150th
150th
A wonderful year of celebration of women, faith and education as we celebrate the 150th birthday of Springfield Convent School in 2021. Please save the dates and come along and join the celebratory events and proud moments.
Embedded Files
Head of School Message
Head of School Message
What an extraordinary year this has been. 2020 will be recorded in the history books and the people who write those books will be writing about us - the 'masked warriors' who fought valiantly armed with sanitiser and who went into battle by staying apart.
Much has been lost this year and this is important to acknowledge, but it is equally important to turn our attention to what we have gained. Our fears have lived alongside courage. Isolation has restored our desire to build right relationships and we have all come to realize that we are processing through a gateway for change.
While the global pandemic dictated much of our behaviour and lifestyle this year, of great significance, the Black Lives Matter movement amplified the need for equity and social justice. I have read and re-read the posts in #Springfield_voices, the voices of our pupils both past and present. To all who experienced the trauma that was recorded on that platform, I apologize, and I am deeply sorry. Springfield will change and it will be a school where every person is embraced and valued for her uniqueness.
The Transformation Steering Committee has reached the halfway point of our work with GOAL. Our final session of this year saw us reflecting deeply, both individually and as a group, on the cultural changes that are needed at our school. This process will add definition to our vision for transformation at Springfield.
To the girls and their families who leave Springfield today, we bid you farewell and I ask for God's richest blessings to guide you as you continue your journey.
In addition, we say goodbye and thank you to some members of the Senior School staff. Mrs Lorraine Gardiner stepped into a locum position in the Life Sciences Department and we will bid her farewell as Mrs de la Mare returns in the new year. A space in Life Orientation was ably filled by Ms Gill Sutton. The girls also enjoyed her lessons in both the History and RE classes. Springfield was indeed fortunate to have a teacher of her experience who was available for the year. We said goodbye to Mr Robert Henning and his family who emigrated to England and we wish them well in their new homeland. The Mathematics department will miss Mrs Dominique Dumont who has a unique opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. Mrs Val Calthorpe leaves us as the Music Department Secretary. She has exciting plans for the next phase of her life that will likely see her settling in Spain. Mr Christopher Davids has served on Springfield’s Estate Staff for eight years. His wife has not been well, and her needs are his priority. We wish him and his wife well as they navigate a path to her recovery.
Three remarkable Springfielders will retire at the end of this year: Mrs Morag Scordilis, Mrs Norma Dalley and Mrs Annelise Steenkamp. These ladies have been loyal in their service to our school and they will be remembered for their excellent and meaningful contributions.
Schools are places of people and for people. To each Sister, pupil, teacher, groundsman, administrator and parent, I thank you for each day that you have given to Springfield this year. It is an honour to be a part of this family and I am grateful that I was able to 'do 2020' with you all.
The school year has not ended for the Matrics. They continue with their examinations until 15 December. As COVID numbers rise in our province, please remember to play your part in containing the virus for the sake of all and especially the thousands of matriculants who need to stay healthy.
The message of Christmas transcends all faiths. So, to all I wish you a holiday season filled with joy, peace and happiness.
To close, I would like to share a reading that has great meaning for me and I believe that its message is the wisdom that is needed at the end of a school year. The reading is from St Paul's letter to the Philippians:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
PENNY MULLAN
Head of School
Message from the Junior School Principal
Message from the Junior School Principal
WIN_20201130_14_13_01_Pro.mp4A message from the Head of RE
A message from the Head of RE
Dear Springfield Community
The academic year has come to an end and we have so much to be thankful for. 2020 will be remembered as a year of survival and gratitude. We survived because we are a people of faith and hope. As we enter into the liturgical season of Advent we focus on the four areas of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
May the four significant threads of Advent blend into a tapestry of goodwill and prosperity for you and your family this Christmas.
With blessing
Gillian Stubbs
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem
By Dr Maya Angelou
Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
**Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth's tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.
We, Angels and Mortal's, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.**
Springfield PTA News
Springfield PTA News
Notice of Springfield PTA annual general meeting
Notice of Springfield PTA annual general meeting
All members of the Springfield Parent Teachers Association are advised that an annual general meeting of the members will take place as follows:
Time: 18h30
Date: Monday 15 February 2021
Place: Centenary Hall (COVID permitting)
The agenda, previous minutes and other relevant information will be sent to all parents and staff at the start of term 1 2021.
Dear Fellow Parents
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, what a year it has been! From the unbelievable highs of the fair which seems so long ago now, to the lows of COVID and issues around transformation and governance, we have all been through a lot.
The one constant though through all our shared experiences this year has been the amazing resilience of the parents to get stuck in and do what is best for the girls. It has truly been heartwarming to see.
As we come to the end of the year, it’s important for the PTA to start looking ahead to 2021. Given the resignations from the PTA during the year, next year we have 7 openings for new members (or anyone who wants to continue) that we will be voting on at the 2021 AGM. I’d like to strongly urge all parents to consider joining the PTA, it is incredibly worthwhile and gives you a real sense of fulfillment when you see the difference you can make. This year we were able to do things as varied as outfitting the Senior School Tuck Shop to sourcing laptops and data for girls during distance learning. COVID regulations allowing, the PTA AGM will be held in Centenary Hall at 18h30 on Monday 15 February 2021.
