WYNBERG GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER

Also available on our website : www.wynghs.co.za

SEPTEMBER 2015

WGHS hosted their annual Girls’ Schools’ Choir Festival in St George’s Cathedral on Monday 28 September and the Vocal Ensemble, seen above, performed beautifully.

Dear Parents

We have, for the last eight years, been twinned with Devonport High School for Girls in the UK, under the Afritwin organisation. More recently, this partnership has been extended to include Nsezi Secondary School in Zimbabwe, which is situated about 60 kms from Bulawayo. Several of the teachers from Wynberg have visited Devonport and this year is the turn of the principals to visit each other's schools. I was privileged to meet Mike Lusabe from Nsezi earlier this year, and travelled to meet Anita Hemsi at her school in Plymouth last week. Visiting another school is such a wonderful opportunity to learn from others, evaluate one's own systems and experience different education environments.

We have worked with Devonport High School for Girls on various curriculum projects, all sponsored by the British Council’s “Connecting Classrooms” programme. The girls have already produced a joint cookbook, a dance show, shared cultural traditions and learnt about each other. The new project is to trace miners who worked in the mines in Cornwall and travelled to South Africa to work in our gold mines. I visited a tin mine museum with the Devonport girls and they are now working on a presentation for the Wynberg girls to explain their project. They will ask the Wynberg girls to investigate this theme in South Africa. They hope to find Cornish miners who worked in South Africa and eventually made their homes here, and they would like to trace descendants of these families to hear their stories.

Perhaps we have some families at Wynberg who originally came from Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom? We would love to hear your experiences and connect you with the girls who are so eager to “meet” the real people behind the stories.

Collaboration between schools provides more than just opportunities for visits and project work. I believe that it allows our girls to see beyond the borders of our own country and, hopefully, make connections which will last far beyond their school years.

Our short holiday is followed by a very busy term culminating in the final examinations for all grades. Please encourage your daughters to ensure that their notes are up to date so that they are prepared for this final term of 2015. I wish you all a wonderful break with your daughters – may you all find a little time to relax!

Warm regardsShirley HardingPRINCIPAL

Front: Huda Ely: Head of Service, Tyralee Nel: Head of Culture, Lara Harris: Head of

School, Meg Anderton: Head of Academics, Dana Arries: Head of Sport.

Back: Zolisa Kapa: RCL Chair, Casey Valentine: Wellesley Head,

Asanda Masoka: RCL, Daniela Alves: Kirsten Head, Faith Abrahams: Head of

Hostel, Rebekah Nathan: Head of Communications, Joelle Behoor: Apsley Head, Tasha Ainsworth: Silverlea Head,

Jenna Howes: Copenhagen Head, Jamie Southgate: Constantia Head, Erin Slater: Waterloo Head & RCL

Insert: Thandeka Chakanyuka: Cavanagh Head

HEADS OF WATERLOO HOSTEL

Zolisa Kapa: Deputy Head, Faith Abrahams: Head of Hostel, Jesse Kleintjies: Deputy Head

TARA GIRLS

Melissa Makinson and Jewel Ormond, left, flew off to Sydney, Australia on 23 September. They will be attending The Tara Anglican School for Girls and will be hosted by students from that school. When they return, the daughter of

WYNBERG FAREWELLS

We said a fond farewell to GAP student, Claire Johnston, when she winged her way back to Northern Ireland last week. Claire has been an integral part of the sporting world at WGHS this year, and we will miss her positive, energetic and enthusiastic input. We also said a temporary goodbye to Ms Lindsay Wills, who was awarded a Chevening Scholarship - a British Government scholarship funded by Commonwealth Office - for commonwealth country students eligible to do a one-year MA in the UK. Ms Wills will be studying at York University for an MA Ed in Global and International Citizenship Education. She will be missed here at WGHS, particularly in the History Department. We wish her a wonderful year in York!

