ST John's Preparatory School: The Headmaster

St Johns Preparatory School
St Johns Preparatory School Houghton Tel: 011 645 3100/ 087 550473 28th June 2013 Newsletter Number 6
From the Headmaster
I am writing this newsletter from San Antonio, Texas, where I am attending the International Schools Technology in Education Conference. It has been quite amazing, with over 20 000 delegates in 28/06 Grahamstown Arts Festival attendance. The content of the conference has been HALF TERM superb, with a common theme of creativity using 08/07 Return to School technology in project-based learning. This is very UIII History Assessment much what our direction has been at the Prep the St Andrews vs St Johns 1st XV last eighteen months and so it is comforting to Rugby Match know that we are keeping in line with international 09/07 St Johns Squash vs SSGA (A) trends. (Home) I now depart to Richmond, Virginia, where I, along 10/07 with Margot Long and Roger Cameron, will attend the International Boys School Coalition. Margot is 11/07 co-ordinating an Action Research Team with participants from all around the world and I wish 12/07 her all the very best. I look forward to sharing all the information learnt 13/07 at these two conferences when I get back after the 16/07 mid-term break. As has been the case in the last two years, I would like to focus this newsletter on the boys of the Prep. 17/07 Please would you show or read the following letter to 19/07 your sons and I leave you with a wonderful quote I
16/07 St Andrews vs St Johns XI St Andrews Marimba Concert 12h15 - 13h00 UIII Instrumental Concert (Clarke) 13h00 - 13h45 LIII Instrumental Concert (Clarke) LIII & UIII Geography Assessments St Johns Cross Country (Henderson Park, Melrose) Gaudy Day Headmasters Assembly St Johns Squash vs SSB (A) & Cliffview Parent Information EveningSafe Havens - Jeffrey Auditorium St Johns Rugby vs St Stithians LIII & UIII Market Day
Reminders from the Diary
Adults need to have fun so that children want to grow up into adults. Dear Gentlemen of St Johns Prep As you read this letter, I hope that you are all having a wonderful and relaxing time with your family during the mid-term break. As I have done the last two years, I am writing you all a letter. I am writing this letter from San Antonio in Texas, America, where I am attending a technology conference.
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It is incredibly hot here with temperatures close to 40 degrees. San Antonio is a lovely city and is the place where Davy Crockett comes from ask your parents who he was if you havent heard of him. I now go off to Richmond, Virginia, to attend another conference all about boys schools and about teaching boys. I will be joined by Mr Cameron and Mrs Long at this conference. I believe that anyone can be anything they want to be as long as they have passion, believe in themselves and work very hard at it. So what I would like you to do this mid-term, is to think about what your passions and interests are. Jot them down and then send me an email with some of your goals, either short term or life goals. Dont worry about anyone else and what they want to do, just worry about yourself and on becoming the best you that you can be. If you would prefer, simply tell me how your mid-term break is going and what you are doing. I promise to reply to every one of your emails when I get back and to answer any questions. I hope you have a fantastic and restful break Lux, Vita, Caritas! Cheers. Sir (aka Mr Lees) lees@stjohnscollege.co.za
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Developing Leadership Skills

