cedar house newsletter 11

We wish Erasmus well in his future and thank him for

1 December 2016

Dear Cedar House families

We have reached the end of our 2016 School year and what a year it has been! Cedar House has rocked this year, with rigour, joy and an authentic attempt to offer young people something valuable and big. Sincere gratitude to you for your inspiring levels of support, our Staff for their superb efforts and depth of thinking and our students who make every day a pleasure.

Enclosed with this newsletter is the following:

• Your child’s end of year report. We hope you find it a helpful summative assessment of your child’s academic progress this year.

• Our 2017 mini-calendar and main calendar

• A copy of our 2017 edition of Cedar Speaks

• The school fee schedule for 2017

Matric results are released at the end of December and, as soon as I have had time to reflect on them, I will write up a description of the “headlines” and put the letter on D6 communicator.

We are in the process of getting plans approved to build new classrooms in the corner of our Ascot Campus and on our Rosmead campus; it is an exciting development that will relieve pressure on teaching spaces at the School and I will keep you updated!

STAFF FAREWELLSAngus and Oscar have completed their year as Teacher Assistants with aplomb and I am very, very grateful to them for the maturity and care that they brought to their GAP year experience. It has been wonderful for the Staff and me to experience these past students as colleagues and they have risen to every expectation.

Enclosures• Valedictory message from a

parent• 2017 Grade 10 Reading

expectations• Cedar House students’

prose and poetry published in English Alive 50 years of writing by SA high school students

• 2017 Camps and excursions• 2017 School fees• Extra mural afternoon

timetable• Pre-order lunch menu for

January/February

High School(021) 762 0649Prep School(021) 762 0649 ext. 2Fax(021) 761 8556

5 Ascot Road KenilworthCape Town 7708

the quality of Afrikaans teaching he made possible for our students. For health reasons, Carmen is not in a position to work next year; she has been such a loved teacher and we wish her a speedy recovery. Delia has completed her sabbatical and returns to UWC next year to resume her professorial role. She has been an exceptional Science teacher this year and her students will miss her terribly. We wish JP Kotze much happiness in his future and thank him for his two years of contribution to our Maths department. Janine retires this year and is leaving our Prep School (that she was instrumental in creating) in such a positive and strong space; she has accomplished something significant in her 6 years at Cedar House and we will miss her very much.

2017 STAFF WELCOMESDonita Rodrigues has been appointed as our new Counsellor/Student Advisor and will be joining our Staff at the end of February 2017. Donita has a MA in Clinical Psychology (UCT), that she passed with distinction. She has been employed by the City of Cape Town as a clinical psychologist during which time she has had substantial exposure to a wide range of emotional needs.

Jacques le Roux has been appointed as our new Head of Physical Sciences. Jacques has a BEd from the University of the Free State and has been Head of Science at Curro Hermanus; he is also Curro Schools’ leader of Physical Sciences.

Daleen Coetzer and Melanie Jooste will be joining our Afrikaans Department. Daleen has been teaching in Oudtshoorn and Melanie in Polokwane. Daleen graduated from the University of the Free State with a degree in Language Studies and Melanie graduated from the University of Johannesburg and completed post graduate studies at North West University.

Bruna Galvao will be joining our Life Sciences department. Bruna has a PhD in Mollecular and Cell Biology from UCT.

Andreas Späth will be joining our Prep School and will be involved there in a range of roles. Andreas holds a PhD in Geology from UCT.

Kim Harley has a BSc from the University of the Western Cape and will be teaching in our Junior and Senior Stages. She will also be supporting counselling needs in the Prep School.

Eldrid King will be teaching in our Junior and Senior Stages. He has a BEd from UNISA.

I am so pleased with the calibre of our new appointments and know that they will enrich and deepen our teaching offering at Cedar House.

PREP SCHOOL REPORTWe have come to the end of an exciting, fun-filled and rigorous year at the Prep - and we have so much to celebrate. Our students have shown enormous growth - academically and personally. Our Grade 7s are more than ready for the new challenges of High School and we are positive that they will contribute so much to the Ascot Road Campus. We wish them an exciting journey in this new phase of their lives.

Our Grade 6s wrote the IEB Core Skills Test earlier this year. The IEB Grade 6 Core Skills Test was developed to determine whether Grade 6 learners, at the end of the intermediate phase of schooling, have attained sufficient cognitive academic proficiency to engage with the demands of the following years. ... The test is non-curriculum-based.

We are delighted with our cumulative results which set us above the average IEB schools in

the country. Special mention needs to be made of the following students, who achieved certificates in this assessment:

Ella Phillips Gold (13th in the country)Georgiana Froud Gold (24th in the country)Byron Clarke SilverOluwakemi Olaleye SilverAedan Williams SilverMaya Barrett BronzeJames Cawood BronzeJasmina Dave BronzeSamara Mouton BronzeTyra Parring BronzeMatthew Rauscher BronzeCaleb Rhoda BronzeFarah Mirza Bronze

At the beginning of November, our Grade 7s spent 2 days shadowing Grade 8s at the High School. By all accounts, they had an amazing time and, according to the staff, are more than ready for this new chapter. This experience also helped allay any concerns or fears they may have had, as they were warmly welcomed, well looked after and realized that they are actually well prepared to tackle Senior Stage.

