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Mrs. ASH Peens, Principal, Sunward Park High School

Sunward Park High School – School Magazine Term 1 / 2015 1

SPHS was instrumental in the MEC “Big Switch On” as the blue print of E-learning in the five plus two schools which includes: SPHS, Phomolong Secondary School, Ponelopele Oracle Secondary School, Boitumelong Secondary School, Tandi Eleanor Sibeko Secondary School, Tshepisa Primary School and Tlamatlama Primary School.

The MEC will continue with his roll out in 2015 and 2016 to two hundred (200) more schools in Gauteng.

Our educators are designing E-lessons for every day of the year, consisting of curriculum content enhanced with technology. Technology is a game changer and bridges the gap between the have and have not’s.

In 2014, we have seen the power of change unlocking potential and passion in educators and learners. We have gone beyond the curriculum to develop enquiring and thinking minds. Not only have we transformed the way we teach and think, we are also in the process of changing the way we look inside the school.

The MEC has rewarded SPHS generously for allowing us to make our school his dream. We are in the phase two (2) development of the MEC programme and are looking forward to the changes in the physical infrastructure.

Part of our wish list to the MEC is Smart TV’s in every classroom and tablets for all educators.

Last but not least, a heartfelt thank-you to parents and governors for their wisdom to invest in E-learning at SPHS. You have ensured that your children can compete globally.

Our initiative has put SPHS on the “map” and we intend, with your support to be the leaders in E-learning.

The school is a microcosm of society at large. Young people with an openness to be shaped and formed by educating come from townships and suburbs, from families across colour and cultural lines, together from a wide economic spectrum – and they all are forged into one community. We are expected to make this community function in the beautiful way it is meant to function.

Its hallmarks of harmony must be derived from the created hierarchy of School Governing Body (SGB), School Management Team (SMT), Heads of Departments, Educators, Representative Council of Learners (RCL), Learners and Parents – each with their role to play.

Its hallmarks of harmony are teamwork, peace, mutuality, interdependence, cohesion, solidarity, enthusiasm and a quest for excellence. All the parts in the hierarchy must aspire to achieve these ideals.

The SGB must be the first to set the tone towards achieving the lofty ideals of community. We in the SGB too come from the varieties of locations, cultures, families and means. We must know how we fit; what our chief role is; and strive to achieve it with excellence.

It is easy to summarise our chief role, namely, the SGB is to accomplish what is best for the school. We must be the facilitators of excellent academics, edifying staff relationships, prudent fiscal management, sound and un-cumbersome governance principles, and an openness to beneficial partnerships.

We can do all these by applying the hallmarks of harmony – teamwork, peace, mutuality, interdependence, cohesion, solidarity, enthusiasm and a quest for excellence.

The SGB has a massive task. Vigilance must be its constant trait, because there are things that forever compete against the ideals of community. We all know that bad things come easy; but the good things always require hard work and sacrifice. The counter-forces of selfish aims, opposing camps, ‘unholy’ liaisons, disloyalty, legalism, unreasonable-ness, autocracy and the like always bring instability to the community. An unstable institution cannot succeed; it can achieve nothing. In fact, it will be counter-productive.

I regret our failures of the past, but encourage the attitude of community for the future. Let us be vigilant against the counter-forces and strive for a harmoniously life-giving community in the SGB. The task is no small one, and it is therefore wise to admit our dependency upon the Creator. In so doing we will temper our attitudes with humility. God bless Sunward Park High School. God bless them with a strong and facilitating SGB.

From the Principal From the SGB Chairperson

At SPHS, we have embraced E-learning

technology since 2009. We are using it in

many different and innovative ways to make

lessons more interesting, engaging and

resonant. The teachers at SPHS have bought

into this revolution and are playing their own

role, where their contributions have not only

changed the culture of SPHS but the culture

of learning and teaching in many other

schools. We are simply not the same

school as it was two years ago.

The principles of community are important in every context where it is manifested. The idea of community is a beautiful conception and warrants our contemplation a lot more than we are willing to give. Is our lack of contemplation not perhaps the reason why we have all the ills in our present society? We should be thinking a lot more about how the community may be enhanced – how we can in a small, or even greater way contribute to its well-being. This theme is one that has relevance at Sunward Park High School too. Community is about shared values.

Dr “Piff” G. C. Pereira (2014 Chairperson of the SGB)

2 Sunward Park High School – School Magazine Term 1 / 2015 Sunward Park High School – School Magazine Term 1 / 2015 3

The Big Switch-OnGauteng schools to have paperless classrooms

school learners in public schools will be provided with tablets. The system will

also be introduced to grade 7 learners who are in primary schools so as to

prepare them to easily adapt to learning on the devices in high school.

Principal of Boitumelong Secondary, Mrs. Sesi Makena, said: “This is an exciting

time in our country’s education system and I am so proud of my teachers

and learners.”

