Dear Cedar House Families
Our School community is having a wonderful term: so much is thriving, so much is happening and there is a quality of positive energy that is tangible and that is real.
Our examinations begin for Grades 8-11 in 3 weeks time; we hope you have seen the students’ examination booklets. Cathy has also e-mailed copies to all parents. This should be a time of academic focus for our students. Your assistance with this would be appreciated. Could you also please support us in ensuring that absenteeism, at this time, is kept to an absolute minimum.
Grade 12s are in the process of managing their 2nd term test programme and I have been proud of their efforts (they deserve their Matric Dance which happens soon at Kirstenbosch!).
Other things/events that make one feel really good about our community are:
- A range of energising extra-curricular events all of which are reported on in this newsletter (a LO excursion to Phillipi, focusing on small businesses, experiences of foreigners, sanitation etc., as the basis of a research project on being a democrat in South Africa today; a Design outing to the FABLab [a unique centre for innovation which allows designers to develop and perfect a prototype of almost any imaginable product before taking it in to mass production]. Our students receive so much here.
- Planning for our School’s annual excursion to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. There will be a party of 60 Cedar House people who will be seeing 19 shows…very exciting indeed!
- A combined level of academic focus and personal care that feels healthy.
- The fact that over 60 of our students (from all Grades) participated in UCT’s annual Maths competition (the biggest competition of its kind in the world).
- The process around enrolling of two 2011 Grade 8 classes; we are currently enrolling a group of first rate Grade 7s and expect the Grade to be full soon. There were many strong Grade 7’s who wrote our Scholarship exam.
- Social Action day happens next Friday
- Our Grades 9-11 vertical teaching programme happens during lesson 3 on Fridays and Staff reported back on it at our last Staff meeting. Amazing things are happening: they range from explorations of Ian McEwan’s novels and Shakespeare’s “Othello” to ways in which to change the world to decoding what really happened at Woodstock to Astronomy to Advertising to the history of Film to playing creatively with numbers etc…
- The 70th birthday celebration of a much loved Science teacher and founder of Cedar House, Brian Jacoby.
- 23 of our 2011 Grade 11s are signed up to be part of our first overseas exchange programme to two schools in the US in February 2011.
- Our last two assemblies, driven creatively and expertly by a group of our student leaders, showcasing the Literary Tour and KKNK excursions. Luke and Stewart were particularly generous with their time
- I work alongside a group of superb Staff and with a group of phenomenal young people.
BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCING
Sarah Cohen in Grade 8, recently took her first Preliminary Bronze Medal in Ballroom and Latin. She attained 84% for ballroom and 81% for Latin. These are the highest marks attained in her age group. She should be receiving the medal shortly.
CELEBRATION EVENT SEPTEMBER 2010
You are reminded that the last day of our 3rd term is Heritage Day (24 September). Our annual Evening of Celebration is that evening, at the Baxter, and is being planned to last for 2 hours. We need your support, please, and ask that your arrange for your families’ holidays to begin on the Saturday.
REQUEST FOR OUR FRONT-OF-HOUSE MAN, JACK CHIKWENYA
Jack Chikwenya is a wonderful man who looks after out front gate’s security and welcomes us all in the mornings. He is a fine asset to our community. Jack’s son, Leroy, joined his mom and dad, from Zimbabwe, in January. He is a bright, engaging little boy who needs to be part of a Grade 1 programme. Without a school, Leroy will have to leave his parents and return to Zimbabwe for his education. We are investigating the possibility of a place at Michael Oak Waldorf or Auburn House, but first need to ascertain whether it will be possible financially. The fees would be R2 400 per month. Could any families who are in a position to contribute a monthly amount (even a small amount would be appreciated) towards Leroy’s fees please be in contact with Cathy as soon as possible? We will then see what the shortfall amount is that we would have to cover. The commitment would have to cover the next 18 months, in the first instance. Many thanks for considering this request. A big thank you to Cedar House families and staff who have already pledged their support for Leroy. I am pleased to announce that an amount of R1710 monthly has been raised thus far to support Leroy’s education. This request is part of our mission to be a connected, socially transformative school.
