TERM 4 NEWSLETTER - the settlers high school

T h e S e t t l e r s H i g h S c h o o lTERM 4 NEWSLETTERVolume 2, Issue 4December 2010From the HeadmasterMr R E DalyDear Parents2010 is at a close and another hectic year has passed. This newsletter contains but afew snippets of the activities of the term and the Chatman magazine will highlight themajor activities of 2010. Our theme I am I am Proud has been a great success andyour children have positively branded Settlers in all they do. The staff have beenamazing in all that they have done this year and I wish to thank them but also all thepupils for their involvement and commitment to the school this year. Lastly, to each andevery parent for their support of their children at this school, you have been great.The school continues to receive funding from the Epoch and Optima Trust and for 2011we will receive R250 000. This will be used for special tutor classes for your children inMathematics. We also had an extremely high profile visit from Pearson Internationaland we were able to showcase Settlers and received very positive feedback on theschool and your children.I wish to thank Rev Moodaley, Mr Horne and Rev Poole for their contribution to theGoverning Body as their term of office expires.I wish the whole school community a wonderful break and look forward to an excitingnew year for the school.

When we couple the previous findings with the fact that only 57,87% of learners who aresexually active ―always‖ use a condom while having sex, the risk of the prevalence of STDs orHIV amongst participants, increases. This is further compounded by the fact that the majority ofrespondents (93,48%) have not been tested for an STD or HIV. Of those learners who aresexually active (n=216), only 22,2% have ever been tested for an STD or HIV.Another concern for parents should be that of those learners who are sexually active, more thanone third has had sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Sex under these circumstanceshas an increased risk of leading to no contraceptive use, and therefore an increased risk ofpregnancy and contracting an STD or HIV.The largest proportion of respondents (31%) think that the reason for teenagers having sex is―because they want to‖. It would, then, appear to be critical for us to re-evaluate life skills suchas responsible decision making and goal setting. It is also imperative that the school and parentswork together in order to improve the self-esteem of learners so that they make moreresponsible choices.Parents must be vigilant and have open channels of communication with their children, so thatthey can pick up on the use of an illegal substance early and teach their children responsiblesexual behaviour.One method of keeping the channels of communication open is to eat together. A life talkinitiative is Table TuesdaysTable Tuesdays are about taking action whereby every family can start re-connecting again byhaving dinner together on a Tuesday (or other) evening.When was the last time you and your family sat down together, away from distractions, to eat ameal?It all starts in the home, with family: communication, values, love, responsibility, discipline,security, thinking… – and mealtimes play a key role in the process. And yet so many families nolonger eat meals together, around a table, away from the TV and cell phone. Life‘s pressurestake precedence and we‘re fast losing our connection to each other. But time doesn‘t wait andsuddenly years pass and precious moments and opportunities are lost, forever.Family mealtimes are a powerful, almost magical and yet often overlooked parenting tool!Many studies, including the comprehensive ones done by the National Center on Addiction andSubstance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, show that when compared to teens who haveinfrequent family dinners (two or fewer per week), those teens who have frequent family dinners(five or more): Are far less likely to abuse prescription drugs, use marijuana, smoke cigarettes, get drunkand have sex. Are likely to do better at school (and they tend to work harder). Tend to be more emotionally content. Are at a lower risk for thoughts of suicide. Have healthier eating habits, eat more fruit and vegetables and are less prone to eatingdisorders. Have more positive peer relationships.

Family mealtimes are a wonderful opportunity for communication and bonding, for learning aboutwhat‘s going on in each other‘s lives – and for conveying values. Children pick up language andvocabulary skills. There‘s debate and laughter, and sharing of feelings, fears, successes, hopesand dreams. It‘s a time when you can live in the moment, solve problems, enhance generalknowledge, recharge batteries and take refuge from life‘s hectic pace. Current challenges canbe discussed and the best ways of dealing with aspects such as: alcohol, drugs, sex, bullying,peer pressure and safety can be explored. Family stories and anecdotes are passed on, selfesteemcan be built and parental example provides role models on which our children can basetheir lives. The benefits are limitless and they act as a ‗life-jacket‘ that helps children to cope withlife‘s inevitable challenges.Start today! See www.lifetalk.co.za for creative ideas and inspiration on getting startedand making the most of your mealtimes.Each year brings with it peculiar challenges. I would like to thank all those parents and learnerswho have supported the school in its efforts to maintain standards and nurture values that are soimportant in the development of well adjusted and positive young adults.Academic ReportMr R DalyI wish to congratulate all pupils who have succeeded in these exams.The results are as follows.Grade 8: 255 candidates,4 A Aggregates ( 1,6 %),8 Not passed ( 3,1% )Pass Rate: 96,9%Grade 9: 251 candidates,11 A Aggregates (4,4%),9 Not passed (3,6%),Pass Rate 96,4 %Grade 10: 237 candidates,6 A Aggregate (2,5%),163 University Requirements (68,8%)10 Not Passed (4,2%),Pass Rate: 95,8%Grade 11: 217 Candidates,0 A Aggregates (0,0 %),142 University Requirements (65,4%)4 Not passed (1,8 %),Pass Rate: 98,2 %

