Issue no. 16

23 October 2017

Sad News for Parktown Grade 11 learner, Sihlengiwe Julia Dlamini passed away suddenly on 7 October. Julia joined Parktown High School for Girls in Grade 8. She was a diligent student who was committed to her studies. She was also a loyal member of the choir from Grade 8 to Grade 10. She was warm and friendly to those who knew her and always had a ready smile that lit up her eyes. She loved music and red roses. She will be sorely missed by the Parktown High School for Girls’ family. A memorial service was held for Julia on Wednesday 18 October. May she rest in peace. Julia’s family would like to extend their gratitude to the Parktown Girls’ family for the love and support shown to them during this difficult time.

Staff News Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Azar on the birth of their daughter, Ella.

General School News VALEDICTION 2017 On Wednesday, 11 October, the school hosted the annual Valediction ceremony for the Matric Class of 2017. This year the function was held at Parktown Boys’ because our hall was unavailable. Our guest speaker was Thembi Khuzwayo who is the Global Head of Resourcing Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank. She spoke to the girls about rising above your circumstances through hard work and living your life to the fullest. Mrs Megom compared our school to a ship at sea and said that the Grade 12s were passengers on board with the aim of reaching their final destination. Premier Academic Award: DUX SCHOLARUM AND ELIZABETH HEDDING AWARD – Natasha Gertzen

The recipients of the Special Awards were: AWARDS TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY PRESIDENTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL OF LEARNERS – Neha Prag (President), Sibongumzuzu Mkhwanazi (Deputy President) and Cameron McDermott (Deputy President) MATRIC ’98 CUP FOR ENDEAVOUR – Tshepiso Koele and Tshidi Shika This award is made in recognition of endeavour and consistent effort in all subjects.

STEFANIE RÄDEL MEMORIAL AWARD – Courtney Franks

This award is made in recognition of being a motivating and enthusiastic person who is willing to help others to shine. COLLIER CUP – Bianca Govender This is an award for service to the school community made to a learner who is not a Representative Council of Learners' Councillor. ROTARY GOOD CITIZENSHIP AWARD – Meagan Govender This award is made in recognition of service to the school and good citizenship. ANTHEA CERESETO AWARD – Kgantsho Moloto This award is made to a learner who is not a Representative Council of Learners’ Councillor, but who has proven to be an emerging leader in the school. OLD PARKTONIAN AWARD – Sibongunzuzu Mkhwanazi Best All-rounder: Academic, Sports, Culture, Leadership and Service. This year 14 learners obtained their Academic Honours. Academic Honours are awarded when a learner obtains a re-award of Academic Full Colours, with an average above 80%. Congratulations to the following learners: Natasha Gertzen 90.5% Simoné dr Beer 84% Priyanka Padayachee 89.9% Cheyenne Patel 83% Neha Prag 88.2% Hannah Fleisch 83% Alma Snyman 86.9% Khushbu Patel 83% Onyinyechukwu Mbajiorgu 85.5% Azraa Mohamed 83% Nermeen Mayet 85% Amy Tod 81% Emma van der Merwe 85% Najeeba Ahmed 80%

SPORTS AND CULTURAL AWARDS ASSEMBLY Congratulations to the following learners who received awards at the Sports Awards Assembly held on 10 October and the Cultural Awards Assembly held on 12 October. FULL COLOURS HALF COLOURS Francesca Gandini (Choir) Bianca Govender (First Aid) Princess Mhlanga (Choir) Pooja Satyaprakash(Canoeing) Devenney Smith (Contemporary Dance) Krystin Hill (Choir) Nicole Dixon (Contemporary Dance) Thokozile Dumas (Hip Hop Dance) Tarryn Lockwood (Contemporary Dance) Tiro Molefe (Hip Hop Dance) Amy Tod (Contemporary Dance) Tshidi Shika (Hip Hop Dance) Hannah Fleisch (Debating) Lihle Padi (Hip Hop Dance, Traditional Choir) Neha Prag (Debating) Noluthando Ndlovu (Hip Hop Dance) Natasha Gertzen (Equestrian) Courtney John (Hockey)

