Dear Parents, Boys and Girls

Is it just me or are things pretty stressful at the moment? The World Cup; the next Mathematics test; the economy; picking up the children; crime; the taxis; what's for supper....stress, stress, stress!

The following is an extract from "Helping your child deal with stress" by Cynthia E Johnson.

Stress is a normal, unavoidable part of life. It affects everyone, even children. Parents can ease the stress that children feel and teach them to cope with stressful situations. It is important to remember that stress is a natural part of your child's life. It only becomes harmful when the problems and hassles of daily life overwhelm your child.

Life can be hard for a child between the ages of 6 and 12. A child has to deal with pressures at home and is learning to cope with a larger world that involves school and friends. Common stressful situations include: having an unusual name at school, feeling slow, ugly or smart, being pressured to make good grades, making new friends, feeling jealous, competing in games with a brother or sister, arguments with parents or friends, not getting along with a teacher, being criticized, worrying about a changing body, being embarrassed, taking on more chores, and being excluded from activities and friends.

You can tell when stress is getting to your child. He may withdraw, regress, and act like a younger child, wet his bed, develop sleep problems, grind his teeth, or develop speech problems. Children under stress also may seem to think and move slowly. Other signs include: difficulty at school, stealing, lying, cheating, sadness, crying, fights, frequent falls and accidents.

What can you do? The children who are best able to cope with stress are those who have supportive and understanding parents. Be there for your child. Try to understand what he is going through. Encourage him to talk things over, and help him to think through problems. He is beginning to develop some problem-solving skills, although he needs help in this area.

Parents often add pressure to their child's life by pushing too hard. If problems seem to revolve around school, sit down with your child's teacher and work together to set realistic goals and standards for achievement. The problem may not be academic. Sometimes children are involved in too many different activities or may have taken on too many chores at home. On the other hand, an isolated child may benefit from being encouraged to participate in group activities.

Your child will benefit from your affection, approval and positive reinforcement. Listen to him and help him to find solutions to his problem; this will teach him to manage stress in his own life.

WINTER UNIFORM

As the days are becoming a little cooler, pupils are allowed to wear their winter uniform from Monday 3rd May 2010.

 Mrs L. van Dellen

SPORTS TOUR

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all the pupils and teachers going on the soccer and netball tour to Durban the best of tours. They will be leaving on Monday 3 May and play matches against Howick Primary, Clifton Durban, Maris Stella, Ladsworth, Clarendon and Sarnia Primary. They will also have an opportunity to go on a tour of the Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium in Durban, as well as spend a morning at the Ushaka Marine World. The tour returns on Saturday 8 May. The teachers accompanying the children will be Mrs. P Mantu, Mr. S Milliken and Mr. J Robus.

SMOKING

Please be advised that as of the 1st September 2009, the smoking legislation in South Africa has been amended and that new regulations are in effect. The legislation particularly targets smoking in outdoor areas, the protection of children and reducing the chances of fires caused by burning cigarettes.

In the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act 63 0f 2008; the clause that relates directly to schools is as follows:

'Smoking is not allowed on premises (including private homes) used for commercial childcare activities, or for schooling or tutoring.'

Smoking, therefore, is not allowed anywhere on our school premises, both indoors and outdoors.

We request that you respect and abide with the above legislation.

Mrs L. van Dellen

VACCINATIONS

As you may already know, South Africa has had an increase in measles cases during 2009 and 2010 compared to previous years. If not controlled, there may be more cases of measles. Measles can be a serious disease, as it can cause blindness, hearing problems, brain damage, pneumonia and even death. Many children have received more than one dose of the measles vaccine during their first two years. These doses work in about 9 out of 10 children. Outbreaks may occur amongst those who were not immunized or amongst those in whom the vaccine did not work. If you are concerned or require more information, please contact your local health department or visit your nearest clinic.

 PTF FUNCTIONS – CHANGE OF DATE

There are two changes to the calendar with regards to PTF functions this term. They are:

Barn Dance: Friday 21st May 2010 in the Hall beginning at 6:30pm

Donkey Derby: Friday 13th August 2010 in the Hall beginning at 6:30pm

Please diarise these new dates/times.

 Mrs L. van Dellen

INTER-HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY

Inter-house cross country takes place during school time on Monday 10 May 2010. It starts at 11am with the Grade 0 races and should finish by 1:30pm. Parents are more than welcome to come along and support the children on this special day. It is a normal school day for all pupils, and hence they need to stay until 1:30pm to support the Grade Sevens in the final race of the day. There will be no extramurals or integrated day that afternoon, except for possible chess matches.

SEFIKENG READING PROGRAM

We are still looking for anyone with an hour per week to spare to read with the children at Sefikeng.

We read on Mondays from 9am to 10am, Wednesdays from 9am to 10am and on a Thursday from 8am to 9am.

Please contact Sue Blane blanesm@iafrica.com

Mrs S. Blane

LEARNING THE DISKI DANCE!

On Monday 26th April, the whole school had the opportunity to learn the Diski Dance. This dance is the official dance of the Soccer World Cup. The day dawned cold and dreary and what a wonderful pick-me-up for everyone to let their hair down and learn the dance. Both teachers and pupils alike thoroughly enjoyed themselves as we all count down the days to the big event.

Mrs L. van Dellen

ENVIRO

World Environment Day will take place on 5 June 2010.  To prepare for this event we will be focusing on the theme "Stop litter for Wildlife".  The Grade 7 councillors would like to encourage all the children and parents to improve our recycling.  We will be sending our Mondi orange bags home on a weekly basis.  Each grade will be assigned a week in which to collect waste paper and to bring the paper to school every Thursday, in their orange Mondi bags.  We would encourage children to get into the habit of recycling paper even if their turn is over.

The roster is as follows:

Grade 5:  3 - 7 May

Grade 0: 10 - 13 May

Grade 1: 17 - 20 May

Grade 2:  24 - 27 May

Grade 3:  31 May - 3 June

Grade 4:  12 July - 15 July

Grade 6: 19 July - 22 July

Grade 7: 26 July -29 July

 Mrs T. Versfeld

LOST PROPERTY

All items marked and unmarked from the lost property room will be displayed on tables in the courtyard on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th May. Items not claimed will be donated.

Mrs L. van Dellen

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE GENIUS

Week 1: Courtney Mocke                                           Gr 6D

Week 2: Tiyana John                                                  Gr 4W

CHAIN OF VALUES

Who Flies the Kite?

Who flies the kite?

"I", said the boy;"it is my joy;

I fly the kite."

Who flies the kite?

"I", said the wind; "it is my whim;

I fly the kite."

Who flies the kite?

"I", said the string; "I am the thing

That flies the kite."

Who flies the kite?

"I", said the tail; "I make it sail;

I fly the kite."

Who flies the kite?

All are wrong; all are right;

All fly the kite.

Belonging to a team is like that. A team is like a body, with hands and feet, and eyes and ears and a nose, and it takes every one of these parts, and more, to make a body. A team needs every one of us to do our share, and each must play his/her part. Don't forget - all fly the kite.

Grade 1s

GOLDEN MOMENT

After a mini-netball practice, Mrs Bester asked the team which positions they had played in. Toni Prevett answered that she had been the 'chicken wing' - when she had in fact been the wing attack!

Warm regards

Jeremy Robus

Deputy Head - Extracurricular