08 May 2012
Dear Parents
We are well into May already and also into our very smart Winter uniforms. We are extremely proud of how our children look; and again expect them, with your input, to wear our uniform properly and with pride.
We must apologise for the shortage of long black socks for girls and Grade 7 ties, but this was beyond our control as our suppliers simply did not deliver the numbers ordered timeously by Mrs Levang. Despite parents being given at least 3 months notice of the change into Winter uniform, some people chose to wait until the last minute causing long waits for these people, a choice unfortunately left to the individuals concerned. We have, however, taken cognisance of the requests made for the shop to be opened earlier at busy times of the year and Mrs Levang has willingly agreed to do so.
Whilst I am dealing with uniforms, I again inform parents and children who do not know this, that Our children are not to leave the school with any part of the Penzance uniform without suitable socks and shoes. They are not to wear any part of the Penzance uniform (e.g.) tracksuit top, with civvies or playclothes. Socks and shoes are to be worn when going into shopping centres if your children are wearing any item of school uniform. I was sad to hear of parents allowing their children to be in shopping centres, i.e. Musgrave Centre and Yellowwood Park without shoes whilst wearing their sports uniform and wearing a tracksuit top over civilian clothes.
Please Moms and Dads, these important things are what set Our School Family apart from so many others and despite what we may think; we do need to “Sweat the Small Stuff”.
I sincerely hope we will receive your unequivocal support in this area.
Last Friday we bid farewell to Mrs Sarah Parker who has left us to spend more time with her family. This was shared with you in an earlier Newsletter as well as a personal letter from Sarah to the parents in her class. We wish Sarah well and thank her sincerely for all she has done for the children of Penzance whilst here.
We are delighted to welcome Miss Lindsey Brown as Mrs Parker’s replacement and wish her a long and happy tenure here amongst the Penzance Family.
Miss Brown will obviously move into Mrs Parker’s class from Monday, 07 May 2012 as we welcome Mrs Reid back from her hip operation which we are pleased to report has been very successful.
Once again we have been inundated with applications for admissions into Penzance from Grade 1 – Grade 7 for 2013. This is an extremely important and onerous process and one which can prove to be disappointing for so many applicants.
In order to assist us in calculating possible numbers for 2013, I request that all parents other than those with children in Grade 7, notify me in writing if you intend withdrawing your child(ren) from Penzance in 2013.
Your early reply will be appreciated.
On Monday evening, the School’s newly constituted Governing Body met for the first official meeting since the elections. Here, the various members were allocated to respective sub-committees on which to serve Penzance most effectively.
I share these with you in the belief that Our School Governing Body has the best interests of Our Family and envisage a very happy and successful term of office for us all.
1) Finance Committee: Mrs Michelle Pretorius, Mr Philip Watkins, Mrs Mansour, Mrs Chesterton and Mr Madgin.
2) Health, Welfare and Well-being: Mrs Riana Botha, Dr Eleez Loots and Mrs Lyn Brinkworth.
3) Safety and Security: Mrs Lyn Brinkworth – as Secretary for the already constituted Safety and Security Committee chaired by Mr John Legemaate.
4) Grounds and Maintenance: Mr Sipho Gama who will work with Mr Rowan Calitz, our Grounds Manager.
5) Fundraising: Mrs Colleen Pinheiro, Mr Nathan Pillay and Mr Henk Bezuidenhout.
Moms and Dads an exciting time, I believe, for the governance of this school and the Penzance Family. I take this opportunity of imploring each and every one of you to support the School Governing Body in their determined quest to serve the Penzance Family to the best of their ability and most definitely in the best interests of the entire Penzance Family.
4. From the Finance Office
By now all parents who have not applied for a Concession or who have not yet paid school fees, have been identified by the Finance Office. These parents can now expect a letter informing them of the next step in the process used for defaulters.
I sincerely appeal to all parents with Grade 1, Grade 6 and especially Grade 7 children, to please ensure that your fee commitments are up to date. As previously mentioned, we inform the High Schools, on their request, of your school fee position on your application to that High School for admission of your child(ren).A lack of payment could honestly jeopardize your child’s chances of attending this school.
To our “New Family” members with children in Grade 1, I also appeal to you to meet your commitments in this area so as to avoid ongoing upset throughout your child’s tenure with us. To all parents, you too are required to please pay any outstanding fees immediately. These fees include After Care and Homework Club fees. Failure to do so could result in your child (ren) being removed from these 2 (After Care and Homework Club) services offered by the school.
