Applewood Weekly Newsletter 5 August 2016
The elections have been quite interesting this time around and reading the latest results earlier this morning leaves one in no doubt that there is change in the air. As a political pessimist, I normally don’t give much time to politics and politicians. A wonderful quote I once read (don’t ask me where) sums up my feeling succinctly: “A politician is concerned with the next four years, a statesman is concerned with the next generation.” I don’t see too many statesmen amongst the mayoral and municipal candidates!
I mentioned in the first newsletter of term that the staff are engaged in a review of curriculum. We have divided ourselves into teams to cover the various subjects and have undertaken research of the recently-released curricula in Australia and the UK and compared those to our own CAPS documents. Each team will draft a unique curriculum, encompassing the best of the three systems, theory as well as practise. These documents will be the foundation on which Applewood’s academics will continue to impact on the next generation.
Our maths remains based on the Singapore curriculum although we are reviewing the work we do in the early years after the feedback from the conference that Mrs Moodie and Miss van der Merwe attended. The Singaporean delegates at the conference underscored time and again how important the foundational skills in the early years (Pre-Primary) are for successful Maths development.
On a completely different tack, this past Monday the staff enjoyed a presentation from Mrs Di Kilpin on the brain and learning and memory. It was such an interesting, and intriguing, presentation that we only got through half of what we had hoped. Mrs Kilpin has graciously agreed to completing the workshop on the 15th of August. There is so much new information on the brain and how it works that is relevant to teachers – we need to stay up to speed! I will share the insights from the presentation once we have completed our work.
On the same day, Mrs Steyn organised a very successful netball clinic for our girls with Reg and Jenny Sharp, nationally and internationally renowned netball coaches. The girls (from U9 to U13) enjoyed focused workshops on basic skills, courtcraft and tactics and our coaches learnt from Reg and Jenny as well. My grateful thanks go to Mrs Steyn for her commitment to netball and the development of the game at Applewood.
Our U11 and U13 hockey boys and the U9 to U13 netball girls attended the winter sports festival at Curro Hermanus. The U13 Boys won the “Best Team” award for their hockey on the day – which was some of the best hockey they have played this year! Well done, lads!
The children are currently actively involved in various Eistedfodds – we will coordinate the results and present them all in later newsletters.
The applicants have completed the questionnaires and their responses, along with their CV's have been scored by the appointments committee. We meet this afternoon to finalise a shortlist for initial interviews and profiling.
The long weekend ahead holds the promise of a South African victory in Super Rugby (GO LIONS), the unfolding of the Olympics (didn’t our soccer side do well against Brazil, especially with only 10 men for a long period), some more curriculum workshops for the staff and the first Boland tennis trials for Applewood children. Good luck to our boys and girls in their respective trials.
Die verkiesings was hierdie keer heel interessant en die lees van die nuutste resultate vroeër vanoggend voorspel, sonder twyfel, dat daar verandering te bespeur is. As ‘n politiese pessimis, maak ek nie baie tyd vir politiek of politikusse nie. ‘n Wonderlike aanhaling wat ek eenkeer iewers gelees het (moet my nie vra waar nie) som my gevoel saaklik op: “A politician is concerned with the next four years, a statesman is concerned with the next generation.” Ek sien nie veel staatsmanne tussen die burgemeesters en munisipale kandidate nie!
Ek het in die eerste nuusbrief van die kwartaal genoem dat die personeel besig is met die oorskryf van die kurrikulum. Ons het onsself in spanne verdeel wat die verskeie leerareas sal dek en het onderneem om die nuut bekendgestelde kurrikulums in Australië en in die VK na te vors en met ons eie CAPS-dokumente te vergelyk. Elke span sal ‘n unieke kurrikulum skep met die beste gekombineerde verwerking van drie sisteme, teorie sowel as praktyk. Hierdie dokumente sal die fondasie van Applewood se akademie wees en sal voortgaan om ‘n impak op die volgende generasie te maak.
Ons Wiskunde bly gebasseer op die Singapore-kurrikulum alhoewel ons die werk wat in die grondslagfase gedoen word, na terugvoer van die konferensie wat Mev. Moodie en Mej. Van der Merwe bygewoon het, gaan hersien. Die Singapoerse afgevaardigdes by die konferensie het keer op keer beklemtoon hoe belangrik grondslagvaardighede in die vroeë jare (pre-primêr) is vir die suksesvolle ontwikkeling van Wiskunde.
