Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD your God, goes with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

One of the inspirations for me here at Thomas More is how the young Christians stand for Jesus in an environment that is often openly hostile to Christianity. I just think back to my school days (I wasn’t a Christian back then when dinosaurs ruled the earth) and if you were a Christian you were often mocked and challenged over your faith. But I know I secretly admired how Christians stood for Jesus and most of all it was their calmness and peace that seemed to prevail in their lives. I remember that it was something that I wanted and the seed was sown.

It takes great courage to be a young Christian especially in High School with all its peer pressure and the need for acceptance but by their witness, people’s hearts are beginning to change just like mine did all those years ago. Never doubt that the smallest example of Christian love can begin a change in a person’s heart. So take courage and fear not… for the Lord your God, goes with you.

The official opening of the Gordon Burnett Block took place on Friday morning - it was lovely to see Helen, Ghita and Bronwyn officiate the opening of the building.  Gordon will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew him, and the legacy he has left behind. 

Well done to our 1st Team Rugby boys who played against Treverton at Growthpoint Kings Park stadium on Saturday morning, winning their game 15-12.  It was wonderful to see parents and pupils from all phases come out to support our boys on the day. 

I would like to wish all our golfers well for the 2017 Parents' Council Golf Day taking place at Kloof Country Club this Friday, 12 May.  As usual, our committee have been hard at work behind the scenes to ensure a successful, fun-filled day for all.  Special thanks to Rae Griesel for her hard work.  It looks like we might be in for some chilly weather on the day, but thankfully it never rains on the golf course!  Thank you to all who have contributed in any way, your support is greatly appreciated.  If there are any other parents who would like to donate prizes, please contact Rae Griesel.

 

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

It is startling to realise just the depth of influence our choices of friends and companions have in shaping our character, choices and varying aspects of our future.

Humans are remarkable creatures in that we have incredible capacity to shape ourselves to fit changing circumstances. We find resilience in the face of challenge. We find empathy in the face of suffering, and so on. Yet, this ability to shape ourselves can also have far less attractive outcomes.

Do those with whom your children spend time require of them to compromise parts of their unique selves and preferences to “fit in”? Our children are at that emotionally ambiguous crossroads: ADOLESCENCE. And while we bandy about the phrase “peer pressure” with clichéd ease, for many it is a daily burden. Fitting in becomes easier than being proudly oneself. There are fewer arguments to be had that way; fewer justifications; it is, indeed, a path of least resistance for many.

As such, our children’s friends can play a significant role in shaping them, with potentially long-term effects. Of course, friendships ebb and flow, and have their ups and downs. Ultimately, though, they should be a deep source of joy, support, strength and camaraderie. If they require a compromise of moral integrity or an innate sense of self in any way, they should be reconsidered.

In closing, it is with sadness that I inform of your Mrs Burnette Taylor’s and Mr Reid Bauermeister’s resignations. Mrs Taylor has the opportunity to join her husband, Paul, full-time in the ministry, whilst Mr Bauermeister has been afforded an opportunity to work in Kazakhstan. I will bid both Mrs Taylor and Mr Bauermeister farewell more appropriately at the end of the term. I have really enjoyed getting to know both of them, but I support them both in these exciting ventures.  

 

The Rhythms of Africa evening was absolutely delightful and encapsulated different genres all with an African rainbow nation feel. It was a privilege to have not only highway schools performing with us but to host the LIV village choir. A huge thank you to our HOD culture, Mr Gary Balarin (and Mrs Jill Balarin who helped with transport) as well as to Mrs Roberta Ramasamy, Mrs Chantelle Barnard, Mrs Carol Mbili and Mr Sherwin Ganasen, as well as to our delightful performers.

Thank you to all those who contributed to making our official opening of the Gordon Burnett Block the success it was, from our Executive Principal, to our teachers, Facilities Manager and his various teams, Functions Co-ordinator and Catering Manager, plus all those involved in any way. It was very special to have Helen Burnett, Bronwyn and Ghita cutting the ribbons while our pupils enjoyed special cupcakes to mark this commemorative occasion. May the memory of Gordon live on in the building named after him!

As our sport starts in earnest may I remind you yet again of our Parents’/Spectators’ Code of Conduct:

· Your son/ daughter is playing sport for his/her own enjoyment, not yours. Allow him/her to enjoy the game.

· You and your child are representing the school. Please be mindful of the image that your words and actions might reflect.

· We respectfully ask that spectators give the referees and all players the respect that they deserve. They are all trying their best.

· Do not publicly question the referees’ judgment or their honesty.

· No parents or spectators may enter the field of play at any stage of the match including half –time or in the case of an injury.

· Please note that coaches, parents or spectators who are found to be behaving in an inappropriate manner i.e. verbally abusing the referee, coaches or other spectators, will be asked to remove themselves from alongside the field of play before the match continues.

· Children learn by example. Be a good example and applaud good play by both teams.

