The Pink Slip
Should pupils have an unavoidable appointment during school hours, kindly notify the school using the Edana App.
Parents are requested to report to the Senior School office and collect their daughter, along with the pink permission/security slip and hand in to the Security Guard on duty on the way out at the Convent Road gate.
No pupil may leave the premises during school hours without this permission/security slip.
Senior School Contact details: Tel: +27 (0)21 797 6169
email: snrpost@springfieldconvent.co.za
With the end of the first term in view, this is a good time to provide some guidelines as to how to read the reports and how to follow up on any queries that may arise as the term draws to a close. While the first term report focuses on a mark reading with an accompanying comment from the Connect teachers, the result will in some way reflect a pupil’s classroom experience in their particular subjects.
Subject and Classroom Queries
The classroom is obviously the main space in which teaching and learning take place at Springfield. Any academic concerns about particular subjects should be addressed with the teacher who is closest to the issue. This approach is the basis for strong partnerships and relationships between the parents, pupils and teachers which can be approached in the spirit of collaboration and good faith.
Should a pupil child have a concern in one of their classes, we would like them to approach the relevant teacher themselves first. Please empower your child by guiding them on how to do this in an open and respectful manner and encouraging them to take accountability for their life at school before you intervene. Where your child does need your intervention, please email the relevant staff member directly before escalating the issue to their Connect teacher, House Co-ordinator or to me. Many issues can be solved quickly when they are dealt with directly in the classroom.
A Guide to the Reports
In Grades 10, 11 and 12, much of the focus is on the pupil’s progress towards whatever their goal is in terms of the requirements of the NSC. A reminder of these follows in the infographic below.
In Grades 8 and 9, pupils need to achieve over 50% in the Home Language subject, over 40% in one First Additional Language, over 40% for Maths, over 40% in three other subjects and at least 30% in two other subjects in order to be promoted to the next grade.
We will be looking at how to support pupils who do not meet the pass for which they are aiming as well as pupils who do not meet the basic promotion requirements in a grade during a series of academic progress meetings next week and will follow up on any concerns with parents following those meetings. Where necessary, pastoral care and counselling will be provided.
Online Parent-Teacher Meetings
Online parent-teacher meetings for Grade 8 and 12 parents and pupils will be held early next term on 15 and 20 April. This is an opportunity for parents to meet their children’s teachers and to gather more feedback on their academic performance during the first term.
Similar meetings will be held for the Grade 9, 10 and 11 parents and pupils at the start of the third term.
I hope that the last stretch of the term is a good one for everyone at Springfield. What a well-deserved rest we will all have in the upcoming holiday.
Have a Safe Holiday
David Fick
Photography Club
The members of the Photography Club completed their first assignments for the year. They were asked to capture something where there is a strong element of colour, or to photograph pets. For each assignment we'll choose three pictures to be displayed in the newsletter. The first assignment's photographers are Joan Chimatira (Gr 8), Bethany Walker (Gr 10) and Jacqueline Erdmann (Gr 12). Well done!
Joan Chimatira
Bethany Walker
Jacqueline Erdmann
GRAAD 10: OPSTELLE
In the Afrikaans department we are very proud of Sua Sung and Zahni Fortuin in Grade 10 for having written exceptional essays for their level. Well done girls!
Lavinia Boer
My spesiale plek - deur Sua Sung
‘n Strand, ‘n tuin of selfs onder ‘n groot boom – almal het ‘n spesiale plek. My spesiale plek is baie verskillend. Dis die plek wat ek binnegaan as ek my oë toemaak en die duisternis en vrede my groet.
Almal benodig ‘n spesiale plek, want die wêreld is ‘n vreesaanjaende en stresvolle plek. Mense benodig ‘n blaaskans van hierdie vermoeiende wêreld sodat hulle vryheid kan vind en alleentyd kan geniet. Vir my is die spesiale plek my gedagtes. Eenvoudig. Ek sluit my oë en verwyder my van die wêreld. Dit stel my in staat om my gevoelens te verstaan, my oorweldigende gedagtes te bestuur en myself beter te laat voel voordat ek weer na die regte wêreld terugkeer. Dit is wonderlik, want ek kan enige tyd my spesiale plek besoek.
Ek gebruik heeltyd my spesiale plek, byvoorbeeld as ek met stres sukkel. Ek sluit my oë en my gedagtes reis na ‘n pragtige tuin vol kleurvolle blomme. Ek voel die koel briesie en hoor die rustige melodie van die voëls. My stres en bekommernisse begin verdwyn soos ek die skoonheid rondom my my omhels. My oë gaan stadig oop en ek bevind my weer as ‘n kalm person in die stresvolle, besige wêreld.
Om te besin oor die dag, sal ek weereens vanaand deur my gedagtes reis en môre opnuut wakker word.
Zahni Fortuin and Sua Sung
Vir my is die beste tyd van die jaar … - deur Zahni Fortuin
Die atmosfeer, ma se sop en ‘n boek. ‘n Kombinasie wat net een seisoen bring.
Ek staar in aanbidding en ‘n glimlag trek aan my gesig. Daar is ‘n skoonheid in die manier waarop die lug grys word. Die bome staan kaal in die landskap. Skakerings van rose prikkel my neus.
