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Mandela Day

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Singakwenza's Guidelines

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Junior Primary

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In honour of Mandela Day,our JP girls spent 67 minutes

creating educational aids and toys, following Singakwenza guidelines, for the DGC Foundation’s Count

on Us programme.

Our Grade 1screated a TinTopple game

to improve fine motor skills.

Using trays and coloured sticks, our Grade 00s had fun making activities to

help fine motorskills.

Number recognition with counters is

made easy through our Grade RsFlower game.

Grade 2 girls created a word building activity to help with reading skills.

Creating a matching game to improve memory skills was fun for our Grade 3s.

Senior Primary

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Our SP girls had fun creating educational toys from recycled materials in honour of Mandela Day and the Foundation's Count

on Us programme.

Our Grade 6 girls engrossed in their

Mandela Day activities.

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Meet our Staff

From our Chaplain

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.Hebrews 10:23-25

Michelle Edgcumbe

Tayla Osler - Grade 1 Teacher

This verse is so encouraging. It sets the context for the response to God's care for us - which provides the 'hope we profess' - and then sets the challenge to care for others, as well as to spur one another on in their efforts to be a bless-ing to others.

This Mandela Day, as we participate in a number of differ-ent activities as a school and as individuals, let's remember God's enduring promises and faithful character. Let's allow that to challenge and change our thoughts and actions where necessary, to fill us with deep gratitude which over-flows into compassion and care for others, and to enable us to spur one another on in a life of faith and service.

My name is Tayla Osler. I am one of four daughters. I live in Hillcrest, Durban. I went to Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School and I was a boarder, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I participated in most sports, however, swimming was my fa-vourite. Once I matriculated, I enrolled at Embury Institute of Teacher Education to do my four year BEd Foundation Phase degree. In my fourth year at Embury, after applying for an exchange programme through the institute, I was elected to go to Norway and took part in this wonderful opportunity to teach there. This added such value to my outlook on teach-ing as well as the different facets teaching has that we all can use and adapt.

While being in Norway, I had the opportunity to travel far and wide to numerous different European countries which gave me the vision and experience of the so-called “outside world”. I got to explore their different cultures and their essence of life. Once I returned home, I completed my degree and graduated with my year group. Not long after that, the travel bug had bit so I went over to America for a while, explored and then came back and settled down.

I then embarked on my teaching journey – both here, in Durban, in Johannesburg as well as in Dubai. I have gained valu-able knowledge and skills in my time of travel and teaching, and this I hope to impart with the girls at College. I am excited to be here as well as to have this opportunity to share, create memories and learn with the girls.

I thoroughly enjoy Dr Seuss and I strongly believe that his quotes are always both encouraging and inspiring. So, I leave you with two of my favourite quotes:

“Don’t give up! I believe in you all! A person’s a person, no matter how small!”

“The more that you READ, the more things you will KNOW, the more that you LEARN, the more places you’ll GO!”

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Meet our Alumnae

Karen Jones (Class of 1994)Chairman of the Board

Zoleka Skweyiya (Class of 1988)Vice-Chairman of the Board

Karen was the Director of Resourcing and the Director Merchandise (Mr Price Apparel) at the Mr Price Group, where she worked for 19 years. A strategist and leader who is passionate about retail and developing our youth in South Africa, Karen worked with the MRP Foundation to develop the Jumpstart Manufacturing Programme and served on the Executive Committee of the South African Fashion Council. In 2018, she joined her husband to expand their family shipping business in Southern Africa. Karen is foremost a wife and mom, she has two children – a daughter in Grade 11 at Durban Girls’ College anda son in Grade 6 at Clifton. “I have a deep love for Durban Girls’ College and for our community. The journey ahead for our school is filled with new possibilities as we continue to learn and grow through these unprecedented times for our country and our world. May Durban Girls’ College continue to be a leading independent Christian school that inspires all girls to realise their potential. A school of excellence, inclusivity, innovation and a unique South African educa-tion that celebrates and loves the youth of South Africa. May Durban Girls’ College become our home, our place of belonging and our school of choice for all future lead-ers of South Africa.”

Zoleka joined our Board towards the end of last year and brings a diverse set of skills gained in different industries ranging from financial services – locally and in the UK – to the tourism industry. She currently works in the appar-el manufacturing, distribution and retail industry. Having worked for some well-known organisations including Old Mutual, Nedbank, Citigroup SA, Sun International and now Jonsson Workwear, Zoleka has a broad understand-ing of governance structures and executive management interacts gained from her key roles in corporate affairs, stakeholder management, strategy and communications.

“Durban Girls’ College identified me as a leader long before I knew my potential during the mid-1980s; apainful period in our country’s history. I achieved cov-eted accolades, earned on merit while being oblivious to their significance in my personal growth and in the history of our school at that time. I became a Prefect, a House Captain, played first team in both hockey and net-ball and captained the 1st Team Hockey Squad. I share this particularly so that young girls that come from differ-ent cultural backgrounds are encouraged and hopefully inspired to continually show up, be present, and actively participate in all the spaces where they have the ability to develop their natural talents while appreciating that their differences, when harnessed effectively, are a strength to the school community and contribute mean-ingfully to the experiences of the girls that follow in their footsteps. My ultimate wish is to be associated with a school of excellence which offers world-class education, is inclusive and socially aware, relevant, innovative and is conscientiously building a sustainable ethical educa-tional brand.”

On 3 July 2020, our Board of Governors unanimously elected Karen Jones as Chairman of the Board and Zoleka Skweyiya as Vice-Chairman of the Board. The Board would like to thank outgoing Chairman, Mr Ken McIntosh, for his 12 years ofservice and dedication to the Durban Girls’ College Board and his valued contribution to the strength of leadership and ethical governance of our Board.

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College House

Dedication to Gillian Hawkey

Term Dates 2020Term 3: Wednesday 8 July - Friday 18 September

Term 4: Monday 5 October - Wednesday 2 December

Last week, we welcomed our boarders back to College House. Mrs Lesley Small and her dedicat-ed team are constantly ensuring that our College House girls are safe. Take a look into College House’s safety protocols.

We were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Mrs Gillian Hawkey. Gill was a past staff member and Old Girl (Gillian Draper) from the Class of 1974.

Gill joined Durban Girls’ College in January 2002 until she was medically board-ed, due to ill health, in March 2013. Gill was a loyal and passionate teacher in the High School and was Head of the Mathematics Department. Her love for teaching was most evident and she cared deeply for her pupils.

Gill was known for her love of her family and grandchildren who she spoke about fondly during her years at College. Gill was also well-known for her baking skills and her legendary chocolate crunchies! She was full of fun and had a great zest for life.

Our deepest condolences to her husband Peter, her daughters Sarah, Lisa and family. We hold you in our thoughts and prayers.

From the DGC Community

Public Holiday Sunday 9 August Women’s Day

Public Holiday Observed Monday 10 August

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