Dear Parents My last newsletter was distributed on the day we ...

<strong>Dear</strong> <strong>Parents</strong>Principal’s Newsletter 02/200819 March 2008<strong>My</strong> <strong>last</strong> <strong>newsletter</strong> <strong>was</strong> <strong>distributed</strong> on the day we travelled to Midmar – an exhilarating, much anticipatedweekend for our 153 swimmers. A few observations:On my trip down with the Aquatics festival girls we passed three trucks carrying literally hundredsof crocodiles – an amazing sight and a very effective form of external motivation to our alreadyspeedy swimmers.It <strong>was</strong> lovely to see so many strongly supportive parents at the Pietermaritzburg gala and at Midmar.Our very smart gazebo makes a striking impression when it serves as the base for 153 girls in green.Mr Leon van Rensburg and I have the critical responsibility of guarding the team’s belongings forthree hours. We meet and greet so many parents and old girls.It <strong>was</strong> thrilling to watch our Grade 8 star, Kira Hauptfleish winning the 13 and Under event in anexcellent time of 21 min 27 sec .Terence Parkin, one of the group of swimmers who tackle all eightswims (four on Saturday; four on Sunday) paced Kira the whole way. In the main women’s (14-30years) event, Louise Smyth stumbled at the end and lost third place on the slipway, but she’s thehighest placed Eunice girl ever.I cannot but single out the <strong>last</strong> two Eunice girls out of the water – Moosa Molibeli and Palesa Phutsisi.Those proud smiles are clearly etched in my memory.Our top five swimmers (Louise Smyth, Carlyn Fischer, Lindsay Gough, Emma Delport and Alex deGouveia) were runners up to St Mary’s Kloof in the Schools’ competition.At the Pietermaritzburg Girls’ Schools’ Aquatics Festival we were beaten into second place by St Mary’s(Waverley, JHB). We were still in with a chance with a race or two to go but we were up against worthyopponents. We were also second to Pretoria Girls’ High in the diving section. Well done, girls. Theseachievements are at a national level.The Inter-High Gala is a very old Bloemfontein tradition – a timeless combination of inter-schools spirit andtop quality swimming. Free State Schools’ Swimming moved the gala to the morning in response to securityconcerns. The change did nothing to dampen the usual atmosphere. Certainly proudly green on the day, ourgirls dominated the stands. Our walk-in revived conductresses Caitlin Marais and Zanyiwe Nthatisi whoseenergy sparked the stand into an impressive display of school spirit.Once again it <strong>was</strong> a great Inter-High performance. Louise Smyth won both the Victrix Ludorum and Frikkievan Rensburg Trophy for the best performance of the gala for her 800m Freestyle.

I would like to thank Mrs Mary Paine who bears the brunt of so many of our weekly initiatives. Whether it’sthe Midmar tour arrangements, theatre bookings, Zastron or derby payments, textbooks or tablets she’s aspatient as can be. She has to be. She’s married to Dr Paine.An assembly with a difference <strong>was</strong> the Motheo District Awards Function hosted at Eunice on 4 March.Schools in Bloemfontein, Mangaung, Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo, were awarded trophies for the top positionin each category in the district. We were not too popular as Eunice took home the following trophies: TopSchool in the District, Top Percentage of University Endorsements, Top Maths and Science School in theDistrict as well as trophies for the top position in Mathematics HG, Physical Science HG, English FirstLanguage HG, Afrikaans Second Language HG, Physiology HG, Speech & Drama HG, Art HG, Painting SG andNeedlework and Clothing SG. We will present the trophies to our teachers at assembly on 15 April.It <strong>was</strong> reported in the Volksblad this week that Eunice had made a R30 000 donation to Tsoseletso HighSchool. The impression <strong>was</strong> created that the girls had dug deep into their pockets. Below is the pressrelease issued to the newspaper explaining the donation. The handover assembly at Tsoseletso <strong>last</strong>Thursday <strong>was</strong> a wonderful occasion which would have made all our girls and parents proud. TheirHeadmaster Mr Motlolometsi is one of our parents and father to Tshepiso (Grade 11).