As Term 1 draws to its close, I am once again reminded of the incredible community of which I am blessed to be a part. The sheer logistical challenge and the scores of parents, staff members, grounds and support staff, current pupils and alumni that constitute the epic saga that is the Long Walk was simply overwhelming. Rae Griesel, Warren Sachs, the Parents’ Council and all their respective team members deserve our deepest gratitude for facing and navigating a plethora of challenges to render the day yet another magical moment for our community. However, if I don’t see another train track for some time, it will still be too soon…

We bid farewell at the end of this term to Mrs Claire Holden, our EGD locum, and we appreciate the meaningful relationships and subject expertise she shared with our pupils during the term. Also, we bid farewell to Mrs Michelle Edwards who kindly stayed on this term until Mr Browne’s arrival next term. Mrs Edwards is deeply loved by her pupils, and she will be missed as an outstanding Mathematics teacher by her colleagues and pupils alike. Mrs Tracy Taylor also takes her leave of us after many years of outstanding service. She has been superb as our subject head of Life Sciences and HOD: Dean of Girls. She leaves behind a legacy of well-informed young life scientists who have achieved excellent results in their matric examinations. We wish Mrs Taylor every happiness and success as she embraces her new challenge of becoming the new Head of Life Sciences at Durban Girls’ College.

On that staffing note, we welcome Mr Andrew Browne (Head of Mathematics), Mrs Suhana Moodley (Head of EGD), Mrs Donné Gerry (Head of Life Sciences) and Mrs Debbie Cotton (Counsellor) to the Thomas More family next term. I look forward to our children benefitting from their collective experience and track records of excellence in education.

I want to wish our netball, rugby, girls’ hockey and boys’ hockey first teams well as they participate in the Treverton College sports festival this holiday, and extend our collective gratitude to our staff who are accompanying them and making this wonderful opportunity possible. I also want to wish Miss Wanri Venter everything of the best as she prepares now to leave on 31 March to umpire at the Commonwealth Games. I know that as our South African representative at the games, she will make us, her family and our country proud.

Like the Long Walk, the high school faced some changes, challenges stemming from dealing with change, and some great and magical moments. Like the Long Walk, we are a truly unique experience, seeking out opportunities for our young people to discover their own resilience, and their capacity to face challenges with tenacity.

I want to thank the entire staff body – and our parents for their support – for a dynamic term for our children. As always, it would be horribly remiss of me not to make special mention of our incredible ground staff, support staff, Lisa Moffat, Michelle Wight, Manco, the Past Pupils’ Association, the Parents’ Council and the Board for the wide-ranging support, wisdom and love they bring to Thomas More College. Yes, we are an exceptionally busy space with many moving parts, but working with a magnificent, committed team and staff group make it all possible.

I wish all TMC family members a blessed holiday. To all who are travelling this holiday, please do so safely, and be richly blessed over this Easter holiday. 

 

Thank you to you all for the excellent turn-out at the parents teacher interviews, which we trust you found worthwhile and informative.

Thank you too for the support for our 56^th Long Walk on Saturday, despite the weather challenges. This included having to walk on the railway line, as opposed to walking next to it for all but about three kms. - as originally planned - as the roadway was too wet and muddy. A special thank you to all those who worked in any of the required areas. Without parental support, a character building event of this magnitude would not be possible. A special thanks to Warren Sachs, the Long Walk chairman and co-ordinator, and his team and to Rae Griesel for the many long hours and unswerving commitment to making this event as successful as possible. We salute you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Yesterday our children were privileged to wear civvies as a token of thanks for the efforts made with the Sponsored Walk. We thank each and every one of you for being generous and enabling us to fulfill our social responsibility role in society and to be able to provide for those activities which see our youngsters interacting with and collaborating with those who are disadvantaged in some way- to the benefit of both parties. We want to develop children with a social conscience who are aware of the responsibilities of privilege. An amount in excess of R190 000 was raised, which was not quite our hoped for target of R200 000, but will certainly help us to continue the sterling work we do.

We celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the opening of the Primary School yesterday and pay tribute to our forebears who laid such firm foundations for the Primary School, starting with the first Head, Mr Hilton Stander. There are still some of our staff working at TMC from those early days and we pay them tribute too for their loyalty and commitment over an extended period of time and for being part of building the school to what it is today. It was heart-warming and inspiring to listen to Mrs Melanie Küster (neé Zietsmann) a pupil who started in the second year of the Primary School and is now the Chairperson of the Past Pupils’ Association, a Board of Trustees member and a parent, address our pupils about the earlier days. I for one felt very privileged and proud to be part of our dynamic school.

Our Culture Alive Assembly took place this morning in the Habberton Hall at 07:30 to about 08:30. This also afforded our choir an opportunity to perform ahead of the Hillcrest Easter Music Festival which takes place at 18:00 tonight at Hillcrest Primary. (Choir members are to be there by 17:30.)