Back: Jade de Villiers Grade 9 rep, Agape Thamar Grade 8 rep, Jenna Grey Grade 9 rep, Stacey Goliath Grade 10 rep,

Hongju Nam Grade 10 rep, Erin Harris Grade 8 rep, Kayla Barnes Grade 8 rep & Secretary

Middle: Asanda Masoka Grade 11 rep & Vice Chair, Zolisa Kapa Grade 11 rep & Chairperson, Erin Slater Grade

11 rep & Governing Body repFront: Chloe Johnson Grade 10 rep & Governing Body rep,

Chelsea van Heerden Grade 9 rep

WELCOME TO . . .Jeltje Heuperman from Verenigde Scholen J.A. Alberdingk Thijm in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, our new GAP student. She will be here until June next year. Hayley Knol in Grade 12 is hosting her here and will be our GAP student in the Netherlands in 2016.

On 15 September, the 2016 school leaders were officially inducted. It is always a moving occasion as we bid farewell to the outgoing leaders and welcome the 2016 LEADERS ARE INDUCTED

new. Guests were welcomed by Melissa McCarthy, Deputy Principal, and Zolisa Kapa, RCL Chair, led the devotions. Mrs Harding reminded leaders: “Not everything will be easy and you will need tenacity to find the correct way to get things done, while honouring the people you serve.” In closing, Mrs Harding told the school of a Finnish word she learnt in Helsinki at the conference she attended there recently - sisu - which means resilience, perseverance and determination. She reminded the new leaders that they would need lots of “sisu” during their term of office. After this, the Head of School, the Heads of the four Pillars, the Head of Communication, the RCL, the Hostel Leaders, and the Heads of Houses and their Matric Leaders were all inducted. Lara Harris, in her first speech as new Head of School, told an African tale which reminds people to celebrate what is different and unique about themselves. We wish the new leaders an exciting and productive term of office.

2016 RCL

each host family will accompany them and will then spend time getting to know WGHS and Cape Town.

2016 SCHOOL COUNCIL

On 12 September, Clinton Claasen performed in Flute Fantasia with Lindsey Fillingham and Catherine Stephenson at the Erin Hall in Rondebosch. On Friday 23 October, he will give a recital (14:15 - 15:20) in our school hall, accompanying Catherine in a programme of flute music: Segei Prokofiev: Sonata No. 2; Paul Taffanel: Fantasie on themes of Weber's

At the TDA Eisteddfod finals on 19 December, Robyn van Dam won her individual tap set dance; her group tap (which included Bianca Bassett in Grade 8); and her tap duet. Well done, Robyn!

Tasha Ainsworth was awarded nine Diplomas in the Modern Dance Eisteddfod and three medals for first place overall. Tasha also came 2nd in the overall Senior results, winning a R500 prize.

DANCE NEWS

Tasha Ainsworth

On 26 August, the matric Music students played their final concert at WGHS. The girls each played two pieces, which they will be playing in their final exams, to an audience made up of family and friends. All of them played beautifully and the audience was awe-

MATRIC MUSIC CONCERT

struck! The class performed on ten different instruments, and their pieces covered many different genres. The high standard of performance was a testament to their hard work over the years. There was also a sad note to the evening as it was the matrics’ last performance at school - particularly sad as they have all been very involved in the music department throughout their school career. Congratulations to all of the performers and thank you to the music teachers. Nadine Eddy

Holly Main (right) is an Irish dancer. Holly excelled at the 2014 Irish Dancing South African Oireachtas (Championship): she was placed second overall in her section. This year she will once again be performing - at the 2015 Irish Dancing South African Oireachtas - where we hope she will once again achieve.

MR CLAASEN PERFORMS!

opera, Der Freischütz; Lowell Liebermann: Sonata. He will also be giving a concert (Opera at Sunset) at the concert hall at Casa Labia in Muizenberg on Sunday 18 October and also at the Erin Hall on Saturday 7 November. More information later!