Our end of year assessments have been impressive, exciting and rigorous, allowing our students to showcase skills they have acquired throughout the year. This is the only school that I know of where this period of the year is eagerly anticipated, fulfilling and educationally worthwhile. Our students love the assessment weeks. Our days have been filled with

• a Medieval Feast (with jesters and troubadors)• Town Planning • Trashion Show • Afrikaans video adverts • a treasure hunt on Table Mountain, • replacing the scarecrows in the garden• designing of a dream home• creating a positive digital footprint,• rebranding local businesses in the area• designing imaginary ancient civilisations in Africa• investigating modern day warriors• dinosaur dioramas• shadow puppetry• dream catchers

Our final major event for this term was the much-anticipated Grade 7 Farewell Dinner. It was a fabulous evening, our students looked lovely and spoke so eloquently. We are so very proud of the young adults that they have become. Huge thanks go to the staff and parents that worked hard to put this event together and make it a memorable one for our Grade 7s.

I would like to thank all our families for their wonderful support this year. Our staff appreciate it so much. Have a wonderful holiday with your families - take time to relax and connect with each other. Janine Veitch

Some of our beautiful Grade 7’s at their Farewell Dinner

EXTRA MURAL REPORTThe extra mural programme has had a very successful year and has seen a steady increase in participation from the students.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to all staff that is involved in making this programme what it is . A thank you to all our outsourced establishments who are helping our kids to enjoy exercise and have fun while doing it.

It will be a challenge to top this year’s timetable, but myself and all the staff involved will do our utmost to make sure that next year’s programme will be bigger and better! There will be some new additions to the timetable next year, so check the timetable to see if there is something new you would like to try out. The extra mural timetable will be put onto D6 Communicator as well as communication regarding extra mural indemnities which may need to be filled in.

I look forward to 2017 and a continuation of the amazing progress we have made as a community. If there are any parents who have any queries or questions regarding the extra mural programme, please feel free to contact me at any time on grant.apollis@cedarhouse.co.za and I will gladly answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for all your continued support. Grant Apollis : Head of Sport

2017 AND BEYOND PREP SCHOOL VISIONCedar House Prep School is set for a year filled with new and exciting things! Hazel and Priscilla are thrilled to be working on a fresh vision for 2017 and are already underway that re-imagining a curriculum that is creative, engaging and deeply valuable and that makes the most of this special age and stage of learning.

Together with the strong and committed prep staff, we know we will be building on what has already been created.

Some snapshots of what we have to look forward to:• The introduction of conversational isiXhosa/Afrikaans.

Through music, games and creative play, we aim to open student’s minds to the joy of being able to converse with other South Africans in their mother tongue. Language adds value to our everyday interactions and by learning conversational isiXhosa we take a step towards creating social cohesion.

• The addition of Deep Learning to the timetable.Following the inspiration of international education trends deep learning creates the space for integrated, self-driven and wholly creative learning opportunities.

• Introduction of Mental Mania to the timetable.With the introduction of Kim Harley to our team we look forward to having the space to develop critical skills that need extra attention in our digitally driven entertainment world. These lessons will be broadly based in occupational therapy and will incorporate active play and artistic activities.

Watch this space!Hazel Gubb and Priscilla Rhoda

SENIOR STAGE MODULE CHOICES in 2017The idea of creating a Senior Stage curriculum with multi-age classes, modules and choices was floated a little more than five years ago and this year’s Grade 12’s are the first group at the High School not to have experienced the “old” curriculum. It is an opportune time to reflect on some aspects of the curriculum offered to our Senior Stage students of 2017.

The English department has embraced the Senior Stage with remarkable energy. English teachers have used this space to share with students their diverse passions for novels, plays, movies and poetry. Each year, the English department re-invents its offering to our students and will, once again in 2017, be offering a wide range of innovate and exciting thematic English modules. Each senior stage student will encounter two of these modules during the course of the year.

The Mathematics department grapples each year with the much-researched challenges of mathematics education. The two-year curriculum provides students with opportunities to re-encounter concepts that require consolidation and to extend beyond a traditional Grade 9 curriculum. Students receive detailed feedback on class assessments, rather than marks. This challenges paradigms and leads to much more thoughtful mathematics.

Life Orientation holds a proud and innovative space at Cedar House. In 2017, the Senior Stage Life Orientation will be timetabled at the same time, across the grade, so that the entire group can listen to invited speakers and all groups can engage with unique and thought-provoking lesson series presented by a variety of teachers.

The Natural Sciences department has a number of interesting innovations for 2017. Core aspects of the Physical Sciences curriculum will be offered in the module, “This is Physical Sciences – Welcome”, which is a prerequisite for students who wish to take Physical Sciences in Grade 10. This has created a space for experiential and project-based learning in physics and chemistry via the modules: “The Art of Chemistry – Food, Glorious Food” and “Physics – The Art of Space”. Engaging with the excitement of scientific research is contained in the module, “How to become a rad scientist” and students are offered an opportunity to peer through microscopes and engage with microbiology in the module, “Molecular and cell biology: Marvels under the microscope”.

