dsg · 10/4/2018 · 18h30 dsg sports awards dinner in the nonie mullins dining hall tuesday 9...

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Newsletter Term 3 # 29 | 4 October 2018

DSG

Dear Parents and Friends of DSG

On Tuesday our pupil leaders for 2019 were announced and later today a service will be held in our chapel during which they will be inducted as DSG prefects.

This is always a bitter-sweet time for us as educators: while DSG is blessed with a superb number of talented, competent and strong women, there are a limited number of leadership portfolios – so we celebrate with those who have been given a leadership position, but our hearts ache for the girls who are bitterly disappointed at not having been selected. My prayer for these girls is that they can recognise that prefectship is not a measure of self-worth and that they have unique talents and abilities they can use for their own personal growth and to make a meaningful contribution to the school.

In conveying this message to the Matrics of 2019, I called on the whole class to take on the mantle of leadership. Every Matric girl, in whatever role she plays in the school and whether she chooses to or not, will be a leader and role model with the concomitant responsibilities. The younger girls will do all they can to emulate the attitudes and

DSG Newsletter 4 October 2018

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Shelley FrayneHeadmistress

behaviour of the most senior members of the pupil body. I urge the Matrics to consider carefully the kind of role models they will be and how they would like to be remembered: there is no doubt that some of the 2019 Grade 8s’ whole school career will be influenced by the words and actions of the senior girls. To be remembered for the positive impact on a junior’s life may be more important than any personal accolade.

The term, “Servant Leadership” is often mistakenly associated with weakness. On Tuesday, I explained to the class of 2019 what being servant leaders entailed: their role was not to adopt the style of prefectship where girls are motivated by power and prestige, but rather to see unlimited potential in every girl with whom they came into contact and to invite, encourage and develop the girls of DSG. Such leadership calls for strong young women who are excellent motivators and problem-solvers; women who show initiative, high levels of personal energy and who have integrity, compassion and wisdom.

Robert Greenleaf, founder of the Servant Leadership Movement, asks the following question as a test of servant leadership: “Do those served grow as persons, do they while being served become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous (self-reliant), more likely themselves to become servants? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived?”

The kind of leadership which DSG calls on its girls to display has no point of arrival. We recognise that we are all on the journey of developing as leaders and each of us has to be reminded of the unselfish purpose asked of us. Kathryn Basson, Avia Repapis and their 2018 leadership team have shown this generosity and wisdom. They have served for the “greater good” and for that I thank and applaud them most sincerely.

Well done to the 2018 leaders and good luck and best wishes to those just appointed. En Avant.

Warm regards

This week the Grade 10 Life Sciences learners investigated the effects of caffeine and hot sauce on heart rate. While some learners chose to drink the safer caffeinated soft drinks, others bravely dared to consume a teaspoon of hot sauce in order to measure the effect on their heart rate. Measuring the heart rate in beats per minute (bpm) using two fingers either on the carotid artery in the neck or the pulse in the wrist, the learners worked out the change in the heart rate after consuming the soft drink or hot sauce.

Some learners opted to count the beats per minute using a stethoscope, where they could also hear the swooshing of the blood and the “lub-dub” sound created by the opening and closing of the atrioventricular and semilunar valves in the cardiac cycle. Most of the learners were incredibly fit, and so experienced only a small change in heart rate, while others, especially those that endured the hot sauce, experienced a

Life Sciences Heart Rate Investigationchange of over 15 bpm. Learners were also surprised to see that those who regularly drank caffeinated drinks experienced a smaller change in heart rate during the experiment.

Dr Petra Gentz

Zanda Nkosiyane, Melissa Batyi, Mbali Malusi measure their resting heart rate

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On Thursday, 27 September, a lucky group of history students had the opportunity to listen to Professor Adam Habib deliver the 12th annual Neil Aggett Lecture at Kingswood College. The lecture is delivered in memory of Dr Neil Aggett, an old Kingswoodian who was an anti-Apartheid activist, doctor and trade unionist. Dr Aggett died in detention, at John Vorster Square, at the young age of 28.