A Aggregates (in order) including Top 10 Candidates (non A Aggregates in italics)Grade 8: Nadine Moore, Chad Leukes, Tauriq Latief, Don Maisels, Melissa De Lilley,Chelsea Roux, Andrew James, Jessica Daniels, Tamara Kiewitz, Gavalen FlandorpGrade 9: Farhanah Latief, Tiffany Agulhas, Harlin Bantam, Tayla George, AndreaVisagie, Celeste Leggett, Rene Allard, Lerato May, Kaylin Levendal, Jade Petersen,Lisa ErasmusGrade 10: Megan Matthews. Mihlali Majikela, Jordan Nightingale, Callan Riddles,Ridhwaan Basa, Kesia Marais, Tarryn Bailey, Subaganiah Daniels, Samantha Rudolph,Hayley OctoberGrade 11: Lazlo Adams, Adrian Goliath, Curtis White, Nabeela Gaffoor, KeenenLochner, Monique James, Courtney Johnson, Linford Hans, Marian Gordon, Ho SungKwagCONTACT MANCO REPORT – TERM 4 Miss T MagsonThe Contact Manco has once again had a busy term organising numerous functions atthe school. We started the term off with International Teachers Day where the mancolearners nominated all the teachers in various categories and the learners then voted forthe staff. On the Friday the manco had a very slick and professional awards ceremonywhere the winners in each category were announced. No matter whether you won or noteach staff member felt special. Each class then organized a gift or a party for theirspecific Class Teacher and each non Class Teacher was looked after by the contactmanco members. All the staff felt very special and appreciated.The Annual Thank You party was a great success with more than one hundred and fiftycoaches, parents and friends of The Settlers High attending. The Matric Jazz bandentertained us superbly in their final performance for the school. Mrs Theunissenprovided an outstanding spread for all those that attended.The Staff function was held at school in the Gilbert Room this year and the theme was―A Medieval Banquet‖. The Gilbert Room was decorated by the manco with long tables,candelabras and flags so that it looked like a medieval castle. The staff got into the spiritof the evening by donning medieval garb and played along to the requests of the Kingand Queen for the evening. There was much revelry, sword fighting and eating withones fingers from communal platters. Prior to the function the staff had Fuzzy week,

where most staff drew the name of another staff member out of a hat and then spoiltthem for the week. On the night of the staff party your fuzzy was made known to you.The staff where really spoilt by each and other and made to feel very special throughoutthe week.As we have many staff with young children we have also arranged a Christmas Party forthem. This function is completely organised by the learners on the Contact Manco. Thisyear each of the 18 children attending had their faces painted and played many loudgames with the Christmas elves whilst awaiting the arrival of Father Christmas. WhenFather Christmas arrived he brought presents for each child and they took it in turns tosit on his lap and have their photo taken when receiving their present.We have said farewell to Mrs Maud Kirschbaum at a special function in her honour. Shehas been on sick leave for the past two and a half years pending boarding by theDepartment. Mrs Kirschbaum was the guest speaker at Junior Prize Giving this year andwas lauded for her outstanding speech aimed at the grade 8 and 9 learners. In her timeat The Settlers Mrs Kirschbaum made an outstanding contribution to the school,especially in the Guidance Department, on the Pastoral Management Committee and inthe Library. We wish her good health and happiness. She will be sorely missed by thestaff and the many learners whose lives she has touched.The much larger Manco, consisting of 7 staff and 7 learners really worked well this yearand meant the load of this extremely busy manco could be spread. I would like to thankMrs Basheer (birthday teas), Mrs Less (staff birthdays), Mrs Norma vd Merwe (catering),Mrs van Schoor ( staff special days) ,Mrs du Toit ( gift baskets), Mr Greyling (staffsocials) and the learners for a wonderful and successful Contact Manco year.The Contact Manco wishes you and your family a wonderful, safe and memorableFestive Season and we look forward to seeing you at our functions again in the NewYear.Sport: Term 4 Mr M BlanchardThe Sport Manco has continued with their hard work this year to ensure that ourlearners benefit from our balanced curriculum. We offer a wide variety of sports at both ahighly competitive level and a social level. We, on the Sport Manco, are also aware thata learner who participates after hours in the school curriculum is a happy and wellbalancedindividual, with a sense of loyalty, commitment and self-discipline. This thenhas a positive spin-off on the learners‘ schoolwork and general behaviour.2010 was a full and successful sporting year. The year started with the inter-house gala.The learners once again participated enthusiastically in the swimming and cheering.This was followed by the inter-house athletics, which was a spirited event.At the inter-schools athletics we were placed first.The athletes took part in the prestigious Top Ten athletics meeting in Bredasdorp, as

