“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”  Matthew 5:7

The first four beatitudes deal with our relationship with God. The next four are about our relationship with others. ‘Blessed are the merciful’ has two meanings one like the parable Jesus tells us of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33) meeting the needs of others. Our mercy will lead to practical help for those in need. The second meaning and the more difficult one is to have mercy on those who have wronged us. We often want to strike back and seek vengeance. However, Jesus tells us that we need to show mercy and we will receive mercy from Him. It is not that we earn God’s mercy but when we forgive it is an indication that we understand the fullness of God’s mercy towards us (Luke 7:47). When we see how much we have been forgiven by God we cannot but realise how much we need to have mercy on others (Matthew 23-35).

The ongoing "Fees Must Fall" student unrest continues to create much anxiety for many Thomas More families. UCT has just announced that it will suspend lessons for year one to three Health Science students for the year and to run a short semester and final examinations early in the New Year. It is not yet clear what will be done with the other faculties. There is still a great deal of uncertainty at a number of other university campuses. Many of our current matriculants remain uncertain of how their studies may be affected next year if this year’s students have not been able to complete their studies.

After quite a lengthy spell with no construction at TMC, we currently have three projects on the go. The Senior Primary classroom block is in the early stages and is scheduled for completion at the end of March 2017. Until then the grade 7s are operating out of the Mackenzie Centre. The roofing of the Music School courtyard is now almost complete. This will provide a very useful new "dry" function venue which is sorely needed particular with the Mackenzie Centre not being available. We have also just completed a small extension to the Crèche facility. We are ready to commence the High School classroom extension project but are somewhat frustrated by the delays in plan approval.

While the rest of the country suffers from a crippling drought, in Kloof we have been blessed with regular rain in the last few months. This is apparently the reason why the remaining section of Pioneer Road has not yet been tarred. They simply cannot get it dry enough to complete the process. I spoke to management at ESOR Construction who hope to complete the tarring as soon as they can get a dry surface.

 

The only thing we all have in common is our shared humanity.

In assembly yesterday, I showed the pupils a clip about Ronald Davis, a man who has found himself on the streets in New York after losing his job and hitting hard times. He shares the grave, human struggles he faces daily needing to beg for money and not having a home. He reflects on being called a “bum” sporadically by passers-by. He then muses on his humanity.

Daily, we pass thoughtless, senseless and degrading comments about others, either based on their “otherness” or based on our own low opinions of ourselves. If we recognise “the wonderful” and humanity in others, not only will we treat them with respect, but we will also recognise “the wonderful” and humanity in ourselves. We can’t hope to know and appreciate the context and background of all whom we encounter, but we can choose to “see them”.

And if we do this for the few new faces we encounter daily, we will ripple positive change in the humanity we meet, regardless of culture, gender, sexual persuasion, creed, race, or ethnicity, or whatever other fake construct of which we fall foul to highlight our so-called differences.  

 

Once again this past week was very busy. Thank you to parents who hosted boys for our match against Westerbourne College from the UK- the first time we have played them. They heard about us from some of our other regular UK visitors! It is always good to develop new contacts and forge new friendships.

We look forward to the Senior Primary public speaking finals this Thursday in the Hall from about 07:30 to 10:00. Well done to all those who have made it thus far- the quality of the speeches has been very high and you have all done so well!

At the end of this term we bid adieu to Mr Daryl Bartels who will be moving to Cape Town where he will be taking up a post. We are sad to see him go, but wish him well in his teaching career and new endeavours. His place will be filled for 2016 by Ms Caroline Jooste, who will be a Grade 6 class teacher.

Our teachers for next year will be as follows: Grade 4: Mrs du Plessis (Grade Head), Ms Logan and Mrs Parfitt with Mr Daniel Smith as the intern. Grade 5 will be: Mr Lang (Grade Head), Mrs Meikle and Mrs van Laren with Mr Luke Smith as the intern.

In Grade 6 we will have: Mrs McCreedy (Grade Head), Mrs Fuhri and Ms Jooste with Mr Jason McGarry as the final year intern, while our Grade 7s will be: Mr Conway (Grade Head), Mrs Haynes and Mr Moolman with Mr Barry Thatcher as the intern.

Our Grade 4 and 5 teachers class teach, while in Grade 6 and 7 we have subject teachers. I would like to remind you that we do not entertain requests for class teachers. The classes are very carefully worked out, first of all dividing them up into as close as possible heterogeneous groups of mixed ability, trying to keep the classes evenly divided. We then look at gender groupings, temperaments of teacher and children, and friendships and potential clashes. Even though the lists are fairly stable by year end, this can change before the start of school if there are relocations and changes to the grade. Should your child however end up in a class without any close friends, please encourage your child to take this as an opportunity to connect with other children whom they have not yet had the time to get to know over the years. This is a wonderful life skill for future years.