Homegrown leadership Our world and indeed, our country, is crying out for good leaders. In order to secure the future of South Africa, more emphasis is being placed on leadership development at learning institutions. To this end, many schools, including St Johns, have programmes aimed at developing leadership skills in young people. At St Johns Prep, we believe that leaders are neither born nor made - leaders are grown. It starts with the choice to lead and the conscious decision to develop leadership capabilities, and their leaders can progress on a journey that builds on the gifts they were given at birth. With this philosophy in mind, I would like to propose that the learning of leadership skills starts at home. I believe that more young people can develop leadership skills and potential if certain concepts are encouraged and developed within the home environment. Concepts such as communication, independence, confidence and organisation can be taught informally without huge amounts of effort or structured programmes. In fact, many parents are already teaching these skills without consciously thinking about it. Here are a few ideas that can be used to start developing leadership skills within our homes: 1. Focus on developing communication skills: Good leaders are good communicators. This skill can be encouraged from an early age by working on reading and speaking. If your son can't read yet, work on his listening skills. You can encourage this by reading something to him and then asking him to relate the story back to you. If your son is old enough to read, ask him to read you a story. Also, make sure that you hold conversations with your son. Ask questions and expect answers, no matter how silly they are, as this means that he is listening and learning to interact. 2. Encourage independence within safe limits: You can't expect a five-year-old to make his own breakfast, but he should be able to pour his own cereal or set his place at the table. Encouraging independent play is also important. Turn off the TV and give your son access to interactive games and toys that develop his imagination, such as building sets, question and answer books and old-fashioned, non-mechanical toys. If the words I'm bored come into play, let your son find a way to entertain himself rather than offering a solution. This also helps develop the imagination.
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3. Instil confidence in your son: When something new is accomplished, praise it; whether it is a new development at school, learning how to tie his own shoe lace or reading faster or with fewer mistakes. Small steps mean a lot at that age and boys will revel in accomplishments that may not seem all that important to you. Developing self-esteem is essential to achieving leadership skills, as leaders need to be confident, even in the face of danger or despair. 4. If your son wants to do something for himself, let him do it: The attempt is more important than the result. This goes for almost anything, from setting the table to cleaning he bedroom. Even if the results are less than satisfying, praise your son and resist the urge to fix things yourself. 5. Encourage organisation: Leaders need to know how to manage their time and guide others towards a common goal. You can encourage this by giving your son the power to make decisions. For example, older boys can take part in the planning and organisation of a trip, deciding how to change or decorate a room or choosing their own after-school activities. You can also use these opportunities to help your child develop problem-solving skills, as they may have to make choices to meet budget, time or environmental constraints. So many leaders, when asked who had the greatest influence on them whilst growing up, say it was a parent. Too often we forget how influential we are in the lives of our children. How wonderful it could be to see a school full of young leaders who are independent, confident, organised, and willing to try things out without fear of failure.
Grant Harrison Senior Housemaster gharrison@stjohnscollege.co.za
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Design & Technology

In Design & Technology, the Upper III boys were required to design, build, test and race a boat powered only by the energy gathered by four solar panels. Each group was supplied with solar panels, two motors and propellers. The boys were allowed to make use of any scrap materials that they could find in addition to the materials provided. The use of self-designed keels and rudders was encouraged. Boys were divided into small groups where they pooled ideas to come up with the best possible combination for their boat. They worked on their boats in class, but were also allowed to complete the finishing touches in their own time. Before race day, the groups presented their projects to the class and handed in a portfolio of work covered during the project. On Wednesday 12 June, the boys had the opportunity to race their boats against one another. In the weeks leading up to the Boat Race, teams had been as secretive as possible about their ideas and the results of their testing - so the race day was filled with hype, speculation and excitement! After a fifteen minute period of testing and preparation, the first eight boats lined up at the start. The race was held across eight lanes of the Long Walk Swimming Pool. Seven boats completed the race, with one pulling out due to a technical malfunction. In the second race, only three of the starting eight completed the course, with the remaining five spending a bit of time bumping each other, off course and going around in circles, not quite making it to the finish line. The third and final qualifying race also saw a few boats not make the finish line and several boat parts ended up having to be retrieved from the bottom of the pool. The fastest three teams from the three races qualified for the final. These teams were: UIIIL Super Wet Knot for Sail Sea Wolf UIIIH Venantium Alkatraz Lumo Dragons UIIIG SSFFCO HMS Trilonium Aqua Gnomes
In the finals, the teams SSFFCO and Sea Wolf each won one race. After the final, all 24 boats lined up to race across the pool in a winner-takes-all race, which was won comfortably by the Knot for Sail boat. The boys have had a great deal of fun, learnt valuable lessons about themselves and their teams and have gained essential life skills to take with them up into the College. Well done to all of the boys! Jon Gunning HOD D&T gunning@stjohnscollege.co.za
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The Boat Race
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Independent Schools Rugby Festival 21st 24th June 2013