History is a very popular subject amongst our students and the History department has risen to the challenge by providing a suite of new, tempting modules for 2017. These are:“Herstory: Women in History”, “African Empires: A study of Mali and Great Zimbabwe”, “Crime and Punishment” and “Genocidal Maniacs”.

Integrated Studies was introduced for the first time in 2015 and has captured the imagination of students and teachers alike. It is a 21st century space. In 2017, students will be able to explore the challenges of creating a socially and spatially just city in “Dreaming Cape Town”, imagine and invent answers to thorny and intractable challenges in “The Imaginarium” and grapple with the complexities of being a responsible global citizen in“Re-imagining a sustainable future”.

If, like me, you wish you could go back to school to revisit your middle school experience, you need to know that our 2017 Senior Stage is filled to capacity. There is no space for us!Gail Gubb, Head of Academics

2017 CAMPS/EXCURSIONSOur 2017 camps and trips selection offers something for all interests and budgets.The sign up this year will be done electronically, via the D6 communicator.Students are encouraged to experience as many of the trips or camps as possible.  Some of the trips can accommodate limited numbers and you are requested to please do the sign up as soon as possible to secure a space.The Astronomy trip is already fully subscribed.  Please see the updated camp selections, including the KKNK, Oudtshoorn,  trip.

I look forward to your children experiencing our beautiful world, alongside their peers. Benita November

UPDATE ON NEW STUDENT LEADERS’ SOCIAL ACTION INITIATIVESOur new student leaders, led by Luke and Nosi, have taken on their leadership roles with impressive strength, dedication, energy and enthusiasm. I am so proud of the way in which they have embedded themselves in their new super groups, the way they have led their social action initiatives with confidence, strength and maturity and the meaningful connections that they have forged with the student body. They worked tirelessly on ensuring that our Pop-Up Shop was successful; they created a fun-filled Halloween as well as establishing themselves at the Prep and High School orientation days.

Social Action is a core focus of student leaders and they need to be commended for the way in which they were able to pick up from the previous student leaders and start with their new groups immediately after being elected. Josh Jamieson, Josef Spath, Arielle Ralph and Daniel Ramoundos-Green ably lead our relationship with Lotus River High School, tutoring Maths and English and this has continued to be a most worthwhile relationship. Silverlea tutoring has been extended to accommodate two social action groups, led by Lucas Carr, Nur-ayn Hashim, James Vaughan and Danu Penrith. Ali van der Walt and J’den Rowe have taken over The Haven Night Shelter providing cooked meals once a week. Taio Veitch and Julian Janish have continued our connection to Rosmead Primary and work hard ensuring that the afternoon programme is an enriching experience. Connor Rhoda, Ashton Botha and Adam Henri work in the Prep School and contribute meaningfully towards the mentor programme, social action initiatives and orientation programme.

This is such a wonderful start and a true tribute to our new Student Leaders and to what student leadership means at Cedar House. Debbie Rumboll

DIVERSITY DISCOURSE REPORTDuring the current term we hosted Solly Moeng a media commentator from www.donvalley.co.za. His interaction with our community was on State Capture, a current topic for our country.

We intend bringing more speakers in 2017 and further entrench diversity within the school through various mediums. 

DATES TO REMEMBER

25 November -10 December marks 16 Days Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

1 December – World HIV/AIDS Day

3 December - International Day for Persons with Disability http://www.un.org/en/events/disabilitiesday/

"We mark this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities in the wake of the adoption of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  This global blueprint for action summons us to “leave no one behind”. – UN Secretary - General Ban Ki-moon

Thank you for all the support we have received in support of Diversity activities.Khalifah and Angus

POP UP SHOP FUNDRAISER REPORT BACKThe POP UP SHOP, held on 28 and 29 October was a success on so many levels.A huge thank you goes to all families who generously provided us with bric n brac, books or bakes.

A special thank you to our staff and a group of parents who selfless gave of their time, working behind the scenes, to ensure the success of the event.The event raised the phenomenal amount of R57 562.  In addition to this, the quilt raffle also raised an amount of R23 000.

This would not have been possible without the support of the Cedar House community and a number of sponsors.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and sponsors for their kind donations:Gina LorenKathy RobinsManuela GrayGill SharwoodRory SharwoodSpirosYolande MethvinDeborah BakerThe Love ShackHorse AboutCeres ZiplineVilla Tarentaal

The funds raised by this event will hugely benefit the Students for Social Justice fund.Thank you for your generous support for this cause. Benita November

SENIOR STAGE VISUAL ARTSI am so proud of what the Senior Stage Visual Arts students have achieved this semester. I was honoured to witness their development and progress over the two terms and enjoyed the many impressive and beautiful artworks that they produced.For the recent assessments, I took each of the three classes out to Kirstenbosch where they were each set a different set of tasks to complete. We all enjoyed the inspiring space that the gardens offer, but I’ll leave the details to three of the pupils who have written about their experience. Dee Janisch SCULPTURE “First, we each picked one sculpture out of the many on display in the gardens, and made a sketch of it. Then we gave it a review in the form of an essay, as if we were art critics. At the end of the assessment, we got to create our own interpretations of our sculpture's title out of plasticine. The grass, cool breeze, and shade of the trees made a nice change to the classrooms that I'm so used to working in." Alec Jirachareonkul DRAWING“Our Art assessment this semester was based at Kirstenbosch. We had to create a pamphlet made up of different drawings to entice people to come to the gardens. The pamphlet was made up of three tasks that were based at three different areas inside the gardens.