“Following the December 2007 provision of accommodation and catering to our province’s matric exam markers, Eunice iskeen to contribute to Free State Education in the form of a profit sharing payment to a top achieving school like ours whichdoes not have a hostel with which to earn its own very valuable extra funding from the matric exam marking initiative.Eunice has chosen to share a percentage of its profits with Tsoseletso High School – generally regarded as the top previouslydisadvantaged school in the province. As a school, we were challenged some time ago by Mr Khoarai, Deputy DirectorGeneral of Education in the Free State to help to upgrade the performance of already performing previously disadvantagedschools. In consultation with Mr Motlolometsi, Headmaster of Tsoseletso, we have decided to make R30 000 available forthe provision of additional text books for Grade 12.This donation <strong>was</strong> handed over to Tsotseletso at their school assembly at 07:30 on Thursday 13 March.”I can’t attend every school activity everywhere. One such highlight I <strong>was</strong> fortunate to miss <strong>was</strong> the Grade 9Zastron adventure. It appeared to be lots of fun for our large group and I am indebted to Mrs AnmaréHarris, Mrs Keryn Lombard and Miss Rozanne Marais for swapping home and hostel for huts and hoardes.It <strong>was</strong> gratifying to see our Grade 10 and 11s, in particular, responding to Game (Fleurdal and Mimosa)Stores’ request for 140 girls to assist in the end of the financial year stocktake over two Saturdays. Niceto know that teenagers still do something for nothing, though Game made a R12 000 donation to our MatricFarewell Fund. Thanks Mrs June Norval, Mrs Mariana Spangenberg and Mr Ferdi van Wijk for their timeand trouble.The Fichardt Park Clover Sports Day provided pre-season opportunities to netball, hockey, tennis and chessgirls. We came second in the latter two disciplines despite our tennis firsts being at Sun City. Our firsthockey side showed good touches in a convincing victory over Witteberg (Bethlehem) while out netball firstsurprised Afrikaans Hoër (Kroonstad). Altogether 5 000 teenagers from 53 schools participated in whatmust be one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in the country.I must mention the U/14 A hockey team. They were disappointed when Afrikaans Hoër failed to show upfor the first game of the morning. They insisted on their long-awaited opportunity so Fichardt Park obligedby providing their U/14A BOYS team as opposition. All hell broke loose when our girls took a 1-0 lead.Elation and horror. Determined to wipe out the deficit in the second half, the boys were horrified whenAfrikaans Hoër, who had been delayed on the road, took the field for a mini one-half match which Eunice won3-0. A significant start to the season for the U/14s who travel to East London for Selborne’s Rob TaylorMemorial Tournament in the holidays.Page 4

Our First Tennis Team attended two prestigious tournaments this term which included the top girls’ tennisschools in South Africa. At the Sun City Tournament in February (Marizanne Bouwer, Veruska van Wyk,Chrisna Honiball and Ezené Meyer) our girls lost to Bloemhof and to Stellenbosch High School, drew withOranje and beat Menlopark. They ended fourth in this tournament. Last week at the Gerrie BernerTournament hosted by Paarl Gymnasium our girls ended third losing only to Bloemhof, the eventual winners ofthe tournament. They beat Paarl Girls’ High, Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria, Cradock High School andClarendon High School. This team consisted of: (Marizanne Bouwer, Nicole Kitsopoulas, Veruska van Wyk,Cecile Murray, Nthabeleng Mokalodise, Chrisna Honiball and Ezené Meyer. Our thanks to Mrs EmsieBouwer, Mr Marnus Kleinhans and Mr Pieter Swart.Last Saturday, we hosted Upington’s Duineveld hockey and netball girls while the boys played rugby nextdoor. Our U/18As, our first grass team, enjoyed their chance on the Grey/Eunice Astro and drew 1-1 withthe visitors’ firsts. At our Governing Body meeting we put in place the conditions for the erection ofEunice’s very own Astro Turf which should be in operation in 2009 in time for the end of our 8-year contractwith Grey.At our meeting we also approved the installation of security cameras on all three major parts of our complex(high, primary and hostel) in an effort to ensure the safety and security of our