I start every Headmaster’s presentation with a countdown of the academic days still available until the end of each term. My intention is to highlight the many activities that we still need to focus on in the rapidly approaching “term end” or break-up day. We as a leading school of passionate Prep partners cannot afford to sit back for one day or drop that baton in any of our daily responsibilities as staff, coach, Prep boys and parent. It is at this stage of term that tired minds and bodies can be challenged – how proud it is to note that Prep partners refuse to weaken and actually dig deeper to achieve those levels of excellence that we all expect and strive for in our school. Thank you Prep – your combined synergy is so valued each day. You will now fully understand the above call when I state today that there are only 17 school days left until break up day on Friday 14 June.
STAFF NEWS
I call on the DPHS Community to please keep Mrs Trish Miloszewski (Grade 4) and Mrs Michelle Roberts (School Bursar) and their families in our prayers and thoughts. Both staff members have within the week had to deal with the passing of a mother and father respectively. May we as DPHS send an abundance of love and prayers to the families during this extremely sad period.
Congratulations to Mrs Melanie Fletcher on her outstanding results in passing her B Ed. Honours with distinction.
Congratulations to Mrs Amber Kiddle who has just completed her qualification with the British Dyslexic Association and is the only person in South Africa with this accreditation.
I highlight the following staff members below who have been announced into the provincial positions after the rugby trials held this past weekend in Pietermaritzburg. They are:
Mr Shaun Carroll – Head Coach of the Sharks Primary Schools U13A rugby team to go to the Craven Week/Inter Provincial.
Mr Simba Bwanya – Assistant Coach to the Sharks Primary Schools U13B team.
Mr Thabo (Shack) Tshabalala – Assistant Coach to the Sharks Primary Schools U 12A team.
Congratulations to all the above members on your well-deserved achievements and appointments.
CONGRATULATIONS
I continue here with the following boys who have also been selected into the following teams after the recent trials.
RUGBY
Sharks U13A – Anele Cele, Swelihle Mbatha, Thomas Lindsay, Cameron Veenstra, Luke Davidson
Sharks U12A – Thomas Taylor, Tristan Uys
Sharks U12B – Jack Guye
We are extremely proud of the achievements of these boys who have made it through to provincial honours, as well as those many boys who made it through to represent their district at these provincial trials.
MAINTAINING PREP STANDARDS
Building on from my introduction to this newsletter I hereby list the many areas of responsibilities that we as a community need to focus on at this stage of the term.
Haircuts.
Polished shoes-on a daily basis.
Garters in socks.
Caps not left at school or home.
Homework tasks completed.
Signing and returning of reply slips.
Payment of school fees.
Communication and regular sharing of Information.
Commitment to the academic programme.
Studying and preparing for tests/exams.
Arriving at school before the bell rings.
Collecting your son punctually after school, afternoon activities, homework centre and aftercare.
Manners.
Positive Attitudes.
Caring and respect for all Prep partners.
Support your child at school events.
Attendance at the Saturday Mini Sport programme in the JP Phase.
Hosting of visitors during the DPHS Rugby Festival.
Sportsmanship.
Being a Prep ambassador at all times.
Striving for a litter free school.
Positive cheer and buy-in from all Prep partners.
The list is endless but I focus on the above and below in our combined efforts not to “drop the baton.”
Please support the events ahead.
– Grade 5 Ancient Civilisation Day – Thursday 23 May.
– Rugby vs Merchiston in Pietermaritzburg this Friday.
– Grade 6 & 7 Standardized testing.
– Rugby vs Clifton – Next Tuesday 28 May at Clifton.
– DPHS Performing Arts Evening – Next Wednesday 29 May 18h00.
– Reception Unit (Grade R) Winter Walk – Friday 31 May.
– DPHS Father’s Day Assembly – Friday 31 May.
– Rugby vs Glenwood Prep – Saturday 1 June.
– Café Prep Week – Tuesday 4 – Friday 7 June.
– DPHS PhotoNote Rugby Festival Wednesday 5 – Friday 7 June.
– Top 10 Academics Assembly – Thursday 13 June.
– Break Up Day – Friday 14 June.
SPEECH AND DRAMA
We have enjoyed a most encouraging Speech and Drama Festival here at Prep these past week/s where our boys have performed with distinction in front of the neutral adjudicator. The feedback has been extremely positive and for this I applaud our Cultural pillar staff, our class teachers, the parents and especially the boys for your involvement and drive in these respective individual and class presentations.
Our school thus hosts a Performing Arts evening on an annual basis to showcase some of these talents/efforts which I remind you is set down for next week Wednesday at 18h00 in the Maurice Wilkinson Hall. We look forward to a packed audience in attendance.
MUSIC EVENING
I sat in awe watching the 58 talented musicians from Grade 1 to Grade 7 present their individual and group items at this concert last Wednesday.
How delighted I was to observe our first DPHS orchestra perform two items – I have always wanted for this to happen at DPHS.
I also encouraged the boys to invite a friend from DPHS to join them in the music pillar so that we can grow these numbers to over the hundred members. Congratulations to our Director Mrs Briscoe and the ten music teachers as well as the musicians and the many parents who have supported this drive and who attended the music evening.
Bravo – Encore !!
DPHS PHOTONOTE RUGBY FESTIVAL
Our National Festival takes place in 8 days’ time when Headmasters/coaches/players/ parents and visitors visit our school in large numbers. This year promises to be yet another festival of the highest standards on the playing fields and amongst ourselves as the DPHS community in hosting and providing for the visitors and our own Prep community. I emphasize the standard of excellence that will be here to celebrate the festival namely:
Stirling, Wynberg, SACS, Selborne, Rondebosch, Trinity House, Merchiston, Pelham, Eqinisweni, Westville, Glenwood Prep, Cowan House and DPHS. Please make every effort to enjoy the festival with us. Thank you to all the Prep families who have already replied that they will open their homes to accommodate +- 200 visitors to our school for those three days. We are still in need of further hosting for these visitors so I call on the Prep families again to come forward to assist our school with this hosting challenge – we as Prep would like to finalize our arrangements with these visiting schools well in advance.
See you at the Festival!
PREP BOYS
| DON’T | DO |
| Become idle in these last 12 days of the term. | Rev their engines to tackle the remainder of the term. |
| Forget to congratulate their peers and staff on their achievements. | Celebrate their own success but more important the ‘success’ of others too. |
| Drop their overall standards. | Raise their overall standards. |
| Miss a Prep activity at this busy time. | Diarise all these Prep events ahead. |
| Litter our school, home, city and environment. | Keep our areas litter free. |
HEADMASTER’S QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
“One can’t change the direction of the wind, but one can adjust one’s sails to always reach one’s destination”
B WILSON Headmaster
