St Johns Preparatory School

St Johns Preparatory School Houghton Tel: 011 645 3100/ 087 55 0473 8th November 2013 Newsletter Number 10

From the Headmaster

We are heading for that time of year again when certain boys will receive acknowledgments and awards for academic, music, cultural and sporting performances at the forthcoming Prize Giving and Final assembly events. More often than not, it will be the same core of boys who repeatedly get the same type of awards year after year, and I would like to reiterate what I wrote last year on how to help your sons who may feel disappointed if they are perhaps not one of those boys.

Reminders from the Diary

10/11 Carol Service - St Marys Cathedral 11/11 All Library books must be returned 12/11 Headmasters Assembly 13/11 UIII & LIII Exams 13/11 - 17/11 School closes 13h00 15/11 Christmas Market 19/11 Housemasters Assembly Teach him to celebrate the achievements of others, 20/11 UI - UIII Pantomime to be happy for those who have been rewarded, to Johannesburg Theatre congratulate them and be gracious about it. 22/11 Dads and Lads camp Look at the big picture with him: the reality is that 25/11 Brainpower Week

not everyone can receive a prize, be awarded colours, Examine how and why the etc. At the same time, encourage him to be honest unwanted situation occurred, then about his potential and his ability at this stage in his restructure the strategy for even development. bigger and better things. Help him to be patient and to learn from the Positive thoughts with decisive, experience. Bitterness and resentment are counterconfident and positive action will productive. Receiving a prize or being awarded propel ones self to new heights. colours is no guarantee for achievement later in life. We all grow and develop at different rates and in Setbacks dont define a life; its different fields and this is merely one stage of his how one reacts to them that will determine the outcome. development. Remember and reiterate to him: Overcoming challenges brings wisdom to reach even higher goals.

Realising that life could have handed out a much larger disappointment helps put the setback in perspective. Spending time feeling sorry for ones self only delays achievement.

Having unreal expectations only sets ones self up for failure.

As parents, we are told time and time again not to compare our children, but sadly, sometimes logic and sanity do not prevail! I think it must be our way as parents to ascertain whether our child is 'just' average, or above average or where they sit in their environment. Some parents also find satisfaction in being able to tell someone that their child is doing so well in X, Y or Z. In a sense, we feel it is confirmation that we are doing a good job as a parent.

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A child receiving any award is at his best, right now. But the reality is that children grow, shift and change all the time and this means that they will peak in different areas of their lives at different times. The timeline for intellectual, physical and emotional development is different for every child, and whilst there may be things we can do to help our children improve in certain areas, most of the time, its just simply time, maturity and patience that is required. Our role as parents is to help our children grow up into good human beings who are confident and capable. Each child is unique and we should identify and celebrate their strengths and work on areas less developed. We should help them develop more capabilities through positive encouragement rather than by comparing them. Children, even among twins, develop at a different rate. Their interests may be different and their development of skills will vary based on that. Eventually, all children will catch up with each other and reach their optimal abilities. So, do not cause your child to see bad in themselves because of comparisons. Instead, applaud a child based on his own activities and actions - not how he compares with a sibling, his peers, or anyone else for that matter. Even if you mean to say good things, for example, you might say, "Jimmy is a good runner, and Freddie is a fine batsman." But all Jimmy hears is he is not a good batsman, and all Freddie hears is he is not a good runner. You have to keep compliments and complaints separate. Children are special beings that need encouragement and love, so watch how you say things, and be careful not to make comparisons as this invites guilt, competition, and jealousy. We can avoid this simply by concentrating our comments towards the child we are addressing, without making any mention of other family members or peers. Ditching the comparisons helps us to focus on specifics and deal with the situation at hand, without the need for any punctured feelings. I have always believed that there is no such thing as an under achieving child, just a child who hasnt found his or her world of undiscovered possibilities. Travel that journey with your child, and it wont be the end destination that you will marvel at and remember, it will be those priceless times of the actual journey to get there. May I wish you all a wonderful last stretch to the end of 2013.

PATRICK LEES

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Getting to know TLC Childrens Home - watch the video links!

TLC (The Love of Christ) Childrens Home was established in 1993 by Thea Jarvis to provide a place of refuge for abandoned babies. TLC collect abandoned babies at any time of the day or night. The first two baby boys arrived in April 1993, sickly and at deaths door. These two boys matriculated from St Davids at the end of last year, having been sponsored by donors and assisted by the school. They are now both studying at university and one plays rugby for Wits first team! The following short clip was aired on e-tv and shows some interesting background to the home, and also includes interviews with some of these children. Take a quick tour to find out more . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT7kb5KG3MI TLC cares for the babies while preparing them for adoption or their return to their own families. To date, TLC has seen the successful adoption of more than 800 babies, both in South Africa and abroad. When the babies are not adopted, TLC provides them with a home. Whilst TLC cares for approximately 35 babies and toddlers, it is also home to approximately 37 children aged from 4 to 20 years old. These children attend different schools including St Davids & St Katharines where they are on scholarships, St Vincents, Parktown Boys, Waterstone College, Aloe Ridge primary school, Frances Vorweg remedial school and Randeor School. There is a pre-school on the premises for the toddlers, and the older ones attend a local nursery school. TLC now has its own social worker and foreign volunteers come to TLC to work for varying periods of time to care for the babies. Watch this beautiful clip which shares the experiences of one of these special volunteers, Sonia Torres. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hUUqP7cMKZA

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The entire Jarvis family is involved in running the project. Funding is provided by corporate and individual donors, many of whom have adopted a child from TLC. Grants from the Dept of Social Development are now being made to the home, and they are also recent beneficiaries of the My School programme and the Lotto. St Johns boys, parents and teachers have made many significant contributions to the home over the years. Jordan van der Walt was able to donate R150 000 to the home last week when he was declared the LEAD SA hero of the year. He was also able to donate over 300 tins of food and water bottles to the home. We are very proud of Jordan and what he has managed to do for this special place.