Educators at the school were trained prior to the launch by SPHS teachers

through the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG).

Under the leadership of CEO Dr More Chakane, the MGSLG is a semi-

autonomous, non-profit organisation established to serve as the training arm of

the Gauteng Department of Education.

The Department’s mandate

The 5th Administration of government approved ten pillars for the Department of

Basic Education. The Gauteng Department of Education adopted these pillars for

implementation over the next five years.

One of the pillars is Pillar 6: ICT in Education. Within this pillar, GDE identified

six priority areas:

Connectivity – system-wide-access, •Content – digital teaching and learning resources,•Capacity – Training, support, and ICT skills development,•

Spearheaded by Gauteng Education MEC Mr. Panyaza Lesufi,

the project has transformed seven schools into modern e-learning

institutions with paperless classrooms. The project aims to introduce

smart schools of the future to ensure that learners and teachers have broadband

access to digital content through a tablet device.

“We are officially burying the chalk board, we are officially burying the duster, and

we are officially burying the chalk,” said MEC Lesufi during the launch at

Boitumelong Secondary School in Tembisa. “Gone are the days when they have

to write in exercise books and hand-in assignments on paper.”

Using their tablets, learners connect via the UC-Wireless Ruckus Wi-Fi solution

to the Train Your Brain (TYB) education resource portal provided by MIB

Technology. The TYB portal allows learners to download their prescribed

textbooks and access hundreds of educational resources.

SPHS – the blueprint for success

One of the seven schools, Sunward Park High School (SPHS), was the first public

school to migrate to a 100% e-learning platform in 2013, which grew from the

vision of the principal, Mrs. Peens, and the (then) chairperson of the SGB, Mr.

Vinay Somera. The school has played a pivotal role in assisting the MEC and the

GDE with a seamless roll out in the six pilot schools, namely:

Boitumelong High,•Ponelopele Oracle High,•

Gauteng Education

MEC Mr Panyaza Lesufi

Dr. More Chakane, CEO of the Matthew Goniwe

School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG)

Sunward Park High School educators training the teachers at Boitumelong Secondary School in Tembisa

Principal of Boitumelong Secondary School, Sesi Makena

Tablets being delivered to Boitumelong Secondary School

SPHS Learners in the paperless classroom

Technology in action

A proud day for the Principal and staff of Boitumelong Secondary School

Infrastructure – e-Equipped schools •and GDE offices,

Support – Efficient technical Support, •management, etc.

Innovation – research related to •curriculum and technology.

“We want the schools which are

performing to have capacity to continue

to do so,” said MEC Lesufi, and hailed

the project as “a game changer in the

education of the African child.” All

schools on the programme will be

Phomolong High,•Tandi Eleanor Sibeko High,•Tlamatlama Primary, and•Tshepisa Primary.•

The department hopes to roll out the

project to all Gauteng township and

rural schools by the end of the

2017/2018 financial year at an

estimated cost of R17 billion. All high

The Big Switch-On broadcast live on SABC

When Gauteng schools opened on 14 January this year it was business as usual for most. However, seven schools in the province were on the brink of a watershed moment for South African education: The launch of a pilot project by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) called The Big Switch-On.


provided with unlimited data for learners while they are at school, and they would

receive 4G connectivity to ensure the pupils can also work from home. MEC

Lesufi said the data costs at the seven schools had been fully paid for by other

government departments and the private sector.

The SPHS event

During the launch at Boitumelong Secondary, Sunward Park High School was

linked live to the event and held their own ceremony to commemorate the

occasion. Attended by parents, principals, media and provincial dignitaries,

SPHS provided the detailed background to e-learning success,

which culminated in a tree planting ceremony.

Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature, Mr. Uhuru Moiloa, said: “Statistics

show that 71% of 18 to 35 year-olds are out of work, they are not fitting into the

economy. An initiative such as this will ensure that we prepare our youth through

modern education for the demands of the future. Fifty years from now our country

will look back to this day as the turning point in South African education.”

During the tree planting ceremony, Mr. Clifford Elk of the Peermont Schools

Support Programme (PSSP) said, “The only way we can unlock the potentials of

the future is by building the capacity of our youth through inspired education. The

principal and team at Sunward Park make it a truly pioneering school. Access to

technology is like planting a tree – you need to harvest the fruits. I hope that in

five years from now, this tree will be a forest.”

Summing up, Principal Peens thanked

the parents and learners of SPHS. “It’s

the heart of the school, the learners

who adapted and grew with this initiative

to make it a success and the parents

who supported it from the start. Without

you, we would just be another school in

the system. Thank you.”

“It has been a tough journey,” said

principal Peens, “and things did not just

happen overnight. We had to learn from

our mistakes, correct them and move

forward in order to reach what we have

achieved. I think this is why the Gauteng

MEC for Education, Mr. Panyaza Lesufi,

has labelled us the ‘model blueprint

school’ for e-learning.”

