Graeme College

info@graemecollege.co.za

PO BOX 281, Grahamstown, 6140

www.graemecollege.co.za t: 046-622 7227 f: 046-622 7491

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It's easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone” ― Mahatma Gandhi

They say the test or definition of integrity is doing the right thing when nobody else is looking (or doing that task withoutthe desire of any reward). Maybe we could add, doing the right thing even though it goes against the popular decision ofthe crowd around you. That is what we tell our school leaders every day and it reminds me of a famous quotation by MaxLucado: “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” The reason I mention this, is because of the story of the Australian athlete, Peter Norman. A name which is probably notwell known in South Africa. Norman was well known as an athlete in Australia and went on to win a Silver Medal at the1968 Olympic Games in the 200m sprint event. However, that is not what he is best known for; and very sadly it took theAustralian authorities another 44 years to rectify a horrific injustice and finally acknowledge him appropriately. The reality is that Peter Norman (for the last 52 years), has been better known as the “the white man in that photo”.

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Friday 21 February 2020

Message from the Deputy Headmaster

The photo represents John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s ‘rebellious’gesture on the day they won medals during the Olympic Games inMexico City. Iconically, it has two barefoot black men, with theirheads bowed and their black gloved fists in the air during the USnational anthem. This was a strong symbolic gesture towards AfricanAmerican civil rights. Many then, considered the man on the left asinsignificant in the photo, especially with regards to the power of thesymbolic gestures behind him.

That evening, Peter Norman ran the best time of his life, anAustralian record that still stands today. Like South Africa, Australiahad strict Apartheid laws in that time, and when prompted byCarlos and Smith, Norman agreed to stand with them in protest.Carlos mentioned: “I expected to see fear in Norman’s eyes, butinstead we saw love.” Smith and Carlos had decided to get up onthe podium wearing the Olympic Project for Human Rights badge,which was a movement of athletes in support of the battle forequality. They received their medals barefoot, representing thepoverty facing people of colour.

They had also planned to wear black gloves for the fist symbol of the Black Panthers cause. Interesting, once they realisedthey only had one pair of gloves, it was Norman who suggested they each wear one, and hence in the photo, the athleteshave opposite fists up in the air. But the most significant aspect of the photo (once you look for it), is that Norman askedto also wear the human rights badge. “That way I can show my support for your cause,” Norman requested. Smith,although astonished, agreed to Norman’s request. The stadium went quiet during the anthem, and the head of theAmerican delegation vowed that the athletes would pay the price for the gesture. Smith and Carlos were immediatelysuspended from the team, and expelled from the Olympic Village. Once home, they also faced repercussions and evendeath threats. However, in time, they would eventually be known as champions in the fight for human rights. A statue ofthem was later erected at the San Jose State University. Peter Norman is absent from this statue. Remarkably, four years later, Norman was not selected into the Australian Olympic team, despite having effectivelyqualified 18 times for those Olympic Games in the 100m and 200m races. He left competitive athletics but continued torun at an amateur level. He was treated like an outsider in Australia, his family outcast and work was impossible to find.Norman was then offered a chance of ‘redemption’ - when he was invited to condemn the actions of Carlos and Smith inexchange for a pardon. That pardon would no doubt help him find a job and possibly be included in further OlympicGames. Norman never gave in, and never condemned the choice of the two Americans. Norman is often regarded as the greatest Australian sprinter, but wasn't even invited to the 2000 Olympic Games  inSydney. He died suddenly after a heart attack in 2006, without his country ever apologizing for their treatment of him. Atthe funeral both Smith and Carlos travelled to Australia to give the eulogy, where they announced that the U.S.Track andField association had declared the day of his death to be "Peter Norman Day" - the first time in the organization's historythat such an honor had been bestowed on a foreign athlete. Tommie Smith and John Carlos were pallbearers, sendinghim off as a hero. “Peter was a lone soldier. He consciously chose to be a sacrificial lamb in the name of human rights.There’s no one more than him that Australia should honour, recognise and appreciate” - said John Carlos.