For our first task, we walked up the mountain to get a good landscape view of Kirstenbosch and found a spot in the shade to draw this. Our second task comprised of walking up to the dinosaur exhibit and drawing a picture of the dinosaurs and the cycads. This was my favourite part of the assessment, as I’ve never seen this exhibit and loved exploring the different textures found on the cycads. We had a short break after this exercise and then moved on to the third and final task. We sat in the shade of one of the big trees with a great view of the mountain. We had to draw two different aspects of these mountains using our knowledge of line, tone and texture. This was a very relaxing task and was very enjoyable.

Overall I had a wonderful experience exploring the different parts of the gardens and really enjoyed the figures that we had to draw. I found it serene, relaxing and an overall great time. Thank you Dee for creating such a fun and stress-free assessment!” Ella Mason

PAINTING“On Friday the 25th of November the paint like you mean it module went on an outing to Kirstenbosch. It was a lovely day that we spent collaging a landscape of Kirstenbosch. We all had an amazing time sitting in the sun and enjoying the scenery. I really loved the task and I think everyone had a blast sitting in the gardens and collaging. Thank you to Dee for arranging it. We all had a fantastic time.” Frances Lancaster

GRADE 12 DRAMA PRACTICALOn 28th September, the Grade 12 Drama students confronted the demanding task of performing their practical pieces for an external examiner. The students are required to perform three pieces of varying styles, genres, and demonstrating different characters. In addition to this, they stage their pieces, manage their set changes, and ensure that their

programme flows seamlessly.

What transpired was an unforgettable evening of exceptional performances that were arresting, impactful, and demonstrated immense skill. This exam is the culmination of three years of work in performance, and the commitment these students displayed towards this pinnacle of their work in this area was phenomenal.

They were professional, prepared, and did themselves proud. The examiner was suitably impressed, and mention must be made of the following pieces and performers, whose work stood out: Dom, Lucas, Cyla and Simone in The Bald Prima Donna, Luc and Sarah in Progress, Neo and Jesse in Dahling You Were Marvellous, and Nicole and Vaughn in Getting Out.

It has been my absolute pleasure to work with this wonderful group, I am so proud of them and will miss them enormously. Tamsyn Lancaster

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2016I was extremely fortunate to attend the Edinburgh Festival in August as my staff development opportunity. This was a Drama teachers’ dream – the opportunity to immerse myself in theatrical performances from around the world over 7 consecutive days. The Edinburgh festival is divided into the International Festival, and the Fringe Festival. The former is a carefully-curated programme of professional theatre, dance and music from around the world, and the latter a swarming mass of over 3000 productions, featured in a somewhat intimidating “tome” of a programme!

What is striking about the Festival is the utter explosion of creativity in every nook and cranny of this beautiful city. There are festival “hubs” dotted around the entire festival area (which is primarily located in “Old Town”) public performances on every street corner, and the city pulses with creative energy spanning drama, music, art , dance and literature.

Edinburgh is the global capital of festivals, and is so brilliantly suited to them. The festival spaces are all in walking distance, and with the clever use of maps and wayfinding systems, the venues are easy to find, and getting there is half the fun!

I witnessed some incredible theatre, an outline of my ‘best of the fest’ follows below:

1. Us/Them: a Belgian production where two “children” narrate the events of a terrorist attack on a school in Russia. What stood out for me in this production was the incredibly creative staging, and use of simplistic props to tell a story: chalk, string and black balloons, took on a life of their own, and the result was a visual feast of images and connections that were truly powerful. This production received a prestigious award from the festival straight after the performance I watched.

2. Twelfth Night: This French production of one of my all-time favourite Shakespearean comedies was inspiringly inventive. Set on the Brighton Pier in the 70s, it featured a set of wooden bathing boxes, each representing a lead character, the use of a ventriloquist’s dummy to replace one of the characters, and an incredible take on incorporating music, which is such an important feature of this play.

3. Measure for Measure: Shakespeare in Russian! This production drew on the political themes of the play, placing them in a contemporary Russian context, and drawing attention to issues around the abuse of power, and its effect on ordinary working-class people. An incredible ensemble and seamless flow from scene to scene were standout features of this production.

4. The Glass Menagerie: I was extremely lucky to attend the European premiere of the Broadway production of this Tennessee Williams play. It featured an exceptional performance of the complicated Amanda Wingfield by Cherry Jones, a Tony-award winning actress. Directed by John Tiffany (the director of JK Rowling’s play, The Cursed Child ), this production pushed the inherent symbolism of Williams’ text to the forefront, and featured an incredible set where half the stage floor appeared to be a mirror, and was revealed as water in the climactic moment when Laura discards her beloved glass unicorn. There was an audible gasp throughout the full house!