· Show respect for your sons’/daughters/ opponents. Without them there would be no game.

· Encourage your child to play by the rules.

· Praise your son/ daughter and his/her team on their efforts, NOT their result.

Please remember that this is after all, just a game. If the game is played in the correct spirit, everyone will enjoy themselves.

Wishing you all the best for the week ahead and all our Mothers and those in Mothering roles a blessed Mothers’ Day on Sunday 14 May.

 

Weekly Achievers 

Kindly sponsored by Wetrock Adventures - visit www.wetrockadventuresco.za for further info. 

Please send us photographs of your children enjoying their Weekly Achiever vouchers at Wetrock to tmc@thomasmore.co.za.

SP achievers will resume next week.

Mathletics

Congratuations to Demi-Lee Clarkson who earned a Gold Certificate in Mathletics.  Well done Demi-Lee.

Dance Sport School League

The following girls were chosen to represent KZN in the DSSL (Dance Sport School League)

• Thando Dlamuka

• Kailin Wiggett

• Phoebe Blair

• Hannah Sida

We are very proud of them and wish them the best of luck. 

Spanish Dancing

Congratulations to the following children (pictured L – R : Tayla Summerford, Tara Saint, Alessandro Buccimazza, Sarah Clark, Damian Watson, Sebastian Watson, Lauren Bigalke & Sophie Buccimazza) who performed in a Spanish dance “Sabay Sabay” at the Creative Arts Youth Festival held at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Saturday 6^th May.

Debating

The Juniors (Ben Boulle, Kellen Daniels and Andani Mashige) won their debate against Curro Hillcrest and Kellen was awarded Best Speaker. The Grade 8 team (Rebecca de Klerk, Justin Keep and Jessica Mills) won their debate against Hillcrest High. Well done to all our debaters!

KZNPO

Out of 150 young musicians to audition for the KZNPO’s Young Performers concert, Brendan O’Loughlin (Grade 9) was one of 15 chosen to play a solo accompanied by the orchestra on 20 May at the Playhouse! Well done Brendan.

BMX

Congratulations to Levi Smith who competed in the U7-U8 Expert Class Club Champs Race at Queensburgh BMX track on Sunday.  Levi had a shaky start in the final, slipping off his pedals, however there was no stopping him as he raced his heart out from the back of the pack to clinch 2nd place and a silver medal.  Well done Levi.

PS Cross Country @ Roseway Waldorf

Congratulations to our Cross Country runners who took part in the race at Roseway Waldorf on Friday, the following pupils finished in the top 15 runners in their age groups:

U9

9th - Kai McCormick

U10

5^th – Mackenzy Layden

14^th – Ella Randle

U11

1^st- Dayna Deeble

7^th-Jordan Trotter

U12

1^st – Liam Theunissen

3^rd – Ethan McCormick

10^th – Ezra Haug

Open

4^th – Jessica Smith

SP Rugby vs Highbury

U10A vs U10B - won 12 - 0

U10B vs U10C - lost 10 - 29

2nds vs 4ths - won 24 - 12

1st vs 2nds - lost 7 - 37 

HS Boys’ Tennis

TMC 1^st Team vs Hillcrest – Lost 14-18

HS Girls’ Hockey

U14A vs Fatima - Won 2-1

U16A vs Fatima – Lost 6-0

2nds vs Fatima – Drew 1-1

1^st Team vs Fatima – Drew 2-2

U14B vs St. Mary’s – Won 1-0

U14A vs St. Mary’s – Lost 2-0

U16B vs St. Mary’s – Lost 2-0

U16A vs St. Mary’s – Lost 1-0

2nds vs St. Mary’s – Lost 2-0

1^st Team vs St. Mary’s – Lost 5-0

HS Girls' Netball

Congratulations to the following players who were selected to represent their respective Pinetown and District teams. The KZN trials took place this past weekend and we are waiting on team selections:

U14 – Ashleigh Heenan and Tyla Christie

U15 – Jessica-Leigh Nozaic

U16 – Jamie Meyer

U17 – Chantelle Hannah

HS Boys’ Hockey

U16B vs Reddam Umhlanga U16A – lost 1-2

2nds vs Reddam Umhlanga 1^st team – won 2-1

U14A vs Treverton – Won 4-1

U16A vs Treverton – Drew 2-2

1^st Team vs Treverton – Won 3-1

1^st Team vs Queensmead XI – Lost 0-2

HS Netball

U14A vs Kloof – won 11-4

U14B vs Kloof – won 6-3

U15A vs Kloof – won 19-9

U15B vs Kloof – lost 6-10

U16A vs Kloof – lost 15-16

U16B vs Kloof – lost 4-16

2nds vs Kloof – lost 10-12

1^st Team vs Kloof – lost 19-31

HS Rugby

U15 vs Treverton – won 20-15

1^st Team vs Treveron – won 15-12