This year’s guest lecturer, Professor Adam Habib, is also a former anti-Apartheid activist, academic and the current Vice-Chancellor of Wits University. Professor Habib spoke about the importance of social movements in transforming privileged spaces, using the #FeesMustFall movement as an example. He eloquently explained why movements must mirror and incubate the ideas of the societies they wish to create, praised the efficacy of #FeesMustFall, but also explored its failures. We, as audience members, were challenged to use our positions of privilege to change South Africa for the better, just as Dr Aggett did in his fight against Apartheid. As young people, Dr Habib implored us to be ethical in positions of power and to realise the potential we have to transform South Africa.

Thanks to our history teachers: Ms Stretton, Ms Thompson and Mr Frayne for accompanying

The Neil Aggett Memorial Lectureus to Kingwood, as well as exposing us to elements of the history curriculum that we otherwise would not have learnt about in the classroom and broadening our knowledge of current affairs.

Oyama MzayidumeGrade 10

History Students Attending the Neil Aggett Lecture

Academic

Balloon Week NoticesUS/UK University Presentation

Crimson Education, an international business assisting young people to gain entry to top-ranked universities in the US and UK, will be visiting DSG and St Andrew’s during Balloon Week. In order to facilitate the pupils who wish to study overseas, Crimson Education will be giving an interactive presentation on Tuesday 9 October at 08:00 - 09:00 and 14:00 - 15:00 in the Cawse Auditorium at St Andrew’s College.

Parent - Teacher Meetings

The Parent-Teacher meetings will be held on Tuesday 9 October from 09:--13:00 at St Andrew’s College. We ask parents to pre-book slots, as far as possible, as indicated below:

• 09:00 - 11:00 : Surnames A - L• 11:00 - 13:00 : Surnames M - Z

Online bookings will open at 08:00 on Monday 1 October and close at 16:00 on Friday 5 October.https://sacdsgprep.meettheteacher.com

https://sacdsgprep.meettheteacher.com

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Balloon Week 8 - 11 October 2018

Friday 5 October10h00 St Andrew’s College U14 Basketball Festival13h45 Interhouse Athletics Relays on Lower Field18h30 Interhouse Squash Finals

Monday 8 October16h00 Opening of the Art and Design Exhibition in Centenary Hall, Arthur Cotton Design Centre, Cawse Auditorium and the David Hodgson Exhibition Centre17h30 Confirmation in the Chapel

Tuesday 9 October08h00 Crimson Education presentation in the Cawse Auditorium – Successful Applications to UK and USA Universities09h00 Parent-Teacher meetings for all parents in the Drill Hall, Centenary Hall and D&T Centre to 13h00 Online booking required: Pupil surnames A – L preferably from 09h00 to 11h00 Pupil surnames M – Z preferably from 11h00 to 13h0014h00 Crimson Education presentation in the Cawse Auditorium – Successful Applications to UK and USA Universities17h15 Valedictory Service in the Chapel for Matrics and their parents, followed by refreshments at the Housemasters’ residences18h30 Headmaster’s Cocktail Party at Crossways for St Andrew’s College parents of Grade 8 – 11 (RSVP required)19h00 House Suppers in Clapham Jubilee Hall for Matric parents and boys

Wednesday 10 October09h00 Individual Shooting Championships at the Lightfoot Shooting Range14h00 Speech Day in the Guy Butler Theatre, Settlers’ Monument17h00 Tea available in the Norton Common Room, Lower Field17h30 Retreat Ceremony on Lower Field18h00 Refreshments for parents in the Houses till 20h00

Thursday 11 October07h30 St Andrew’s College and DSG Sports Day on Lower Field14h00 Half Term begins after the Athletics Prize-Giving

Friday 5 October08h00 Junior School Sports Day on Lower Field, St Andrew’s College14h00 Interhouse athletics relays on Lower Field, St Andrew’s College

