18 August 2010
Dear Parents
I have just returned from a superb Music Concert held in the SAC Drill Hall. Six ensembles entertained us with a range of musical styles. Fifty girls and boys participated in the evening playing in the orchestra, the wind orchestra, the rock band, as well as singing in the chamber choir, the jazz choir and the chapel choir. It was a wonderful display of our musical talents and a credit to the music department that we have so many accomplished ensembles. They will be starting their holiday with a music tour to Graaff- Reinet. We wish them and their teachers a safe and happy tour.
In assembly on Tuesday Hayley Jackson was recognized for her performances in Music and awarded Music Honours. She has been a key member of the Music School in several areas since her arrival in 2007, but it has been in Violin where she has truly excelled. Her most notable achievements being her attainment of Grade 8 with distinction, selection into both the Rhodes Orchestra, the Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra. She is an outstanding young woman who manages to balance her music with the rest of her school life with ease, and we congratulate her on this award.
Also leaving tomorrow are our Grade Elevens who are going to iMfolozi. This is a phenomenal opportunity for our Grade Eleven girls to walk (and sleep) in the wild away from the distractions of modern living. They reconnect with their five senses and are afforded the space to think about who they are and what they truly hold dear. Of course it is also a fantastic bonding experience for them and life-long friendships are forged! Good luck to them and to Ms Lisl Griffioen who will be accompanying them.
An exciting new development for next term will be the formation of an SCA committee taken from the Grade Tens and Elevens. They are hoping to meet once a week next term to plan a motivating program for 2011 which will involve regular meetings, Bible studies, prayer cell groups, a camp and hopefully a combined mission with Father Gary and the St Andrew’s College SCA. I wish Rev Sue every success as she launches this spiritual venture.
Ms Pamela Bowren has been appointed as Sports’ Coordinator. She has shown in her short time here that she is highly organized and efficient and it is a pleasure to welcome her to this full time position. Hopefully you have been receiving weekly newsletters on our sports progress from her so I won’t dwell too long on this. Netball has progressed well this season and comments have been passed by traditional rivals at the significant improvement in our standard of play. I commend Mrs Melissa Duiker on this.
Our Hockey teams have had a superb season and we have incredible depth of talent. The DSG has been fielding up to twelve teams for any given fixture and we regularly return home with a clean sweep in results. Our first team is young and this augurs well for the future.
Our swimmers have trained throughout the season under Mr Tudor Lacey. Three of them competed at the National short course championships two weeks ago where they excelled, with Erin Graham achieving several personal best times and Robyn Charter finished 15th in the country in the 50m backstroke setting a new school record. Well done to our swimmers!
We return to Summer Sport next term and begin immediately with an intensive Athletics programme. Please note that SAC and DSG have taken the decision to move the Athletics Day away from Balloon Week. It has traditionally been held on the day Half Term begins and we have decided to rather hold the relay events on that day. Athletics Day will be held on 25 September. There are a number of reasons for this change, but a pressing one is the loss experienced by the Matrics, particularly the boys, when this day is cancelled due to weather. It also allows us to finish the day slightly earlier enabling girls to meet their travel arrangements.
Over half term next term our Waterpolo and Tennis teams will be attending the traditional ‘Stayers’ Tournament at St Anne’s. Rowing also begins in earnest next term and Mrs Sandra Schultz has kindly agreed to take on the role as teacher-in-charge of Rowing.
The recent K-Day was a resounding success with our sports teams achieving very good results. More importantly, our girls did us proud in manners, behaviour and dress. The spirit of the DSG is at an all time high! I salute our Matric girls in this regard. Enclosed with this letter you will find the results of that day for your interest.
As usual, our final term of the year ends with our Outdoor Excursions. The Grade Elevens go on Outward Bound, the Grade Tens embark on The Fish River Journey, the Grade Nines go to Kirkwood and the Eights to Hobbiton. The length of the activities differs depending on the Grade and the exams end accordingly. Each year I make an appeal to parents to support us and to recognize these excursions as an integral part of our curriculum. Still I am inundated by requests for girls to leave early for doctor’s appointments, special courses and all manner of alternative activities. I plead with you not to do this as it undermines who we are by disregarding an important part of our programme.
Your daughter will return home today with her Term Two report. As you know, shortly after they returned from a five-week holiday, they started their mid-year exams. This is educationally far from ideal and in some cases is reflected in the results. Despite this, we believe that the exams were very useful as a diagnostic tool and we will be looking at them closely as a staff to establish patterns. Please be aware that the comments are based on the term’s work (in this case term 2a and 2b) and not on the exam performance as they are written before the exam marks are all in.
Enclosed in this pack you will also find a letter to the Grade Elevens inviting them to consider prefectship as well as guidelines on dance dress rules. These were drawn up by the senior girls. There is also a joint letter from the Chairman of Council, Dr Di Wilmot and from me briefly outlining our development plans. The Council has given long hours and thought leading up to this announcement and I thank them for their expertise and generosity of time. Mr Colin Meyer is doing an excellent job as Project Manager of this Development Plan.
In closing, I wish you and your daughters a happy, safe holiday. It provides a short rest before the demanding final term begins.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Shelley Frayne
HEADMISTRESS
Kelly Long to represent South Africa 25th January 2012
Kelly Long will represent South Africa at the 5th International Sustainable World Project Olympiad in the USA