Photo courtesy of Matthews Baloyi, Photojournalist, The Star Newspaper FollowTLConfacebookandsharethelinkwithyourfriends! https://www.facebook.com/TlcChildrensHome?ref=ts&fref=ts Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeshouldyourequireanyfurtherinfoaboutthehome. longma@stjohnscollege.co.za

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Google Summit SA

Photos courtesy of School net site: http://www.schoolnet.org.za/news/836/ I was fortunate enough to attend the recent Google Summit in Cape Town the first of its kind to be held in South Africa. The Summit was hosted by Parklands College and Schoolnet. Google has launched a range of wonderful new apps and many of these exciting new tools were demonstrated by presenters from South Africa and from the USA. I presented a workshop on using Google sites for collaborative online projects. Three different site structures were demonstrated: the Prep PR site which is used for communication, recording and collaboration; the Upper III English Creative Writing site which is used as a blogging project; and the International Boys Schools Coalition site - a three-tiered structure which hosts the IBSC Action Research programme. Bradley Dunbar and Nicholas Ching were on standby to respond online during the workshop, to demonstrate how effectively the site works for communication of tasks.

The Upper III Creative Writing Blog was a great success and several of the workshop attendees created a copy site there and then to use in their own schools.

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Di Laycock (IBSC Action Research Co-Ordinator in Sydney) participated in a live Google hangout during the workshop as well.

If youd like more information, Irene Basson, who also attended the summit, has published this interesting article about the power of using Google and the changes that are taking place: http://r.sjc.co.za/google

If youd like to create your own Google site, use this beginners guide to help you get started: https://support.google.com/sites/answer/153098?hl=en&ref_topic=23216&rd=1 For more information, please feel free to contact me. Margot Long longma@stjohnscollege.co.za

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When working memory becomes a barrier to learning

As the year comes to a close, and exams loom darkly on the horizon, I would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to an often neglected aspect of the learning process. We all understand that memory plays a vital role in successful test / exam writing, but how much do we really know about the different aspects of memory? We are all familiar with the terms and concepts of short-term memory and long-term memory, but it is the little-known working memory that more often than not sabotages the exam process. Working memory affects all aspects of learning in all subjects. It is crucial to academic success, and is believed to be a far more reliable indicator of academic success than IQ, as it measures the potential to learn. Research has shown that children with poor marks in Grades 1 and 2 due to poor working memory never catch up to their peers (Tracy Packiam Alloway, Improving Working Memory, 2001). In the past, the problem has been difficult to identify, as boys with poor working memories often present as confident, socially well-adapted individuals. The effort they put into their work never seems to translate into high grades. Comments such as he must try harder and he needs to put in more effort are often levelled at these boys. Effort is not the problem here - working memory is. Working memory is our ability to remember, process and manipulate information. It is like the working space of our memory system. I think of it as a desk where all the elements, information and skills needed to complete a task are laid out. If the task is complicated the desk will fill up very quickly. If its surface is not big enough to cope with all elements, some things will get lost. If things are not laid out in an orderly fashion, some elements may never even make it to the table. As a result, the task will prove to be extremely difficult, and some parts may be missing. Working memory can be divided up into two different skills the verbal working memory, used for remembering instructions, learning a language and all kinds of comprehension tasks; and the visual-spatial working memory, used for remembering the sequence of events and patterns, images and Maths skills (Lucy Henry, The Development of Working Memory in Children, 2012). This explains why some boys may be fluent readers, but struggle with Maths; while others may be strong in arithmetic, but struggle to comprehend what they are reading. Working memory is affected by space, time and effort.

We are born with a specific sized working memory, which increases in relation to our age until the age of around fifteen. Some are born with a smaller space than others. Those with a large working memory space may often get bored in class, while those with a small space may struggle to cope.

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Secondly, it depends on how quickly information is given to us and the length of time the teacher talks the longer the teacher talks, the more chance the boy with a poor working memory will clock out. The third limit is the amount of effort a task requires. If a boy finds a particular task difficult, he will expend a huge amount of mental energy completing it. In many cases, he will understand this, and simply opt out or try to avoid the task altogether. Finally, anxiety puts enormous pressure on the working memory. In my mind, it shrinks an already small desktop.