Finally, to the 216 parents who took advantage of the generous discount offered and who paid their fees in full, our sincerest thanks. I do hope by now you have all received a personalised letter of appreciation from us. If not, please contact Mrs Chesterton so that we can rectify this oversight.
A sincere thank you to all our parents who so willingly assist us in providing lifts to / from our sporting fixtures away from home. Your assistance here is greatly appreciated. A courteous reminder however that unfortunately, learners may not be transported in open vehicles (i.e.) bakkies without canopies. This,in the interests of safety for all Our learners. Thank you for your understanding in this regard.
Firstly, I implore parents of children who are missing parts of their uniform to please wade through the mass of lost property before saying that these items are either lost or have been stolen. Secondly, should you notice your child wearing some items of uniform which do not belong to them, to please return these to school. Even items of clothing that are marked with the child’s name are being worn by other children. This, I am sure you will agree, is totally unacceptable.
School Bags
It sometimes happens that a child accidentally picks up the incorrect bag and goes home with this bag. Firstly, please ask the children to be more careful when leaving school, sport or Homework Centre and secondly, please simply return the bag to school on the following day.
Here again, your co-operation would be appreciated.
What is the MySchool/ MyVillage/ MyPlanet Programme?
The MySchool programme is a unique fundraising programme that raises much needed funds for schools and charities across the country without costing you a cent. MySchool contributes over R2.2 million to their beneficiaries every month!
The best part: It doesn’t cost you as a supporter a cent to make a difference!
How does the Programme work?
Funds are raised for our school on a monthly basis. Simply swipe your MySchool Supporter Card when you shop at one of the many MySchool partners. These include Woolworths, Engen QuickShops, Walton’s, kalahari.com, Jack’s Paint, Toys R Us, Reggie’s, Altech Netstar and SupaQuick to name just a few. They will donate a percentage of your spend to your school on your behalf. There is no cost to you.
How do I get started?
EVERY SWIPE COUNTS – JOIN TODAY! For further enquiries, please do not
hesitate to contact Mrs Chesterton here at school.
MySchool Travel
MySchool Travel gives our school the opportunity to raise even more funds. MySchool Travel allows our supporters to find and book the best deals on flights, accommodation, car hire and travel packages all online. Simply enter your MySchool card number when paying to ensure that 1% is donated back to our school. More information available online at www.myschooltravel.co.za
I had the pleasure of listening to a presentation by Andrea Kellerman from the above company especially with regards to assessing and remediating children who, after their assessment, indicate obvious signs of ADD/ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, Depression and numerous other sensitive inflictions.
Accompanying my Newsletter will be an E-mail explaining this revolutionary state- of-the-art training for the brain and the remediation of any identified problems with learning or emotional issues found as a result of the assessment offered by the company.
This training is not only restricted to children and includes problems encountered by adults. This too, is worth the read.
I would like to suggest that parents who are interested in the above contact Andrea, or either Jenna Oertel or Doug Berry as per E-mail or come into school and obtain a pamphlet explaining in detail all that Neurofeedback has to offer. Again, I repeat that I was most impressed with all I heard and parents with concerns regarding their children could do well to read either the E-mail or pamphlet and thereafter contact the above people on 031-266 8563 or 074 179 0929.
In his book “Becoming a Person of Influence”, John Maxwell shares his belief that Nobody Cares How Much You Know Until He Knows How Much You Care! – What a wonderful thought.
He goes on to share the “Paradoxical” Commandments of Leadership and here’s what it says:
People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centred – love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives – do good anyway.
If you’re successful, you’ll win false friends and true enemies – succeed anyway.
The good you do today will perhaps be forgotten tomorrow – do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable – be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest man with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest man with the smallest mind – think big anyway.
People favour underdogs but follow only hot dogs – fight for the few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight – build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them – help them anyway.
Give the world the best that you have and you will get kicked in the teeth – give the world the best you have anyway.
Some extremely wise words and ones that should we all try to utilise to our advantage; will, I’m sure, have a positive result in the lives of others and very importantly in the relationships formed between and amongst all who are courageous enough to try and use them.
Again, I thank you for your support of Our Family and urge you once again to continue to play an active role in the support of our staff, children and most importantly Our School – Your School of Choice.
Warm Regards
C.S. Madgin