St Johns Preparatory School competed in the 2nd annual Independent Schools Rugby Festival. This was hosted by Waterkloof House Preparatory School (WHPS) in Pretoria and the boys enjoyed a festival atmosphere by being accommodated in the Pretoria Boys High School boarding hostels. A very strong lineup of ten schools participated in the festival. Some travelled from far and wide throughout our country: The Ridge School; St Stithians Boys Preparatory School; St Johns Preparatory School; St Andrews Preparatory School (Grahamstown); St Charles College Preparatory School (Piertermartizburg); Uplands Preparatory School (White River)l; Glenwood House (George) Muir College (Eastern Cape); Harlequins Rugby Club (Pretoria) and the host, WHPS, from Pretoria. St Johns encountered a very slick and well drilled Glenwood House side on the first day and we went down 26 7, but fought hard in the second half as we were 19 0 down at halftime. On the second day, St Johns played their best rugby of the festival, beating Uplands Preparatory 19 12.
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The final fixture at any festival is always the toughest, as the boys are jaded after a long weekend of rugby. We played the hosts WHPS, who had created a lovely festival presence by inviting the whole school down to come and watch. St Johns fought tirelessly, going down 26 0, but certainly displayed a spirited attitude until the final whistle. Franois Hougaard gave a riveting speech the night before the final days play, encouraging all the boys to train hard, enjoy their school careers and never give up. He answered lots of questions and signed autographs too. A huge thank you to WHPS and their staff in ensuring a truly successful festival. All the participating boys will have formed fond memories of playing rugby and mingling with the opposition schools. I am confident life-long friendships between the participating schools have been established! A big thank you to Mr. Grant Harrison for leading the St Johns side and Mr. Tony Johnson for his superb refereeing display on each day of the festival. We look forward to travelling to Glenwood House in George for next years festival. Please view extensive action photos from this festival at www.bigpicphotography.com Mr. Sean Logan St Johns Preparatory School logan@stjohnscollege.co.za
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Study Skills
During the Study Skills sessions, the boys were shown how to use various thinking maps to help organise their thoughts when answering questions, or planning a task. Part of the course required the boys to work in groups, and to create their own super hero. In this particular task, the boys were asked to either describe their super heros skills, or to compare their super hero to one that was already famous. They had ten minutes to prepare their thinking map, and ten minutes in which to produce a piece of writing from their plan. Now imagine what can be done with more time
By Warick Roux Richard Graca And Daniel Burke
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Shaun Jacobs, Brandon Vermeulen, Nick Lansdown and Ethan Chilvers
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We have come to the end of yet another busy sporting season at the Prep. The boys have thoroughly enjoyed their time on the soccer field and we have seen some great performances. Rugby is now our main sport as we enter the Trinity 2 Season. Tennis, squash, cross-country and rock climbing are all still being offered. I understand that some parents, and boys alike, are slightly anxious about the boys doing rugby during the Phys Ed lessons in the morning. If your son is not going to play rugby as a main sport, we would still like him to take part in the morning sessions, in order for him to learn the necessary skills required in the game of rugby. We are going to try our best to separate the rugby boys from the boys that are not going to be playing rugby this term. They are still going to be covering the same skills but under more controlled conditions and intensity. We believe that we owe it to the boys to teach them these skills should they decide to take up rugby in the future, and also, to have a good understanding and knowledge of the game. I believe that the success of the school can only be measured by the performance of all the teams in a grade, and not just how well the A or B teams have done that season. Since most of the skills we are teaching are skills that are transferable to other sports, we should be aiming to teach the same content to all the boys in a particular grade. If there is a medical reason that precludes your son from taking part in any contact sport, then please do send us an email so that we can exclude him from any contact situations during morning sport. In the spirit of staying fit during the half term break, try and do this workout with your boys. This will only take 10 minutes of your time:

10 squats, 10 push ups, 10 sit ups (crunches) and 10 reverse crunches. Repeat this for 10 minutes and record how many sets you managed to do. Try to do at least one set more of at least one of the exercises every day after that.
We look forward to another great sporting season together! Kind regards Mr Joe Xaba xaba@stjohnscollege.co.za
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Individual Achievements
Karate
Jadon Cooper competed in the BKI-KWF South African National Championships held on Saturday, 1 June. He won a bronze medal for Kata in the Mixed Intermediate Section. Well done, Jadon!
Maths Challenge
Garyn Berry and Nicholas Moschides Well done to the following boys who were entered into the KPMG Maths Challenge: Sam Smart Nicholas Moschides Brendan Thomas Harry Myburgh Garyn Berry Gavin McPherson Thirty schools entered the challenge and over 120 children took part. It was an exceptionally well organized and interesting afternoon. St Johns College are to be commended on a brilliant and well executed idea. We were proud of Nicholas Moschides and Garyn Berry who came second and third respectively in the competition. A remarkable achievement!
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Golf
On Sunday 9th June, Kian Rose, Jack Lees, Matthew Levendig and Jack Montgomery all took part in the Annual Ernie Els Primary Schools Golf Qualifiers for all schools in Gauteng. The four boys braved some very trying weather conditions and a challenging Kyalami course to come second in Gauteng. This is the third year in a row that St John's Prep has finished in second place; On Thursday 13th June, Kian Rose and Jack Lees represented St Johns Prep in the Annual Dainfern Prep Golf Competition. The boys finished in second place with a score of 50 stableford points on a count out. Well done, boys! Kian Rose also shot 76 to win the Individual Competition by 5 shots! A phenomenal achievement! Jon Gunning
Jack Lees, Kian Rose and Darrel Webb, the headmaster of Dainfern
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Rock Climbing
These are a few images from the climbing competitions held at Wonderwall. Our boys have done exceptionally well, with many being selected to take part in the finals. The finals will happen on the 26 and 27 of July. The winners of these competitions will be selected to represent Gauteng. Well done to all the climbers! B Poco
The rock climbing team at Wonderwall
Boys warming up and getting ready to climb James tying in
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Chess Results
27th May St John's vs St Mary's Seniors won 50 - 14 Juniors won 28 - 12 Congratulations to boys who won both matches - James Arthur, Khavish Govind, Daniel Harding, Andi Qu, Kei Prior, Gregory Thompson, Sebastian Shearer, Zak Coetzee, Alistair Van Der Riet, Nikhil Haripershad and Corijn van de Loosdrecht. 3rd June St Johns vs Roedean Seniors won 32 - 0 Juniors won 19 - 13 St Johns vs De La Salle Seniors won 19 - 15 Juniors won 19 - 13
Congratulations to boys who won both matches - Nicholas Moschides, Khavish Govind, Daniel Harding, Christopher Williams, Andi Qu, Sebastian Shearer, Caden Meyer, Taylor Williamson, Alistair Van Der Riet, Corijn van de Loosdrecht, Nicholas Thiel. 10th June St Johns vs Grayston Seniors won 21 - 7 Juniors won 26 - 2 Overall won 47 - 9 Congratulations to boys who won both matches - Brendan Thomas, Khavish Govind, Andi Qu, Kei Prior, Gregory Thompson, Sebastian Shearer and Cayden Meyer. The following boys were given a Choral Exhibition Scholarships, well done, boys! Adam Jacobson Andi Qu Dexter Harding Ethan Orritt Kian Rose Reece Wilford Tanako Shoko Taylor Williamson Matthew Appleyard Alistair Verhoogt Brandon Badenhorst Max Milella Nicholas Thiel Matthew Monteith Nikhil Haripershad Harry Myburgh James Caldwell-Smith Keir Mantzios Nicholas Moschides Thendo Mudau Warick Roux
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Junior Inter-House Quiz

This year, for the first time, the audience was able to participate in the Inter-House Quiz which caused much excitement. The boys were divided into house teams and answered the questions for the written rounds. Their scores were added to those of the specially chosen teams and below are the final results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Cullinan 69 Carter 51 Darrragh 50 Bousfield 53
Extreme Explorers
Thomas Sandilands and Sean Poole have recently completed the requirements for their Extreme Explorers Team Award. This means that they completed at least eight of the challenges with two at silver level. Well done, boys!
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4CTea June
Willingness to Help Muaaz Moosa Daniel Cockram Hamza Moosa Ewan Morris Huzaifah Masood
Reward For Honesty - Handing In Money Nsika Nkosi Chilima Nkanza
Fizz, Bang, Pop, Champs Dino Iozzo Matthew McLean Zizwe Dlamini Matthew Durandt Derin Demir Alistair Verhoogt Aaron Hooper
Ryan Gower-Winter
For Excellent Spelling Michael Omand Mike Ontong Trishan Moodley
Found a Phone and Returned to Owner Kamille Kum
Good Squash Etiquette Alex Barrow Timothy Milton Bradley Milton Nicholas Ching
Helping With A Year In The Wild Brandon Badenhorst Andrew Raney
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Every year on the Winter Solstice, or as close to it as we can get, the boys of St John's Prep have the opportunity to swim the Polar Bear Challenge as part of the Extreme Explorer Programme. This year the Upper Is and Lower IIs completed their challenge on Thursday 20th June in almost balmy conditions. A quick, for some, 2 widths of the pool, with the school prayer being recited after the first, was all it took! The Upper IIs, Lower IIIs and Upper IIIs did their challenging swim in slightly windier conditions than the juniors on Friday 21st June. A little bit further and a little bit colder, boys swam 2 lengths of the Long Walk Pool, also with the school prayer at halfway.
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Parent Information Evening