Riviertjies stroom by my venster af. Die bome fluister met mekaar. Dit beteken dat Ma haar spesiale sop maak. As ek dit in my mond sit, kielie dit my keel. Van my kop tot my tone, is ek nou warm. Dit blaas lewe in my liggaam.
Ek sal vries as ek buite stap, so ek draai dieper in my bed sodat my vel in die drukkies van my kombers smelt.
Ek blaai ‘n bladsy van my boek om om my in ‘n nuwe wêreld te bevind. My oë lê op die woorde terwyl ‘n fliek in my kop speel. Dit voel soos tuis.
Die atmosfeer, Ma se sop en ‘n boek maak die winter my mees geliefde tyd van die jaar.
The Music School is delighted to be able to offer Jazz Piano lessons from next term. As some command of the keyboard is necessary in order to be able to improvise and respond to chordal patterns and alternative notation, a requirement of around Grade 5 competence is required before starting.
As always, music application forms are available from Reception, or electronically from music@springfieldconvent.co.za
MUSIC performance: Tanyaradzwa Madizwa (grade 8A) - taught by Marianne Martens - playing the recorder
Eco Portfolio
Last month was Eco month, which was a time dedicated towards environmental education and awareness. The Eco portfolio organized a series of events that touched on topics like fast fashion, ocean pollution and conservation, recycling and climate change.
From The Beach Co-op we had Megan- Rose Francis, who talked about ocean pollution and the importance of attending beach cleanups as well as decreasing your plastic usage. We also learnt about the dirty dozen (top 12 plastic ocean pollutants). Find out more on: https://www.thebeachcoop.org
We hosted the second google meet with Jackie May (the founder of Twyg Magazine), who talked about fast fashion and circular economy and how our consumerism impacts the environment and the lives of the people that make our clothes. Some tips were buy second hand, repair and upcycle your clothes, and buy local. To watch the recorded presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N9tW1UHoHUjAWWEjODlDfDi-N88DE0VQ/view?usp=drivesdk
We ended off the month with a game making workshop facilitated by Earth Kids Org, where we made children’s games out of recyclable plastic materials, by watching videos made by Kendall Slade. These games are to be donated to preschools in need.
What a wonderful and exciting month!
Eco Portfolio
INTER-HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY
The day we celebrated our 150th birthday was a day like no other! What a jam-packed day filled with many highlights for the Sports Department as we organised a fun-filled Inter-House Cross Country run and walk. To see the entire school together, participating, cheering for their house, chattering and giggling during their walk through the park was quite emotional - our girls lost out on so much last year and this opportunity was the first time we have seen them "kind of normal". The Matric skit was loved by all and the Elite Cross Country race was extremely exciting, with runners skidding around corners and sprinting as fast as they could in their race to the finish line. All Houses participated in the park walk and points were allocated to the Elite race and to every person who completed their walk in the park.
Organising a cross country event is a huge task. It cannot be run effectively without the help of many hands and a lot of team work. Thank you to all the staff and pupils involved in this event in their many capacities and a huge thank you to Mr Quinn, Ms Munro and Ms Wagner for all their hard work setting up the race. Special mention to Mrs Hoole and Ms Godlonton for running the technical table as well as First Aiders Eva Henry, Bianca Rose du Toit and Karryn de Villiers and Marshalls Mrs Van Zyl and Mrs Zimmerman who valiantly assisted one of our injured learners way beyond their call of duty.
After the race, our girls were treated to ice cream and cake as a birthday treat!
Congratulations to the following runners for achieving excellent results in the Elite Race.
Juniors:
1st - Erin Heath - Thomas
2nd - Emma Deneys - Thomas
3rd - Sarah Palframan - Dominic
Seniors:
1st - Caity O' Cunneagain - Thomas
2nd - Meg Grievson - Maccy
3rd - Anna Marx - Thomas
The House that won the Cross Country event was........................THOMAS!!
DIVING COMPETITION ON FRIDAY 12 MARCH 2021
Congratulations to all those who participated in the Diving Competition last week! It was marvellous to see so many eager divers at the event! Well done to Jade Jagga who won the team diving section, Caitlyn Gallimore who won the Grade 8 beginners section and Holly Nightingale who won the Grade 9-12 beginners section. The event was superbly run by Mrs van Zyl and Mrs Hoole and it was a wonderful afternoon!
WINTER SPORTS
These will commence from the first day of Term 2, 2021. Whilst Sport is not currently compulsory at Springfield, our expectation is that every pupil who signs up for a particular sporting code will commit to that code and her team for the entire season. The principles of GRIT, participation and commitment that are prevalent in the sporting environment are hugely important to the holistic growth and development of our learners.
PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE FOR EXTRA-MURALS - TERM 2
This timetable is still provisional at the time of finalising this newsletter and it will change before Term 2 commences. This is due partly to the fact that we are awaiting further gazetted directions from the Department of Basic Education (which we believed were imminent last week already) as well as the number of participants signing up for various sporting codes and the Junior School timetable. Soccer times will be moved to suit the availability of the majority of soccer players because a large number of our soccer players also participate in other sports. We have entered a soccer team into the soccer league as well as a squash team into the squash league and will also participate in netball, cross country and hockey where we are permitted to do so under COVID19 regulations. In the event that the COVID19 protocols only permit intra-school activities, we are thinking out of the box and have a number of very exciting concepts throughout all of the sporting codes to bring to the school.