Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu* - Dominican Convent School

veritas
VOL 14 NUM 30 9 NOVEMBER, 2012
Grade 4–11 Exams Begin
Monday, 12 November
p HIGH ACHIEVERS Grade 7 learners enjoy a moment of recognition for their academic success.
FROM THE HEADMASTER’S DESK
Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu*
The following is an excerpt from the Headmaster's
prizegiving address given on 1 November, 2012.
When I was younger, my
favourite playground
destination was the seesaw—a
piece of apparatus where a child
sits on each end, and as one side goes
up the other side comes down. This is
similar to an old-fashioned kitchen scale,
where you have weights on one side and
the ingredients for your recipe on the
other side. When they are perfectly balanced
you have exactly what you need to
start cooking. Neither device functions
well if one side is too heavy, or too light.
"…I see a community
attempting something
new, something out of
the ordinary, doing it
together, and doing
it well…"
Balance is vital for success. Would we
be successful if our whole life was playtime?
No—we need the balance of hard
work. Similarly, if our whole life was
hard work we would miss out on the im-
*I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours.
portant lessons learned during play. At
Dominican we work hard to make sure
our students experience balance.
We continue to see improvements in
the core skills exams, IEB International
benchmarking papers, Grade 7 ISASA
papers, and ANA papers. This does not
come purely from planning and hard
work, but from educators ensuring that
there is a balance in the classroom and
outside, at school and in homework.
Through stretching what we offer
through innovative practice, through
taking our children to new places of
experience, we are balancing the learning
of the next generation of continued .
Cnr Marshall and Boom, Belgravia, Johannesburg [t] (011) 614 6943 • [f] (011) 614 8780 or (011) 624 3124 head@dominican.co.za
www.dominican.co.za dominicanconventschool dcsbelgravia

veritas VOL
14 NUM 30 9 NOVEMBER, 2012
Sports Awards Gala
The second annual Sports Gala dinner recognized primary school students who
participated in athletics, netball, soccer, tag rugby and basketball at inter-school level,
inter-district level, and inter-provincial level. Players received certificates, medals
and trophies. Mr Futuwani, of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Ms. Mary Parr,
of the Catholic Schools' Sport Council, spoke about the importance of sport and
wellness. Three special awards were given to the following learners:
Most Valuable Sports Girl : Benedicte Kalonda
Most Valuable Sports Boy : Mpho Manalo Coaches' Award : Mpho Manalo
Upcoming Events
Monday, 12 November
07:30 Grade 4-11 Exams begin
09:00 G12 IEB Physical Science Exam, Paper 2
Tuesday, 13 November
09:30 SAHISA Workshop @ St. Benedict's
13:00 Catholic Principals' Meeting @ Veritas
Wednesday, 14 November
SAESC Workshop @ Vuleka
ISASA Lynne McClure Maths Workshop
08:30 Pre-School Zoo Excursion
09:00 G12 IEB isiZulu, Sesotho Exams, Paper 2
Thursday, 15 November
SAESC Workshop @ Vuleka
07:40 School Mass (Readings, G6)
09:00 G12 IEB Afrikaans Exam, Paper 2
Friday, 16 November
09:00 G12 IEB Accounting Exam, Paper 1
09:00 FP Picnic, Walk at Rhodes Park
10:00 Primary School Prefects' Tea
1
3
1 PRIMARY CHOIR PERFORMANCE
2 HIGH SCHOOL IPAD LAB IN ACTION
3 NEW BOARDERS WEIGHT ROOM
2
ORDER 2013 TEXTBOOKS ONLINE: HIGH SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR
ORDER ONLINE, WITH HOME DELIVERY AT WWW.REDPEPPERBOOKS.CO.ZA
continued South African leaders. This
formation begins early, and through
diverse activities your children have embraced
this year, foundations have been
laid for reaching future achievements.
When I look at our school, I see a
community attempting something new,
something out of the ordinary, doing it
together, and doing it well when supported
by each other. In shared community
our sense of purpose appeared. At times,
through sharing our uncertainties and
embarrassments, our confidence grew.
This is what it means to be part of
the Dominican family, this is the core of
CHARITY
TERM 3 TOTAL
a Dominican education, as we constantly
try new things and as we do it in
community together.
The Grade 7s move across the
road to the High School next year. I
know that they do so ready for new
challenges. I urge them to keep the balance
in their lives: time for God, time
for family, time for friends, time for
study, time for play and time for reflection.
With balance they will achieve
amazing things. We wish you luck as
you leave the primary school.
There are two ways in life to achieve
things, firstly by pure luck – which happens
very rarely, and then by discipline,
hard work, practise and community,
where we are in control of ourselves and
where we are in a supportive environment.
Congratulations to all of you on
your achievements this year. Thank
you for making Dominican the special
school it is.
Mike Thiel | Head
R3493
Mr Mike Thiel, Headmaster • Ms Marina Burger, Head of High School • Mrs Dalene Rostovsky, Head of Primary School
Mrs Rosalia Motha, HS RE Co-ordinator • Mr Sidrick Moore, Director of Boarding • Mrs Kathleen Whitaker, Director of Admin
Mr Tshepo Mogase, Chairperson of Parent Council • Parent Council queries to: parentcouncil@dominican.co.za