23/10 Matric Exams start 24/10 SGB Meeting 03/11 Grade 10 and 11 exams start 17/11 Grade 8 and 9 exams start

Kgantsho Moloto (Hip Hop Dance) Gabrielle Chitamu (Hockey) Razeenah Docrat (Marimbas) Ngokwana Manchi (Hockey) Ngokwana Manchi (Softball) Gontse Maphathahanyi (Hockey) Kgotsofatso Tau (Traditional Choir) Jade Watermeyer (Hockey) Karabo Moloi (Traditional Dance) Melissa Winter (Hockey) Anoint Sibanda (Traditional Dance) Tintswalo Ngobeni (Marimbas) Molebogeng Moroke (Traditional Dance) Priyanka Padayachee (Photography) Dita Musungaie (Touch Rugby) Courtney Franks (Orchestra) Jenna van der Merwe (Touch Rugby) Francesca Gandini (Orchestra)

Deandra de Sousa (Soccer) Zoe Peters (Soccer) Razeenah Manack (Softball) Mandisa Moyo (Traditional Choir) Ntokozo Masuku (Traditional Dance) Victoria Kasumba (Traditional Choir) Sibongumzuzu Mkhwanazi (Traditional Choir) Teva Bowring (Touch Rugby) Natasha Gertzen (Water Polo)

RCL 2017/2018 PRESIDENT Phindile Mathibela VICE PRESIDENTS Ruby Barry Robyn Helling TREASURER Chasinga Chama SECRETARY Mateenah Allee HOUSE CAPTAINS PORTFOLIO HEADS Alseids Sophie Haggis Awareness Jessica Vercueil Dryads Jasmine Brown Communication Bettina Köstlin Hesperides Hannah Pretorius Culture Emma Cleland Nereids Chàrdele Williamson Discipline Ntokozo Zwane Oreads Salma Jawoodeen Leadership Gabrielle Chitamu Pleiades Tasneem Kharva Service Praise Chasela

Sisterhood Savannah Hattingh Spirit Sandrine Price Sport Kira Sieber

SGB REPRESENTATIVES Phindile Mathibela Mateenah Allee Robyn Helling

RE-REGISTRATION AND THE FEE PAYMENT PLEDGE FOR 2018 The 2018 Re-registration Form and Fee Payment Pledge Form went home on Wednesday 19 October. The Education Department requires all learners wishing to return to Parktown in 2018 to complete this form together with the payment pledge form. The forms must be put into the Grade boxes in Reception by Wednesday 1 November. Any learner not completing the re-registration form will lose their place at Parktown for 2018.

Dates to Diarise

School group photos are ready!

Group photos are available for ordering online www.lifeimaging.co.za Username: parktown Password: pspar456 Deadline for ordering is 3 November 2017 For any queries please contact us on info@lifesevents.co.za

Uniform Shop Please note the Uniform Shop Hours during Year-end Exams. If you require assistance, please contact Miss Habana in the Finance Office on 011 593 5946.

Academic News ESKOM EXPO FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS Melissa Smith, Utlwang Molefe, Maleehah Cassim, Anna Conradie and Skyla Bennie were selected to represent South Africa at the International Science Fair which took place from 3-5 October at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre. Learners from different countries were given the opportunity to exhibit their projects and be interviewed by international delegates and ministers. Utlwang received a highly commendable award. Bronze medals were awarded to Anna, Maleehah and Melissa. Maleehah also received a special cash award for coming second in the Environmental Engineering category. Skyla was awarded with a silver medal. Our learners are commended on their outstanding achievements at the regional, national and international levels of the Science Fair.

CREATIVE THINKING

A Grade 9 Natural Sciences Biology lesson recently made use of a rainbow cake and a straw to demonstrate the concept of core drilling to test for the presence of valuable minerals in the earth’s crust. Anna Conradie, in 9F, is seen here ‘drilling’ away at her fabulous and very tasty ‘earth’.