CEDAR HOUSE TAKES ON THE UCT MATHS COMPETITION
On Tuesday, 19th April a group of Cedar House students of all grades participated in the UCT Maths Competition. When we arrived at UCT, many of us had to separate due to the different venues. Although we split-up, we got to chat with old friends from various schools, while chatting to our fellow classmates who also attempted the same paper. We all sat down respectively and awaited the papers eagerly. The paper was daunting yet and unforgettable experience for all of us. We struggled but
managed to see the enjoyment. I would like to thank all the teachers at Cedar House for organising the trip and especially to Mrs Gubb for entering me. Mutaalib Gaffoor Gr 10.
GRADE 12 ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME
In designing our Grade 12 assessment programme this year, we have tried to move away from the traditional “terrorism of testing” system and have also tried to incorporate the approach of three term IEB schools. Also, more teaching time has been added to the equation which will advantage our Grade 12’s substantially. Matrics will receive a full, mid-year mark order (made of up work and assessments during the first two terms) at the end of this term and another full report (with subject assessments) after their prelims and then a final mark order after their final examinations. When the Grades 8-11 students begin exams on 24 May, our Matrics will be taught in 90 minute blocks (during which a lot of the required investigative work will also be covered). There is an opportunity for Grade 12 teachers to meet with teachers in our third term. Any information, or support, or questions that are required or surface now, can be brought to my or your child’s mentors’ attention. We are confident that our students are going to be advantaged by what we have designed but understand that, because it is new, there might be questions.
NEXT PARENTS’ FORUM
Our next Parents’ Forum is on Thursday, 27 May. The evening is going to be more relevant for parents of learners in the junior grades, but all are most welcome to attend. From 6:15 to 6:30 we will be serving tea and coffee. From 6:30 to 7:00, Frank and our Counsellors will address and take questions from the Forum. At 7:00 our guest speaker, Neil McGibbon will address us. For half an hour he will speak to us regarding adolescent behaviour and what can be considered as typical and what is cause for concern. He will describe what behaviours can be expected and what to look out for. He will also explore with us the possible environmental factors that can lead to things going wrong during this period of development. He will then field questions for the last half hour and the evening will end at 8:00. It is sure to be both interesting and informative and we hope to see many of you there.
REPORT BY BENJAMIN ON PARTICIPATION IN “IMAGINE” MAGICIAN SHOW
I was in a show in the Artscape called Imagine. It was a great deal of fun. We had a woman called Adri who is called the number one female magician in South Africa she played the main role of “evil sorceress”. Monica who had won a prize somewhere got the head role of “the girl”. They had also hired a professional called Marcel he played the main part of “the rabbit”. Unfortunately they weren’t very original with any of the names of the characters. I was in the pre-show and did the spider lady and also some other things. There were three pre-shows; spider lady, girl without a middle and flea circus. The show was roughly about two hours long. We had lots of fun as we got a tour of what happens behind the scenes. Benjamin Claassen Grade 9.
GRADE 11 MATHS LITERACY EXCURSION TO McDONALD’S
The Grade 11 Maths Literacy class went to McDonalds on the 23 April. We left school during class and made our way to McDonald’s. On our way there we had to do a work sheet and take data. We all had a good time and left with our stomach’s full of math knowledge and McDonalds. We had a great time and hope that we can do it again some time. Thank you to Mrs Gubb.
GRADE 9 TECHNOLOGY OUTING
On Thursday the 22nd April, the Grade 9’s took a train to Simons Town to go to the Warrior Toy Museum and the Naval Museum. Many of us had never been to the museum and had a great time. The most interesting part was finding out the insane prices they can get for train sets and little cars. After the museum, we walked over to the Naval Museum. We saw all the old cannons and other navy equipment. Thank you Mr Murray and Mr Tshikaya. Megan Bassett-Smith Grade 9.