We need to be aware of what kinds of classroom activities place strain on the working memory. Examples of activities using the verbal working memory skills include:

Listening to instructions Remembering unfamiliar combinations of letters such as st Remembering a dictated sentence Finding the missing numbers in patterns Identifying multiples of 6, or factors of 12 Keeping track of his place when copying from the board or from memory Using vocabulary such as first, next, last to retell an event in chronological sequence Remembering and acting lines of poetry

Activities that make use of the visual-spatial skills include:

These are only a few. Each boy needs to be taught explicit strategies to help him cope with his working memory, and then be given many opportunities to practise these skills both at school and at home. These can include;

First and foremost, understanding as much as possible about working memory. I firmly believe knowledge is power. A boy will often devise his own strategies to help him achieve what he wants to. Whispering information back to himself. Having steps of the task or Maths problem written down and easily available. Making use of chunking information. In his book Bounce, Matthew Syed attributes chunking information as the key to the phenomenal mental success of the grandmaster chess players. On a simpler level, boys can learn to chunk sounds together when spelling (ham_st_er), or chunk facts together on a mind map. Syed also talks about purposeful practice tasks need to be relevant and always just a little beyond the boys current abilities. Previewing and reviewing every task for example, use the I see I think I wonder thinking strategy. Getting organised with calendars, diaries, lists. Using mind maps and thinking maps to help organise thoughts and written work.

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All of the above strategies, along with many others, are being taught in our classrooms from Upper III right down to Upper I. The older the boy gets, the more responsibility he needs to take to make sure he has tried and tested as many strategies as possible. Only in this way will he know what really does work for him, and what does not. It is not enough for teachers and parents to keep suggesting different ways of doing things. Each boy needs to WANT to make changes to his learning process, and then try the various strategies. Although poor working memory can be a barrier to academic success for boys of all ages and abilities, we can do something about it. It requires working smarter rather than harder. Each boy needs to understand exactly the limits of his working memory, and take ownership of his situation. Understanding how HE thinks is a crucial skill to have no matter what his age or abilities. He will then be in a far better position to ask for the specific help he needs, be able to work out the strategies that suit HIM best, and make the most of his learning potential. And this does not stop at the end of Matric Early intervention is crucial as success at school is intricately linked to self-esteem, but intervention can help at all ages. If we want to inspire boys to be the best they can be, to truly reach their potential to learn, we need to think seriously about the role working memory plays. We need to challenge these boys to change their mindsets from one of I cant do this to one of I cant do this yet (Dr Carol Dweck, The Power of YET, 2013). We then need to teach them the strategies to do this both at school and at home and give them every opportunity to practise them. Caroline Rimmer References: Alloway, T.A. (2011). Improving Working Memory Supporting Students Learning. SAGE, London Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: How you can fulfill your potential. Random House, New York Dweck, C.S. (2013). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyAde4nIIm8 Henry, L. (2012). The Development of Working Memory in Children. SAGE, London Syed, M. (2010). Bounce. The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice. Fourth Estate, Great Britain

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Lower II Adventures in Space

As part of our English theme, the Lower IIs are each writing a Captains Log about their adventures into Outer Space. The boys have enjoyed thinking about a unique name for their spacecraft and, more importantly, a worthwhile mission for their capable crew and themselves!

Star Date: 9 October 2013 Hi, Im Captain Caleb Lombard and Id like to report my progress. My ship is called Space Line Fighter. I have ten members of experienced crew on my ship. Our mission is to secretly carry certain valuable weapons to our undercover space station. As we fly through space, we pass different shaped meteorites. Its quite interesting to explore the wonders of space. Not so far down, a group of aliens attacked. Luckily we could take them on though we lost a lot of ammo. I cant wait for tomorrow. Caleb Lombard

Star Date: 4000-10-09 I am Captain Henning, captain of the Star Protector F17. The Star Protector was chosen to protect the space colony because of its speed, size and defenses. We are currently travelling to deep space on a peace keeping mission to the planet Zeon. We are halfway to Zeon and about to travel at hyper speed and land. What could possibly go wrong? Jordyn Henning

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Keno de Jesus, James Estill and Charles Robertson

Liam Peterson, Mikaeel Moosa and Mark de Jongh

Jason Short and Marc Hersov

Jared Govender, Kgositsile Mashugane and Nicholas Chamberlin

Caleb Lombard, Dean Graa and Joshua Myers

Mangapa Matlala, Hamza Masood and Caleb Gill

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Basketball Tour to Cape Town

Two teams represented St John's Prep at the Hoops-4-Hope Basketball Tournament held in Cape Town during half-term. Well done to both teams on a superb effort! The boys played with character and determination! 1st Team won 3/5 matches, whilst the B Team won 1/5 matches. Our teams competed very well against other schools but battled against the club sides. Thank you parents for making the tour possible, and to the coaches for the wonderful work they continue to do with the boys. David Mulenga MIC - Basketball mulenga@stjohnscollege.co.za

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Cricket

Congratulations to Shaun Jacobs, Ethan Chilvers, Ciaran James and James Barrow who have been selected to represent the Johannesburg East Region at the upcoming U12 and U13 Cricket Festival. This takes places over the weekends of 23, 24 and the 30 November and 1 December.

