1

31st March 2017

Newsletter No. 5

Dear Parents,

For 20 years Grantleigh has been preparing

students for success at school and beyond. We, as

staff at Grantleigh, promise to deliver excellence

and take good care of your children.

The message this week is based on a reading taken

from Romans 5, verses 3-5.

“More than that, we rejoice in

our sufferings, knowing that

suffering produces endurance,

and endurance produces

character, and character

produces hope, and hope does

not disappoint us, because

God’s love has been poured into

our hearts.”

What is joy? My dictionary says, ‘great happiness’.

When I look up the word ‘rejoice’ it says ‘show

great joy’. So it follows then that to rejoice means

to show great, great happiness. To change the

reading a little, it says we must be greatly happy

when we suffer, which is very different to the

message we usually get in society. The verse goes

on to say that when we suffer we must boast that

this is happening to us, as suffering is good for us

– teaching us to be patient, to endure and to

persevere. This, in turn, leads to strength of

character and hope. Hope is a feeling of

expectation that something positive can happen,

and the verse goes on to say that hope doesn’t

disappoint us but it comes from the Holy Spirit.

Each time we use hope (and are therefore hopeful),

it makes us stronger and our faith becomes steadier,

so we are able to hold our heads high in all

circumstances, knowing that all is well.

Don’t depend on ‘Good Luck’ – believe in Hope.

What a wonderful message to hear from God in a

world that is frequently cynical and hopeless.

Looking at Grantleigh life, there are also examples

of daily tribulations and trials. As a group we may

be suffering because our team is losing at sport; or

we have to work very hard on a series of tests or

projects. The suffering may be of a different

nature, such as experiencing lots of very hot days

or early risings and therefore not deadly, but

difficult nevertheless.

I often watch our teams play difficult sports

fixtures, practise long hours for the upcoming

school play or students struggling with their

academics or personal life and who still deliver

good performances or make good moral decisions.

After enduring a rough patch, they endure, plan,

work together and it all pays off in the end.

Congratulations to them! Looking back they

should have rejoiced in the fact that they were still

together as a team, still had their identity and were

still striving as part of a wonderful Grantleigh

school and community. Our students continue to

amaze me with their talents and their commitment

to academic excellence!

2

We trust that you’ve had a peaceful Easter Holiday

with family and let’s not forget what Easter is all

about. Hug your children tightly, and please help

them through the stressful upcoming examination

term.

Warm regards

Juriana Filmalter

Operational Head: College

ACHIEVEMENTS

Athletics

The KZN Youth and Sub-Youth Athletics

Championships took place at Kings Park Durban on

10 and 11 March.

Phila Maxase obtained a silver medal for U17 Boys

long Jump and a bronze medal for U17 Boys shot

put.

Nkanysio Gumede obtained a silver medal for U19

Boys shot put.

Wandile Gumede came 4th in the U17 Boys long

jump and reached the final in the 100m but sadly

had to withdraw due to injury.

Well done boys!

Hope is the thing with

Feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune

Without the words,

And never stops at all

~Emily Dickinson

3

Inter-house Art Competition

Congratulations to Christebél

Coertze who produced this

magnificent painting to secure 1st

prize for Bishops at the recent inter-

house art competition. Truly a

masterpiece!

Curro Wildebeest Selection

The following students have been selected to represents Curro KZN Schools (Wildebeeste) at the Curro

Nationals taking place in Pretoria at the end of June:

NETBALL

U/11 Netball U/13 Netball

Tyra Lambert Natalie Gouws

Senele Makhathini Sarah Richards

Zizipho Ndonga Kerishva Govender

Sethabile Mthembu

Phiwa Bhengu

Ella-May Claassen

Georgia Seindis

Tina Schulte

U/15 Netball U/18 Netball

Clarize Coetzer Bernice Basson

Asande Nkosi Sindi Nkosi

Amy Harrison

Marja Harmse

4

7'S RUGBY

U/11 Rugby U/13 Rugby

Jacques Geyser Jan Adam Beukes

Ross Hassard Ruben Marx

Bryce Johnson Liam Nel

Matthew Gouws Stefan Britz

Heinrich Fourie Jayce van Eeden

Brayden Kuppisami

Elijah Botha

Xander Jordan

U/15 Rugby U/18 Rugby

Rikard van Wyngaardt Migael Pistorius

Kwandile Mthethwa Adam Becks

James Sutton Simon Upfold

Akhil Harripersadh Pierre Vermaak

Solwazi Ndlovu Keagan Smith

Liam de Villiers

GIRLS HOCKEY

U/11 Girls Hockey U/13 Girls Hockey

Mia Vermaak Kayla Hassard

Kerrin Wynne Josie Reilly

Kaylee McLaren Kirsten Johnson

Keira-Lee Stone Leame Beukes

Kate Sparks Jordyn Louw

Lindi Terblanche Kelly Braithwaite

Jade McDuling Kayla Nel

Tannah d’Offay Michaela Hagemeier

One Mothoa Carla Janse van Rensburg

Cindi de Bruyn Gemma Louw

Anika Vermaak Olivia Lottering

Nkanyezi Xulu Evandre Venter

Lily Cason Anke janse van Rensburg

Zoe Bolton

U/18 Girls Hockey

Name

Sajana Nagassur

Chene van Wyk

Tessa Hubble

Tasmin Anderson

Megan Craycroft

Danielle van Onselen

Stephany Anselmo

5

BOYS HOCKEY

U/11 Boys Hockey U/13 Boys Hockey

Name Name

Juan Visser Keanan Dunn

Alex van Eeden Nicholas Scrase

Josh van Vught Gael Greenway

Quintus Jordaan Brett Drummond

Jason Nelson

Ryan Mendes

Morris Fox

Tristan Hall

Luke Drummond

Ruan Loubser

Tristan van Rooyen

Luca Olivier

Hayden Mathieson

Michael Preen

U/15 Boys Hockey U/18 Boys Hockey

Name Name

Ross Tracy Gunther Kelling

Brett Braithwaite Thomas Fourie

Nathan Kriedemann Daniel Udal

Sassa Mnaba Tyron Ferraris

Christo Kotze Blake Bolton

INTER-HOUSE DRAMA COMPETITION

Grantleigh College Presents:

“TWO DECADES OF SONG”

Inter-House Play Competition

On Thursday the 16th of March, over

140 Grantleigh scholars and 13 staff

members took to the stage to present

Grantleigh’s annual Inter-house Play

Competition. As 2017 marks

Grantleigh’s 20th birthday, the

College titled the evening 2 Decades

of Song. The Grade 12s wrote

original scripts for their respective

Houses based on various song lyrics

that have hit the charts over the last 20

years. Hence, the subject material of

the evening was truly diverse and

6

interesting. Dr Truter, one of the adjudicators, told the audience that the plays had definitely “given us all

something to think about”.

The learners started the plays from scratch themselves and then went on to audition, cast, produce and present

their very own plays. They are congratulated on all their hard work and dedication and the excellent evening

of entertainment that was produced.

The play topics ranged from dealing with

the legacy of apartheid, peer pressure,

saving a human life through social

media, and a magician’s circus story to

swapping souls to experience how

teenagers from different backgrounds

live their lives very differently. The plot

for the winning Senior House Play

revolved around a murderer and how the

detectives eventually found the killer.

Thankfully, the audience showed

overwhelming support for all the plays

throughout the event and, even though

the school hall was full, the actors still

managed to hold the audience in tense

silences on many occasions.

In between each play, the staff stepped

up on stage to sing some of the songs that

have graced the airwaves over the last

two decades too. It was wonderful to see the ‘adults’ having so much fun and showing that no matter our age,

we can always get up on stage. Grantleigh

College’s ever-popular Marimba Band joined in

the festivities as they played to welcome the

audience and be the entertainment whilst the

judges made their decisions.

The Junior plays ended with awards being given

by Dr Truter, Mrs Taylor and Miss Gina to the

Best Supporting Actor: Ross Tracy, Best

Supporting Actress: Demi Sloane, Best Actor:

Samuel Brading and Best Actress: Tammy

Pretorius. The overall best play went to

Orioles, directed by Carmen Singery,

Danielle van Onselen and Minnie Nkosi.