BREAD BUDDIES’ ASSOCIATION
As part of our outreach, we support the Bread Buddies Association which provides sandwiches for the underprivileged kids and families. We have found that many learners forget to bring extra sandwiches on Thursday’s. We therefore have to come up with a system to ensure that there are enough sandwiches delivered to the Bread Buddies Association on a weekly basis. Every week a mentor group will be asked to bring loaves of bread and peanut butter. During second breaks on a Wednesday, we will make sandwiches in preparation for collection on Thursday. Every mentor group across the grades will have an opportunity to make sandwiches for Bread Buddies. It is essential that we support this association as a school and we encourage families to take part in this initiative. We can make a big difference in so many lives. Your support is greatly appreciated. Yakobeti Nyirenda Gr 12
GRADE 9 ACHIEVERS IN TH AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATION’S INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING TESTS IN MATHS and ENGLISH
We congratulate the following students who achieved Certificates of Distinction:
Daniel van Besouw, Callum Fraser and Tom de Jong for English
Luigi Perez for Maths
THEATRE EXCURSION TO “STOMP”
I think ‘Stomp’ exceeded all our expectations. You would think that two hours (without an interval!) of basically pure percussion would have its audience fidgeting and longing for a drink, but it was totally engrossing. Besides how amazing the perfectly co-ordinated sounds and moves were, it was also funny. They managed to make everything they did into a sort of scenario with imagination and characters (although there was no speaking – that would have ruined it). The sounds ranged from soft and even melodious to heart-stopping loud and dramatic, and they involved the audience quite a bit. Although their set and props were quite elaborate, you can imagine them jamming at home while sweeping or washing up and constantly thinking of new things to use as instruments with no inhibitions (like a pen on teeth – who would have thought?) so thanks to Miss Lancaster who managed to get us seats for almost half the price – it was an amazing experience and I feel sorry for anyone who didn’t go. Julia Laurie Grade 10.
LIFE SCIENCES EXCURSION TO MEDICAL MORPHOLOGY MUSEUM, TYGERBERG HOSPITAL
The outing to the Medical Morphology Museum in Tygerberg was very interesting. We went to the biggest museum in Africa. They had an incredible amount of specimens in the museum. The specimens were incredibly interesting. I’ve never seen such things that were once living, in a jar. I found the museum the most fascinating part. The deformed babies were slightly disturbing, but all in all interesting. Leigh Motaleb Grade 10.
The outing to the Medical Morphology Museum was extremely interesting. It wasn’t what I expected as I didn’t think that we would see the real babies and human heads in the jars. The dissection was not gory at all. I expected the cadavers to look more “recent” and a bit more fresh and fleshy, so I found that the weird smell (formalin) was the worst part for me. But the best was touching the organs like the lung, spleen and brain (the brain felt exactly how I expected it to be). The museum part was also very interesting. I really enjoyed the outing! Sideeqah Sonday Grade 10.
Although some elements of the Medical Morphology Museum made me feel uncomfortable, it was an over-all enlightening experience, highlighting modern day threats to the human body. The museum certainly helped me respect my body the way it is. Caitlin van der Walt Grade 11
I really enjoyed the outing. The smell of formaldehyde was a bit off-putting, though. I had hoped to see a ‘fresher’ body being dissected though, but it was still interesting. I definitely enjoyed the museum the most, and thought it was fascinating getting to see normal and deformed organs and various parts of the body. The talk and presentation was also very informative. Thanks so much for taking us. Anjuli Daya Gr11.
On the 20th April, the Grade 10 and Grade 11 Life Science students went to the University of Stellenbosch Medical division, to get a tour around the building and a series of group talks and dissections. I thought the best part of the outing was looking around the museum , looking at all the human babies were quiet interesting. The dissection was not as good as I thought it was going to be. Luke Basset-Smith Grade 11.
