Click the navigation panel top left to jump directly to news articles.
Geoff Quinn
Senior School Principal
Three significant days were celebrated this past week. On Saturday 27 April, we celebrated Freedom Day which commemorates the first democratic elections where all South Africans first had the right to vote. On Wednesday 1 May, Workers day commemorated the struggle of workers in the pursuit of rights in the workplace. At assembly this week I discussed the link between these two days and the pursuit of basic human rights. This led us to the fact that along with our own rights we all have responsibilities which are essential in ensuring that the rights of everyone in our community are upheld.
I referred all the pupils to a document entitled A Bill of Responsibilities for the youth of South Africa. This document, which was launched by the Department of Basic Education in 2008, outlines the responsibilities that correspond with the rights found in the Bill of Rights, which form part of the South African Constitution.
There were a few key responsibilities that I highlighted during assembly but the document requires just a little more time so I emailed it to all the pupils and asked them to spend just a few minutes on their day off to read through it.
One point was very clear when we looked at just a few of the responsibilities during assembly. That was that so many of them overlapped seamlessly with the values of Respect, Compassion, Responsibility, Integrity and Service. I am not sure I would like to guess at how many of our pupils took time to read over the Bill of Responsibilities; however, if we are all striving to live these school values at school, then we will be going a long way to ensuring that we are honouring the human rights of those around us.
The third significant day for us here at Springfield this week was the feast day of St Catherine of Siena. St Catherine was a strong, outspoken Dominican woman who lived in Italy between 1347 and1380. It is said that St Catherine was not a particularly strong academic but that she was a woman who worked hard and became an influential member of the Catholic Church as well as an author of poems, prayers and teachings. She was also an activist (in modern days we would call her an “influencer”) who stood up for the rights of those around her, especially women. Her particular charism included working with the impoverished and sick. Her most inspiring writings appear in her book The Dialogue.
During his sermon at mass, Father Manuel Fernandes related a story to the pupils about a small girl who walked along the seashore where thousands of starfish had washed ashore after a storm. She carefully picked them up one by one and returned them to the sea. A passerby stopped her and said “why are you doing that….. there are so many, it won’t make a difference”. The girl replied as she returned one of the starfish to the water “it will make a difference to that starfish”. That was a good reminder to us that everytime we do something to protect human rights, no matter how small, it makes a difference to at least one other person.
“St. Catherine of Siena is remembered for her boldness in confronting corruption, her defence of truth, and her unquenchable zeal for God.”
128_24_WS_3 May_2025 Term Dates.pdfClick here to view
Coffee with the Counsellor
On Tuesday morning, the Farringer Library hosted a Coffee with the Counsellor event for grade 8 parents. The event was well-attended and provided a valuable opportunity for parents to connect with each other and share about their experiences of their children’s transition from junior to senior school.
The event was hosted by our school counsellor, Rosa Krauss, who facilitated a discussion around some of the challenges - and wins! - that the last term-and-a-bit have presented to the pupils. The space also allowed for joint thinking and collaboration around how to further support our grade 8 learners as they adjust to the expectations, demands and opportunities that come with this transition. Thought was given to managing social isolation, how to help our children balance the scales of diligence and hard work with more pleasurable pursuits and “down-time”, and the challenges of navigating social media and device usage.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:
The transition from grade 7 to grade 8 can be, for some, quite a challenging time - both for those moving up from the junior school, and for those who have joined us from other primary schools.
Finding one’s “tribe” can be a difficult and lonely experience, and sometimes takes longer than expected but that the angst that is so prevalent for many in Gr 8 does generally settle by Gr 9.
Opportunities for social connection between pupils will be more clearly “sign-posted” and re-advertised on a regular basis.
Parents are keen for more informal opportunities to connect with each other (plans around how to take this forward weren’t discussed, but please do get in touch with Rosa if you have ideas or would like to spearhead a social initiative)
Social media and phone use is a common area of concern. Some parents have had success by setting very clear, firm expectations and boundaries around device usage at home. Other parents have access to the Klik’d platform (through their connection with the junior school) and have found their content very helpful in opening up discussions with their children about social media and phone usage and how to mitigate the negative consequences.
The school has a number of resources available to parents who would like to learn more or need additional support in navigating the tricky teen stuff. We have an outstanding library and parents and guardians are welcome to check books out for their own personal use. Our librarian, Ms. Wylie, and Rosa will be curating a collection of books specifically for parents and guardians.
It was a very pleasant and convivial gathering that provided both parents and the counsellor with a sense of community and support. If you were unable to attend the Coffee with the Counsellor event or you have thoughts or ideas that you would like to pitch for our next gathering, please do not hesitate to contact Rosa. We will be hosting another Coffee with the Counsellor morning next term, where we look forward to introducing parents and guardians to the new counsellor who will be joining the team.