Clifford Elk of the Peermont Schools Support Programme

SPHS learners demonstrate tablet technology

Mr Uhuru Moiloa – Deputy speaker of the Gauteng Legislature

The SPHS choir entertain the guests during The Big Switch-On

Dignitaries lend a hand at the SPHS tree planting ceremony

Improving the delivery of public service

Sunward Park High School

nominated for UN International AwardSunward Park High School (SPHS) has been making the headlines for a number of years now. Whether it is a consistent 98% to 100% Grade 12 pass rate and producing some of the top matriculants in the province, or being the first public school to fully adopt e-learning and assist the Education Department with a provincial roll-out, SPHS has been a model school of innovative education.

It is only appropriate that eventually SPHS would attract the international

spotlight and be granted the opportunity to share their success on a global

stage. The Head of the Department, Mr. Boy Ngobeni has selected Sunward

Park High School to enter the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA). The

UNPSA is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in Public

Service. The overall purpose of the UNPSA programme is to reward the creative

achievements and contributions of Public Service Institutions towards a more

effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. This is an

annual global competition that promotes the role, professionalism and visibility

of Public Service. The programme aims to discover new innovations in

governance; motivates public servants to further promote innovation; raises the

image of Public Service; enhances trust

in government; and collects and shares

successful practices for possible

replication between and within

countries.

According to SPHS principal Mrs. Peens,

“This is a golden opportunity and we are

very grateful to the GDE (Gauteng

Department of Education) for nominating

our school to represent the province -

and ultimately the nation - at the 2015

United Nations Public Service Awards.”

A dedicated teamProduct exhibitions

The SPHS designed interactive table

to page 6


3. EXECUTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

•Whatwerethemostsuccessfuloutputs?

•Whatwere themainobstaclesencounteredandhow

weretheyovercome?

4. IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

•Istheinitiativesustainableandtransferable?

Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance

It is important to emphasise the elements of sustainability

and transference – can SPHS share their model with other

schools, and can other schools adopt and implement the

formula?

With the assistance and support of the Matthew Goniwe

School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG), thousands

of teachers, principals and education administrators in

South Africa have been trained by SPHS educators in using

tablet technology to access the e-learning content on the

Train Your Brain (TYB) portal provided by MIB Technology.

Under the leadership of CEO Dr More Chakane, the MGSLG

is a semi-autonomous, non-profit organisation established to

serve as the training arm of the Gauteng Department of

Education (GDE). This institution plays an important capacity-

building role for School Governing Bodies, teachers, learner-

leaders, parents with children in Gauteng public schools, and

school leaders and managers in the form of principals

and SMT’s.

Engaging with the parents Training teachers from other schools

Mrs Bheemraj (front sitting) with her proud graduates

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?

The school was nominated to compete in Category One – Improving the delivery

of Public Services – and it is important to note that the 2014 winner of the same

category was none other than the Gauteng Department of Education for the SSIP

(Secondary School Improvement Programme) initiative. “This fact has definitely

served to motivate us to ensure that we ‘keep the trophy’ in its rightful place –

our well deserving province and country,” said Principal Peens.

Mr. Enoch Thango, deputy principal of SPHS and head of e-learning, pointed out:

“We have engaged in a series of meetings with all of our educators, HOD’s, SMT

(School Management Team), parents and even learners over the past few

months in order to encourage their participation and collaboration on this

prestigious event. I am proud to say that our submission for the awards is

representative of the collective voice of Sunward Park High School.”

Under the guidance of Mr. Thango as the project manager, the school submitted

their project name and initiative as 100% migration to e-learning (mobile learning

and digital content). Having made national headlines in 2013 for this initiative, it

is only fitting that the school be given

the international acknowledgment it

deserves.

Submission criteria and categories

The UNPSA required that the school

submit their responses to various

benchmarks of performance such as:

1. PROBLEM ANALYSIS

•Whatmajorproblemsandissues

neededtobeaddressed?

2. STRATEGIC APPROACH

•In which ways is the initiative

creativeandinnovative?

from page 5

Assisting learners with personal growth


l e a r n e r c o n t r i b u t i o n sl e a r n e r c o n t r i b u t i o n s

The Learner Contributions section of the

magazine is a platform for learners and

school press teams to have a voice. Not

only is this of interest to fellow pupils, but

parents, teachers and the general

education readership are given an insight

into the issues and topics discussed on

the playground.

In this first edition we feature the Sunward

Park High School Press Team, an initiative

launched by iSchoolAfrica and supported by

the Peermont Schools Support Programme

(PSSP) prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Here are some snippets from their

journalistic endeavours. For authenticity, we

have kept the original format and “lingo”.