SCIENCE GIRLS SHINE Ammaara Ahmed's (Grade 10) Materials Science Poster titled: 'A month in the life of Amorphous Metal' won first prize in the annual competition run by the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials. She won a R1 000 voucher and R15 000 for the school. This money will be used to purchase physics equipment. Three other groups won special awards: Sara Vanker, Emily Barnes and Lameez Dadabhay and Mariam Essack.

Cultural News TRADITIONAL DANCE The Tranditional Dance group performed at the NEA eisteddfod on 11 October where they did amazingly well and received a Diploma. We also had a Trio, Sphelele Nkumane, Anoint Sibanda and Hlengiwe Zwane, who performed outstandingly and received a Gold Certificate. Well done to our amazing dancers.

Sports News

CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Tasneem Kharva who has done very well to be selected for the squad to participate in the third CANA Zone 3 Invitational Swimming Championships to be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 19 - 21 October 2017. Tasneem will be swimming in the U16 age group. Parktown is behind her every step of the way and we wish her good luck.

Tasneem Kharva

Congratulations to Leya Parkin who participated in the Seagulls Winter Short Course Championships and achieved fantastic times for her races.

Leya Parkin

GLOBAL KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS CANADA Maryam and Tasmiyah Suleman were selected to represent the South African Goju Kai Karate Team at the World Championships in Vancouver, Canada earlier this month. They both performed admirably despite the extremely difficult competition, especially from Japan, Malaysia and Philippines. Maryam did very well by placing third to bring home a bronze medal. Unfortunately for Tasmiyah, she dislocated her knee the day before she left for the World Champs which meant that she spent most of her time at the event in a wheeelchair to aid recovery and to give her the best opportunity to, at least, compete. This she did with unbelievable determination and courage, albeit heavily strapped by the SA team doctor. She progressed through the initial rounds but was in no physical condition to progress further. The Suleman family wish to thank the Parktown Girls community for all the support and good wishes received.

TENNIS Our Tennis girls have had a few weeks of tough opposition. They continue to train hard and we hope for improved results as they get stronger. 10 October 2017 St Teresa’s A Team Lost 17 – 46

B Team Lost 21 – 42

26 September 2017 Kingsmead A Team Lost 29 – 34

B Team Lost 9 - 54

18 October 2017 St Mary’s A Team Won 33 - 30

B Team Lost 8 - 55

Thank you to Ms Moreira, Mrs Meyer and Mrs Ann Chapman (coach) for taking care of our Tennis girls this year. They have enjoyed their season and improved throughout the year.

SOFTBALL Our First Softball Team made it through to play-offs on Saturday, 14 October. Unfortunately, we did not have our full First Team available due to many other commitments. Well done to the girls from the Second Team who helped out. We lost to both Curro Aurora and Trinity House

whom we have beaten during the season. Well done to all the players and a very big thank you to Mrs Davidson, with the help of Mrs Sekhwela, for managing Softball so that it ran smoothly and proved to be a successful season with lots of new girls. Thank you to the coaches - Dennis, Miss White and Mr Lezar - for all their hard work and dedication to make sure our girls played a high quality of Softball.

From left: Kopano Mashiane, Aneesah Khota, Jessica Hale, Pinky Radebe SQUASH Our Squash girls played in the friendly Friday afternoon league that was held at Parkview Squash Club. Our teams did very well with our First Team placing third out of eight schools, and our U15 team placing first out of eight schools. Well done to all the players on the following results and great season. A very big thank you to Mrs Patel for managing squash this year with the help of Mrs Azar and Miss Hassain. They kept the season running smoothly and made sure the girls enjoyed their time on the courts. Thank you to Miss Artimedes, their coach, for the hard work she has put into improving our girls’ skills. Opposition First Team Opposition U15 Team