These are just a few highlights of a programme of the 28 performances I was privileged to see, and each performance fed me in valuable ways.

I returned from the festival exhilarated, exhausted, and excited to put everything I have learned into practice in the classroom, production, and creative departments of the school. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I am so incredibly grateful to Frank for this amazing opportunity. Exciting things are coming in 2017, and I look so forward to sharing what I have learnt, and the exciting ideas I have, with the Drama students, and the wider Cedar House Community. Tamsyn Lancaster

ART AND DESIGN GRADE 12 PRACTICAL EXHIBITIONSVISUAL ARTS EXHITITIONThe Grade 12 final exhibition was an absolute triumph for the class of 2016. It was very well attended by friends and family to whom I am grateful for their support and patience over the past few years. This class are deep thinkers as evidenced in the thorough processing in the visual journals and rationales. The students  have showed a willingness to explore their interior landscapes while acknowledging a true sense of our complex and difficult world. The class have gone way beyond what would ordinarily be expected of 18 year olds, and have attained sophisticated levels of conceptualisation and expression. The class have expressed their very different journeys in their own powerful individual languages. They have achieved much more than half a matric mark. I hope that the hard journey on which this class  embarked in choosing Visual Arts continues to enrich them throughout their lives. I wish for the class that they will have time and opportunity to sit in front of a Rothko for an hour. They are taking commitment, determination, creativity and insight into the world and I wish them fulfilment, happiness, compassion and every success.Christine Peckham

Francois Jonker came to talk to the Grade 11 class about a new course in Fine Arts that focuses on Contemporary art. He is starting a course at the Cape Town Creative Academy that sounds like it brings a very real sense of the place of art in the world to a degree course. They want to address the myth of the starving artist and mentor a group of artists who not only respond to the world but can express themselves in relevant ways while actually making a living from their art. This private institution  offers design courses but the Fine Arts course is something new and exciting. The class enjoyed his presentation and asked very relevant questions that indicated their engagement and hopes for the future. I would like to thank Francois for his vision and the time spent with us. Christine Peckham

DESIGN EXHIBITIONThe Grade 12 Design students' work was on exhibition from 24 to 28 October. The purpose of the exhibition is primarily for assessment, and it concludes with a celebratory evening for family and friends. It's always wonderful to see the extensive body of work, which began in Grade 11. This year, the work was varied in discipline and included architecture, product design and visual communication. There was undoubtedly some exciting work, and I was delighted to hear that a couple of students are planning to take Design into tertiary study.

I am proud of this year's crop of Designers and thoroughly enjoyed taking parents and grandparents through the exhibition. Corrine Lancaster

SENIOR STAGE and GRADE 10 BUSINESS STUDIES COKE FACTORY TOUROur visit to Peninsula Beverages took place on a scorching October day. Upon arrival we were welcomed warmly by Darren Sayster and given a complimentary soft drink. We were told about the history and branding of Coca Cola before being shown the production floor. Thank you Peninsula Beverages for a most informative visit!Tim Beere

The Senior Stage and Grade 10 Business Studies outing to Peninsula Beverages was an enriching and fun experience for us as students. 

We were further educated on the production of Coca Cola and the other beverages which are produced by and fall under Peninsula Beverages highly esteemed name. We were able to see the production and bottling of the many beverages the company has to offer and also enjoyed one free bottled Peninsula Beverage.  Jada Johns

CEDAR HOUSE MARKET DAYMarket day at Cedar House is a tradition that happens twice a year. It is a day where young entrepreneurs experience the joys of running a small business. This semester the Senior Stage Accounting and Business class worked enormously hard to make sure that their small businesses ran smoothly and that they were successful. We sold sweet and savoury items as well as all sorts of drinks. At the end of the day the two classes raised R1 545 for Social Action. We would like to give a huge thanks to Tanya for guiding us and for being an extremely good teacher. Without her advice and insight we wouldn’t have achieved so much. Anathi Ntilashe

“ENGLISH ALIVE” STUDENT WRITINGA publication, recently, of the best student writing during the last 50 years of the annual publication of “English Alive” showcased 7 pieces of writing from our School’s students, over the years. This is an amazing achievement for a small School and we have attached these pieces of writing for your interest.

GRADE 10 ENGLISH LITERATURE MODULES ON OFFER IN 2017We attach, for your interest, the literature modules on offer to our Grade 10 students in 2017.

SS HISTORY EXCURSIONOn 22 November, which also happens to be the anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination, 19 Senior Stage historians visited the Cape Town Holocaust Centre as part of their assessment day. After a semester of exploring the rise and fall of the Nazi empire -- and drawing stark parallels to current affairs -- the students were given an opportunity to explore the effect of socio-political racism on South Africans and European Jews. Not only did they benefit from a tour through the Museum's fixed exhibition, they also heard the testimonial of a Holocaust survivor as told by her granddaughter. In addition, when given the opportunity to view the temporary "Seeking Refuge" exhibition and to track the journeys that different people made from Germany, Italy and other parts of Eastern Europe, many students felt this section of History come alive for them. Most notable were the stories of Pieter-Dirk Uys's mother, the discovery of a relative of a close friend of one student in the exhibition and seeing Teddy bears that are almost 120 years old.