FROM TOKOLOSHE TO TECHNOLOGY…

E-LEARNING….WHAT IS THAT? ANDROIDS/

TABLETS?..WE OWN THAT. HEAVY TEXTBOOKS?

WE OVER THAT. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM? WE GOOGLE

THAT. ALL OUR WORK ON A 7 INCH/10 INCH

TABLET? WE GOT THAT! CHILDREN OF THE 21ST

CENTURY? *WHOOP WHOO

P* WE ARE THAT!

PAPER CUTS NO MORE! SWIPE, TYPE AND

MARVEL AT THE SIGHT.

EXCITEMENT RISES AS LEARNERS USE THEIR

ANDROIDS. THE WEIGHT HAS LITERALLY BEEN

LIFTED OFF THEIR SHOULDERS AS MORE THAN 6

EBOOKS ARE ACCESSIBLE ON THE LIGHTWEIGHT

TABLET VIA THE TRAIN YOUR BRAIN SITE.

ALTHOUGH TEXTBOOKS WILL *NOT* BE MISSED,

THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW HURDLES THAT SPHS

HAD TO OVERCOME, (WIFI ISSUES, THEFT,

FACTORY FAULTS ETC….) NONE-THE-LESS ALL

IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL #TRUE

“Doctor sunny please help me!”… #lets tawk#Q: so I am a nerd and I recently started dating and I’ve noticed that my grades are dropping .is it

because of my new venture or am I simply too lazy?#puzzled#A: SWEETY DO YOU WANT AN *A or F? If all went well before exploring the new venture then chances are the “fling” is the reason for the “non-profitable season”

Q: SO MY MOM THINKS I’M A REBEL NOW AND KEEPS ON TELLING ME I AM AN

ADOLESCENT AND I STILL THINK I AM THE SAME? IS IT ME GROWING UP? OR IS SHE MISINTERPRETING ME?#TEAM REBEL#A: the only way out of this situation is to get good grades and work your way to get out of her

way#speaking from experience#Q: SO MY FRIEND IS PRETIER THAN ME AND EVERY GUY IS INTERESTED IN HER

AND I FEEL INVISIBLE. THIS MAKES ME EXTREMELY JEALOUS. IS IT RIGHT TO FEEL THIS WAY? #INVISIBLITY#A: if you feeling like this don’t “trip” she can’t be better than you. beauty fades. dnt show that you’re

jealous that makes her even more confident# Ignore her.Q: im a 15-year old girl in grade 10. i want to start my life afresh but I can’t seem to because I’m addicted to partying with guys…what to do? #wanna be fresh#A: G! I’m not even gonna go into all the bad things that can happen while partying with guys because

I’m sure you know. i suggest you take part in extramural activities such as sport, debating or whatever.

10 Sunward Park High School – School Magazine Term 1 / 2015

Sunward Park High School educators teaching the teachers


SPHS staff and learners sharing their e-learning best practice with other schools


Reaching out during the season of caring in December 2014

Teachers and RCL learners throw a Christmas party at SPHS for the children of the St Francis Care Centre


The Honours Awards evening ceremony for 2014 achievements held on 29 January 2015 for learners receiving half colours, full colours and honours blazers


An evening of celebration for SPHS staff and learners – and tearful moments for proud parents


The 2014 Merit Awards ceremony held during the day on 30 January 2015


These learners can truly live the SPHS motto of “Strive for the highest” and aim for those full colours


Annual East Rand High Schools Athletics Association for Boys and Girls20 February 2015Hosted by Benoni High School at Boksburg Stadium


The Participating Schools• BenoniHighSchool(X)• BoksburgHighSchool(B)• GermistonHighSchool(G)• SirPierrevanRyneveldt

HighSchool(K)• SunwardParkHighSchool(U)• HTSSprings(S)• JohanJurgens(JJ)• DieAnker(A)• CurroSerengeti(C)


Although SPHS did not take many trophies, the learners had a fun day and competed against their personal best. We can “strive for the highest” next year

The school motto is LABORATE AD SUMMUM which means “Strive for the highest”.

In order to reach maturity, one rises through seven educational steps:

LOVE...

The crowning step in any educational process is the discovery of love for God and man.

HOPE...

through faith, one comes to realise that because God is in control there is hope for the future.

FAITH...

in God and man deepens to become a stabilising influence on individual life, promoting personal purpose and poise.

LOYALTY...

through respect, one learns loyalty to society and nation.

RESPECT...

from self-discipline, one learns self-respect and respect for others.

DISCIPLINE...

from knowledge, one rises through being disciplined to self-discipline.

KNOWLEDGE...

a knowledge of self is required, of the world and of God.

Sunward Park High SchoolTEL: (011) 896-5114/5 FAX: (011) 913-3524

P.O. BOX 17233, SUNWARD PARK 1470

E-MAIL: [email protected]

Website: www.sphs.co.za

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