Sunday 7 October 19h00 Matric Farewell Eucharist in the DSG Chapel

Monday 8 October14h00 Confirmation Service in the DSG Chapel16h00 Opening of the Art and Design Exhibition in Centenary Hall, Arthur Cotton Design Centre, Cawse Auditorium and the David Hodgson Exhibition Centre 18h30 DSG Sports Awards Dinner in the Nonie Mullins Dining Hall

Tuesday 9 October08h00 Crimson Education presentation in the Cawse Auditorium – Successful Applications to UK and USA Universities09h00 Parent-Teacher meetings for all parents in the Drill Hall, Centenary Hall and D&T Centre at St Andrew’s College Online bookings required. Pupil surnames A – L preferably from 09h00 to 11h00 Pupil surnames M – Z preferably from 11h00 to 13h0012h30 Opening of Manyano House at Manyano House14h00 Crimson Education presentation in the Cawse Auditorium – Successful Applications to UK and USA Universities18h00 Valedictory Service for Matrics and Parents in the DSG Chapel 19h00 Matric Leavers’ Dinner in the Lilla Strong Hall

Wednesday 10 October 08h30 Senior School Prize-Giving in the Guy Butler Theatre, Settlers’ Monument 17h30 St Andrew’s College Retreat Ceremony on Lower Field, St Andrew’s College

Thursday 11 October07h30 DSG and St Andrew’s College Sports Day on Lower Field, St Andrew’s College14h00 Half Term begins after Athletics Prize-Giving and roll call

Balloon Week 8 - 11 October 2018

Trip to BorneoPlease make a note of the upcoming information session for pupils and parents during Balloon Week. This will be held in Josie Wood 1 at DSG on Tuesday 9 October at 14:00.

Please get your online applications in to World Challenge by Wednesday 17 October 2018, by following this link: https://weareworldchallenge.com/international/dsg

Rev Sue Paton

https://weareworldchallenge.com/international/dsg

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Prefect Exec

Head Girl Julia BassonDeputy Head Girl Peo RamokgopaHead Day Girl Laura FowldsHead of Crewe Phoebe ElliottHead of Espin Cebokazi MtshemlaHead of Knowling Qhayiya DywiliHead of Merriman Diana DixieHead of Manyano Babalwa KleyiHead Sacristan Julia Murray

Portfolio Prefects

Transformation Sophie Mullins-Poole and Peo RamokgopaSport Vile DikoPastoral: Senior School Abigail ClaytonManyano Toni Rafferty, Julia Murray, Umtha Sibam and Nomhle MiniPastoral: Junior School Kelly HobsonMedia & Marketing Juliet RoganFunctions & Events Hannah Loggie and Khumo GenesteEnvironment Sarah StevensonCultural Lisakhanya MaqulaCommunity Engagement Nina Owen-JonesAcademic Genevieve Powell

DSG Prefects 2019

Nick, Julia, Kathryn and Michele Basson

At a moving assembly yesterday, the pupils and staff of DSG said a fond farewell to the outgoing Prefects of 2018 and gave a warm, enthusiastic welcome to the newly-named Prefects of 2019.

Special mention must be made of the Basson family, with older sister Kathryn, passing her girdle, title and role of Head Girl to her younger sibling, Julia.

Congratulations to the following girls:

Rachel, mum Judy and Sarah Stevenson

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The Interhouse Debate took place earlier this week, with House teams considering such topics as, “Should we abolish zoos?” and “Does technology make people lazy?”.

The issue to be discussed in both the Junior and Senior finals was: “Should child pageants be abolished?”. Needless to say, the girls had some insightful ideas and opinions.

In the Junior competition, it was Espin and Merriman that made it to the finals, with Espin the final victor. Tayla Barrett received the prize for Best Speaker.

Interhouse Debating

Espin Nceba Mtshemla, Kei Repapis, Tayla Barrett Crewe Cleo Ntuthu, Jemima Baum, Umtha Sibam

The Senior teams participating in the finals were Crewe and Espin, with the girls from Crewe narrowly defeating the Espin team. Cleo Ntuthu won the award for Best Senior Speaker of the evening.