FILM AWARDSFor some years, Wynberg has incorporated the making of short films into the curricu-lum. Last year, we participated in the Springfield Poetry Film Competition in which students were invited to express thought and feeling through image and sound. Each participating school was allowed 3 submissions and all 3 Wynberg groups received prizes. This year, the competition was expanded to a national event and students from Grades 10 and 11 were invited to submit their films to the SA Teen Film Fest. This festival is a Short Film Festival open to all high school students across South Africa. Springfield invited schools to attend their film awards evening on 23 September, and the WGHS English Department is proud to congratu-late these Grade 11s on their awards:

Our grateful thanks to Nikki Going and her team at Springfield Convent for hosting this competition.

Back: Best Director (Shadow Man): Tinita Flint & Iman Choonara

& Ms M LawrenceNext: Best Producer (Arrive Alive): Tyralee Nel, Simbongile Makanda

& Jessica LourensFront: Best Editor (Dog in the Oven):

Erin Lamoral, Alex MacNeill & Tayla Pinto

Tenterden – 19 June: In the second term, Christian Union connected heads, hearts and hands. Using our hands we put on a play about something close to our hearts that would cause the audience to think with their heads. The play was a modern version of the Good Samaritan parable. The point being made was that often we are too busy keeping up with the fast pace of our lives to stop and help those in need. We try to save the world and don't notice those closer to us who really need our help or we don’t like getting our hands 'dirty’. We ended by teaching the audience a rap that Julia White-Phillips had written especially for the occasion.

CHRISTIAN UNION CATCH-UP

TMT visit us (3-6 August): A vibrant, enthusiastic group studying at the Timothy Ministry Training College visited us as part of their outreach. They met with the WGHS and WBHS committees and were very focused on seeing God at work in our schools. They made themselves available for counselling and organised a worship session in the hall.

Schools United - 28 July: A group of students from the WGHS’ Christian Union joined up with many other CU's at Herschel for a ‘Schools United’ gathering. There was an awesome worship session led by a small group from Christ Church in Kenilworth. Participants were encouraged to share what was in their hearts. What we took out of the evening was an understanding that God equips us to help those in need: we prayed that God would show us who they are. We also prayed for boldness - that we would not shy away from opportunities where we could help.

INTERACT8 WGHS Interactors volunteered to help PlumPets, an animal rescue service, on 12 September. Part of their job was to train the rescue puppies by accompanying them to morning and afternoon training classes. The girls and their puppies enjoyed interacting with other dogs at the training park and girls saw how quickly the frightened puppies became accustomed to the volunteers. The class was filled with laughter and cuddles.

On Sunday afternoon 23 August, many of the Hostel parents gathered in the beautifully decorated Dining Hall. After two days of extensive preparations, the Hostel girls spoiled parents with homemade delicacies and performances which included singing, playing the piano and flute, and reciting some powerful poetry. The High Tea is the second-last event for the 2015 matrics: it was quite an emotional experience listening to the thanks expressed by one of the parents. The event ended with the singing of what has become the hostel song: “Lean on Me”. All left feeling both physically and emotionally satisfied!

HOSTEL HIGH TEA

Back: Margareta Bosch, Agape Thamar, Gabriella Espin, Cara White-Phillips, Gabrielle Dunn

Front: Jessica Randall, Julia White-Phillips

Lara Harris

MOUNTAIN CLUB: CONTOUR PATH

On a perfect Sunday morning in late August, a large and enthusiastic group of Wynberg girls and teachers walked the contour path from Rhodes Memorial to Kirstenbosch. This walk is really a Cape Town classic which everyone living here should experience. Winter is also a special time to do this walk as the water crashes down the gorges and waterfalls, and the forest drips with recent rains. With a good picnic breakfast at the top of the 500 foot zigzag, we reached Kirstenbosch by lunchtime. All in all, a fantastic day on our beautiful mountain!