U12 boys: Tarun Gupta, Riyaadh Haffajee, Jack Lees and Jack Montgomery

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The 1st Team Cricketers from Cordwalles Prep and St John's Prep

Ethan Chilvers scored a century (102*) against Cordwalles

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Cricket Tour Against Cordwalles and Clifton

This was the first cricket tour for our U11A cricket team so it was both new and exciting. In fact for Mark, one of the boys I hosted for the tour, it was his first time in Johannesburg. Thursday 10 October 2013 Our team had never played a cricket side from Durban and had no clue what to expect. Luckily for us Alex, our captain, won the toss and he chose to bat. This was a good decision as the weather did not look good. The format for the game that afternoon was each boy would play a maximum of three overs unless he went out. Unfortunately, it started to rain and lightning was all around us so we only got up to batsman number 5. We batted well, which gave us confidence for the rest of the weekend. Having the cricket rained out wasnt such a bad thing, because it gave us some time to make friends with the Cordwalles boys. The boys I hosted were Mark and Nathan. They were friendly, well mannered boys with a great sense of humour. We had many things in common, especially when it came to cricket. Friday 11 October 2013 The BIG day. Do or die day as Mr OMahony said. The format was 36 overs each side. The weather was perfect. Alex won the toss again and elected to bat first. Things were certainly in our favour. Keagan and Daniel opened our batting order. Daniel was about to have the game of his life. He could not do anything wrong. First he got to 50 runs, a fantastic score but that was not the end... he kept his cool and after a while reached a milestone in his cricketing career -102 runs/ not out. Well done Daniel! Alex also had a magnificent game and got to 50 runs. This was also Alexs highest score yet. Congratulations Alex! We ended our batting session on a massive 221 runs. The boys from Cordwalles had their work cut out for them. We bowled our hearts out and took wickets and catches. We needed to work fast because the sun was fading and Mr OMahony wanted us to win. Final score for Cordwalles All out for 161 runs. Our win over Cordwalles that day was a team effort. Batting, bowling and fielding all came together. All the boys, their parents and staff were invited to a magnificent dinner at the cricket pavilion. Saturday 12 October 2013 We said good bye to the Cordwalles cricket team and welcomed the Clifton cricket team. Once again, the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky. Today we lost the toss and Clifton chose to bat first. Our bowling attack was on form and our fielding was tight. We managed to get the whole Clifton team out for 87 runs. Fantastic effort St Johns U11A cricketers! It was now our turn to bat. So we were chasing 88 runs. Cliftons opening bowlers were on top form and aggressively took one wicket after another quite a shock. I was batting number 5 and my turn arrived sooner than what I had expected. My game plan was to slow the game down and stay in to get through the tough bowlers. I managed to survive the opening bowlers and then they bought on their spinner. Yes, this is my chance to put some runs on the board. I wacked a 6 and it felt good. Another opportunity came about and I hit another 6 but this time it smashed the Pre-Preps classroom window sorry about the window Mrs Lane. I hit another couple of sixes and fours but was then bowled out. The game had now turned around and we had a chance to win. The tension was growing on both sides as we came down to our last two batsmen and only had a few runs left to win. We had lots of time and balls in hand so Graeme needed to choose the balls he hit wisely. This he did in true style. Another victory for St Johns U11A cricket team. Thank you Mr OMahony for making our first cricket tour so memorable. Joshua Sansom

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Cordwalles tour to St Johns XI team We had our first match of the season on Thursday the 14th of October. It was a T20 match and Cordwalles won the toss and chose to bowl, but it did not really matter because after seven overs it started raining and the match got called off about half an hour later. On the Friday we had an all day game, in which St Johns won the toss and chose to bat. We missed half of school which was good. The first ball of the season that St Johns XI bowled was a wicket, which was bowled by Shaun Jacobs. We got them all out for fifty seven runs. We chased it down in about eleven overs and we won by seven wickets. After that, to get practice in we carried on from fifty eight runs. Ethan Chilvers got a century. We got to 178. They did not chase it down, but we did not get them out either. After our practice match, we played soccer in which the Cordwalles boys dominated. We also had supper with the Cordwalles boys and the food was amazing. On Saturday morning, we dropped the Cordwalles boys at The Ridge and then we played Clifton which was the best match I have ever played. We chose to bowl first and Clifton got to 290 at the end of their innings we knew it was going to be a hard score to chase down, but Ethan Chilvers got yet another century and with Ciaran James and Shaun Jacobs getting their 50s we knew we had a chance. Unfortunately in the end we got two hundred and ninety as well. It was a draw. The lunch on Saturday afternoon, after our match, was even better than the one on Friday. There was just so much pudding with a great Chicken la King as the main meal. The weekend was a success with many boys playing great cricket. By Michael Mackie UIIIL Cordwalles touring to St Johns is a long tradition, very much enjoyed by the boys. Even though St Johns usually beats Cordwalles comfortably, the Cordwalles boys always come here with an air of confidence about them. There is always an evening which is at someones house or at the school where the boys get to know each other and play a game of soccer. On the Thursday, when the Cordwalles boys got here, we played a T20, but it was rained out. The next day we played a 50 over game. We bowled them out for 57. For us, Ethan Chilvers batted very well making well over 100. Well done to Daniel Segal for also making a century for the U11s. Once we passed their total, we batted on for one and a half hours and then Cordwalles had to chase it down in two hours. We won easily. The next day we had to drop the Cordwalles boys at The Ridge and say goodbye. It wasnt very emotional but on the bus ride home, the boy I was hosting, Keanu, said that he already missed the food. We shared contact details so we could keep in touch with the boys who we came to know as our friends. By Shaun Jacobs UIIIL