Well done to everyone who participated and thank you to: Ms Mason, Ms Norton, Oyama Mzayidume, Unathi Mdolomba and Hlumela Kondile for adjudicating.

Michelle Mason

The annual Interhouse Public Speaking competition was held in September this year. The standard of speeches across the board was excellent, given that most of the girls receive little training for this. The girls were expected to deliver a prepared speech and then an impromptu. The latter always re-shuffles the results of the prepared section as it is far more difficult and separates the true skills of the speakers. Sincere thanks to Cate Gerber and Cleo

Interhouse Public Speaking 2018Ntuthu for their adjudication.The results were as follows:

Juniors:1. Tayla Barrett Espin2. Ahlume Mzwakali Knowling3. Emma Paul Merriman and Paiton Levin Crewe Seniors: 1. Oyama Mzayidume Merriman2. Lisakhanya Maqula Knowling3. Megan Redfern Espin

When all of the points awarded to each speaker were added up and the senior and junior points combined, the house results were as follows:

In 4th place, with 17 points – MerrimanIn 3rd place, with 18 points – CreweTie 1st place, with 19 points – Espin and Knowling

Dionne Redfern

President’s AwardsCongratulations to the following girls for attaining their President’s Awards:Silver : Casey Bush

Bronze: Tati Tsinonis and Angela SheardRev Sue Paton

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Matric Farewell with DSG JuniorTo the matrics of 2018 who passed through the junior school classrooms – today we bid you farewell. It is always so enriching and pleasant to reflect on the journey one has been on.

Matrics, I am sure that many teachers and boarding staff here today, remember with fondness the role they played in your life, during your early school days, which without doubt has contributed to you all becoming such confident and independent young women.

Some of you have been part of our DSG family since your pre-school days; others since Junior Prep; while some arrived at our Junior School.

During your time, there were changes to the location of the junior school and the boarding house and you saw staff members come and go. That said, there were always things that remained constant which you could rely on, such as the valuable lessons learnt, the special friendships fostered and the unforgettable moments you experienced.

The staff and girls of DSG Junior are extremely proud of all of you and we wish you all the very best as you navigate the big complicated world beyond these campus walls.

May you draw strength from the times that challenged you, from the times when your actions or words were questioned and from the moment you finally realised that you are enough and perfect in every way.

We, at DSG Junior, had the privilege of being part of a small chapter of your lives and we hope that the memories and learnings of this time together will stand you in good stead.

The world is in a troublesome state and you are the generation who can make a big difference by laying the foundations for equality, peace and sustainability

Remember that God has a plan for each one of you and he is holding you in the palm of his hands. May you find comfort in this place during the exams period and beyond.

We are very proud of you. Go well, but remember to return and visit us. God bless.

Barbara HibbertJunior Head

Erin Powers accompanied by Emily Morgan

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Culture

Senior Open ConcertSome of the best rules for happy living include things like: Pray every day, hold hands while crossing the road and look after your friends. The latter was much in evidence in the DRW Music School auditorium last Thursday evening. The room was full to bursting with music lovers (friends, family, and teachers) there to support their loved ones during this classroom-extension undertaking.

They were well rewarded with many excellent performances. Sascha van der Merwe almost set the piano on fire with her sparkling Toccatina by John Vallier. John Marshall surprised everybody by doing a very convincing impersonation of the evil “Queen of the Night” by Mozart from his magic Flute Opera. Yalusa Mayosi’s interpretation of the Nocturne by Grieg was elegant and sophisticated.

Erin Powers played a stylish Don’t Look Back by K. Street on her Saxophone, astonishingly accompanied by the indefatigable Emily Morgan. Yolisa Ngcola played the exciting Cossack Dance by Kraemer very well on her Violin.

Emma Weeber’s rendition of Once Upon a Dream from the musical Jekyll and Hyde was fragile and beautiful. Asive Ngcebetsha brought the concert to a close with a vibrant Allemande for Violin and Piano by Vivaldi. Everybody left much more content than when they arrived.