“MACBETH” DINNER
This event was so much fun! It was something completely new and different for all of us. The evening welcomed the grade with bagpipes played by our very own Jade Tennant’s father. His incredible talent for this instrument combined with him helping us get into the theme by also wearing a Scottish outfit, really made us feel as though we could have been in the 11th century. The event that followed the bagpipes was a beautifully decorated sit-down dinner. The finger food was unanimously declared brilliant. As a grade, we then performed the play for our fellow peers. Even though many of us forgot our lines, we were all dressed up and stayed greatly entertained. Mr Rumboll then gave us a very insightful talk on the play, and helped us to understand and appreciate Shakespeare. For many of us, this was our first time doing Shakespeare, and the evening really helped us to understand the ways of this man, and what we all thought were just unnecessary “thou’s” and “wouldst’s”. Thank you Mr and Mrs Rumboll, Mrs Baron, Mrs November, my fellow peers and of course my dad for buying cupcakes, for a very memorable evening. Megan Malherbe Gr 10
“GREAT GATSBY” COCKTAIL PARTY
On Wednesday the 21st of April, the Grade Elevens had their annual Great Gatsby Cocktail Party. After analysing Fitzgerald’s novel and exploring the Roaring Twenties era, I must admit that it was rather exciting getting into character and getting all dolled up in traditional Flapper era outfits. The evening began with mingling and munching on typical cocktail treats and, of course, the doing the Charleston to classic 1920s music. As part of our English oral mark we were required to divide ourselves into groups and re-enact certain scenes from the novel and I have to just say that I was amazed at the number of incredibly dramatically talented people we have in our class. An extra special Thank You goes to Mrs Rumboll for not only for organising the event but also for teaching the novel to us in such an enriching manner. And another Thank You to Mr Rumboll whom we were fortunate enough to have as our guest speaker for the evening. What a fantastic night. Katie Williams Gr 11.
GRADE 10 ACHIEVEMENT FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Course in C++ Programming: C11A
At the beginning of March, I received a thick package in the post. Within, I found three CD’s and a single sheet of typed paper, topped by the Stanford University Education Program for Gifted Youth’s letterhead. Here was the courseware for my C++ programming course which, according to the EPGY, I would need until the end of May to finish. Three CD’s: one with software, two with lectures. If I said I wasn’t a tiny bit apprehensive I would be lying. What if I started the lectures and had no idea what was going on? Could I depend on my tutor, half way across the world, to bail me out? Well, starting from when I loaded up the courseware all apprehensions flew from my mind. I could not believe my luck: in two days, I completed 10% or so. And the rest just flew by; lectures flowed easily, programming assignments (to print prime numbers and factorials and complete quadratic equations, to name 3 of the 29) went by in a flash. On my student page was a graph showing actual progress (red) opposed to required progress (green)? In three weeks, the red line had hit the 100% mark, with an average of 97%. After completing my exam and e-mailing it to my tutor, I received a final mark: an A. A few weeks later, I started the second course. The assignments looked much harder, but I waded through the lectures one weekend (my graph, as I type this, now stares bemusedly about the territories of the top axis, wondering how it came to be there) and now the assignments make sense. I had what my Maths teacher calls an “Ah-Ha Moment”. I was very fortune to be able to do these courses, with the help of two companies my mother is connected to, and they are hopefully going to help me achieve my ultimate goal (not World Domination, the other Ultimate Goal): studying at MIT after school. Conor Engelbrecht
ORANGE RIVER RAFTING
The trip began the same way as most other trips, with a lot of half-asleep people waiting in the cold for a bus to arrive. Once we were on the bus we had the lovely task of sitting in said bus and driving 9 hours to the Namibian border. This trip consisted of either sleeping or the shoving down of sugar in order to wake up. Once at the border we went through the normal system of having our passports checked. Once we arrived at Bundi base camp we settled down and were given a talk about how to pack the rafts that we would be using. The next morning we woke up to the wonderful task of packing the rather small barrel for the 3 days we would be spending on the river. It should be noted that each barrel was for two people. After packing and a quick talk on the basics of paddling and signals we got on the river and watched as the new people to paddling went round and round in circles before eventually sorting themselves out and headed on their way. Our nights on the river were quite simple; unpack, eat, sleep. Once back at base camp some of the students decided that it would be a good idea to put on a talent show. Well… that is pretty much all that needs to be said! That night was not particularly enjoyable due to the swarms of mozzies that saw us as a lovely meal for them. The next morning was wake up, pack and leave. Matthew Lock Grade 12
After the long bus ride up we had a relaxing evening and an explanation on how to prepare for the next day. The river was a lot higher than the previous years I have been, making it a lot more relaxing. All the big rapids were gone and the small ones were just rough water. Very little paddling was needed as the currents were so much faster than normal. The food on the river was spectacular. The evenings on the river were a nice time to relax and unwind and a great time to just chat with friends. Sleeping consists of a ground mat, sleeping bags and a nice sandy spot under the stars. When we got to the pickup point after 3 days on the river we were handed the luxury of an ice cold soft drink to quench our thirst. We then had to pack the big yellow truck with all our stuff and we went back to base camp. The best part about getting back to base camp was the nice warm shower to clean off the sand. The trip is an amazing way to get away from work and stress and to get in touch with nature and a more relaxed side of things.