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Waterpolo
SACS Tour to Cape Town
The SACS junior U13 Waterpolo Tournament, in Cape Town, is held annually around October. Our 1st team went down to compete against 19 other schools. We were hosted by Rondebosch, Cape Town. On day one we played Stirling, Wynberg and Clifton. We won all our games that day. On day two, we beat The Ridge and then lost to Redham and Rondebosch. On day three, we beat St Davids and KEPS and lost to St Stithians. That made us qualify for the quarters where we played Cannons Creek and lost 3-2, as Mr Logan would say we choked. Half way through the tournament, we went to Cavendish Mall and there is the only Burger King in South Africa but we were not allowed it! So we had Subway. The coaches were taunting us with it. After the tournament, we had a party and watched the rugby. Rondebosch won overall and St Johns Prep came sixth and is currently the best school in Gauteng. Michael Smith UIIIL

1st team Waterpolo after they narrowly lost 2-3 to Cannons Creek in the quarter final in the annual SACS Waterpolo Tournament On the 2nd October, 2013 St Johns Prep waterpolo 1st team went on a SACS waterpolo tour to Cape Town. We left at 09:00 in a school bus to OR Tambo International Airport. Our flight got delayed by an hour. When we arrived in Cape Town we couldn't go to the beach due to our flight being delayed, so we went to Cavendish Mall. We got picked up from SACS by our host families from Rondebosch. For the next three days, we had the SACS Waterpolo Tournament. We had three games a day and during the whole tournament we only lost three games. We also made it to the quarter finals. There we got beaten by Cannons Creek. During the tournament, Mr Lees and Mr Harrison came down to watch us play. In our spare time we went with our coaches, Nicholas Rodda and Mr Bornman to Cavendish Mall to get something to eat. We left in the morning and went back to Johannesburg having had tons of fun on our Waterpolo tour. Kieran McKenna UIIIL

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Sports Report on the U14 Waterpolo Festival held in Bloemfontein 17 19 October 2013
Thirteen boys in total went to Grey College in Bloemfontein, five were from the Prep School. This was to participate in the annual U14 Grey Waterpolo Tournament. St Johns College was put into a group with:

Grey Bloem Port Rex DHS Parktown Boys

On day one, our first game was against Grey College, where we lost 10-3. Our second game was against DHS, where we won 8-6. On our second day, our first game of the day was against Port Rex, where we won 18-3. Our second game was against Parktown Boys where we won 9-1. After the end of day two which was the end of our group games, we were in 2nd place in our group. On the third day we had to play out first quarter final against Reddam. This was played Saturday morning at 7am. We lost this game 9-1. This meant we would have to play another 2 games to decide our final placing. We played KES and we lost 11-1. Our final game was to decide as to if we finished 7th or 8th overall. We played Michaelhouse and we lost 10-4. Overall we came 8th out of 20 schools. It was a good performance despite the pool being a mere 12 degrees. By Luca Allasio UIIIL St Stithians Waterpolo Tournament Results 25th - 27th October Vs Pretoria Colts Vs Jeppe Vs St Stithians Vs Clifton Vs Reddam Vs St Benedicts won 21-0 won 19-1 lost 4-3

won 9-2 lost won 5-3 6-2

Final result 3rd place out of 8 schools Ethan Roets was awarded a medal for best goal keeper of the tournament.

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U13 Gauteng Waterpolo Representatives

Gauteng A: Luca Allasio, Michael Smith Gauteng B: Simon Shelton and Garyn Berry and Stefano Cavalieri

Gauteng non traveling reserves Kieran McKenna, Jordan Van Der Walt and Gavin McPherson

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Rowing
The rowing season has been great so far. We have had two regattas and an awesome tour to Hilton. Most of the rowers started off the season by going to August rowing camp; that was the official start. There was also an open day where some guys got the feel of the boat and there was winter training where they got to row and learn a bit of the basics. The August camp was when we all got in the boats and learned how to row, how to tie down, how to cox and all the calls. It was so much fun and we all learnt a lot. We were also joined by some boys from The Ridge. It is great that they can still come to our training and be a part of our rowing group. I have made lots of friends through rowing. I have got even closer to my own friends. So far it has been a great experience. By Michael Omand UIIIH

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Individual Achievements

Nicholas Ching, UIIIG won a silver medal for individual kata at the 2013 KWF World Championships held in Denmark on the 20th of October. Well done, Nicholas!

Karate
SA JKA Junior Karate Championships held on the 19th of October. Well done, boys!

Torin Torrente (Torin got silver for kata and bronze for kumite), Luka Rajak (Gold for Kumite and Bronze for Kata) and Max Oliver (Silver for Kumite).

Golf
Bradley Dunbar qualified for the 2014 NOMADS SA Boys U15 Golf Championship which will take place at the Fish River Resort 5-7 Jan 2014. Well done, Bradley!