Mike Skipper

Director of Music

Emma Weeber

Asive Ngcebetsha

Khanya Mabandla

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Jazz Band to Acoustic CaféThe DSG/SAC Jazz Ensemble were invited to perform at Acoustic Café in town last Thursday night. As a community initiative the Acoustic Café provides a platform for emerging musicians with a supportive and attentive audience. The Vic was indeed packed and it was Stuart Christie who settled performing nerves with a reassuring and warm piano solo before the Ensemble proper made their entrance. They proceeded to take the audience on a mesmerising journey with some polished standards and a trio of compositions by Rick van Heerden. He has certainly infused this collection of young musicians with joie de vivre. One could clearly observe

that the students of this ensemble were enjoying not only the music, but also the camaraderie engendered through playing together. Rick’s compositions were taut and interesting and the solos were very well handled, giving each student a chance to shine. The Ensemble did the schools proud and with a good number of the students returning next year, we look forward to some further rousing performances.

Mike SkipperDirector of Music

Tour to France 2019It is common knowledge that a second language is best learned by being immerse in the culture of the native speakers. Due to the success of previous tours over the past few years, the French Department will once again be offering this opportunity to students in August 2019. Whilst the tour is geared towards FAL students, any girl from Grade 8 to Grade 11 who is doing French as a second language would be welcome.

The girls will spend one week in Antibes in the south of France, where they will stay with French families and have formal classes in the morning. In the afternoons, they will explore the local area and absorb the French culture. After this, they will spend three nights in Paris, where the emphasis

will be on the discovering the most romantic city in the world.

It is estimated that the cost of the trip will be R44,900 per person, which includes flights, accommodation and meals. At this stage, we are exploring how much interest there would be in such a tour before confirming whether it will actually take place. The proposed dates are 8 - 19 August 2019.

If you are interested in your daughter participating in this excursion, please contact Ms Christelle Hutchinson at: [email protected] by 31 October 2018. Once we have an idea of numbers, we will be in a better position to move forward with the necessary arrangements.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, girls have the chance to be a part of the SPCA Community Service Club. It is good to see the grade 8s getting involved.

Supporting Animals

mailto:[email protected]

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A fantastic weekend of festivities was had by a group of twenty DSG Old Girls and Old Andreans in Los Angeles this past weekend. The dinner was held at the Bel-Air Bay Club and went on into the early hours of the morning.

DSG Old Girls Dinner in LAGrateful thanks to the organisers and all those who attended.

Bridget Rippon

Prefects’ DanceSaturday saw some glitz and glamour at the Highlander. The 2018 Prefects arranged an evening of music and dance for students of DSG and SAC. By all accounts, everyone had a great time.

Photos by Leigh Saywood

DSG Old Girls, from left to right, Kate Amm, Laura Preston (Kritzinger), Sally Holmes (Wilmot), Cathryn Starke (Beer), Ashleigh van der Hoven

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Sport

Dear Parents

This past weekend there was very little on the go on the sports front on our campus. We had an athletics team in PE on Friday afternoon, our U15A polo team were in Port Elizabeth on a tour, and there was some horse riding in PE as well. But for the majority it was a quiet one. I took the opportunity myself to do the Park Run in the Botanical Gardens on Saturday morning, and was so pleased to see over 20 DSG girls had the same idea! A number of people commented to me on how good it was to see so many of our girls at the run. There is a real sense of community around the Park Run here, and I like to think that besides the obvious benefits of going for a run on a Saturday morning and starting the weekend off on a great note, it also speaks in general as to how our girls get involved in the community and are prepared to take the opportunities available to them.

As I write this, we are heading into Balloon Week, which is for the most part, an academic and cultural celebration of life at DSG, as well as a fitting tribute and send off for our matrics, (we do also squeeze in a sports dinner and some athletics too). It is always the most wonderful experience, and next week promises to be no different, as we bear witness to the academic and cultural excellence achieved by our girls, as well the maturity and confidence of the matric class as they prepare to leave DSG. This is all due to the diverse offering and input which our girls receive here and is testament to the hard working teachers and mentors on this campus - it is truly amazing. For those parents who are here for the week, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Please pop in at the new sports office (the old san sister’s house) to say hello.