In closing I wish to pay tribute to our dynamic, hardworking and dedicated teachers for all they have done and achieved and for their nurturing and caring of our precious children over this short term. I do trust they will get some long-overdue quality family time and enjoy a good rest. Thank you too to you, the parents, for encouraging and supporting your children in their activities, commitments and functions. It is much appreciated. “What do we, what do we, what do we say?” “Thank you! Another one, Eyo, Eyo!” In the words of the children, a huge thank you!

We wish you a blessed Easter holiday and travelling mercies and look forward to seeing you back at school on Monday 9 April. Due to staff development on the first day, sport starts on Tuesday 10 April. 

 

What a wonderful term it has been. Although busy, the children have risen to the occasion and managed their busyness well. Through our sporting, cultural and outreach programmes much fun has been had and this has been balanced by hard work on the academic front. We have been blessed by the children’s sincerity and their spontaneous sense of humour, making our days so worthwhile.

Thank you to you our parents for your amazing support throughout the term. We come to the end of the term with tired children who have worked hard and can be proud of their efforts.

We look forward to a healthy, productive second term and wish you all a blessed Easter marked by wonderful quality time with your children. School re-opens on Monday 9 April. 

 

Primary School Weekly Achievers

We are currently looking for a sponsor for our Primary School Weekly Achievers - if you would like to be involved, please contact Claudia Levarelli 031 764 8646 / clevarelli@thomasmore.co.za

Debating

Our Senior Debating team, Kellen Daniels, Sinead Smith and Ketso Malahleha sadly lost their debate against Westville Boys' High School.

Dancing

Congratulations to Alex Bennett who received a Distinction in her Grade 1 Modern Theatre Dance exam in February.  Well done Alex.

Congratulations to Isabelle Gard who placed 1st in the Juvenile Silver Latin American SADTA KZN.  She participated in the Cha Cha, Jive, Samba and Rumba.  Well done Isabelle.

PS Cultural Captains 2018

Congratulations to the following pupils who have been selected Captains of the followoing cultural disciplines:

Choir:  Rebecca Ronald & Nikolaos Bratos

Marimbas:  Aimee Maritz & Sam Renard

Recorders:  Kaelah Balarin

Trinity exams

Congratulations to the following pupils who have completed their Trinity Exams for Piano:

Rhys Maritz - Merit

Meyka Chetty

Caitlin McMurray - Distinction

Asha Allen - Distinction

Anya Chetty - Merit

Grace Youldon - Merit

Amber Allen - Distinction

Aimee Maritz - Distinction

SP 3rd Team Cricket vs Winston Park

Winston Park batted first scoring 80/6 after 20 overs

S. Mdladla took 3 wickets for 8 runs in 4 overs

E. Ferreira took 2 wickets for 8 runs in 4 overs

TMPS scored 36/7 in 20 overs

Winston Park won by 44 runs

SP 1st Team Cricket vs Winston Park

TMPS 136 for 4 from 20 overs.  E. McCormick 59 no, B. Doran 29 no.

Winston Park 106 for 10 from 18.5 overs. E. McCormick 3 for 16.

TMPS won by 30 runs

Triathlon

Well done to Biddi Theunissen (pictured right) who claimed 3^rd place in the U17 girls in the SA champs triathlon held this past weekend in Bloemfontein.

PADSSA Hockey

Congratulations to all the boys who attended the District Hockey trials on Sunday - special mention of the following boys who made the PADSSA teams.

U14A: Buhlali Mhlanzi

U14B: Luke Riddle, Tapuwa Sibisi

U16B: Tim Bartlett, Ntando Nyandeni

U18A: Keagan Olivier, Ligudu Mashige

U18B: Brandon Davies, Konke Sibisi, Akuse Mhlanzi, Jordan Meikle

Rock Climbing

Congratulations to our Rock Climbers who took part in a combined Event at UKZN Old Mutual Sports Hall which included all three disciplines of Bouldering, Lead and Speed (climbers must get to the top and as fast as possible). Results are for the top 3 results in the A League only.

BOULDERING Round Three

U13F: Bethany Steenkamp 1^st and 1^st overall

U13M: Ben Cotton 1^st and 1^st overall

U15M: Christopher Jolly 1^st and 1^st overall

U17 M: Faran Steenkamp 1^st and 2^nd overall; Brendan Kuhnert 3^rd and 3^rd overall

U19F: Jenna Bentley 2^nd and 2^nd overall

U19M: Josh Munstermann 1^st and 1^st overall

LEAD Round Two

U13F: Bethany Steenkamp 1^st and 1^st overall

U13M: Ben Cotton 1^st and 1^st overall

U15M: Christopher Jolly 1^st and 1^st overall

U17M: Faran Steenkamp 3^rd and joint 2^nd overall

U19F: Jenna Bentley 3^rd and 3^rd overall

U19M: Josh Munstermann joint 1^st and 1^st overall

SPEED Climbing - position and time given in seconds and hundredths of a second

U13F: Bethany Steenkamp 1^st 36.30, only finisher in category

U13M: Ben Cotton 1^st, 55.82, only finisher in category

U15M: Christopher Jolly 2^nd, 58.19

U17M: Faran Steenkamp 1^st, 13.36

U19F: Jenna Bentley 1^st, 28.00

U19M: Josh Munstermann 1^st, 13.30