Only in 2012 did the Australian Parliament approve a motion to formally apologize to Peter Norman and rewrite him intohistory with this statement: “This House recognises the extraordinary athletic achievements of the late Peter Noman, who won the silver medal in the200 metres sprint running event at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, in a time of 20.06 seconds, which still stands as theAustralian record. It acknowledges the bravery of Peter Norman in donning an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge onthe podium, in solidarity with African-American athletes Tommie Smith and Jon Carlos, who gave the ‘black power’ salute.Apologies to Peter Noman for the wrong done by Australia in failing to send him to the 1972 Munich Olympics, despiterepeatedly qualifying; and belatedly recognises the powerful role that Peter Noman played in furthering racial equality.”

The story arose again last year when a bronze statue of Peter Norman wasunveiled at the Albert Park athletics track in Melbourne on 9 October. Moreimportantly, his legacy and message will last much longer than any statuecould. A man who gave up everything, to stand up against injustice andinequality. It is  probably the toughest test of integrity a person could everface. One that he never backed down from, even after a pardon was offeredto him, which would change his life. He will go down in history as one of thestrongest athletes to ever represent the sport at the Olympic Games.

He will be remembered across the world asan icon of integrity and strong moralvalues. In our own very insignificant way,today Graeme College pays tribute to PeterNorman, because we want to produceyoung men of his calibre at our fine school. There can surely be no better role model for our young men, with regards to integrity and standing up against socialinjustices within our own school, community and country. It is a story that we can all learn so much from. G van MolendorffDeputy Headmaster

Parents are requested to communicate with the school or teachers by:1. Phoning the school office;2. Emailing the class or relevant teacher or the office;3. Send a letter or if your son is in the Junior school; writing in your son's diaryAll meetings with the teacher should be made by appointment using one of the above methods.The following is not recommended by the school and is discouraged:Group Whatsapp chats - especially if they are used with the expectation to find out what your child has for homework etc.This takes away the responsibility of your child to listen and write down their homework. Trust your child to learn andgrow this skill. If he knows you are going to text to find out what he should be doing he will never learn to listen and takenote.1. Please read your official notices as mentioned above as opposed to using these chats to find out what's going on. Thisoften leads to incorrect information being shared among parents.2. If you aren’t sure please, phone the school admin office.3. If you have a problem or concern about issues happening in the classroom, please discuss this with the relevantteacher.In our experience, social media (or Whatsapp Groups) can be a cause of frustration and confusion which often leads tomisunderstandings or anxiety among parents. We strongly recommend that parents avoid using these ‘groups’ as a formof communication with regards to school matters.  

Communication

Finance

Monthly payments per written request in January (of each year) to the School Bursar [R2 000 on first day of first termand balance in 10 [ten] equal monthly instalments at the start of each month [01 February – 01 November].Defaulters: Both biological parents / legal guardians are responsible for fees, irrespective of marital status.  Non-payment of accounts will be dealt with as per School policy. 

FEES AND OTHER CHARGES FOR 2020:Full settlement of annual school fees on or before the first day of the school year, or entrance into school.  Full, up-frontpayment or settlement in full before 28 February 2020 will entitle a parent to a 5% discount.

 

First Aid:A level 1 First Aid course will be offered by the school at the end of February. The cost of the course is R450. It will behosted by Craig Visagie, a qualified paramedic. The course will take place on Saturday 29 February and Sunday 1 March.Any interested boy needs to pay their money to Ms Stamper by Wednesday 26 February. More information is availablefrom Miss Kenyon.  

First Aid

Cultural Debating:The junior debaters were invited and participated in the Hudson Park High school debating festival. Graeme did well withthree students receiving the best speaker awards for their debates. Congratulations to Alex Oosthuizen, Braam Du Toitand Maxwell Western.  

Sports Senior Athletics: Some of our athletes competed in the Sarah Baartman District Athletics meeting held on Friday 14 February in PortElizabeth. The highlights of the day were as follows: Likhona Mhono got a bronze medal in the U15 200m finals, LiceboNgwentle got a gold medal in the U15 800m finals as well as a bronze in the U15 400m finals, Mihlali Xalabile got a goldmedal in the U17 triple jump and Fabio Rischbieter got a gold medal in the U17 javelin as well as a silver medal in the U17shot put. These four athletes have been selected to compete at Eastern Cape Championships in East London from the 5th to the7th of March 2020. We congratulate these athletes on their achievements so far and look forward to hearing of theirsuccesses in the foreseeable future.  