Date:Tuesday16July2013 Time:18:0019:00(teaandcoffeetobeservedbeforehand) Venue:JeffreyAuditorium
We invite you to attend an informative evening where Judith Ancer will present a talk entitled Safe Havens: creating and maintaining emotional safety in a turbulent world. The talk will look at how adults can help children manage, understand and cope with change, worries and fear. Judith is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Johannesburg. She supervises other mental health professionals who work within corporate and school settings, as well as those in private practice. She is one of the directors of Shrink Rap, a company that offers continuing professional education to healthcare and human resource professionals, as well as training and counselling services to small companies. Judith presents talks, runs training workshops and writes a weekly column on parenting issues for the Sunday Times. We hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be an educational evening. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards
Hugo Meirim Clinical Psychologist and Head of Pastoral Care (011 645 3154) meirim@stjohnscollege.co.za
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Notices
iCare
Whilst we hope and anticipate that all boys will feel able to approach their teachers or a member of staff should they feel that something is wrong, we understand that this will not always be the case. Some boys may feel unsure of how to approach a staff member or unsure of what they should say. For this reason we are continuing to use the iCare box, which is now located in Mrs Powells office. We also have an electronic version where boys can contact the Pastoral Care Team at iCare@stjohnscollege.co.za. The Pastoral Care team is hoping that the boys make use of these initiatives to highlight anything that they CARE about at St Johns Prep.
The aim is to provide the boys with an alternative avenue to voice their feelings around whatever may be on their minds. This extends beyond the reporting of just peer difficulties (such as bullying) the aim is to further enhance the quality of the St Johns experience. All notes placed in the box or sent via email will be treated confidentially and actions instituted where possible.
We ask that you encourage your son to make use of the iCare initiative so that we can make his day all that he hopes it can be. Hugo Meirim meirim@stjohnscollege.co.za
AFRIKAANS TUITION Is your son struggling to communicate in Afrikaans or having difficulty mastering the basics of the language (oral or written)? I am qualified to assist in both of the above areas and would be available to provide the necessary tuition between 15:00 and 18:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at St Johns Preparatory. Tuition will be provided on either a one-to-one basis or in group situations, lessons will last for an hour. Progress will be regularly monitored and pupils will be expected to perform certain tasks and complete basic written assignments. Tuition fees for individual lessons are R250 per hour and R150 per hour for group sessions. Should you be interested in the above, my contact details are as follows: Graham Carroll Tel : 011 534 1224 Fax : 011 534 1225 Cell : 076 858 9420
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Notices
Art club and extra classes
From the beginning of next term, Mr Poco is starting an Art Club (for LIII and UIII boys) and extra art classes for junior boys. Senior boys are encouraged to join the Art Club on Tuesdays from 14h00 -15h00 or Thursdays from 15h00-16h00. Juniors may arrange extra art lessons with Mr Poco at alternative times and on alternative days. We hope to see the senior boys joining the Art Club to create various exciting art works with mediums they do not normally use in class, such as print making, photography, oil painting and many more. This will be a fantastic opportunity for any boy who wishes to develop his art skills. For further information e-mail Bruno Poco on poco@stjohnscollege.co.za
Italian Language Lessons

Small age appropriate classes and individual tuition offered outside school hours at St Johns. Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher using communicative method of conversation, maintaining cultural ties for solid IEB foundation. Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or Lisabetta@iafrica.com
EXTRA MATHS LESSONS

Lower III & Upper III boys in Mrs de Langes classroom Every Thursday 14h00 - 15h00 (Teacher recommendation only)
Shop At St Johns College New opening times from 28th January 2013
Tuesday and Thursday: 7am to 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am to 3pm For stationery and labels, as well as all your sports clothes, jerseys, bags and socks
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How the Poor Live
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, How was the trip? It was great, Dad Did you see how poor people live? the father asked. Oh yeah, said the son. So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip? asked the father. The son answered, I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond their sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, but they have friends to protect them. The boys father was speechless. Then his son added, Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are. Unknown

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St Johns Preparatory School

From the Headmaster

Reminders from the Diary