The staff and guides at the Holocaust Centre, namely Michal, Linda, Orli and Gita were hugely impressed by the mature, respectful and sensitive conduct of our students. Although

some found the experience to be emotionally draining, there is no doubt that our visit to the Centre gave every student much food for thought. As part of their assessment, they had to provide a reflection on what they learnt during the semester and on that day. The results indicate that each of these young people have gained a new perspective on not only this dark chapter in History but also on how they can be the change they wish to see in the world. Cathy Marshall

SENIOR STAGE BOTANY OUTINGOn Wednesday the 12th October the Botany students went on an outing to the Oranjezicht City farm. Students played games, planted their own seeds and went on a tour around the exquisite garden. Students were able to pick from the garden and taste vegetables and various edible plants. Samantha Burger

Here are some responses from the students:

Charlotte:I really enjoyed the local and city feeling of the farm! I wondered what a farm was doing in the middle of Cape Town, but as we explored and tried their fresh produce I really enjoyed myself. We learnt that their produce goes to the local farmer’s market at the Waterfront and they keep a worm farm to have rich soil to add to the plants. I thought the best thing was pulling the carrot right out of the soil, washing it and then eating it!! It was really Delicious! I would like to thank Sam and the people who work on the farm for this amazing experience. Thanks to Grant for driving us to the farm! 

Kirshni:The outing to Oranjezicht farm was extremely interesting, as well as educational. I learnt a lot and I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much to the Oranjezicht facilitators for an amazing experience...

Cael:The outing was very interesting and informative. We learnt a lot about cultivated plants in the farm environment. We learnt about a certain species of plant that attracts insects to it’s leaves and stem until the insects completely swarm it. We learnt how to identify seeds from different species of plants. Overall, it was a stimulating and fulfilling outing.

WEST COAST FISHING EXCURSIONKids throwing mud, smiling and little fish that brought big happiness. Awesome food, open spaces and kids smiling. Custard as main course and pudding. Waiting forever for too many chips. How much children vary in their level of independence. Big waves, sharp muscles, brave surfers, more smiles, laughter and tolerance of our individuality. Kuifkopvisvanger on the Berg River look it up. Mike Thiem

The fishing trip was great we had lots of fun when we went to the beach I went into the sea and it was cold when we got back we went fishing. I caught my first fish and I was so happy. Mike made the trip great and Grant was awesome. I had lots of fun thanks to Mike and Grant for the amazing trip. Charlie Harwood

BULUNGULA EXCURSIONAfter a very exhausting 22-hour bus trip to Coffee Bay, 4 very enthusiastic young ladies and myself arrived at the Coffee Shack, ready for an adventure. After some much needed rest, we started exploring the Coffee Bay coastline. One of Africa’s unspoilt coastlines didn’t disappoint. We had an amazing 2 days in Coffee Bay.

Then our hiking journey began. Myself, Sarah, India, Nina and Akira, under the guidance of Isaac took on the hills of the Eastern Cape in our Day 1 hike, which lasted around 5 hours. It was a challenge for some and also not so challenging for others. It rained a considerable amount on the first day of our hike, but all the girls soldiered on with smiles on their faces. We over nighted at Lubanzi Lodge and had a great time getting to know the wonderful staff. Great food and great company are always on the menu. A huge thank you to Aidan and Rahel and all the staff at Lubanzi.

We then continued on our hike to Bulungula on a beautiful African summer’s day. We arrived at Bulungula 4 hours later a little exhausted, but full of spirit. The wonderful staff and chefs at Bulungula welcomed us with delicious food and smiles that we will remember for a long time. We spent an incredible time together at Bulungula and loved every minute of our time there. Thank you to Bulungula Lodge and The Bulungula Incubator for showing us the most amazing hospitality during our stay.

From confident hikers in Sarah and India, to a very chilled hiker in Akira and then to our vertigo sufferer Nina, they all did superbly well. They laughed and smiled and kept going, no matter what got thrown at them. This trip is fulfilling in every way and I strongly recommend it for all those avid hikers and people who want to give back to an amazing community less fortunate than themselves.

Thank you girls for being amazing and reminding me that even though things aren’t always going your way, you can still smile and laugh. Grant Apollis

VIETNAM TOUR REPORT

Memories of a Vietnam adventure…• Sapa“Misty mountain walks through rolling rice paddies. The traditional people of area fill the landscape with bright patches of colourful handwoven fabric. A special place we won’t be forgetting! “

• Hanoi“Our first stop! Even almost 20 hours of travel couldn’t keep us in and we hit the bustle that fills the tiny winding streets of the old quarter. Amazing architecture, energy and noise.”

• Ha Long Bay“Here is a place that I could happily stay forever. The islands were breathtaking and we loved the lazy days filled with swimming, kayaking and relaxed chatting.”