Water Polo: The 1st team attended the Oakhill Festival in the Knysna Lagoon. They played the following schools: lost to Parklands 2-5, beat St Dominic's 8 2, lost Oakhill 2 8, lost to Paul Roos 2 7, lost to Grey 0 11, lost to York 2 6, lost to St Albans 0 7. MVP for the GC team Liam Taljaard. Our team was awarded the  Sportsmanship Award (out of 15 teams) - for the second year in a row.  

Junior Tennis:Tuesday 25 February: The U 13 A and B teams play Kingswood starting at 14h00. The A team plays at KC and the B team at Graeme. There will be no tennis practices for Mrs Hobson and Mrs Greylings groups.Thursday 27 February:There will be normal tennis practices for all the groups as well as professional coaching. Senior Tennis: Result:  Monday 17 February, Top 12 senior players vs Marlow Hoërskool - Graeme lost 14-4 (matches).  Fixtures: Monday 24 February - GC u/15 vs Port Alfred High School (Port Alfred)Wednesday 26 February - GC Top 12 senior players vs Pearson High School (Pearson) Cricket: Senior and Junior Cricket results for Saturday 15 February 1st XI vs Alex RoadGraeme 184 all outCody Schmidt 42Alex 185/ 9Viwe Gana 4 for 32Graeme lost by 1 wicket. Graeme 2nds vs Alex Road 2ndsAlex Road 154 all outConnor Pieterse 4/45Aswyn Klaasen 2/14Graeme 151 all outRaven Bush 40Graeme lost by 3 runs Graeme u15A vs Alex Road u15AAlex Road 80 all outOnosizo Ntinga 4/23Christiano Jasson 3/19Graeme 82/6Ethan Beyleveld 35 not outGraeme won by 4 wickets Graeme u14A vs Alex Road u14AGraeme 360 all outMurray Tyson 103Marcus Williams 90Alex Road 130 all outMurray Tyson 4/20Ajay Jeggels 4/15Graeme won by 230 runs

Graeme u13A vs Westering u13AGraeme 173 all outAndrew Muir 30Westering 126 all outEnrique Strydom 4/47Graeme won by 47 runs Graeme u13B vs Westering u13BGraeme 208/9Olo Jaca 55Westering 88 all outOlo Jaca 4/16Luke Doyle 2/5Graeme won by 120 runs Graeme u11A vs Westering u11AGraeme 241/5Kitts McConnachie 63Keagan Jattiem 49 not outConner Holder 33Westering 99 all outZuko Pontshi 2/7Graeme won by 142 runs Graeme u11B vs Westering u11BGraeme 157 all outJoshwin Burger 44 not outWestering 17 all outMbolelo Gama 3/6Duane Oosthuizen 3/1Graeme won by 140 runs Graeme u9A vs Westering u9AGraeme 80/5Llunathi Twaku 29Westering 80/2Graeme Lost by 8 wickets Cricket Results - Wednesday 19 February Graeme u9A vs Port Alfred u9A Graeme 116/5Daniel Hanlon 25 not out Julian Boy 19 not out Jordan du Plessiss 17Port Alfred 57 all outEnzo Klaas 2/3Josh Banfield 2/14 Graeme won by 59 runs

Graeme u14B vs Kingswood u14B Graeme 75/3 Lilitha Plaatjie 39 not outKingswood 76/3 Esona Mpangiso 3/22Graeme lost by 7 wickets FIXTURES:Senior School vs Kingswood1st & u15A at homeu14A, 2nd & 3rds away. 09h00 start,Junior School vs KingswoodJunor Fields - u9A , u11A and u13A  Dold Fields - u11B and u13B All Matches start at 09h00 . Boys are expected to be at their respective fields at 08h15. Wednesday 26 February Junior Cricket vs Gtn Primary u11C and u13C on Junor at 14h00.Boys to get changed at second break and will leave school at 13h00. Swimming: 4th “B” League Gala results:Christopher McLean: U/12 5th 50m Backstroke, 8th 50m Breaststroke and 4th 50m FreestyleBernard Frost: U/13  16th 50m Bresatstroke, 18th  50m Freestyle and 12th 100m FreestyleThurston Marthinus:  U/11 24th 50m Backstroke and 32nd 50m FreestyleNicolas Cock: U/10  17th 50m FreestyleRikus Pieterse: U/11 26th 50m Breaststroke and 27th 50m FreestyleHeinrich Bouwer: U/12 22nd 50m Breaststroke.  