well as the Nestle meeting. The athletics season has been a great success once again.We competed against Milnerton in our annual derby. The Fairmont Derby was away thisyear and the day was well supported with a 93% attendance.All our sporting teams have done us proud with the sportsmanship and enthusiasticapproach on and off the field. The following teams have had excellent results this term:The rugby teams have had an excellent season. The first team played good constructiverugby in a very tough division.The following teams have had excellent results this term:Netball enjoyed excellent results this season with most of their teams being unbeatenthis term.The u19A Boys Hockey side shows lots of promise and they, together with their femalecounter-parts, have had good results this season.The Chess side also enjoyed success this season with the A team being unbeaten.They also won the prestigious Top Schools Competition.In April it was time for our international tours again. The hockey teams toured Holland.They did The Settlers proud and were true ambassadors for the school and SouthAfrica. The Rugby team is looking forward to touring France in 2011. The Netballers willbe touring Malaysia and they are hard at work to make their second tour a reality.We closed off the season on a high note with our annual Sportsman‘s dinner, where wehonour our first team players and also announced the Sportsman and Sportswoman ofthe 2010. We are proud to recognize that 10% of our learners were honoured at theSportsman‘s dinner, which again shows that learners at Settlers believe in a balancededucation.Another achievement for the Sport Manco was to continue the acknowledgement ofsport attendance on report cards. As a result, it is significant to note that sportparticipation, playing and service, has increased satisfactorily and we will continue toencourage healthy participation.The school recognises the honour Western Province representation of school sportsbrings to the school by giving R1000 to u18 Western province representatives, R700 toother age groups and R300 to a learner who is selected for a regional or developmentalteam going on tour. The School has given just over R10 000-00 to our sportsman in thisregard.All these achievements would not be possible without a dedicated and committed staff. Iwould like to thank all those educators who have contributed to this sporting season. Iwould also like to thank the parents for their support.

CULTURAL REPORT – Mr H SmutsCulture is continuing to grow at The Settlers High School – both in participation andexcellence. All Settlers learners have the opportunity to excel outside of the classroom.The 2010 Cultural season started during the fourth term of 2009 with auditions for thevarious performance activities. We had our annual Carol Service and End-of-YearConcert, which have became a tradition of our school. Both these activities were wellsupported and set the tone for the successful season ahead.The school hosts 34 different cultural societies catering for diverse students rangingfrom creativity to performance. These societies range from women‘s fashion tospecialised art , drama and music groups.The cultural season kicked off with the annual One Act Play Festival. This event iswritten and directed by Grade 12 learners, and each of our three houses (Pringle, Shawand Bain) stage productions which always showcases superb talent. This year was noless special resulted in Pringle winning five of the six awards – which include BestSupporting Actor and Actress, Best Actress, Best Backstage Crew and Best Productionand Shaw winning the award for the Best Actor.The Dynamix and The Chromatix are the two school‘s new jazz bands that have shownthat Settlers definitely still has talent. It‘s not just their amazing talent that doesn‘t ceaseto amaze us but the hard work and dedication which personifies our excellent MusicDepartment.As one of the pilot schools of the Khanya Apple project, six of our Grade 11 Music pupilshad the opportunity to contribute to the massive media hype of the FIFA World Cup2010 by creating promotional advertisements that were screened on M-Net during theWorld Cup matches. This privilege was because they attended workshops that formedpart of the Apple Institute‘s FIFA project.Many hours and hard work went into the staging of this year‘s Drama Production,Buckingham Palace. The audience was entertained by a well trained cast that took us allback in time to District Six. The cast was led by Renecia Mathys, Chloe Johannes,Elishanne Parker, Anzio September, Lincoln Abel and Keenan Wyngaard and supportedby an amazing ensemble of talented young actors.