• Hue“On the banks of the Perfume river, the city steeped in tradition and history. Everywhere you turn there are ancient temples, mystical dragons and rolling citadels. This stop exposed us to so much of the rich culture of Vietnam.”

• Hoi An“This was the perfect town to end our trip. Hoi An is a gentle little town with pedestrian streets, lanterns and bicycles. Our hotel had the best pool where we could cool down after a hard day shopping up a storm.”

“All together such an amazing trip! I loved all the special time we got to spend and I really feel like I made so many friends and got to see a different side of people I spend every day with.”

VIET

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CEDAR LAB ROCKET LAUNCHOn September 18th, roughly a dozen students and parents from Cedar Lab travelled to Stellenbosch Model Aircraft Academy (SMAA) flying field behind wild clover restaurant near Stellenbosch to launch rockets. Over the past two months, students experimented with different chemical formulas and built different rocket bodies before these launches. A total of 9 rockets with 3 different engine formulas and 3 different rocket body designs were launched. One of the rockets was a two stage rocket which had a nice flight yet the fuse was too long for the second stage. The rocket actually accelerated towards the Earth since the second stage only ignited after the rocket changed to a downwards trajectory. Students were able to calculate the travel time, maximum height, average velocity and average acceleration. Lastly, students even put a video camera as a payload into one of the rockets and captured vertical video that can be seen here: https://youtu.be/RQGIFhHe6yQ ANDhttps://youtu.be/v0rMBDmBimgStudents had a great time and had this to say about the event:

“We thought it was very exciting watching the rockets finally take off after all our work. They went much higher than we expected. It was exciting racing towards the rockets to find them and stamp out the fire the smoking engines had created.”

Students are eager to start on the next project on welding techniques to build metal sculptures and a flaming Ruben’s Tube.

Here are images from the glorious day:

The sky is NOT the limit… respectfully submitted by Tom

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SENIOR STAGE SCIENCE FAIRAll six submitted projects did a great job and worked so hard this year! Tom is proud of every single entrant. All students participating learned so much about the details needed to effectively communicate their projects in a professional manner. 1/3 of all entrants received awards. More than any previous year. Hana Gammon was awarded the “Gray Green Engineering Award” with an on-site visit to Grey Green and a year’s worth of Cell C data. Erin Janisch and Bethany Aberdein were awarded a Bronze Medal for their project on EMP Protection and were interviewed by SABC2 television show: “How do they do that?” for their ideas on innovation and the use of science design to create future opportunities. Congrats to all Science Fair Participants. We are very proud of you and we look forward to a fun and engaging experience next year! Tom Nowak

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PLATTEKLOOF FORENSIC LAB SENIOR STAGE PHYSICS OUTING

�On Tuesday, 18 October 2016, twenty-six senior stage students travelled to Platteklof Forensic Lab to tour the ballistics department facilities. This is the site where investigative evidence is brought, stored and analysed. Students asked very thought provoking questions during a presentation outlining the evidence analysis. Then, students split into two groups to tour the ballistic facilities that comprised of the gun tank to collect bullets from confiscated weapons. The retrieved bullets are then analysed like fingerprints for comparative groove marks scratched while the bullet leaves the gun chamber. Every gun leaves unique groove marks that can be qualitatively analysed using computer aided microscopy and submitted as evidence in the court of law. Students practiced with two bullets used in different guns to determine that a match was not positively found. They saw where evidence is collected and stored in neatly sealed and organized shelves. Finally, students went into a confiscation room that has been allocated into a gun museum.

I was pleased to witness two powerful forces in action during this outing. One, the scientific reasoning skills, techniques and physical concepts of motion used to positively identify evidence to resolving conflict in a peaceful manner. Two, student healthy scepticism of error inherent in any tool and technique. I was proud of students respecting the power of these tools yet still asking rational questions to ensure that error is accounted for and ensure that false positive test results were kept as low as possible and their respect that laws should take legal analysis error into account when bringing weighty judgement upon resolving conflicts.

Here are summary comments from students about the experience:“I was extremely fascinated to learn how the systems that protect our society function and work.”“I found it fascinating to see how much office time and thinking went into ballistics. It was really interesting as well to see how all the machines worked. A really great experience!” Tom Nowak

Below are related images of equipment and technology that students witnessed in action.

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BODY WORLD SENIOR STAGE ZOOLOGY OUTING

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In October, twenty-three SS students and all the grade 10 and grade 11 students travelled to the V&A waterfront to explore and engage in the anatomical brilliance on display at the Body World’s Exhibit. Using a technique called plastination that was created by Gunter von Hagen in 1977, technicians replace a body’s cellular chemistry with plastic curable polymers: namely silicon, epoxy and polyester-copolymer.  Technicians use four steps called fixation, dehydration, forced impregnation in a vacuum and finally hardening. The result is the deceased human transformed into a  perfect preservation of size, shape, texture and colour as the original body. The plasticised human can then be dissected to reveal different body systems to reveal the structure and function or malfunction of the human.

The exhibit displayed body systems that are studied in depth in grades 10, 11 and 12 and in a SS Zoology module. The students were able to gain a visual perspective on the organ systems; where they are placed in the human body, their structure and their essential functions.