Gala Photos

Graeme College Wheelchair Drive: Please can all families collect bottle tops from coke/fanta/twizza/water bottles for our wheelchair drive.We would like to continue our community involvement in 2020. What better way than to gift a wheelchair to a needyperson? Ms White will have a top station in her classroom as well as Mrs Luden. We need 10 000 tops for one wheelchair.We are confident that we can make this happen! Ms. White is the organiser if anyone has any queries. Our collection total so far is:High School tops: 6984Junior School tops: 23 406High School bread tags: 2669  

Community Engagement

School Events

RUGBY DAY 2020:The date has been fixed for the well anticipated Graeme CollegeRugby Day, hosted by Graeme College on the 14 March 2020. A rugbyday renowned for its perfect matchups, ensuring a day of competitiverugby.Please refer to the link below for more details:https://GC Rugby Day 2020  

Father-son camp out:Date: Thursday 30 April - Friday 1 May 2020. Price: R70pp Boerewors roll, coffee/hot chocolateprovided for the evening. The camp night is for grade 00 - grade 7 boys.Only fathers/male guardians (18+) are allowed to campwith the boy and no High School boys/girls allowed.Setting up of tents starts at about 16h00 on Thursday, anddeparture is before 10h00 on Friday morning.  

Swim-a-thon:Our swim-a-thon will be happening on the Tuesday 3March from 15h30 -20h00. We will be raising funds formore shade structures at the pool.Flood lights will be on, boerie rolls available, tuckshopopen and music. It promises to be huge fun!Participants to find their own sponsors. Cash raised mustbe handed into the office.Participants must register with Miss White by 28 February.Most of the junior school have already registered.However, anyone can swim as long as their cash collectedis paid to Graeme College.So parents, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins are allwelcome- the whole family can participate!  An evening forthe whole family.  

Burger night: On Friday, 6 March will be the 1st team hockey burger night. These burgers are always delicious. Please support us. Moredetails to follow on social media and in our next newsletter.

General GOOGLE CALENDARPlease click on the link below to be directed to the school Google Calendar. The link helps you subscribe to the schoolcalendar which you can add to your phone, tablet or computer. Just click on the ‘plus sign’ at the bottom right handcorner of the calendar.http://www.graemecollege.co.za/calendar.html TRAFFIC CONTROLFor easy movement of traffic, please adhere to the following:1) Only Foundation Phase boys (Grade 1, 2 & 3) may be dropped or collected from the front of the school. This must takeplace at the “circle” and not in front of the main entrance to the school building.2) Between the times of 07h15 and 07h45, please use the main school gate as an entry ONLY and please exit via the GrantHouse (boarding establishment) gate i.e. one way.3) Boys in Grades 4 to 12 must be dropped off and collected at the Graemian Centre car park or at the Selborne orswimming pool gates, i.e. at the back of the school.Please adhere to a speed limit of 20km per hour on the school roads and be a responsible road user. SECOND-HAND CLOTHING SHOPThe Second-hand Clothing Shop is open on the following days and times (except Public and School Holidays):Mondays: 13h00 – 14h00 and Wednesdays: 13h00 – 14h00All enquiries with regards to the shop will be dealt with by Mrs Siebritz (046-622 7227). Please note: Only second-hand clothing that is clean and in a good condition will be accepted at the Clothing Shop. Clothing that is tattered, threadbare, stained or clothing that requires mending and/or washing will not be accepted atthe Graeme College Second-Hand Clothing Shop.  We greatly appreciate clothing that is donated by some parents.

Yours sincerelyK. WATSON

Make an instant payment to your organisation from your MasterCard or VisaStore funds in your Karri wallet to make sure you never miss a payment againReceive a convenient reminder if you forget about a paymentAdd all events to your calendar, straight from the Karri appNo bank charges! Karri is completely free to use

Graeme College makes use of the Karri app. Karri allows you to make safe, quickand convenient payments back to your school or other community organisation.Download the app, register an account (in less than 60 seconds), choose yourpreferred payment mechanism and make an instant payment to our school.Forget to pay? No problem. Karri will send you a friendly reminder so you or yourchild never miss an event/outing/fundraiser again.Help us remove cash from our school and thereby making it a safer place for all.Some benefits of using the app are the following 

We encourage all parents to download and use the app.

Karri App

Assessment schedules - Grade 8 & 9

Assessment schedules - Grade 10 & 11

Assessment schedules - Grade 12