7

The Senior Plays ended the evening on a powerful note, with final adjudicator points between the

performances being negligible and the adjudicators even deciding on a tie for the Best Actress Award. The

Best Supporting Actor: Chuma Mngadi, Best Supporting Actress: Sibahle Xulu, Best Actor: Jarod Waldapfel

and Best Actresses: Sindi Nkosi and Chloë Davies. Trogons were the overall winning House thanks to the

Directors: Nikita Dhanasar, Kopano Bodibe and Graham Hastibeer.

The school’s sincere thanks go to Miss Shannan Brown, the co-ordinator, and all those College staff who

assisted and supported her.

Best Junior Actress: Tammy Pretorius Best Senior Actor: Jarod Waldapfel

Best Senior Director: Stephany Anselmo

8

SENIORS

BEST ACTRESS *award*

Sindi Nkosi & Chloe Davies

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS *award*

Sibahle Xulu

BEST ACTOR *award*

Jarod Waldapfel

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR *award*

Chuma Mngadi

BEST PLAY *award*

Trogons

BEST DIRECTOR Stephany Anselmo

BEST CO-DIRECTOR Sibahle Xulu

BEST PLAYWRIGHT Nikita Dhanasar

BEST DANCE / ENSEMBLE PIECE Orioles

JUNIORS

BEST ACTRESS

*award* Tammy Pretorius

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

*award* Demi Sloane

BEST ACTOR

*award* Samuel Brading

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

*award* Ross Tracy

BEST PLAY

*award* Orioles

BEST DIRECTOR

Carmen Singery

BEST CO-DIRECTOR

Danielle van Onselen & Minnie Nkosi

BEST PLAYWRIGHT

Carmen Singery

BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE

Duan Visser

BEST DANCE / ENSEMBLE PIECE

Orioles

9

REPORT BACKS

Grade 11 Leadership Workshop

The Grade 11 group participated in their first

leadership workshop on Wednesday 15th March.

Coordinated by Brett Ellis from TeamAttitude, the

group was guided through various tasks and talks

highlighting teamwork, leadership and how to attain

success. The group was encouraged to engage

actively throughout the day which gave both natural

leaders and those more introverted students a

chance to get involved in several games and

challenges.

Mr Rhoan Abbott

Hockey Clinic

On Saturday the 25th of March, Grantleigh hosted a hockey clinic run by the Madsen Hockey Academy.

Despite a very wet day there was a great turn out. The children were taught some new skills as well as how to

improve in various aspects of their play. We look forward to hosting them again in the near future and hope

to see a number of students there again.

Mr Garth Bishop

10

NOTICEBOARD

European Tour 2017

On Friday 24th

March, we bid

farewell to our

excited students

and staff going on

the much

anticipated

European Tour.

They visited

Athens, Rome,

Paris and London.

Look out for a full

report back in our

next newsletter.

FROM THE SAN

Flu Vaccines

Adults and children who have asthma or those who are prone to respiratory

illnesses are at a higher risk of contracting Flu and secondary related

illnesses; this has a negative, domino effect on school and work

attendance. Children who live in close proximity, such as boarders, also

have an increased risk of contracting flu. I would like to encourage you to

have your whole family vaccinated with the flu vaccine this holiday. Don’t

wait, Vaccinate!

Sr Kerry Mayer

11

Developments on the sporting front

We have reached the end of a very busy 1st term and look forward to the onset of the 2nd term. With the change

to winter sports, it is opportune for me to let you know about some of the plans we have for sport at Grantleigh.

Upcoming projects:

The first is to strengthen our ever growing Hockey Academy headed up by Mr. C. Bishop. To achieve

this we are currently in negotiations with the Madsen Hockey Academy. They will supply valuable

expertise in order to assist Mr. C Bishop in helping our Academy reach the desired level.

The second is to start a Cricket Academy in conjunction with the Durban Cricket Academy. This will

allow for more opportunities for our cricketers to grow as well as cater for the up-skilling of our

coaches through umpiring and coaching courses. These courses will also be made available to our

students from the age of 16. The courses will be made more accessible by running them from school

through the Durban Cricket Academy. This will result in our teachers not having to give up teaching

time to attend coaching courses.