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Chess
16th September St Johns A vs Trinity House St Johns B vs The Ridge lost 28-36 lost 28-36

Congratulations to the boys who won both games Justin West, Leo Fridjon, Dylan Brugman, Corijn van de Loosdrecht and Nicholas Thiel. Well done, boys! 4th November St Johns A vs De La Salle St Johns B vs Roedean Lost 26 - 38 Won 43 - 11

Congratulations to the boys who won both games Justin West, Taylor Williams, Corijn van de Loosdrecht, Alistair Van Der Riet, Nikhil Haripershad, Ciaran James, Nicholas Thiel, Matthew McLean, Montsi Manyatsa, Spencer Clarke, Michael de Gouveia and James Hoole. Well done, boys!

Cricket

Centurions against Cordwalles, Ethan Chilvers 102* and Daniel Segal 101*. Well done, boys!

James Ives receiving his 1st XI cap before the Cordwalles fixture on Mitchell Field. Well done, James!

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1st XI boys enjoying dinner with the Cordwalles boys

U11A boys enjoying dinner with the Cordwalles boys

Swimming

Well done to Tayne and Oliver Krynauw who swam in the 600m event at the Dis-chem Sun City Open Water event.

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Visit By Police Canine Unit

On the 10th of October we were fortunate enough to be visited by the Police Canine Unit. It was a most spectacular demonstration and we will never forget what we saw. The skills of the dogs and how they could find drugs and explosives in even the most hidden away places, was amazing. Who could forget the brown dog that could even do bodmass and play cards? I think that dog is smarter than most of us! Another dog could jump through blazing fire hoops and again, we were astounded to see what these dogs were capable of. I would like to thank the dog trainers, and mostly the dogs, for taking the time to come and show us all their special tricks. I hope that we can see these extraordinary dogs in the future and wish them luck with all their hard work. By Taylor Willliamson UIIF

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MUSIC
The Following Boys Completed Their ABRSM Practical Examinations:
Maqhawe Hoohlo Dylan Brugman Sean Poole Stuart Omand Adam Jacobson Andrew Raney Nicholas Thiel Matthew Monteith Samuel Harding Gibran Sayegh Richard Graca Matthew Bester Taylor Williamson Tariq Seedat Cello Cello Cello Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Flute Recorder Recorder Guitar Cello Gr2 Gr3 Gr2 Gr2 Gr2 Gr2 Gr3 Gr3 Gr1 Gr1 Gr2 Gr3 Gr1 Gr2

PREP TRINITY PRACTICAL EXAM RESULTS 2013

NAME Nicholas Moschides Dean Graca Ryan Hoffmann Thato Kabi Liam Campbell Che Moodley Matthew de la Rey Ethan Orritt Harry Myburgh Warick Roux Siyanda Mbatha Max Milella Ekow Daniels Luka Rajak Graeme Gush Alec McLardy Oliver Innes Tristan Butler Malusi Mtshali

INSTRUMENT Recorder Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Saxophone Cornet Trumpet Trumpet Violin Guitar Guitar Guitar Recorder Piano Piano Piano Piano

GRADE 5 3 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 5 Initial 3 3 1 2 Initial Initial 1 1

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Music
St Johns Prep hosted their first combined Art and Music evening on Monday 21st of October. Although the weather was cold and wet, the evening proved to be a wonderful success, showcasing the impressive talent of our Prep boys. This cultural evening was filled with a variety of music performances by the Prep ensembles, including the Senior Choir, String Orchestra, Junior and Senior Jazz bands, as well as the vibrant Marimba bands. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of performing, some of them for the very first time and despite nerves, tried their very best. After the concert, parents, teachers and children meandered the hall enjoying the Art exhibition. Congratulations to the teachers and learners involved, the evening was a great success and we look forward to making this an annual event. Shannon Frigyik

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Inter-Schools Quiz

Travis, Donato, Shaun, Ciaran, Richard and Luke all tested their general knowledge as well as their skills at charming their fellow team mates in this terms Inter-schools Quiz held at Pridwin. This was a fun evening in which mixed teams from eight different schools answered questions on a vast array of topics. The emphasis was more on the social than the cerebral! Well done boys on your success on both fronts!

One of the best books I have read by Daniel Burke The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
This book really caught my attention because I have always been attracted to classics and books that branch off from classics. This book contains treachery, battles, skullduggery, many a strange weapon, a deadly tophat and most of all, imagination. Princess Alysss heart is just turning seven when her aunt, the evil and twisted Redd takes possession of the throne and sends her from Wonderland, into Our World where fate has many a strange tale for her to tell. I greatly recommend this book to all age groups for this book will greatly expand their imagination and thinking ability. For what is a hatter without their hat just like what is a jabberwocky without its teeth and breath, completely defenseless

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Father and Sons Chess

30th October 2013 Father and sons Chess match. Fathers won 69 61! Congratulations to the boys who won both games Thomas Grubb, Nicholas Lowick, Matthew McLean, Kei Prior, Andi Qu, Hraklis Papageorgiou. Well done, boys!