Back: Savannah Wiegand, Caitlin Thompson, Denver Johnston, Chloe Coetzee, Bianca Cox, Rebecca Govender, Kristen Pullen, Lara Harris,

Mr P Bodenstein, Meg Anderton, Zahrah Sedick, Yudeesha EssooFront: Mrs B de Waal, Teresa Herbert

CAREER CONNECTThe Career Connect evening, hosted by the Past Pupils Association on Thursday, 10 September, was aimed primarily at the grade 10 & 11s. The past pupils who spoke to the girls were either studying or working in fields such as Actuarial Science, Drama, Culinary Arts, Art, Law, Medicine & Travel, to mention but a few. Thank you to Tracy Stallard and Saarah Coenraad for organising and for following through with their intention of getting a mentoring programme off the ground within WOGU to help the learners of today find the career which will be the right choice for their tomorrow.

The Parents' Association hosted the inaugural Wynberg Cook-Off for dads & daughters on Saturday 19 September. We were fortunate to have Kelly & Candice from KFM plus Jean Engelbrecht (former editor of My Family and author of eight cook books) here as our judges. The teams were awarded various prizes including the best dressed team (which went to the Pirates), the messiest table, the most creative team name, and team spirit, to name a few. All teams were sent a survival kit list with items which may or may not have helped them on the day. Each team had to create a starter, main course and dessert within set time periods. They had to use the ingredients in mystery boxes and any other items available on the tables. The prizes for the best of each course were won by Crows Feet, Blended and nr 1 Dad respectively. The teams really did produce some wonderful creations and had great fun in the process. Thank you to the PA for arranging the event.

WYNBERG COOK-OFF!

PA member, Lucinda Johnson, with Kelly & Candice from KFM Jean Engelbrecht

CONSUMER STUDIES

The Grade 11 Consumer Studies learners were privileged to have Leroy Rothwell and his sushi chef at school to give them a lesson in sushi-making.

Mikayla Duminy (left), a past pupil and pastry chef, showed the Grade 10 class how to make butter-cream, icing-piped flowers. The students made roses, leaves, fondant roses and grass using different nozzles and the butter-cream icing.

On 4 September, Kagiso Jantjies and Jesse Kleintjies participated in the Pick 'n Pay Cooking Competition at the Prue Leith Cooking Academy. They took part in the Masterclass section where their task was to reproduce a “swiss roll with a peanut-butter and cream-cheese filling, with peanut brittle sprinkled inside”. Jesse and Kagiso were inspired by all that they learnt and are keen to share their new knowledge with their classmates.

Mooting is done between 2 two-people teams. It requires you to research the area of law in question and bring a prepared case to the competition. Teams are expected to argue for both the applicant and the respondent. Mooting is completely different to debating: you must always be polite and respectful to the judge and other participants and it is much like an actual court trial. Round 1 consisted of written arguments which are assessed by independent experts prior to the competition. Based on these essays, 9 schools are chosen to compete. Round 2 identifies the top 4 teams. In producing this essay, we had to present the argument as if we were lawyers, using the correct structure, court room

MOOT COURT

etiquette and appropriate jargon. We had to do a lot of research, as we have to be able to use facts from the Bill of Rights and other documents to substantiate why the judges should rule in our favour. At our first workshop on 12 September at the Cape Town Magistrates' Court, we spoke to advocates and lawyers who gave us useful tips and advice and taught us skills that we will use during the provincial rounds and hopefully at Nationals. Imaan Mothupi

On 27 August, a party of History/theatre lovers attended a performance of Sizwe Banzi is Dead. History teacher, Erin Hudson, described it as the best, most moving performance of her life. Particularly important for her was the fact that the girls could see the human face of the history that they have been learning about (migrant labour and apartheid). Sjaene van Wyk, Head of History, said this: “Possibly the best 80 minutes of acting I have ever seen. Sizwe Banzi is a life-changing experience.”

