My Message to the new School Leaders

Brad Paisley, an American Country singer, wrote in one of his songs: ‘Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one’.

The school leaders who were announced to the school last Friday now have a wonderful opportunity of writing up on the blank pages of their own books, their hopes and ambitions, their dreams and their goals, their personal vision and the legacy which they intend to leave over the next twelve months.

They will soon find out that their role is similar those conductors of orchestras who, in order to assist the musicians to play beautiful music, have to turn their backs on the noise of the audience. There will always be many cynics and pessimists who will sew doubt in their minds, but if this book is to reflect their journey of growth and development, its pages will need to portray clearly their own moral purpose, their own values, their own objectives.

To assist them in writing their personal book, will be parents, teachers and mentors. Our new leaders will not be alone on this challenging journey of leadership. By this time next year, when their term of office has come to an end, I have no doubt that the pages of their book will reflect the contributions of the many people who have helped them on their journey.

I do not believe that anyone is born to lead. This skill evolves over time for those who are willing to take on challenges, to make mistakes and learn from them, to put aside their egos and to serve.

Earlier this week, I took the liberty of giving our leaders my personal Ten Tips of Leadership:

Veritas

• Be faithful to your vision
• Be positive - negativity spreads like wild fire
• Be humble and grateful for the opportunities you have been given
• Be passionate and inspire (‘inspire’ means to breathe enthusiasm into people)
• Be a team builder – unlike so many of world leaders at the moment who seek to divide
• Be a life-long learner – once you stop learning you are no good as a leader
• Be appreciative of the contribution of others who are helping you on your journey
• Be organised and plan well in advance
• Be willing to serve
• Be courageous and ready to try new ideas.

If our young leaders go out into the world with these attributes, what a difference they will make to the lives of others. The beauty of these ten points is that anyone can develop and work on them. They will then also be leaders regardless of whether they wear a badge or not.

Many years ago, a matric pupil who was nearing the end of his matric year, wrote this to me:

We move on but will always have the warm feeling that I was part of a marvellous whole. Something worth caring for, and working for, and where there were many others who were prepared to commit themselves in the same way.

It would be wonderful if our 2020 matrics could write something similar in late August next year.

Keith Richardson

Headmaster

Music photographs are displayed in the big music classroom upstairs in the annex. Please hand in your orders to Mrs Calthorpe by the 30th of August.

Care Portfolio

On Monday 12 August the Care Portfolio hosted a tea to thank the support staff for all they do for the community on a daily basis. The Worship Band and School Choir performed; and Jennie du Toit played the piano as an interlude between items. The music and food were thoroughly enjoyed by all present.

Head Lice

Cases of head lice have been reported in Grade 10. Anyone can get head lice, mainly through direct head-to-head contact but also from sharing hats, brushes and other personal items. Head lice are a problem in many communities and do not reflect poor hygiene or social status. Please do your part to prevent the spread of this communicable condition by checking your daughter's hair daily for the next few weeks, and on a regular basis thereafter. Lice infestation is much easier to treat if caught early.

If you should discover a case of head lice, please notify the school. How does one treat head lice? To get rid of lice, wash hair with a special shampoo from the chemist (e.g. Quellada or Gambex). Remaining nits should be removed with a fine-tooth comb and rinsed with warm vinegar water. In 10 days' time check the hair again, and repeat shampoo and removal of nits. Does a learner with head lice need to be excluded from school? Yes. A learner with lice needs to be kept at home until treatment has started. Once treatment has started (even if nits are still present) the learner can be allowed back to school, as long as hair checks and removal of nits continues. Studies have shown that not all nits develop into lice, so it is unnecessary to exclude a learner from school if he or she has nits only. What complications can one get from having head lice? Lice rarely cause physical health problems, although scratching of the scalp can lead to infection. The biggest problem with lice is that entire families, households and schools may become infested.

Grade 9 Creative Arts Rotations

The Creative Arts Rotations for the third term will run at school next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Taking up the first three lessons of each day, the Grade 9s will complete workshops and modularised assessments in their second arts option. At the start of the day on Tuesday, pupils who take Art should report to the Art centre, Mr Fick’s Drama class should report to the Study Hall, Mrs Hughes’s Drama class should report to Room 9, and the Music pupils should meet in the in the foyer of the Music Annex. Please note that attendance on these days is to be handled as it would be on any usual school day.

Grade 10 2020 Subject Choice

Letters have been sent to the Grade 9 parents with the subject options that Springfield is able to offer the Grade 10 class of 2020. These lines were carefully drawn up to suit the vast majority of the pupils, based on the information received from the opinion surveys. If your daughter is in Grade 9, please ensure that the subject choice form is submitted by 6 September 2019. Once the subject choice has been finalised, a written confirmation will be given to each learner.

Grade 12 Trial Exams

The Grade 12 trial exam period begins next week and we wish our Matrics all the best as they get to grips with this important rite of passage in their final year of school. The pupils will have already received their information booklets which outline what they need to cover for each exam, along with some suggestions for studying and managing their stress during this period of time. Good luck to all!

Debating

Congratulations to our Junior and Senior team debating girls who were selected to the Provincial team after a grueling weekend of debating: Morgan Leek, Kate Thomas (reserve), Rachael Muller (reserve) and Cara Ronan (reserve). In addition, our Junior team defeated D.F. Malan in the Rotary semi-finals last night, after an extremely tense debate. They are through to the final round at the Reeler Centre, Rondebosch Boys' High School on Monday, 26th August, starting at 7.00pm. Well done, girls! All supporters are welcome.

Interhouse Cross-country

On Thursday 8 August following the St Dominic’s Day mass the Senior School pupils gathered in the garden for the final inter-house event in the 2019 cycle. The weather was not co-operating and it looked like the event would be postponed, but then the rain stopped and a little patch of sunlight broke through and the teams gathered on the palm avenue. First was the elite race where 9 Juniors and 9 seniors completed the course which went out the school gates, through Wynberg park and back past the pool to the palm avenue, where the rest of the school lined the course to cheer home the runners. Post this race, all pupils set out on the same course all looking to earn points for their house. Some enjoyed a solid run while others opted for a more leisurely pace. Either way it was an event full of fun and laughter and some great running! Congratulations to the top three pupils 1st Megan Grieveson 2nd Caitlin O'Cuinneagain 3rd Kate Cotterell.