In Grade 6 and 7, with subject teaching, it makes absolutely no difference who the register teacher is as they have different teachers for the various subjects and the content subjects are taught across the grade by the same teacher. Much thought and discussion goes into these groupings, so we would value your support of our groupings.

At assembly this week I shall be talking about Down Syndrome once again to continue to encourage awareness of this – last Wednesday, 20^th October was National Down Syndrome day and it is also Down Syndrome month, as well as being Cancer awareness month.

Wishing you all the best for the week ahead.

 

Barbara Taljard
Primary School: Headmistress
btaljard@thomasmore.co.za

The term is well underway and the inevitable busyness prevails. We have much on the go with practices for PP and JP concerts as well as preparation for our Grade 0 Come Watch Me Swim, culminating in a final assembly for our grade 3s. Top that with the usual sport and extramural activities. In the light of being busy at school, it is often necessary to take time to take stock of home life and to relax as much as we can. Having said that, there are things that can be done at home that will provide a platform to enhance classroom performance. Some food for thought listed below:

If you want your child to be a stellar student, don't limit learning to the classroom. Although the skills learnt there are crucial to intellectual, emotional and social growth, your child needs your help to open up the world of ideas. A joy in discovery will transfer to schoolwork, so you'll boost academic achievement too!

1. Fill your child's world with reading. Take turns reading to your child, or establish a family reading time when everyone reads their own book. Demonstrate how important reading is to you by filling your home with printed materials: novels, newspapers, even posters and placemats with words on them.

2. Encourage your child to express his/her opinion, talk about feelings, and make choices: He/she can pick out a side dish to go with dinner and select his/her own extracurricular activities. Ask for input on family decisions, and show that you value the opinion and input.

3. Show enthusiasm for your child's interests and encourage her/him to explore subjects that fascinate her/him.  If she's a horse nut, offer her stories about riding or challenge her to find five facts about horses in the encyclopaedia. If his interest lies in animals, a visit to the animal farm will provide knowledge and enjoyment.

4. Provide him/her with play opportunities that support different kinds of learning styles — from listening and visual learning to sorting and sequencing.Equipment that encourages open-ended play, such as blocks, will develop your child’s creative expression and problem-solving skills as he/she builds. Lots ofunstructured play timeto explore such equipment is invaluable.

5. Point out the new things you learn with enthusiasm.  Discuss the different ways you find new information, whether you're looking for gardening tips on the Internet or taking a night class in learning a new language.

6. Ask about what is being learnt in school, not about test scores/or how the day went.Have your child teach you what he/she learned in school today — putting the lesson into own words will help him/her retain what was learned.

7. Help your child organise her school papers and books so she feels in control of her work.  If her task seems too daunting, she'll spend more time worrying about it than learning. Check in with her regularly to make sure she's not feeling overloaded.

8. Celebrate achievements, no matter how small. Finishing 5 books may be rewarded with choosing an activity book for own use, for example. You'll offer positive reinforcement that will inspire further learning and the challenging of himself/herself.

9. Focus on strengths, encouraging developing talents. Provide opportunities for creativity e.g. writing own stories, designing toys or clothes.

Turn everyday events into learning opportunities.Encourage your child to explore the world around, asking questions and making connections. 

 

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PS Weekly Achievers

Mathletics

Congratulations to James Evans and Tristan Cremer who both achieved their gold certificates in Mathletics, as well as Daniel Evans on being awarded his second gold certificate in Mathletics.  Well done boys.

Ballet

Congratulations to Hannah Patterson who received a distinction of 89% in her Cecchetti Inter-Foundation Ballet exam,  Chloe Peixoto who has passed her Grade 3 Ballet exam with Merit,  Emma Beyers and Julia Leisegang who received merit for their Grade 5 exam for Classical Ballet, Dayna Deeble who passed her Grade 2 Cecchetti Classical Ballet exam with distinction and Qhawekazi Madlala who also passed her Cecchetti Classical ballet exam.  Well done to all these young ladies.

Music

Congratulations to Brendan O'Loughlin who recently passed his Grade 4 Trinity Trumpet exam with Merit (81%), and Liam O'Loughlin who passed his Initial Piano Trinity exam as well. Brendan has also been invited to play trumpet in the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Orchestra’s 2017 season. Well done to both boys.

Music & Ballet

Congratulations to Amy Ahlschlager on passing her Trinity Piano exam (Grade 2) and her Cechetti ballet exam (Grade 3).  Well done Amy.

Irish Dancing

Congratulations to Danielle de Moore for winning 4 gold ribbons for her Irish Dancing during the holidays.  Well done Danielle.

Dancing

Congratulations to Casey Venton on being awarded a silver medal in level 1 at the Highway Dance Academy Performance.  Well done Casey.

Artistic Acrobatics

Michaela Hardstone was awarded a FIRST place in the Integrated Artistic Acrobatic Association of SA – National Championships for

° Novice, Open Duet

° Novice, Open Trio.