Grade 11 Aquarium outingSizwe Banzi is DeadOUTINGS & FIELD TRIPS

On Friday 18 September, the Grade 11 Life Sciences girls visited the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Waterfront. A section of the syllabus is Animal Diversity and the girls learn about animal classification, the different phyla and each of their unique characteristics. Serving as enrichment to the syllabus, the outing allowed for the learners to see examples from the marine environment specifically, and learn new things about this environment they might not have known before. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this outing - not only was it a great educational experience, but it was also lots of fun!

Alvin Ailey Wows Wynberg Dancers

On 18 September, a very lucky group of Wynberg dancers attended a performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at the Artscape. This is what some of them had to say about the experience. Regina Ngaka: “It was the most wonderful thing I have ever watched. The experience was exciting and inspiring.” Simone Neethling: “The show has been my best learning experience by far! It has motivated and inspired me to do more with my dance career.” Robyn van Dam: “Everything about the production was amazing - the dance moves, the inspiring stories, the history, the people, the hilarious warm-up routine we did in our seats - unforgettable! As a dancer at Wynberg I will forever be deeply grateful for this experience. Being there to witness the majestic choreography made this one of the best evenings of my life!”

Back: C Marshall, Z Pietersen, T Bester, K Williams, U Matanjana, N Rinquest, R JacobsNext: M Malander, R van Dam, D Neethling, S Neethling, R Ngaka, T Swain

Front: T Petersen, V Reagon

Grade 11 Geography Field Trip

The Grade 11 Geography field trip involved a trip to Grabouw and a visit to the Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme. The visit to the power station gave us a better understanding of how the scheme works, its main

objectives and how it ultimately helps with the generation of electricity. As it is an environmen-tally clean form of energy, we also learned about the environmental concerns during the construction of the dams and power station. We were amazed at how much of the actual power station is in fact under-ground. Girls were also required to do some mapwork - calculating the gradient of Sir Lowry's Pass, draw-ing sketches and identifying land-scape changes. All in all, the Geography students had a wonderful day in the field, learning a great deal to supplement their curriculum knowledge.

On Friday 28 August, the cross-country team went to St Cyprians for the interschools event. The course was in a beautiful setting but the route was rather challenging, with some steep gradients, uphill and down. All the girls did really well - special congratulations go to Lauren Jonathan who came 1st and Kirsten Roodman 2nd in their respective age groups. Best wishes also go to Mikayla Gray and Lauren Jonathan who were chosen to represent Western Province later this month.

INTERSCHOOLS CROSS-COUNTRY Back: Lauren Jonathan, Kirsten Roodman,

Lelethu Mzaza, Sasha Sivertsen, Mikayla

Gray, Jamie Southgate, Katherine Nicholls, Dana Arries, Zara Wichman, Michelle Boshoff, Savannah

Wiegand, Sarah-Jane Deary, Raniya Khan, Erin Harris, Aaminah

Domingo, Inge Tripod, Sasha Petersen

Front: Kayleigh Ducroq, Chelsea Spaans,

Tamsyn Gaynor, Kelsey Neethling (Captain),

Aaliyah Adams, Nadia Parker.

Silverlea do clean-up in Marnardville Park

In August, Wynberg participated in the junior round of the Norman Henshilwood Mathematics Competition. The competition consisted of five rounds and throughout this time we worked very well as a team, using all the brain power at our disposal. We also enjoyed a good laugh between the rounds. After five stressful rounds, the results revealed that we had tied in 3rd place, with Norman Henshilwood. After a tie-breaker round we were still tied, so we then competed in a very tense sudden death round. This we won, placing us 3rd overall in the junior section. Our team was very pleased with themselves after an enjoyable and eventful evening of mathematics. Each girl received a bronze medal, a R150 voucher and the team received a trophy. We would not have been able to achieve such success without the support and motivation of our mathematics teacher, Mrs McEwen. Na-Eela Coleman