Preparations for the Tygerberg International Eisteddfod had already begun during thefirst term, and once again the pupils and groups performing in their respectivecategories did not disappoint. The choir who obtained a mark of 91% in the Eisteddfodwere selected to perform at the Gala Choir Concert. The Gala concert took place on 27August 2010 in Stellenbosch, where they received 90% for their performance and wereonce again the overall winners of the contemporary category.The orchestra was not only awarded a Diploma which is above 90% at the Cape TownEisteddfod but they also achieved a mark of 95% at the Tygerberg InternationalEisteddfod.The Dynamix also entered the prestigious Tygerberg International Eisteddfod. In thesame competition the recorder groups won a trophy in all the categories they enteredand the Drama group received 96% for their scene.The success of the Interact Society‘s little baby ―The Sandwich Project‖ can only befurther testament to how good management and commitment from the rest of the schoolcan make a big difference in many lives. The school and Interact members werethanked and received praises from RAMA for opening their hearts to the less privileged.The Interact Society invited more than 300 guests from old age homes, institutions andschools to the charity performance of the Drama Production. The Interact Societyreceived Merit Awards from the Bellville Rotary and the Cape Town Rotary for service tothe community. Interact was also presented with an amount of R 2000 from Mrs.Leonore Van Der Walt, our ward counselor, to use in aid of a charity of their choice.Interact decided that it was appropriate that they build a jungle gym for learners atLeiden Primary in Delft which at that stage was their current project.A group of Grade 12 learners attended the Grahamstown Festival. An enrichingexperience partnered by a level-headed group of well-behaved learners made thisyear‘s Festival all the more special.This year‘s Fairmont and Settlers Cultural Contact Programme included performancesby the Choir, The Dynamix, The Prefects and the Dance Society. The Settlers‘performances were thoroughly enjoyed and of a high quality. Our debates alsocontributed excellently to the programme in their fun parachute debate.A group of our learners attended the Standard Bank Jazz Festival in Grahamstown andMatthews Meas was selected as a member of the National School‘s Jazz Band.A larger number of parents attended Open Night this year and we encourage all of ourparents to visit the classrooms and sign their children‘s portfolios. Once more the MusicDepartment impresses us with great diverse talents at the Variety Concert which hasgrown in popularity because of the incredible shows which keep us coming back formore.446 learners received awards and this marks the ever-growing interest of our learners tothe Cultural Programme we have at the school. 13 learners attained and received

honours awards at this assembly:Lincoln AbelDarren AfricaChad CarolissenMichael De WetTroye GalettaChloe JohannesLuther LaymanRenecia MathysMathew MeasKoleka PutumaAnzio SeptemberThe Annual Cultural and Academic Dinner serves as an occasion which recognizescultural leaders of the school. This year‘s guest speaker inspired our learners forsuccess at University. He is a past Head Boy, Richard Julies.A group of Music and Drama learners attended the Outeniqua Eisteddfod in Georgeduring the September holidays. The drama group won 1st place and both groups did usproud by amazing audiences with their remarkable talents.The year ended with a culture-filled last week, starting with the Carol Service presentedby the Music Department, as well as the Grade 11 Fashion Show and End of yearconcert.We wish all our learners a well-deserved break and trust that they will be fresh to tackle2011 with renewed enthusiasm.DATES FOR TERM 1 2011Monday 10 January 2011Admin Office OpenTuesday 11 January 2011 Clothing Exchange 10:00 — 12:00Wednesday 12 January 2011 Clothing Exchange 10:00 — 12:00Thursday 13 January 2011 Clothing Exchange 10:00 — 12:00Thursday 13 January 2011Grade 8 OrientationMonday 17 January 2011School OpensWednesday 19 January 2011U17 PrelimsFriday 21 January 2011Inter-House Gala (Parents Welcome)Thursday 27 January 2011Inter-House Athletics (Parents Welcome) Bellville Stadium)Tuesday 1 February 2011Grade 8/9 Parent Class Teacher meetingFriday 4 February 2011Inter-House Play FestivalWednesday 9 February 2011Grade 10/11 Parent Class Teacher meetingGoverning Body Bye-electionThursday 10 February 2011Inter-Schools Athletics (Parents Welcome) Bellville StadiumWednesday 16 February 2011 PTA AGM 19:30Wednesday 23 February 2011 Grade 7 Parents Info Evening 19:30Friday 25 February 2011 Big Knit (All pupils) 17:00Saturday 12 March 2011PTA/MFC Bingo EveningFriday 25 March—Friday 1 April Controlled Test (All Grades)Friday 1 April 2011 Last day of Term 1