school, its girls and theirbelongings. We believe that cameras will act as a huge deterrent, will help to pin-point culprits and will helpus to maintain a higher level of security as even our guards’ movements can be monitored. There is stillsome work to be done before installation takes place but we will be up and running during the course of nextterm. Our girls will be consulted concerning cameras at Eunice House.Netball certainly raised its Eunice profile in 2008 by commencing squad sessions in mid-January hosting amajor weekend training camp at school and undertaking a two day Kimberley tour packed with five games andextra skill sessions. Netball teams also participated in the popular Sentraal Night League. Eunice thanksthe Adam family (Megan – Grade 10) for hosting our girls in Kimberley and for the incredible R20 000donation to Eunice Netball in 2008. Mrs Mariska Adam is a consultant for PSG. She can be contacted on082 415 6843. This donation will be used to fund water bottle holders and scoreboards at our courts.Thank you, too, to Serfontein and Seun for the sponsorship of first team match outfits, HaarhoffBoerderye for first team practice outfits, Frank and Dee Bayly for the professional first aid kit as well asthe Reynolds, Britz, Serfontein and Snyman families for sponsoring the tour costs of needy players.The <strong>Parents</strong>’ Sports Function jointly arranged by Eunice High and Primary <strong>last</strong> Friday <strong>was</strong> a stylish affaircharacterised by both spirit and substance. Much of the spirit <strong>was</strong> provided by an animated Oom EwieCronje who not only shared his experience as a schoolboy, sportsman and parent, but combined with twoEunice contemporaries, Colleen Steenkamp and Trudy van Wyk, to sing the song – Marching downBloemfontein Town – they had sung together during Grey’s Centenary Celebrations in 1955 and subsequentUniversity Jool occasions. Dr Louis Holtzhauzen provided a Power Point presentation on sports nutritionwhile former Dominee Willem Fourie gave an inspirational lecture on Human Being, Human Doing and TheHuman Condition. Thank you to Mrs Louise Reinecke and Mrs June Norval for the initiative as well as toMrs Lynne Walraven, Mrs Carinda van Rensburg and Mr Eric Grobler of Eunice Primary. Thanks also to twoparents: Mrs Helette <strong>My</strong>burgh and Mrs Lara van Tonder.It <strong>was</strong> so sad to hear that Natasha McCaskill, a talented member of the 2000 Matric Class, <strong>was</strong> killed in acar accident along with her Dad on Monday 11 February. The pride and joy of the Heidedal Community,Natasha <strong>was</strong> placed third in matric and qualified as a chemical engineer at Tukkies. I placed a death noticeon the wall of the Eunice Millennium Matrics Facebook page (which has 72 members) only to find that mynotice appeared directly above the <strong>last</strong> entry – that of Natasha posted from London where her company hadsent her for six months. Our sympathies to Mrs McCaskill and her son Eugene.At our first Governing Body meeting of the year held <strong>last</strong> Wednesday, Mr Dirk Klopper, father of Jeanne inGrade 3, <strong>was</strong> elected Chairman in the place of Mr Ewald Hattingh whose daughter Danielle matriculated atthe end of <strong>last</strong> year. Dr Tertia Kroukamp, mother of Dinki in Grade 10, is our vice chairman. Eunice’sPage 5

sincere thanks to Mr Hattingh for steering our school with courage and passion. Thanks for your constantinterest and support. Mr Marius Rautenbach, provincial Head of Standard Bank and Prof Gillian vd Merwe,Head of Anaesthesiology at the Universitas Academic Hospital were recently elected to the Governing Body.Mr Klopper follows in the footsteps of his bothers, Willem and Leon who were respectively Chairmen on theGrey and Oranje Boards. Well done, Dirk, you’ve hit the family jackpot with the Top School in the Province.Our <strong>Parents</strong>’ Association has identified Monday 05 May as BOARDER BAKE DAY. Boarders and theirparents are urged to return from the long-weekend with a tray of goodies suitable for a bumper break-timesale. This is an ideal opportunity for boarder parents to participate in school fund-raising. The daygirls’CITY CAKE DAY has been scheduled for 16 th May. The challenge has been issued. Let’s compete and eat.Win, win don’t you think?We took leave this term