° Intermediate, Open Group

° Professional, Open Group

And also a 2^nd place award for:

^° Novice Duet,

3^rd place for:

^° Novice Duet

^° Intermediate U16

^° Intermediate any age.

Cameron Hardstone was awarded colours in the Integrated Artistic Acrobatic Association of SA – National Championships for Novice A U16.

1st place award for:

° Professional Open group

° Intermediate Group – any age

° Novice – Open Duet

° Intermediate – Open group

2^nd place award for:

° Novice , Trio any age

3^rd place award for:

° Intermediate – any age

° Novice – any age

° Intermediate U16

Well done to both Cameron and Michaela.

Gymnastics

Congratulations to Demi-Lee Penny for coming 4th at Nationals.  Demi-Lee came second in beam and 3rd on floor and narrowly missed out on third overall.  Congratulations also to Mandy Olejniczak who did very well. Well done to both girls.

Karate

Congratulations to Erin Alexander who took part in the SA Karate Development Championships where she won Silver for KATA.  Erin also competed in a SKISA Tournament this Sunday where she won silver for KATA and gold for KUMITE.  Well done Erin.

Grade 3 Netball Tournament

TMC 1 vs St. Mary’s lost 0-3

TMC 1 vs vs Winston Park lost 0-2

TMC 1 vs Hillcrest drew 0-0

TMC 2 vs St. Mary’s won 2-1

Grade 1 mini Cricket

vs Hillcrest - Lost

vs Kloof - Won

Grade 2 mini Cricket

vs Highbury - Won

vs Curro HCA - Lost

vs Northdene - Lost

SP Cricket

TMC 1^st XI vs Westbourne House

TMC 96 all out

Westbourne 100 for 7, M Sim 2 for 10, M Frankenfeld 2 for 11

Westbourne won by 3 wickets

TMPS 1^st XI vs Westville

Westville 186 for 7, K Coombs 3 for 33

TM all out for 49

Westville won by 137 runs

TMPS 3rd Team vs Westville

TMPS M. Barrett 30 runs, 90 all out

WSPS 91 for 3, WSPS won by 7 wickets

TMPS U10B vs Westville

28 all out

Westville 30/ 2

TMPS lost by 10 wickets

TMPS U10A vs Westville

Westville 147/3 TMPS 98 all out (Max Buchan 42 no)

TMPS lost by 49 runs

Sailing

Congratulations to Benji Daniel (Grade 10) who has been selected by South African Sailing to represent SA at the forthcoming Youth World Sailing Championships to be held in Auckland, New Zealand in December 2016.

400 sailors from 70 countries will be racing in 9 different boat classes. Well done Benji.

HS Cricket

Dainfern U14A 134/5. TMC U14A 117/7. Hooper 59 no. Dainfern won by 17 runs.

TMC U14B 83/7. Kloof U14B 58. TMC won by 26 runs.

Kloof U14A 142 all out. TMC U14A 100/6. Kloof won by 42 runs.

TMC U15B 69 all out. Kloof 76/4. Munian 2/9. TMC lost by 8 runs.

TMC U15A 174 all out. Blythen 68, Meikle 56. Kloof 175/5. Kloof won by 5 wickets.

TMC 2nds 153/4. TMC 130/7. Coleman 55; Watts 23. Kloof won by 23 runs.

TMC 1st Team 75/5. Clifton 76/0. Clifton won by 10 wickets.

TMC 1st Team 113/8. Voortrekker 108/5. TMC won by 5 runs.

TMC 1st Team 178/9. Dainfern 57 all out. TMC won by 121 runs.

Kloof 1st Team 141 all out. TMC 1st Team 145/6. Kimber 48 no. TMC won by 4 wickets.

HS Girls' Water polo

TMC U14A 2 St. Mary's 7

TMC U16A 3 St. Mary's 6

TMC 1st Team 5 St. Mary's 6

TMC 1st Team 4 Scottburgh 0

TMC 1st Team 4 Kloof 0

TMC 1st a Team 4 Kingsway 1

TMC 1st Team 1 DGHS 1 (DGHS won 3-1 on penalties)

HS Boys' Water polo

TMC U14A 5 Clifton U14B 4

TMC U15A 2 Clifton U15B 4

TMC 2nds 0 Clifton 3rds 8

TMC 1st Team 3 Clifton 2nds 3

Indoor Hockey

Congratulations to Robyn Phipps who has been selected for the KZN Panthers U18A Indoor Hockey team.

Amashova

Congratulations to all our pupils, parents and staff who took part in the Amashova Cycle race.  Well done.

Soccer

Congratulations to Ethan Harris, Nikolaos Bratos and Sam Renard who all participated in the Soccer Club competition.  Westville Soccer club finished 2nd on the log.  Well done boys.