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4CTea
Excellent Geography Homework Greg Basslian Kgotso Bogoshi Alistair Verhoogt

Winning B Section of the Gauteng Central Junior Squash League Nicholas Ching Brendan Thomas Matthew Wong Sam Harding Daniel Segal Andrew De Lange

Excellent Spelling Trishan Moodley Mike Ontong Jason Short

Excellent Maths Assessment Matthew Chow Andi Qu Khaya Ntuli Ethan Berriman

Outstanding Co-Operation and Enthusiam Deckland Nichols Hamza Masood Mangapa Matlala Centuries Daniel Segal Ethan Chilvers Lebone Madalane

Brilliant Spelling Demarco Moodie Trishan Moodley James Barrow Mike Ontong

Early Morning Run With Mr Lees and Mr Logan Dino Iozzo Matthew de la Rey Oliver de Sousa Nicholas Lansdown Taine Maynard James Rumsey Jack Lees Jack Montgomery

Outstanding isiZulu Assessment Mikael Moosa Mark de Jongh

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4CTea
Creative Writing Jordyn Henning Caleb Lombard

Consideration and Empathy James Estill Conscientious Jack Healey Listening Skills Michael Omand Demarco Moodie Creative Film Maker Joshua Myers

Junior Public Speakers Dylan Brugman Spencer Clarke Dexter Harding James Hoole Keegan Graham Kei Prior Thato Kabi Adam Jacobson Jamie Diesel Guns Down Maths Champ Sithenkosi Mbuli Fizz Bang Pop Champs Garryn Berry Cale Gregory Christopher Williams Nicholas Ching

Outstanding isiZulu Speech Caleb Lombard Junior Public Speaking MCs Sean Faesen Abdul Malik Joshua Sansom Taylor Williamson Project on The Rain Forest Liam Campbell Richard Wattam Daniel Basson Dylan Moyo Andrew Shiller

Outstanding Spelling Murray Matthews

Mpho Makgamatge Cricket Matthew Durandt Daniel Segal Christopher Gray Ethan Chilvers James Barrow

Distinction for Violin Exam Ryan Hoffmann

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UPPER ONE SCARY TALES PICNIC

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St Johns Preparatory School

End of term Book Swap

As we are trying to get all the books back into the Library by Monday 11, we would like each boy to bring at least one age appropriate novel or biography from home, that he has read and enjoyed, to swap with one of his class mates. We will hold a book swap on Monday and the boys can then read their books during the exam period and on into Brain Power week. Books can carry on being swapped until the end of term. Each boy should have a book with him all the time. Please make sure that each book is clearly marked with the owners name and that it is not of sentimental or other value to him. As long as they do not have any overdue library books, the boys may take out books for the holiday in the last week of school. We look forward to many hours of happy reading! Nicky Sulter

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Phendulani Quiz
On Friday 18th of October, the sixth Phendulani Quiz was held at The Ridge School. Phendulani is an initiative, driven by Marj Brown from Roedean, by a number of Johannesburg schools to support under-resourced schools with reading. Each under-resourced school is supplied with up to 24 books that are read by a group of Grade 7 pupils. Teams of up to six pupils are then selected to participate in the quiz. Questions are asked regarding the books read and the teams work together to answer them. This year 22 teams from 16 schools competed in the quiz, three of which, Vuleka Rosebank, Vuleka Northriding and Parktown Public, were supported and sponsored by St Johns. There are book prizes for all the teams and special prizes for the winners. The quiz is generously sponsored by The Times newspaper. This year the standard was extremely high and it was overwhelming to see the enthusiasm for reading that was generated by the quiz. The two teams from Vuleka came in the top five!

Team from Vuleka Rosebank who came 3rd in the 2013 Phendulani Quiz

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St Johns Preparatory School

Just One Bag

On Friday the 11th of October 2013, George Skoutellas owner of Belairs Superspar and Spar Head Office donated seven tons of maize to "Just One Bag". A ton of maize was given to a local orphanage. The balance of the maize will be distributed to underprivileged children and communities.

Jordan Van Der Walt with members from Spar and the children form the orphanage.

On Sunday 13th of October 2013, Jordan was invited by The Spar Group to their annual ladies 5km/10km walk held at the Wanderers Club.

On 14th of October 2013 Jordan was invited to be the guest speaker at the Johannesburg Mini City Council Fellowship Dinner. He addressed 350 students about his 'Just One Bag' campaign. Each student was also required to bring a tin of food that will be distributed to the underprivileged.

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During the month of September 2013 the entire JD group nationwide which consists of: Hi-Fi Corporation, Incredible Connection, Electric Express, Morkels, Bradlows, Price n Pride, Russells, Supreme Furnishers, Barnetts and Joshua Door, ran an internal staff drive to collect maize on behalf of Jordan's campaign. Whatever each store contributed JD Head Office matched. The maize was then distributed to local charities. An outstanding amount of 41 810kgs (nearly 42tons) has been collected. Thank you to the entire JD Group, many underprivileged people have been blessed by your extreme generosity. In August this year Jordan was the guest speaker at The JD Groups 30th birthday celebrations, where this maize drive was announced.

Electric Express Brixton Store donated to a Day Care in the area

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St Johns Preparatory School

Electric Express Oudtshoorn Store donated to a local school

Road Show in Krugersdorp

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St Johns Preparatory School

On Tuesday the 29th of October 2013, Jordan along with Kate Sidley - author of "Agony Chef", were invited by the JHB Mini Councilors to be one of the judges at their Masterchef competition, which was sponsored and held at the Good Life Pick n Pay Studio. The Councilors also donated 300 tins of food to Jordan, which was given to the TLC orphanage.