Op ‘n heel ander noot, het die personeel hierdie Maandag ‘n aanbieding oor die brein, leer en geheue, aangebied deur Mev. Di Kilpin, bygewoon. Dit was so ‘n interessante en boeiende aanbieding dat ons slegs deur die helfte van dít waarop ons gehoop het, gekom het. Mev. Kilpin het genadiglik ingestem om hierdie werkswinkel op die 15de Augustus te voltooi. Daar is so baie nuwe inligting oor die brein en hoe dit werk wat relevant is vir onderwysers – ons moet op die voorpunt bly! Ek sal insigte van die aanbieding deel nadat ons ons werk voltooi het.
Op dieselfde dag, het Mev. Steyn ‘n baie suksesvolle netbalkliniek, saam met nasionaal en internasionaal bekende netbalafrigters, Reg en Jenny Sharp, vir ons meisies aangebied. Die meisies (van 09 tot 013) het ‘n gefokusde werkswinkel oor basiese vaardighede, baanstrategieë en taktiek geniet en ons eie afrigters het ook baie by Reg en Jenny geleer. My besondere dank aan Mev. Steyn vir haar toewyding aan netbal en die ontwikkeling van die sport by Applewood.
Ons O11 en O13 hokkieseuns en ons O9 tot O13 netbalmeisies het ‘n wintersportdag by Curro Hermanus bygewoon. Die O13 seuns het die “Beste Span” toekenning gewen vir hulle hokkiespel op die dag – wat van die heel beste hokkie was wat hulle al hierdie jaar gespeel het! Welgedaan, manne!
Die kinders is huidiglik aktief betrokke in verskeie Eistedfodds – ons sal al die uitslae koördineer en bekendmaak in ‘n latere nuusbrief.
Die aansoekers het die vraagstukke voltooi en hulle terugvoering, tesame met hulle CVs, is reeds deur die aanstellingskomitee bepunt. Ons ontmoet vanmiddag om die kortlys profilering vir eerste onderhoude saam te stel.
Die langnaweek beloof om oorwinning tuis te bring vir Suid-Afrika in die Super Rugby (LEEUS BO!), die ontwikkeling van die Spele (het ons sokkerspan nie goed gevaar teen Brazil nie, veral met slegs 10 spelers vir ‘n lang speelperiode), nog kurrikulum werkswinkels vir die personeel en die eerste Boland tennis uitdunne vir Applewood-kinders. Voorspoed aan ons seuns en meisies in hulle onderskeie uitdunne.
Geniet ‘n lekker naweek!
Daniël van Wyk
Keenan O’Keefe Easton
Megan Mc Gregor
Francois: I am really good at swimming.
Bella: I am good at art and sports.
Carla: I am good at maths and doing sports.
Nikita: I am really good at running.
Apple Pips having fun!
The Busy Bees went to Butterfly World this week where they spent a wonderful morning touching a bearded dragon, blue tongued lizard, hedgehog and house snake. They thoroughly enjoyed exploring the tropical gardens with butterflies, parrots and bats flying all around them.
Busy Bees drawing lady bags.
The 'clever' Clever Cats love working in their Singapore Maths books.
This week the Clever Cats enjoyed the crisp winter days and displayed the beautiful leafless trees in their art. We also made silver snowflakes.
Boys Hockey at Curro Hermanus
Girls Netball at Curro Hermanus
Grade 4 bake sale was a ROARING success!
Netball clinic at Applewood with Reg and Jenny Sharp. We would like to extend a special thanks to Mr and Mrs Gilfillan for receiving and taking care of our special guests on their farm, Vredenhof. We are also most grateful to the PA and the Grade 7 netball moms for taking care of all our guests meal requirements. We can assure you that they felt most spoilt!
Afrikaans Huistaal "Kos-in-die-kunste" day
On Monday all Afrikaans Huistaal students and some Grade 7 Additional Language students enjoyed some pizza during our exciting Kos-in-die-Kunste Day. Poetry with a food theme by authors Jaco Jacobs and C. Louis Leipoldt were discussed, detangled, celebrated and, in an instant, Afrikaans became easy as pie - or should we say, pizza!