of Miss May Taylor who retired to Eunice ten years ago! A Eunice old girl, Mayrendered sterling service as our Senior Accountant and acted as a very competent secretary of ourGoverning Body. Her successor, Mrs Nelia Nieman, has been with us since October. Congratulations toMrs Shormenay Wesso whose little girl arrived <strong>last</strong> month. Mrs Wesso’s temporary replacement is MrsHannalize van der Merwe, mother of Minzke in Grade 7. <strong>My</strong> sincere thanks to her for re-arranging herconsiderable priorities to be of service to our girls.We will change to winter uniform after the leave out weekend (5 May). Please remember that school feesare payable in advance. Boarders need to pay school and hostel fees before being allocated a room atEunice House. All boarders must be in by 19:00 on Sunday. It is not acceptable for boarders to return onthe Monday without definite prior arrangement.Grade 8-11 reports were issued to girls at school on the <strong>last</strong> day. Matrics wrote till today. Their reportswill be <strong>distributed</strong> on Thursday 17 April. <strong>Parents</strong> have the chance to Meet the Teachers in their classroomsfrom 17:00 – 19:00 on 22 April. Please bring your daughter along as a guide. Our girls need to rememberthat their assessment this term <strong>was</strong> based on term work. The second term is an exam term which requiresthem to be on top of their work as volume and content become just as important as knowledge and skills.Following disciplinary measures at Eunice House, I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new Grade12 RCL members: Ané de Beer and Matsa Ntsekhe.It is the busiest of holidays. Our hotel is full for every day of the three weeks. Thanks to Mr Pat Uys,Miss Pamela Mayiyane and Mr Carl Pritchett and their many helpers. We will host the mammoth ElsieCoetzer Tournament as well as Department of Education training courses. Our first hockey team willattend the St Mary’s Festival in Johannesburg. I’m off to Cape Town tomorrow with Mr Ferdi van Wijk andhis 22 Two Oceans Marathon (21 km) runners. Including himself! Then I will be in Grahamstown for Kerry-Louise’s graduation.Happy Easter to you all. It’s a difficult time on our roads. Take care.Paul CassarHeadmasterSCHOOL CALENDAR FOR 2009 :(12) 14 January – 27 March15 April – 26 June20 July – 23 September5 October – 11 DecemberPage 6

Please support our drive to get our girls to look smart by not allowing them tocolour or streak their hair this holiday. We rely on your support as our girlsare fully familiar with our rules.EUNICE CLOTHING THE NO EXCUSE COMPULSORY RANGE - PRICE LIST SEPTEMBER 2007- SEPTEMBER 20081. TRACKSUITITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICETracksuit Top: XS - L R275XLARGE – 4XLR295Tracksuit Pants: XS - L R165XL – 4XLR1802. EUNICE SHORTSITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEGreen Shorts: XS – 4XL R1003. EUNICE GOLF SHIRTITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEWhite golf shirt XS – 4XL R1004. EUNICE PULLOVERITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEBottle green pullover 30 - 42 R1005. BAGSITEM DESCRIPTIONPRICEBack PackR120ORSling BagR140ORMedical Back Pack ON ORDER ONLY R400Exam Bag/Handbag/Small Sling OR TriangleR100Tog Bag: SportR1206. REGULATION HAIR ACCESSORIES – BOTTLE GREEN ONLY Prices vary from R6 – R15.007. ATHLETICSITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEAthletics vest and hot pants: SET ONLY XS – 4XL R3208. TENNIS AND SQUASHITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICESkort: XS – 4XL R125White Green collar Shirt: XS – 4XL R100Sleeveless bottle green shirt XS – 4XL R1109. HOCKEYITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEScooter XS – 4XL R125White Green Collar Shirt XS – 4 XL R100Multi Stripe Socks Size 4-7 and 7-10 R1810. NETBALLITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEScooter XS – 4XL R125Sleeveless bottle green/blue shirt XS – 4XL R110Swimming CapEunice Towel:11. SWIMMINGITEM DESCRIPTION SIZE PRICEOUT OF STOCKR15012. STOCKINGS AND ACCESSORIESITEM DESCRIPTION UNIT PRICEStockings: MATRICS ONLY 6 per pack R601 pair R12Winter StockingsR25Page 7

Eunice Lanyard R5.00Eunice magnet R15.00Eunice Black Leather File R90.00Eunice pen R10.00Sun visor R50.00Eunice Umbrella R80.00Eunice scarf R70.00Winter gloves R30.00Eunice girls wear their uniform with pridePage 8