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Soles For Souls

Dear Debbie and Michelle We would like to thank the St Johns community for the support shown for Soles for Souls. As a result of the shoes donated, we managed to shoe 400 learners at the Isaac More Primary School in Atteridgeville. Oliver checked the childrens shoe sizes before we found a suitable pair for each learner. We also donated books from the St Johns library for the school library, which we had built 3 years ago. With your help, we managed to make a difference in these childrens lives. Kind regards Joshua, Oliver, Heath, Liam and Glen Krynauw

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LIBRARY BOOK RETURNS

If you have a large or even a small stack of these from the Prep Library at

Please return them by Monday 11 November, at the latest. Lost or unreturned books will be charged for @ R150 per book

Books for the holidays may be taken out in the last week of term, once all other books have been returned. Queries: Nicky or Kim 011-6453119

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Notices
iCare
Whilst we hope and anticipate that all boys will feel able to approach their teachers or a member of staff should they feel that something is wrong, we understand that this will not always be the case. Some boys may feel unsure of how to approach a staff member or unsure of what they should say. For this reason we are continuing to use the iCare box, which is now located in Mrs Powells office. We also have an electronic version where boys can contact the Pastoral Care Team at iCare@stjohnscollege.co.za. The Pastoral Care team is hoping that the boys make use of these initiatives to highlight anything that they CARE about at St Johns Prep.

The aim is to provide the boys with an alternative avenue to voice their feelings around whatever may be on their minds. This extends beyond the reporting of just peer difficulties (such as bullying) the aim is to further enhance the quality of the St Johns experience. All notes placed in the box or sent via email will be treated confidentially and actions instituted where possible.

We ask that you encourage your son to make use of the iCare initiative so that we can make his day all that he hopes it can be. Hugo Meirim meirim@stjohnscollege.co.za

AFRIKAANS TUITION Is your son struggling to communicate in Afrikaans or having difficulty mastering the basics of the language (oral or written)? I am qualified to assist in both of the above areas and would be available to provide the necessary tuition between 15:00 and 18:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at St Johns Preparatory. Tuition will be provided on either a one-to-one basis or in group situations, lessons will last for an hour. Progress will be regularly monitored and pupils will be expected to perform certain tasks and complete basic written assignments. Tuition fees for individual lessons are R250 per hour and R150 per hour for group sessions. Should you be interested in the above, my contact details are as follows: Graham Carroll Tel : 011 534 1224 Fax : 011 534 1225 Cell : 076 858 9420

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St Johns Preparatory School

Notices
Art club and extra classes
From the beginning of next term, Mr Poco is starting an Art Club (for LIII and UIII boys) and extra art classes for junior boys. Senior boys are encouraged to join the Art Club on Tuesdays from 14h00 -15h00 or Thursdays from 15h00-16h00. Juniors may arrange extra art lessons with Mr Poco at alternative times and on alternative days. We hope to see the senior boys joining the Art Club to create various exciting art works with mediums they do not normally use in class, such as print making, photography, oil painting and many more. This will be a fantastic opportunity for any boy who wishes to develop his art skills. For further information e-mail Bruno Poco on poco@stjohnscollege.co.za

Italian Language Lessons

Small age appropriate classes and individual tuition offered outside school hours at St Johns. Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher using communicative method of conversation, maintaining cultural ties for solid IEB foundation. Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or Lisabetta@iafrica.com

Appeal For D&T Plastic bottle caps, softdrink, water, milk, all twist off bottle caps Thank You!

EXTRA MATHS LESSONS

Lower III & Upper III boys in Mrs de Langes classroom Every Thursday 14h00 - 15h00 (Teacher recommendation only)

Upper III Extra English Classes Tuesdays 14h15 to 15h00 Mrs Troleses Classroom

Shop At St Johns College New opening times from 28th January 2013
Tuesday and Thursday: 7am to 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am to 3pm For stationery and labels, as well as all your sports clothes, jerseys, bags and socks

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Only a Dad by Edgar Guest

Edgar Guest, an English-born American poet, was born in 1881. In 1895, he was hired as a copy boy for the Detroit Free Press, where he would work for almost sixty-five years. In his lifetime, he published more than twenty volumes of poetry and was thought to have written over 11,000 poems. Guest died on August 5, 1959.

Only a dad with a tired face, Coming home from the daily race, Bringing little of gold or fame, To show how well he has played the game, But glad in his heart that his own rejoice To see him come and to hear his voice. Only a dad with a brood of four, One of ten million men or more. Plodding along in the daily strife, Bearing the whips and the scorns of life, With never a whimper of pain or hate, For the sake of those who at home await. Only a dad, neither rich nor proud, Merely one of the surging crowd Toiling, striving from day to day, Facing whatever may come his way, Silent, whenever the harsh condemn, And bearing it all for the love of them. Only a dad but he gives his all To smooth the way for his children small, Doing, with courage stern and grim, The deeds that his father did for him. This is the line that for him I pen: Only a dad, but the best of men.