Gr 0 & Gr 12 - St Mary's DSG
Gr 0 & Gr 12 - St Mary's DSG
Gr 0 & Gr 12 - St Mary's DSG
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FROM THE<br />
HEAD'S DESK<br />
On e of the distinct advantages o f a school such a s <strong>St</strong> <strong>Mary's</strong> <strong>DSG</strong> is th e ability t o reflec t upo n a nd t o nurtur e its values an d the<br />
traditions developed during its 1 28 year history. This issu e of Filia e Regis does that i n two very differ ent areas. Deeply entrenche d wit hin the School is its Anglica n a nd Christia n etho s. As a Diocesan school ther e a re values which underpi n a ll tha t<br />
we d o. Nothin g pleases m e mor e th an to have requests, which enhance t he values, comin g fr om th e girls. Thre e years ag o, on e of the<br />
prefects, wh o had bee n a t <strong>DSG</strong> sin ce <strong>Gr</strong>a de 0, reflecte d somewha t whimsically tha t during th e la st f ive ye ars in the Seni or Scho ol, sh e<br />
h ad really misse d hea ring the Angelus run g o n the Chapel bell becau se of the school la yout. This ga ve foo d f or thoug ht a nd I a m<br />
delighte d tha t th e fund ing of th e proje ct to bu ild a special Angelus Bell Towe r was accepte d by t he Old Gi rls' Association. Built i n a<br />
positio n whe re all th e Se nior School classes w ill b e able t o hea r it, and usin g a bell foun d in ou r archives, it will hencefort h becom e<br />
par t of ou r traditio n wher e girl s in <strong>Gr</strong>ad e 8 will ta ke o n the responsibilit y of ringin g t he bell a t noo n ea ch d ay.<br />
I strongl y believ e th at th e greate st assets of a scho ol are its pupils, a nd as they lea ve th e school t hese 'Ol d Gir ls' reflect wh at DS G has<br />
ma de the m. I believ e we a re a uniqu e school in th e n umber of pa st pupils who m we now emplo y o n ou r teachin g st aff. Covering matriculants from 19 66 t o 20 00, the re a re six women wh o , by their ex ample, a re continuin g t he love of serv ice passed on to t hem by<br />
th e CSMV sisters a nd the ir successo rs. Ea ch of these wome n is uniquely puttin g back int o <strong>DSG</strong> someth ing of what the y gaine d an d<br />
helpin g the school to mov e forwar d o n its pat h of providin g hig h quality educatio n t o its gir ls. I conside r myse lf fortunate t o coun t<br />
them as par t of the academic tea m: thr ee i n th e Ju nior School and thre e in th e S enior Scho ol . I hop e yo u too w ill enjo y read ing of<br />
the ir experiences o f <strong>DSG</strong> an d wha t it has mean t t o the m.<br />
Taking u p a ne w r ole o n the Senior School Academic tea m is Mrs Joma ri Miller wh o was appointed as Vice-Principal: Academic a nd<br />
Pastor al, from the beginnin g of th e year. Mr s Miller is known t o us as a n Account ing teacher of not e, wit h a st ring of excelle nt Matric results beh ind he r; and well-love d by al l in S t Pa trick Hou se. Sh e now takes o n a new ro le of leading us throug h th e birt h o f a ne w<br />
curriculum and new Matric to be writte n in 20 08 . We hav e gr eat confidenc e in he r abilit y and l loo k forwar d t o workin g wit h her f or<br />
ma ny year s to com e.<br />
Visitors t o our campus will have see n constructio n workers busy o n differe nt projects. The Capita l Developm ent Program me f or 200 7<br />
has four subdivision s, all o f which will b e of va lue to girls fr om <strong>Gr</strong>a des 0 - <strong>12</strong>. The fir st t o be complete d is the extensio n of the<br />
Performin g Arts Cent re ( PA C ) wh ich was reopened a t th e beginnin g o f July. This will b e of grea t valu e t o our Music Departme nt.<br />
Constructio n of additional changeroom s in th e swi mming pool ar ea , an d a ne w tuckshop with adjoinin g toile t facilities adjacen t t o th e<br />
PA C i s in progress. These should be rea dy f or u se by <strong>DSG</strong> a t the beginnin g o f Te rm 3 . The final pha se is the buildin g of a new<br />
Afterca re Cen tre in th e Junior School which sh ould be complete d by th e en d of th e yea r.<br />
With be st wishes He ad o f School<br />
<strong>DSG</strong> Sports Round Up<br />
The Squash Open team won the Northern Gauteng Top Schools Squash Tournament for the<br />
6th year in a row.<br />
U/14 and U/15 A hockey teams won their sections in the Medium Schools League.<br />
Combined <strong>DSG</strong> and <strong>St</strong> Albans Equestrian Team won the Medium Schools Trophy for the<br />
second year in a row.<br />
Mrs Jomari Miller steps up to the challenge<br />
of Vice-Principal<br />
1. How long have you been teaching at <strong>DSG</strong>?<br />
Since 1 May 1998<br />
2. What is it about <strong>DSG</strong> that has made you stay?<br />