It was pleasing to see that the exhibit respect the diversity of life, engaged students into habits of longevity and ethically explored natural and behavioural factors that can lead to disease.Here is what students had to say in exit statements from the event:

“I enjoyed seeing the nervous system diagram centred around the brain and spine. I will live a healthier lifestyle as this exhibit showed what happens to unhealthy internal organs.”“My favourite part of the exhibit was probably the one that presented the foetuses as I enjoyed seeing the development over time.”

“The exhibition really opened my eyes to the consequences of living unhealthily (smoking, not exercising…) like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and more. This has shown me the importance of living a healthy life style in order to live a happy, healthy long life. I will now be more likely to live a healthy lifestyle and make sure those around me do too as to prevent the consequences of unhealthy living.”  Tom Nowak and Susan Taylor

CEDAR LAB REUBEN TUBE VISUALISING WAVE PROPERTIES OF LONGITUDINAL SOUND WAVESOn October 20th, five Cedar House students learned how to weld and build a device to visualize sound waves using explosive LP gas. Students designed, built and operated the Reuben Tube after being inspired by Matthew van der Westhuizen. Students are very excited to build on their welding experience and to now build a 3D sculpture out of metal in the shape of a DNA double helix as a culminating potential project. Tom Nowak

Here are some pictures of participating students:

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JS PHYSICS OUTING TO COOL RUNNINGSOn Halloween, October 31st as scary as it seems, Junior Stage physics students travelled to Cool Runnings to explore motion on the toboggan track. Students discussed, calculated and analysed the different forces on their bodies as they hurdled down the track. We were pleased with students initial explorations of vector analysis and conservation of energy by justifying the increased velocity (kinetic energy) through increased height (potential energy). Students had a great time and can now relate this experience to other objects that have potential energy like solar cars traveling faster with more solar panels. Well done everyone!Shanaaz and Tom

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CEDAR HOUSE LANThe 4th Term Cedar House LAN will be from 1 to 2 December 2016. It will start straight after the Music Evening on Thursday, and finish at 09h30 on Friday morning. Entrance will be free of charge!

Popular games that will be played include:

Call Of Duty 4 - Modern warfare Dota 2 Minecraft Grand Theft Auto V Counter Strike :Global Offensive

This LAN promises to be an exciting end to a fantastic year at Cedar House! Johann Roos

SENIOR STAGE HUMANITIES ACTIVITYOn 18 November the learners in the Senior Stage Humanities: Dictatorships, Torture and Terror module had their November assessment. For their assessment the learners were required to work in groups and create a mini museum exhibition based on a specific aspect of The Dirty War (1976 – 1983) in Argentina; they would use their visit to the Holocaust Museum on 8 November as inspiration for what types of artefacts, images and texts to include. I was completely blown away by the level of embeddedness and engagement shown by these learners during the session. They produced some truly amazing displays! Interactive, informative and interesting, the learners’ exhibitions were so much more than I could have expected! I continue to be astounded by what they are capable of. I am so proud of all of them. Well done, Senior Stagers! Royston Pieterse

Many of our Staff are leaving for Johannnesburg, next week, to be involved in Grade 12 marking, in capacities ranging from Sub Examiners to Senior Sub Examiners to Chief Examiners to Moderators. We wish them well and thank them for their time and participation in this important assessment event.

Attached please find a letter from one of our Matric parents.

I wish our families a wonderful holiday and break and our Christian families a blessed Christmas.

Thanks, again, for SO much.

Yours sincerely

FRANK RUMBOLL Principal

On the eve of my daughter’s valedictory

In June 1999 together with a 6-month old, I attended the valedictory ceremony of the graduating class at Springside School in Philadelphia. I had attended several before, marvelling at the powerful presence of those fantastic girls, but in 1999, while looking at them I “saw” my daughter 18 years hence - confident, self-assured, humble, compassionate, equipped with relevant and significant knowledge and skills, deeply connected to the value of service to community, able to engage in serious political and philosophical debate, environmentally connected and concerned and loving and caring and thrilled with the possibilities ahead. That is how I perceived those highly enlightened Springside girls! Years of learning how to have respectful interactions with each other, years of relationship building with teachers, years of benefitting from contact with girls younger and older than themselves in the K – 12 environment and from experiences gained through transitioning into the combined programme with the boys from Chestnut Hill Academy across the street in the upper school phase from 9 -12. (The two schools have since become one!)

And of course, that imagined time is now and has so much in her skill and knowledge sets in addition to that which I hoped she would have and is an enormous surprise every day, having grown in ways unforeseen and through experiences unimaginable! I am thrilled that she is graduating from Cedar House (forgive the American Parlance!) When I watched those powerful Grade 12 young women and men introduce themselves at the Evening of Celebration, I recalled that which has always actually been a source of joy to me in life: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” (I looked that up because I remembered Steinbeck’s ‘Of mice and men’ but didn’t know that it came from Burns.) The meaning I make for myself is that I never know what wonderful experiences and challenges await – experiencing Cedar House for the last 6 years was certainly an unforeseen joy from the vantage point of 1999.