Please note that as from this term, for safety reasons, the Shop @ Springfield will no longer be accepting cash payments. Payment options will now be EFT which can be done at the shop, Snapscan or with debit and credit cards.
Thank you for your understanding.
Q and A:
Question: How do I advise the school that my child will be in late or needs to leave early?
Parents/Guardians: Notify the school via the Springfield School App if your child is leaving school early or arriving late.
Learners: Sign in/out digitally at the office. Your teachers are able to view why you missed a lesson.
Most importantly:-
If you open the App, and you do not see the pencil icon, it means you are not logged in.
If you need help from this point, kindly click here to email Hebrew-John Morgendal.
A reminder that it's full winter uniform.
Official winter uniform items:
Winter skirt or long grey pants
School grey stockings available from the senior school office
Grey socks with the grey pants
White long sleeve shirts
Charcoal school tie
Blue winter jersey
Grade 12 only - Matric Jersey
Grade 12 only - Matric Tie
Blazer
Springfield school scarf only
Rain jacket - if the rain jacket is longer than your skirt then please do not zip it up.
Please remember that only the light blue hoodie may be worn with the PE/Sports uniform and not items worn on sports/cultural/academic tours.
Shakespeare Schools' Festival: A small cast of enthusiastic Springfield actors will be performing a modified and shortened version of "Othello" at the Homecoming Theatre in District Six. Producing Othello is challenging, as it deals with complex themes of GBV and racism. Springfield will be performing on Thursday, 16 May, alongside De La Bat school for the Deaf (who will perform "Macbeth") and Oude Molen Technical college (who will stage "The Merchant of Venice). Doors open at 6.30pm and the three shows will be finished by 9.00pm. Tickets are available on Webtickets and cost R120-R150.
Well done to our enthusiastic cast: Shamiso Chigwada, Sinovuyo Nkayi, Naxeerah Ceres, Leah Lawrence, Eve Bosanquet, Keeney Cianfanelli, Emma Morkel and Holly Walsh. Nothing is possible without an excellent tech crew: Akeira David, Lilah Davies and Kesha Daniels
Shamiso Chigwada
Sinovuyo Nkayi
Naxeerah Ceres
Leah Lawrence
Eve Bosanquet
Keeney Cianfanelli
Emma Morkel
Holly Walsh
Akeira David
Lilah Davies
Kesha Daniels
If you are an avid reader of the sports newsletter you will know that normally start off with a quote from a famous athlete or icon, however, today I will add my own words:
“Springfield Sport is beginning to make its mark. Springfield Sport is beginning to make people talk. Springfield Sport is reminding everyone that our Ethos of building our foundations on participation and striving for excellence is proving successful. We will keep moving forward, we will keep coming, we will keep making you talk! ”
Cross Country starts us off as they trekked to Pinelands High for their 2nd race of the Season, the results were as follows:
Well done runners!!
U14
3rd - Amy Gold
U14
5th - Scarlet Berning
U15
7th - Chloe du Plessis
U16
17th- Seren Hauser Nicholl
U17
15th - Sienna Lumb
U19
7th - Erin Heath
Our U16A Netball and Hockey squads participated in the annual RGHS Champions Cup from April 19th to 21st. Both teams demonstrated their dedication and hard work admirably. Despite facing tough competition, our hockey team displayed significant progress, reflecting their ongoing improvement in recent weeks.
The Netball team showed remarkable resilience, causing a few surprises, including a victory over Herschel, and securing a 2nd place position in the standings. This earned them a spot in the final against a formidable opponent, Parel Vallei. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as both teams battled fiercely until the end, ultimately clinching the Silver Medal—an achievement even more impressive considering our 3rd place finish last year.
Congratulations to our U16 athletes for their outstanding performance! You have truly made us proud.
The runners took off again! This time up a VERY tough course at Jan van Riebeeck, although tough, the views were spectacular:
U14
3rd Amy Gold
U14
5th Scarlett Berning
U15
6th Chloe du Plessis
U16
13th Seren Hauser Nicholl
U16
18th Sofia Lategan
U17
11th Jessica Burrell
U17
14th Sienna Lumb
U19
5th Erin Heath
Our 1st and 2nd team soccer teams took on Westerford and the players showcased that they are formidable opponents and are playing some amazing soccer this year! The walked away with a win and a draw!
1st - 2-2
2nd - 3-1
A reminder that we will be having some fixtures and training sessions during exams, please keep an eye on the various groups!
Good luck for exams!
Yours in Sport,
Cathy