The girls. Their enthusiasm, work ethic, responsiveness and<br />
talents. The more you give of yourself, the more you get<br />
back!<br />
3. It is no secret that under your leadership the<br />
Accounting Department has received wonderful<br />
Matric results. How have you achieved this?<br />
I cannot claim the tribute for myself: it must go to the girls.<br />
I am merely an instrument in God's hand. It is important to<br />
me that the girls look forward to my lessons each day. They<br />
know that I have high expectations of them, but that I never<br />
ask more than their best. I also try to teach them more than<br />
Accounting by setting an example.<br />
4. What are the areas you hope to strengthen as you<br />
tackle your management role at <strong>DSG</strong>?<br />
School pride, academic excellence, personal growth of staff<br />
and girls. Values. To help make <strong>DSG</strong> a happy environment;<br />
the place where everybody wants to be!<br />
6. I believe that there is such a demand for Accounting<br />
that we will have four Accounting classes in <strong>Gr</strong>ade<br />
10 next year. What do attribute this to?<br />
Accounting is a life- skill. The emphasis these days is more<br />
and more on starting your own business and being<br />
responsible for your own income. Accounting surely can<br />
teach you that!<br />
7. Rumour has it that you are an accomplished<br />
musician. Any truth in the rumour?<br />
If I compare myself to Jennifer Chen, Elri van Belkum and<br />
Lara Coetzee, not a chance!<br />
8. How tough is it to be a<br />
parent as well as a leader<br />
in the school?<br />
I would lie if I say it is not<br />
tough. I am always aware<br />
and sensitive about it. I do<br />
think that it is more<br />
difficult for Romy.<br />
9. What made you<br />
decide to be a<br />
teacher?<br />
My love for children.<br />
I also think it runs in<br />
the genes.<br />
Duxbury Road Hillcrest Pretoria PO Box 11379 Hatfield Pretoria 0028<br />
Tel: (0<strong>12</strong>) 362 1352 Fax: (0<strong>12</strong>) 362 1080 E-mail: dsg@stmarys.pta.school.za<br />
www.stmarys.pta.school.za<br />
FILIAE REGIS TERM 2<br />
FFILIAE I L I A E<br />
RE REGIS GIS<br />
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2 3<br />
1 8 9 10<br />
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4<br />
- From the Head's Desk<br />
- Old Girls ret urn “ home” - The Angelus Bell - Vice -Principal: Mrs Jomari Miller - <strong>DSG</strong> Sports Roun d Up<br />
4<br />
this month's issue 10<br />
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The Angelus Bell<br />
This Medieval practice of ringing the bell at three times of the<br />
day/dawn (06:00), noon (<strong>12</strong>:00) and evening (18:00) - is a way<br />
of reminding Christians of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.<br />
This is one of the School's oldest traditions, and those able to<br />
hear the bell at noon pause for a moment of prayer.<br />
The Old Girls have donated an Angelus Bell for the Senior<br />
School in the hope that every girl in the school can hear the<br />
ringing of the bell at noon.<br />
ocel<br />
Solo<br />
Th e Openin g of the<br />
newly renovated Performing Ar ts Centre<br />
Flute<br />
Violin an d Piano<br />
Piano drums<br />
OLD GIRLS RETURN<br />
“ H O M E”<br />
The School feels extremely proud that this issue<br />
will feature the first 3 of the 6 teachers who are<br />
<strong>DSG</strong> Old Girls - there could be no better<br />
compliment to pay! Since good teachers are a<br />
school's most precious asset, it is wonderful to<br />
have in our midst Old Girls who support and<br />
uphold the ethos and traditions of the school.<br />
Our roving reporter has been tracking<br />
them down and asking a few questions…<br />
Mrs Lauren Holdt (Matric 2000)<br />
Mrs Holdt is the youngest of the Old Girls to return to teach at<br />
<strong>DSG</strong>. She teaches <strong>Gr</strong>ade 3 and is amazed at the advanced<br />
technological skills that her young pupils have. Smartboards have<br />
made a big difference to interaction in the classroom and the<br />
Internet allows them to present their projects electronically and<br />
with colourful images. Mrs Holdt recalls that there was more<br />
passive listening in her schooldays, but today's children question<br />
more and like to share their own knowledge, too.<br />
Mrs Holdt feels that as a teacher she has a vital role to play in<br />
uplifting and reviving the world in order to counteract the<br />
negative effects of the media and real-life situations in children's<br />
lives, such as coping with crime, violence, bad language and a lack<br />
of morals in society.<br />