The reports from water polo and athletics are below and I have included again the information about the sports camps in January, together with further information on dates of derby days in 2019.

The DSG U15A water polo team took part in the Collegiate U15 water polo tournament in Port Elizabeth over the past weekend. In the pool matches, DSG started well with a good 8-3 win over Collegiate U14A’s and beating St Mary’s Waverley 8-1. However we came unstuck against Clarendon, who were the eventual finalists, with a 3-8 loss. We ended 2nd in the pool and were unfortunate to draw pre-tournament favourites Reddam Constantia in the quarter finals, where we lost 3-11. Reddam went on to beat Clarendon in the final. A narrow loss to Pearson saw us face up against Kingsmead in the 7 & 8 placing match. An exciting game which went right to the wire, with DSG winning the game on penalties to secure

7th place. The girls can be very proud of their efforts and there is much to look forward to for this group.

A group of DSG U14 athletes went through to Port Elizabeth on Friday to take part in the EP Athletics Sub-Youth Meeting. The group, which included Morgan du Plessis, Jamie Campbell, Erin Powers, Erin Lowe and Summer Barratt, all did well in testing conditions. Jamie Campbell was outstanding, securing a 2nd place in the 400m and a 3rd in the girls U15 200m.

On Monday this week the DSG 1st water polo team took on Kingswood in the DSG pool and in a nail-biting encounter, which saw the lead change hands on a number of occasions, DSG emerged the victors with a 6-5 score line.

EP Athletics meeting in PE, Morgan Du Plessis, Summer Barratt, Erin Powers, Erin Lowe, Jamie Campbell and Mr Clinton York

Saturday Park Runners

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There is also much on the go this week as we start the internal water polo league, which has matches on Wednesday evenings in our aquatic centre, Our water polo continues on the weekend where we face up to Kingswood on Saturday (all teams except 1st team in action at Kingswood). There is also basketball against Kingswood on Friday and Saturday.

The interhouse Relay Day is being held on Friday afternoon on Lower, and this week also sees the completion of the interhouse competitions for tennis and squash. The school tennis and squash championships are also wrapped up this week. The final of the girls’ open tennis championship is between Enya Kemp and Robyn Emslie, while the junior final sees Olivia Price take on Lauren Van Coller.

In the school squash championships, Erin Powers beat Olivia Price in the junior final. Erin will also play in the senior final against Zoe Ballantyne.

Warm regards

Chris HibbertDirector of Sport

Dates at the Start of 2019The sports programme for 2019 is slowly taking shape, and the big fixtures for the winter season are almost all locked in (K-Day will run from 12-15 June), and almost all the tour dates are confirmed. Once I have all this information I will publish accordingly.

In the meantime the normal camps at the start of the year will be running, and the details are as follows… East Cape Residential Hockey Camp – 11-13 January (16:00 Friday – 16:00 Sunday)Open to all hockey players across South Africa from Grades 6-12 in 2019. (This is an extension camp and not aimed at those starting out in the game.)

DSG Summer Sports Camp – 13-16 January (16:00 Sunday – 12:00 Wednesday)Open to all DSG girls in Grades 9-12 in 2019.The following sports are on offer – Basketball, Netball, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Water polo. Please note that if numbers for a specific sport at the Camp are too low we reserve the right to not offer that particular sport.

Derby Day Calendar for 2019(Dates are still subject to changes)

23 March Kingswood (Home & Away)6 April Collegiate (Home)10/11 May VG (Away)18 May Cambridge (Home)25 May Clarendon (Away)1 June Pearson (Home)8 June Queenstown GHS (Away)14/15 June Kingswood (Away)13 July Woodridge (Away)20 July Kingsridge (Home)3 August Union (Home)

U15 Squash Champs Final. Olivia Price, Erin Powers

dsg · 10/4/2018 · 18h30 dsg sports awards dinner in the nonie mullins dining hall tuesday 9...

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