MATHS COMPETITION

Back: Parina Naidu, Afroza Chiktay, Shreya Naidoo, Robyn Brown, Mrs P McEwen

Front: Aa’isha Dout, Saarah Abrahams, Mu’minah Salie, Na-Eela Coleman

The PGSGU interschools squash tournament was held at WP Cricket Club on Saturday 19 September. Each round consisted of 9 minutes of continuous play, the aim being to score as many points as possible. 3 points were awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. Rustenburg, Herschel,

Kaylee Marshall, Demi Steenkamp, Captain Nhadia Gustavo with the cup,

Isobel Evans, Inge Tripod and Mrs Sam Furstenberg, very proud coach.

First up for the U14s was St Cyprians who had beaten them convincingly in the league. The team played very well, had a number of scoring opportunities but were fairly happy with a draw. Unfortunately the team then went on to draw with Springfield and Herschel. They beat San Souci but lost their match against Rustenburg. The highlight of the tournament was the match against Herschel - although it was a draw, it felt like a win. The hockey played by the U14s during this tournament showed great courage and commitment. Their improvement as individuals and as a team was huge, and it was a pleasure to watch them play.

The PGSGU interschools hockey tournaments were played on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September. The 1st team drew to both Herschel and Springfield, beat St Cyprians and lost to Rustenburg. There was much excitement and suspense and the team must be commended on their play. The way the team played at this tournament showed just how far they have come as a team this season and showed just how much they have improved.

The U16 team had a good game against Sans Souci, winning 5-0. Saturday started with a 2-0 loss to Herschel, followed by a very tense match against Rustenburg. We scored early in that game, possibly our best goal of the season! Unfortunately we couldn't hold the lead and Rustenburg equalised with 2 minutes to go! We also drew 0-0 to Springfield. In our game against St Cyprians, Saarah Smith scored the winning goal with 3 minutes to spare which meant Wynberg finished 3rd overall.

INTERSCHOOLS HOCKEY

Back: S Sivertsen, J Southgate, G Makholiso, K Nicholls, L Sidzumo, K Morgan, A Bailey, J Grey, V Harkhu,

Front: S Lopes-Stuart, A Williams, C Manoek, T Gaynor, M Petersen, T Rawoot (Captain)

INTERSCHOOLS SQUASH WINNERS

Springfield and Wynberg competed: the Wynberg team consisted of Demi Steenkamp, Kaylee Marshall, Isobel Evans, Inge Tripod and captain, Nhadia Gustavo. Wynberg won their first match, against Herschel, 12-3 and played extremely well against Rustenburg to win 15-0. The match against Springfield, defending champions, was highly contested but Wynberg were on top form and beat them 9-6. Final results were: Wynberg 1st, Springfield 2nd, Herschel 3rd and Rustenburg 4th. The team and coach were ecstatic as the last time WGHS had won was in 2009. Wonderful result, girls - well done!

Back: C van der Berg, H Lockhat, N Mhlambi, R Franklin, J de Villiers, C Thompson, S Dingeni, F Isaacs, A Dollie,

Ms I Coulter (Coach)Front: I Evans, K Walsh, A Arendse, S Smith (Captain),

B Plaatjies, S Reilly, J Botha U16s

WP CRICKET COLOURS

Congratulations to Saarah Smith who has been selected to represent the Western Province U19 Girls’ Cricket Team at the National U19 Cricket Week in Durban in December.

On 22 August, three Wynberg girls, Muminah Salie, Aurielle Goodchild-Brown and Rachael Springorum participated in the Western Cape Girls Open Chess Tournament at Curro College in Durbanville. In the U15 section, Muminah won the gold medal and Auriel the silver medal - they came 1st and 2nd.

Rachael Springorum, Muminah Salie & Aurielle Goodchild-Brown

CHESS

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