Our third project is to start a Swimming Academy which will offer additional school training for our

top swimmers as well as additional learn-to-swim sessions for our Senior Preparatory & College

students that have not yet mastered the basics of swimming.

2017 First team playing kit

With the assistance of the GPA, in particular Mr. Bothma, the first team kits in both the Preparatory School

and the College will be fully sponsored. In the Preparatory School the sponsors are GFT Spar Group (The

Giannacopoulos family). In the College, 1st Netball is sponsored by Amazing Glaze (Mrs. Gouws), 1st Cricket

by Alpha Security (Mr. Conradie) and for the rest of the College 1st Team sports, Ritchie Auto Zululand (Mr.

W. Ritchie). The sports office has collaborated with the GPA sports kit subcommittee as well as the sponsors

to produce a 1st Team kit that will make a statement and set our school apart from the rest. This year, our

students will not only be good but look good at the same time.

New facilities for 2017

Going up soon will be the new hockey score board as well as several other exciting additions/improvements

to our facilities as recorded below:

Refurbishment of the cricket nets.

A container to store rugby and high jump equipment closer to the playing fields.

Cricket ‘Wendy House’ to securely store bowling machines and other equipment.

Netball/Tennis technical area and storage for equipment.

Pavilion for the main oval.

We as the Sports Department are always looking for new ways to improve sport at the school and give our

students the competitive edge.

I hope this notice sheds a little light on some of the plans that will improve sport for your children.

Regards

Shaun Kommer

Head of Sport

12

SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS

We congratulate the following boys and girls on gaining selection to district and regional teams:

Rugby:

Congratulations to Ruben Marx and Kyle Hulley who were selected for the Zululand U12 Rugby Team

Jayce van Eeden was selected for the U13 Zululand Rugby Squad and the final round of trials will be held

next term.

Hockey:

Congratulations to the following students who were selected for the Richards Bay Zone hockey teams:

College Hockey:

The district hockey teams will be published as soon as the official team lists have been received from the

various co-ordinators.

Netball:

Congratulations to the following girls who were selected for the King Cetshwayo District Netball teams:

U11

Ella-May Claassen

U14

Kelly Ervine

Lizbe van Staden

Cheneille Hall

U12 Boys U12 Girls U13 Boys U13 Girls

Mas’ud Cassim Kayla Nel Mihlali Ndonga Olivia Lottering

Jan Beukes Kelly Braithwaite Brett Drummond Michaela Hagemeier

Kyle Hulley Anke Janse Van Rensburg Nicolas Scrase Leame Beukus

Gael Greenway Carla Janse Van Rensburg Jayce Van Eeden Kayla Hassard

Cole Kinsey Jessica Sparks Kirsten Johnson

Rebecca Sparks Jemma Louw

Gina Brown

Jordan Louw

Josie Reilly

13

U15

Jolie Botha

Mikayla Kruger

U17

Amy Harrison

Jody Schick

Marja Harmse

Sindi Nkosi

U18

Annemarie Mare

Prep Girls Cricket:

Jamie Conradie and Kayla Hassard have been selected to attend the final round of KZN U13 Girl’s Cricket

trials.

Swimming:

Michael Esterhuyse was selected for the KZN Schools Swimming team and travelled to Polokwane during

the April holidays.

SPORTS FORECAST

GRANTLEIGH SPORTS FORECAST

AS AT: Monday 17 April 2017 to WEEK ENDING: Saturday 22 April 2017

Thursday 20 April

13:00 Ps. U12 Boys and Girls District Hockey Trials Grantleigh

Friday 21 April

13:00 Ps. U13 Girl’s Hockey Festival Felixton

Saturday 22 April

08:30 Col U14 and U16 Winter Sport vs RBHS Grantleigh

14

MY SCHOOL

MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet is one of South Africa’s biggest fundraising programmes, raising over R3

million every month for over 9000 schools, charities and animal welfare or environmental organisations.

MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet allows you to make a difference just by shopping, because every time you

swipe your card at any of our 12 national or numerous local partners they’ll make a donation on your behalf

to the school or cause you choose at absolutely no cost to you!

Get your free card today. Every swipe counts!

MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cs@myschool.co.za 0860 100 445 www.myschool.co.za