Chris Nessworthy Grade 12.
This term a whole group of us accompanied by six teachers went on a wonderful four day Orange River trip full of adventure. The only bad thing about the trip was the long, long bus drive. We were told before the trip that the drive would take about nine hours. It ended up taking twelve hours on a bus that wasn’t
Greased Lightening. From 7am until 7pm. When we finally arrived we were all greeted and we all set about preparing our little camp site where we were attacked by every insect you can name. It was worth suffering the biting Miggies just to see the beautiful river in the morning. Then started our long memorable drift down the magical river. We have so many stories of goats, sitting around the fire, water fights, going down the rapids backwards, matchbox fights, wrestling (where small embarrassing moments can happen), nappy running, our last night talent show where some of the boys decided to re-enact Ms Fella’s, ‘hard’ paddling, etc. On the last day a lucky few of us went to the old mine. I was surprised to find that it is not a cave. There we found many treasures and we all practiced our caveman skills, digging!
All in all the trip was a huge success. Many thanks to all the teachers who came along and to Ms Fella for making this all possible. A great big thanks also to our 3 guides without whom we would all have drowned! Rouane Brokensha Grade 9.
SOCCER REPORT
I am so impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and skill levels of our soccer players this term. The senior boys have dominated their league playing beautiful, flowing football. It is difficult to point out individual players as the superb results are due to excellent team work and clear communication on the field. Every player understands his position and functions effectively with the players around him. More importantly they have role-modelled good sportsmanship and respectful conduct both on and off the field. Well done boys and keep it up! The Junior boys and girls have shown huge improvement, and their passion for the game proves to me that Cedar House Soccer is in a truly healthy state. I encourage all our younger players to keep training hard and working on their communication and ball retention skills. They have so much potential and I am excited to see what the future has in store. Cliff Murray, Sport
GRADES 8 and 9 SCIENCE FAIR
The 2010 Science Fair was an exciting and dynamic success. There was a wonderful buzz at the start of the week and it was thrilling to see the calibre of work that was brought in over the next few days. The Grade 8’s and 9’s showed themselves to have engaged with their projects with maturity, intelligence and frequently a level of good humour. Congratulations to Matthew Orolowitz who took first prize with a fascinating study of the difference in effectiveness between organic and inorganic fertiliser. Kathleen Keogh came in a close second with her study of bread mould. It was very exciting to have a Grade 8 come in third. Claire Andersen completed a fascinating project on the speed of sound. James Hunt and Aneeb Hendricks were the winners of the prestigious Standford Tuck Ignoble prize. Well done to everyone and thank you for all your hard work! Laura de Villiers
UCT PHILOSOPHY COURSE
It is wonderful that 20 of our students are participating in this year’s Philosophy lectures being offered by the University of Cape Town’s Philosophy Department.