Mrs Holdt believes that the School's ethos has remained the same<br />
through the presence of God: the Chapel services have a deep<br />
spiritual effect which give a child the right foundation in life. Mrs<br />
Holdt herself always felt a deep sense of belonging at school and<br />
knew that she wanted to return once she had qualified. She<br />
especially enjoys the beautiful gardens and considers herself<br />
blessed to work in such an environment. She is also impressed<br />
with the new facilities such as the Hall and the Auditorium.<br />
There are certain aspects of the school that Mrs Holdt would<br />
never want to see changed: the Chapel, the Main School Building<br />
and Boarding Block, the School Hymn and Prayer. She loves the<br />
way the <strong>DSG</strong> pupils are still driven and enthusiastic in all they do<br />
and considers that her most important aim is to teach them<br />
morals, values and the joy of learning.<br />
Mrs Carol Viljoen (Matric 1966)<br />
Mrs Viljoen is the other <strong>Gr</strong>ade 3 class teacher and her<br />
experiences at the time of the Sisters was a very different school<br />
scenario. However, the history and traditions begun by the<br />
Sisters still remain the backbone of the School, giving it the<br />
important Christian ethos and the caring atmosphere. Mrs<br />
Viljoen is extremely proud of being a <strong>DSG</strong> Old Girl and this,<br />
together with good fortune and timing, motivated her to return<br />
as a teacher.<br />
Mrs Viljoen lays great importance on <strong>DSG</strong> remaining a relatively<br />
small school, enabling the staff to get to know almost every girl in<br />
the Junior School. She finds that today's pupils are an extremely<br />
questioning generation and very outspoken, compared with<br />
schooling under the Sisters. They have an excellent general<br />
knowledge gleaned from television and travel. In fact, it is a<br />
challenge for teachers to keep up with the modern child and with<br />
technology. She encourages her pupils to be proud of their<br />
school and do their very best in appreciation of their parents<br />
sending them to such a special school. Today's pupils at <strong>DSG</strong> are<br />
more privileged in having such modern facilities and activities:<br />
Mrs Viljoen recalls that sport, for example, was very limited in her<br />
day.<br />
Mrs Viljoen feels that certain special traditions such as worship in<br />
the Chapel, the Angelus Bell, the School Prayer and the School<br />
Hymn must always remain the same; they are an important link<br />
between the past, present and the future of the school.<br />
Mrs Fiona Pienaar (Matric 1987)<br />
Mrs Pienaar is a <strong>Gr</strong>ade 1 teacher and loved the feeling of returning<br />
“home” when she came back to teach in the Junior School. When<br />
she recalls her own time at school, she feels that the main<br />
emphasis was on trying your best at academics, cultural activities<br />
and sport. Although these three are still extremely important,<br />
the additional opportunities for today's young pupils are endless,<br />
especially with regard to technology and even the wider range of<br />
sports now on offer.<br />
The boarders in her day would have loved the chance to go home<br />
every weekend, as they are now permitted to do. Mrs Pienaar's<br />
one relief is that the previous headgear has been abolished: she<br />
really did not enjoy wearing the boater hat in the summer and the<br />
“pudding basins” in winter!<br />
Mrs Pienaar always emphasizes to her pupils the importance of<br />
being part of a community and feeling a great sense of belonging,<br />
yet at the same time striving to be an individual. This is where<br />
<strong>DSG</strong>'s caring community plays an important role, as each child is<br />
known for herself and is not just part of a crowd.<br />
The young girls in <strong>Gr</strong>ade 1 are different<br />
from Mrs Pienaar's generation in that they<br />
are much more worldly - wise as a result<br />
of the world in which they are growing<br />
up. Sadly, though, they live in a more<br />
materialistic society which is a<br />
challenge in itself. Teachers also need<br />
to keep abreast of all the new<br />
developments in technology.<br />
Mrs Pienaar enjoys the Chapel<br />
being the centre of <strong>DSG</strong> and the<br />
beauty of the Main School<br />
Building, leading down towards<br />
the Centenary Gates. This is<br />
something that she would never<br />
want to see changed!<br />
9<br />
10<br />
5<br />
Mrs Lauren Holdt<br />
Mrs Carol Viljoen<br />
Mrs Fiona Pienaar<br />
9<br />
10<br />
5<br />
BIG<br />
Walk<br />
<strong>Gr</strong> 0 & <strong>Gr</strong> <strong>12</strong><br />
Picnic