CONTENTS

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Nelson Mandela

17 July 2019

Dear Parents

“We can change the world and make it a better place. It’s in YOUR hands to make a difference.”

Nelson Mandela

There is a great spirit of Madiba Magic in the air at school this week. Our Assembly on Monday morning started the theme, with appropriate prayers and the singing of God Bless Africa and the National Anthem. Today the Junior Primary girls had the experience of singing and signing (from a YouTube clip) a wonderful version of Michael’s Jackson’s We are the World, We are the Children, which they loved. Activities have been organized in each grade for 67 minutes of Outreach time tomorrow. I am sure we will have further photographs of this in next week’s Newsletter.

My favourite times of the week are my three weekly Assemblies – for the full Junior School on Mondays, for the Foundation Phase on Wednesdays, followed by the Pre-Primary Assembly each Wednesday. In the spiritual input at the beginning of Assembly I do concentrate, to a large extent, on liturgical matters, as I feel it is most important for the girls to be in touch with the Church’s calendar, seasons and feast days. The Assemblies are very visual, in the hope that every child will at least remember one thing I have said! Please do ask your daughters about what they have learned in Assembly on Mondays and Wednesdays. I also follow all public holidays and special school days as well.

Today, during my Sacred Singing lesson with the Grade Four girls, we spoke about the legend of Neslon Mandela, and the girls then mentioned Johnny Clegg, who as we know, passed away yesterday. This led to an interesting discussion about “making a difference” and “making the world a better place”. We salute these amazing South African legends. Perhaps, while you are having your conversations around the dinner table, such people who make such a difference in the lives of many, could be a topic for discussion.

I encourage you all to read the letter in this Newsletter about the Circles of Conversation initiated as part of our Transformation process, to assist all to a sense of belonging in our school community.

I wish you all a Happy Madiba Day tomorrow.

Alison Dunn

Trauma Informed Schools

For the past three years, I have been mentoring and coaching principals largely, but not exclusively, in township schools and on the Cape Flats. During this time, I have seen the best and worst of South African education.

Some schools are succeeding because of the energy and drive of their principals who insist that their teachers must never forget the reason why they joined the profession in the first place. Schools which endeavour to unlock the talent of pupils and refuse to accept low standards are beacons of hope in their communities.

Yet I have worked in schools where no teaching takes place. Where teachers merely write on the board and instruct (usually in vain) their pupils to copy down what has been written as this is the only way they are able to keep up the semblance of a quiet classroom. I was once in a primary school foyer when a seventeen year old girl came to collect her five year child who was sick. In another, a nine year old boy was found with packets of drugs strapped round his waist as their father was tipped off about a police drug raid that day at his house. With gang shootings rife in recent weeks, a Grade 5 boy at one school last term decided to bring a loaded gun to school ‘to protect himself’.

‘Why must these children be academically prepared?’ said one teacher to me a year or two back. “Few of them will reach matric, even fewer will ever find jobs and if they do, it will only be as packers in Fruit and Veg City.’

In amongst all this negativity, we now have mayhem caused by the ongoing gang warfare. Our schools are now being referred to as ‘Trauma Informed’. Teachers are expected to cope with far more than the three R’s. Now they have to be experts in recognising, understanding and responding to trauma as well as assisting distressed pupils with how to cope.

Matric and systemic results are way down the list after ‘learning to survive and ‘how to keep safe’. Teachers are dealing with pupils for whom life has dealt a very harsh hand and even the positive teachers are being worn down.

Now more than ever, we need good leadership in schools. I was hugely impressed with the response of a principal in one of our schools who has had 45 murders so far this year in the vicinity of his school. He just refuses to give up on his children. Knowing the importance of keeping his teachers sanguine and upbeat, he sent this missive out to his teachers at the start of term on Tuesday:

As you get ready to return back to work, take a moment to think about the children who will soon be in your care again.

Not all of them have been in an encouraging environment over the past few days. Some children are counting down the hours till they see you again.

Some children can’t wait to see your smile and hear your words of encouragement.

They will have missed the security and sense of belonging which you and our setting offer.

So as you start to feel apprehensive about your return… remember: You Make a Difference.

As the army comes into our streets to restore law and order, we have to give thought to those for whom this way of life is daily reality - including some Springfield pupils and our support staff. For some of them every day demands a commitment to overcome incredible odds - just to attend school. Plato once remarked that ‘education should take place amongst beauty’. I suspect that he was referring to a love of learning as well as physical beauty, but there is no beauty on the streets surrounding many of our schools at the moment.

We at Springfield cannot be indifferent to all this. We owe it to our children to ensure that South Africa offers a quality education for all. It is of little value to the future of this country if we can continue with this great divide.

I read out to the Springfield staff the message above from a principal to his staff. I was then requested to explain to our pupils over the intercom what is happening to their peers not far from where we have the privilege of continuing education ‘amongst beauty’. I did so, asking the girls to pause for reflection which would in turn help them become more aware, more understanding. Our society needs of this type of reflection. The opposite of reflection is indifference.

Another worthwhile topic of conversation for parents round the dinner table.

HELP NEEDED! We are still needing help with the (Sandwich) Roster for Term 3. If you are able to assist, please put your name down on the roster outside the Secretaries’ Office. Many thanks to all who assisted in the past.

Thursday 18 July: Mandela Day.

Friday 19 July: Grade 3 and 6 Chapel Mass @ 09:00. Parents are welcome to attend.

Wednesday 24 July: Music photographs.

Wednesday 24 July: Grade 3M Outing to Carmelite Convent.

Friday 26 July: Grade 1 and 5 Chapel Mass @ 09:00. Parents are welcome to attend.

Friday 26 July: PTA Cake Sale will be hosted by Grade’s 5, 6 & 7. Please remind the girls to support it by bringing spending money with them.

Dear Parents

Tanya Vollenhoven, a renown speaker on Anxiety and Resilience will be speaking to our parents on Tuesday 23rd July, from 6-7pm in the Centenary Hall. Please don't miss out on this crucial talk and the opportunity to understand why Anxiety is so prevalent among our youth.

Set limits and encourage playtime. Media use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Unstructured and offline play stimulates creativity. Make unplugged playtime a daily priority, especially for very young children. But, if and when they are online, please keep them safe and the following apps will help you monitor their activity:

The best free parental control software 2019

1. Qustodio

2. OpenDNS FamilyShield

3. KidLogger (might have hidden costs)

4. Spyrix Free Keylogger

5. Kiddle

Our Grade 3 girls created lovely posters with all their pledges on them for Mandela Day