The rather controversial topic of the 2010 UCT Foundations in Philosophy course was ‘Love and Sex’. In this year’s course, we attended lectures and discussion about promiscuity, homosexuality and patriotism. The lecturers were enlightening and encouraged us to have our own opinions. The group discussions were very engaging. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to learn about philosophy with other schools. Anjuli Daya Gr 11
DESIGN OUTING
The Grade 12 Design Outing to Forms Express gave us an educated look into the world of printing. I think many of us were surprised at the amount of effort you have to put into printing something. We were taken on a special tour of the rooms downstairs where the printing machines were. They made a lot of noise and the smell of ink was really potent. Megan and I made up a printer dance. We bobbed our heads and swayed to the rhythm of the printers. The best machine was the guillotine used for cutting large amounts of paper. It looked like it could cut your hand off in one clean blow! We then went to Montebello Design and Craft Centre for some coffee. We had a very nice carob cake in the garden. Thank you so much Mrs Lancaster, we had a really good time. Georgia Humphrey
VISUAL ART EXCURSION TO SPIER EXHIBITION @ THE CITY HALL
On the 29th April, the Grade 10, 11 and 12 Art students went to the Spier Contemporary Exhibition at the City Hall. It was very interesting and we learnt a lot. We got a tour around the Exhibition, which I really enjoyed. I thought that the art works were excellent, but strange. I loved the maggots because they moved and looked real. In all it was a great experience. We would like to thank Ms Peckham for taking us to the exhibition. Tallan Shrimpton Gr 11
On our arrival at the City Hall we were given a chance to walk around and individually discover the exhibition ourselves. After that we were taken on our hour long guide tour where we were enlightened on the art works and given their background history. Some of the conceptual work, I found confronted our views of what is art and what is not art. Some of us found that they could relate to some pieces as they were centralised in South Africa, and because some works were made by people we know. Iphendule Ndzipho Gr 12
GRADE 8 PRINCIPAL’S EXCURSION
On Thursday, 29 April the Grade 8’s took a train to Town and ventured off to Lobby Books, the IDASA museum/library and the National Library of South Africa, which opened in the late 19th century, where we enjoyed a very interesting talk and tour. We then went up Long Street where we visited Clarke’s Bookstore. This has been an amazing experience. Thank you so much Mr Rumboll for a very enjoyable day. Rinchen van Rijswijk
Mr Rumboll took the whole Grade 8 class for one awesome outing to town. At about 9 o’clock we walked to the train station and bought our tickets, and we were off. We first went to the IDASA Library. There we saw artwork and really interesting books. Then we took a short walk to the National Library, the oldest in South Africa. We then went to Clarke’s Bookshop and saw a book for R75 000! We went back to the station and back to school. I would like to thank Mr Rumboll for organising this day for us. Miguel Tablai
We went with Mr Rumboll to Cape Town on the train. On the way we walked past Long Street and Church Street. We then went to the IDASA Library for South African books. We saw some nice artwork of a priest swinging on a chandelier. We then carried on to the International Library and we saw the first newspaper ever produced in South Africa. This was followed by a visit to Clarke’s Bookshop. The Grade 8 class would like to thank Mr Rumboll for such an amazing day. Ezio Ambrosi
GRADE 9 OUTING TO THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
The grade 9s made their annual History trip to the Cape Town Holocaust Centre on 13 April. The Centre provides a wonderfully rich guided tour around the photographic display, and a presentation of documentary movies and discussions in a seminar room. The grade 9s were engaged and asked mature and topical questions, and learnt a great deal from the volunteers. Their emotive responses to the displays, and the movie called “Hannah’s Suitcase” showed that their understanding of the Holocaust has deepened and become much more personal. Mrs P Murray
CEDAR HOUSE COMMUNICATION
We realise that it is essential for communication in our school community to be continually improved. For this reason we have been looking into ways to improve the technological infrastructure to facilitate this. Over the past year, we have been investigating various commercially available options but, because these are not tailor made to the school’s needs, a number of limitations have been found. We have therefore decided to look further – and specifically into possibly developing a school intranet for internal communication, as well as outsourcing some communication between school and parents. At the moment
we are contacting local schools who have used the idea of an intranet successfully Mr Rumboll and I are also meeting with a company called School Alert on Wednesday… They specialise in centralised SMS and email communication as well as providing a web portal for access by parents and the school. We undertake to keep you informed with regular updates of our progress in this regard. Ms L MacLachlan
I wish all of our families a good few weeks ahead and thank you for your support.
Yours sincerely
FRANK RUMBOLL
Principal
We congratulate the following members of Staff who have been appointed to be IEB Regional Portfolio Moderators for the 2010 Grade 12 IEB examinations:
Mrs Gubb
Ms Kotze
Ms Maclachlan
Ms Peckham
Mrs Rumboll
We congratulate the following members of Staff who have been appointed to be IEB Oral Moderators for the 2010 Grade 12 IEB examinations:
Ms Kotze
Mr Rumboll