“Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven”
~Henry Ward Beecher“It takes a village to raise a child” - African Proverb
In 2003, when I started as Principal of Springfield, there was no After-Care. There was no need for an After -Care. Sixteen years ago moms collected their children straight after school and took them home for lunch and a nap. There were no extra-murals for Pre-Primary girls, and just a few clubs for the Junior Primary girls, with sport really starting in the under 10 section in Grade Four. All activities started straight after school, after which the girls were collected and taken home to do their homework. What a different world from today, just sixteen years later!
I remember in that first half of 2003 receiving a visit from two sets of parents – I even remember their daughters’ names – Catherine Tinkler and Simona Donato (who matriculated at least six years’ ago) – who asked me if I would consider starting an After-Care. After a survey of parents, where it seemed there were about ten families interested, our After-Care was born. Since then it has grown, and grown, and grown… with After-Care happening in five different venues, servicing at least one hundred children on any given day of the week, being cared for by at least six staff members employed by the school!
It’s amazing how some things just stay in one’s memory. I distinctly remember, in that survey done so many years ago, one of the moms – a past pupil of Springfield – writing the following comment: “At last! We get sent to a good school like Springfield to get a good education, to go to a good university to prepare us for a good job, and here we are, having to stay at home and look after our children!” Not, perhaps, a comment every mom would agree with, but certainly a common thought amongst working moms!
Of course, there have been such changes in the past sixteen years. Most moms are keeping their careers, with more and more dads and au-pairs (and school After-Care facilities) taking on the care role. No school can exist now without an After-Care – giving help but also peace of mind to working parents.
At Springfield we are very proud of our After-Care facilities. They are run by efficient, caring and responsible people, who love and care for any and every child who needs to be at school after school hours. I commend them for the excellent work they do.
My favourite story about After-Care was related to me by a Pre-School parent, who had chosen to be a stay-at-home mom until her daughter reached Grade One. One day at 12:30 she arrived to fetch her daughter, only to be told by the little one that she didn’t want to go home and spend time with her mom, she wanted to go to After-Care and spend time with her friends! I think that mom went back to work sooner than she expected!!
At the end of this school year we say farewell to Mrs Donna Godwin, who has run our After-Care so ably for the past two years. We thank her for her love and care for our children and wish her well as she spends time with her family. We are very pleased to welcome Mrs Nicola Jagga as Head of our After-Care next year. Mrs Jagga is well known to us all, and much loved by the girls – a fitting replacement in this special little hub of our school.
Alison Dunn
Junior School Principal
I don’t have any research to back this up, but I have listened to a number of speakers at conferences over the years who invariably maintain that in annual business surveys, the most common gripe is ‘lack of communication’. The same point comes to the fore in school surveys. When I receive complaints of this nature, my usual response is to say that the ‘com’ in ‘communication’ comes from the Latin prefix ‘con’ which means ‘together’. English words like ‘communion’, ‘congregation’, ‘connect’ are cases in point. Therefore both parties, school and parents, need to indicate where information is required or lacking. The famous car-park chatter of schools is invariably not the best source of knowledge.
Many may remember a very watchable UK TV series some years ago called ‘Yes, Prime Minister’. In one episode, Jim Hacker, the Prime Minister, was complaining to his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, that ‘no-one told him anything’.
‘What do you wish to know?’ replied the urbane Sir Humphrey.
‘Everything!’ said the exasperated Hacker.
‘Very well, Prime Minister. Yesterday, your office used three boxes of staples, 14 reams of paper, 11 pens, 14……’
‘All right, all right,’ interrupted Hacker. ‘I just meant the important things.’
‘Who decides what is important, Prime Minister?’
And there lies the rub.
Sometimes I feel that we err on the side of over-communicating with newsletters, emails, WhatsApp’s etc flowing from the school. Every morsel of information is important to someone.
At the Senior School next year, we have endeavoured to simplify matters. All the girls have already been divided into vertical ‘connect’ groups of about 16 girls from all grades, who meet regularly during the week to discuss matters of school, national and life importance. Initial reports are that they girls are loving it and enjoying the interaction between grades. I urge parents to continue the conversations of Connect Groups over supper tables. What has been really special is to note the connections already being made between the Grade 11’s of the Connect Groups and their incoming girls from Grade 7.
In charge of the group is a ‘connector’ who is the prime point of connection (communication?) between the girls and the school. The same person is the first point of contact for parents. As this ‘Connector’ will be with the girls for the five years of their Springfield schooling, a great deal of trust and confidence should be built up between girls, parents and teachers.
And with trust comes better communication. Oh… and the reason for ‘H.O.T. communication’ in my title? Honest, Open and Two Way!
Keith Richardson
Headmaster
"A Very Big Thank You to you and the team for an absolutely fabulous day of fun for our children"
~ Mrs Groepes Principal at St AugustinesPre School Drama 'watching day'
DIVING OUTREACH
Together with their younger sisters who are also divers, Caitlin Gardiner and Ella Slingsby visited EcoActive (a non-profit organisation) at the Retreat Community Indoor Swimming Centre on Friday, 22 November.Caitlin and Jess Gardiner; Ella and Kate Slingsby hand over donated items to swimmers from the Retreat Community.
Emma Clark (Gr 3) received awards for "Best Junior Karate Student" and "Best Junior Kata" in her age group at Samurai Karate Dojo
Jesse Clark, Daniella Tomassiccio and Elaine Segers (all in Gr 5) received a gold performance badge for modern dancing. Well done girls!
Nina Stergianos (Gr 6) has worked hard at her karate and She’s been invited to the Black Belt grading in December 2019. Well done Nina!
Last weekend Chloe (Gr 4) competed at the Lower Novice Dressage Championships at CVRC. Chloe placed Reserve Champion in the 10 & Under division riding Marrakesh Gurkha.
Yesterday, our Grade 7 Peer Support Monitors ended their year of service by holding a Christmas Party at Siyazama Creche in Hout Bay. Our girls spoilt the children of Imizamo Yethu by filing their bellies with homemade cakes and Christmas cookies and lots of other delicious goodies. They in turn filled our hearts with joy and love by reciprocating with lots of hugs and cuddles and gorgeous song and dance shows.
Siyazama is a special little creche run but 6 dedicated women who care for 80 children (aged 6 months to 6 years) from 7am to 5pm daily. Connecting communities is a deeply rewarding experience for all participants and this is a relationship that we will definitely continue in the years to come.
With warm regards
Gabby Cloete
Screen time shouldn't always be alone time. Co-view, co-play and co-engage with your children when they are using screens—it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning. Play a video game with your kids...Perfect holiday fun! It's a good way to demonstrate good sportsmanship and gaming etiquette. Watch a show with them; you will have the opportunity to introduce and share your own life experiences and perspectives—and guidance. Don't just monitor them online—interact with them, so you can understand what they are doing and be a part of it.
Happy holidays!
Top Achievers for Art - 2019
Join us in the high school avenue for a “food festival” with a variety meals, tasty deserts and treats, coffee and a Christmas gift stall. Ease into the evening with a glass of wine, gin or proseco while enjoying the musical talent of our girls.
Waterpolo