Also, 2021 has added importance as it is the 150th birthday of Springfield. Due to the celebrations that will be occurring in the 1st term, the decision has been made that there will be no fair next year, it would be an extra event in an already crowded calendar, and the focus needs to be on the 150th. That said, the PTA still has its work cut out for it, supporting those 150th celebrations and fundraising around them. With that in mind, I would like to ask for volunteers to assist with logistical support and fundraising around the 150th activities, if you are interested please email me on chris@parental-instinct.com
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the 2020 PTA, those from the start of the year who worked so hard to make the fair the success it was, those who made a decision to make a stand for something they strongly believed in, those who made the decision to remain on the PTA to ensure its continued operation, and those who stepped up during difficult times to make sure the PTA would remain fully functional for 2020. My heartfelt thanks to all of you.
Yours sincerely
CHRIS BAFF
PTA Chairperson
Sr Kathy's Carol Service Message
Sr Kathy's Carol Service Message
2020 brings to mind the word ‘vulnerability’. Of vulnerability to an enemy that can creep up on us unawares; of vulnerability to the action of another which can either infect or protect us; of vulnerability to a painful experience of struggle, too painful to want to repeat, but knowing it will happen again; to the vulnerability of age, or of being in too close proximity to another; of the vulnerability of being challenged to trust, but being deeply frightened by what that might cost me.
And then we consider a baby. A minute example of humanity, often with disconcertingly powerful lungs, with an enviable capacity to charm, but utterly dependent, and utterly vulnerable. In Isaiah (remember the first reading this evening) this vulnerability has an amazing ending (Isaiah 9:6) … “a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”. And this same Jesus, prophesied in the gospel of Matthew: “His name will be Immanuel, (which means, ‘God is with us’)”. An extraordinary mix of weak and small, and powerful and present, compassionate and attentive to our needs.
Prayer
Prayer
So we give thanks to God: for all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, in every way; for the talents and gifts that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced; for the burdens that have been lifted and the hurts that have been healed; for the respect and care that has been given. We give thanks for the friendships that have just begun and for those that have grown; for the faith that has been lived in our daily struggles, for the hope that has lifted our hearts on the dark days; and for the love that has kept us going. We give thanks for the community that we are, and we ask you Lord: Bless our families as the holidays begin. Pour out your love on us that we may return renewed and refreshed to continue our journey together. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen
Blessing
Blessing is the giving of a gift, the wishing of a good.
I invite you, for a quiet moment, to ask God for a blessing on yourself … (pause)
For a moment, in the quiet of your heart, to identify some member of the Springfield
community who you know needs healing, and ask a blessing for that person…
(pause)
For a moment, in the quiet of your heart, to think of some person that has caused
you pain, and whom you have found it hard to forgive, and ask a blessing for that
person… (pause)
For a moment, in the quiet of your heart, call a blessing on our struggling world …
(pause)
And in conclusion, we ask a blessing for us all,
from the God who created us,
from the Son who came in all his vulnerability to be with us,
and from the Spirit, who cares for us with wisdom and energy.
Amen
SR KATHY GAYLOR op
CELEBRATING ADVENT AT HOME
CELEBRATING ADVENT AT HOME
Advent Wreath Candle Lighting Prayers
Advent Wreath Candle Lighting Prayers
Advent is the season leading up to Christmas. It begins four Sundays before December 25 and is our time of preparation for our yearly celebration of the birth of Jesus into our world. Lighting the candles on an Advent wreath in the weeks leading up to Christmas is a great way to help us remember that we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ. In church, every week another candle is lighted as we journey towards Christmas. As we do in church, it is customary to have an Advent wreath in our homes and to light a candle for each week of Advent. Prayers typically accompany the lighting and this can be done at every evening meal or on the first evening meal of the week. This is also the time to be creative, not guilty.
For the candle lighting, if you don't often gather as a family because dinner time is hectic with activities, create a new tradition and make it a before-bedtime ritual to light a candle and say a few prayers reflecting on the day that has ended. Or if morning works better, start the day with Advent prayers holding in our hearts our hopes for the day ahead and lighting the Advent candle over breakfast. If you are by yourself, you can create your own ritual, knowing that you are joining with Christians around the world in this sacred season. Instead of sharing out loud, journal your responses to the questions asked during the sharing time.
Notes: Traditionally, the youngest child lights the candle the first week, the oldest child the second week, one parent the third week and the other parent the fourth week. However, these roles can be chosen to make sure everyone is included and there is family peace.
BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
When the blessing of the Advent Wreath is celebrated in the home, it is appropriate
that it be blessed by a parent or another member of the family.
Leader: Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God, let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Transformation Steering Committee
The Transformation Steering Committee
For the past month, The Transformation Steering Committee has met for four sessions with the GOAL Trust, to focus on developing our critical awareness, and to build the foundation for the committee to take the agenda of transformation forward. The sessions have brought to light the necessity for welcoming disruption and change, and to look inwards to our own ways of being that can bring us closer to unity, acceptance and inclusion.
We concluded our final session for this year by working to name the cultural change that we want to see in the School. There is lots of work to do, and we are hopeful as we look ahead to 2021, that this Committee will work together with the best interests of the school community at heart.
It is important to view this process of transformation not just as one of change, but as one of healing. In order for healing to happen, we need to step into the difficult conversations and actions with openness and humility.
Edana Parent Portal and Parent Portal App
Edana Parent Portal and Parent Portal App
Dear Springfield Parents and Guardians
Please ensure that you have set up and logged in to the parent portal and App by the start of term 1 so as not to miss any important information. Should you have any further queries or need assistance please contact Mr Hebrew-John Morgendal on helpdesk@springfieldconvent.co.za who will gladly assist with your queries.
Term dates - 2021
Term dates - 2021
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