Kingsmead A Lost 1 – 10 Kingsmead B Lost 4 – 7

St Andrew’s E Won 7 – 4 St Andrew’s F Drew 0 – 0

St Martin’s C Won 11 – 0 St Mary’s G Won 8 – 3

St Dunstan’s C Drew 0 – 0 St Dunstan’s D Drew 0 – 0

St Teresa’s C Won 7 – 2 St Andrew’s G Won 11 – 0

Helpmekaar F No match McAuley House B Won 11 – 0

McAuley House A Won 10 - 1 Helpmekaar G Won 11 – 0

First Team Squash girls doing some fitness on the courts

SWIMMING Our Swimming Team has been training hard to prepare for the upcoming league at the start of 2018. We will be participating in the Menlo Swimming Gala on Saturday, 21 October. The swimmers have been doing a lot of technical work regarding their turns and dives. Parktown will soon have their own Swimming Club on our school premises run by our Swimming coach, Reece Turner. The club will offer high quality coaching for swimmers of all ages. The aim of having a club at Parktown is to attract strong swimmers from the surrounding primary schools as well as to give our own Parktown swimmers an option of high quality club coaching after hours which will be much closer to home, less traveling and more affordable. Mr Turner is offering a 20% discount to all Parktown swimmers.

TOUCH RUGBY We hosted our annual Touch Rugby Tournament on Saturday, 14 October at Old Parks Sports Club. This year we expanded to hosting a girls’ and a boys’ section with a total of 14 teams. Unfortunately, a school with two teams entered into the tournament did not arrive which complicated the start of the day, having to design a new programme at the last minute. Well done to both our First and Second Teams who competed against tough competition from across Gauteng. The day proved to be successful and displayed a high level of Touch Rugby with good sportsmanship.

Thanks to Old Parks, Café Rustic, the Parktown managers and coaches as well as the Parktown maintenance staff. A special mention and thanks to Keystone Sound who assisted us at the last minute with a fantastic sound system and two technicians who helped us throughout the day keeping the atmosphere vibey with music and communication. Well done to the following teams on their results: Girls Section Boys Section

1st Crawford Sandton First Team Greenside High School

2nd Parktown First Team Crawford Sandton

3rd Crawford Sandton Second Team Parktown Boys High School

4th Greenside Christian Hatfield

5th Crawford Lonehill Crawford Lonehill

6th Christian Hatfield Reddam Waterfall College

7th Parktown Second Team

8th Reddam Waterfall College

Player of the Tournament (decided on by the referees)

Anneke Loots (Parktown)

Caleb (Greenside High)

WATER POLO Our Water Polo girls have worked very hard over the past three months. Their hard work has paid off as the second half of the 2017 season has shown much better results than the first half. The First Team have only lost one match so far and hope to keep this new record for the last two weeks of matches. Well done to all the girls on the following results:

Beaulieu College (league match)

First Team Won 10 – 3

U15 Team Drew 5 – 5

Fourways (League match)

First Team Won 7 – 6

U15 Team Lost 1 – 4

Kingsmead College (League match)

First Team Lost 0 – 8

U15 Team Lost 2 – 17

Pretoria Girls (League match)

First Team Won 10 – 3

U15 Team Lost 6 – 10

St Dunstan’s (League match)

First Team Won 16 – 10

Friendly Junior Festival:

Kingsmead College U15 U15 Team Lost 0 – 9

Kingsmead College U13 U15 Team Won 5 - 3

Crawford U14 U15 Team Won 8 – 3

Roedean U13 U15 Team Won 11 - 1

ASTROTURF UPDATE The AstroTurf is looking fantastic and it has been very exciting watching as the green turf has been laid. The final details need to be done to the stands, technical area as well as the water pumps. The last step is to cover the turf with sand to weight it down. The sand will seep into the carpet over a period of time.

Service News

COMMUNITY SERVICE Our learners volunteered to assist at the Marks Park Dog Walk held on 1 October. The event included dog demos, agility demos and a recall race. It was a fun-filled day, honouring our canine companions and supporting their fight against cancer.

Other NEWSPAPER HARD COPY If you would like to purchase a hard copy of The Star Gazer, please complete and return the reply slip found at the end of this Newsletter.

POTTED SPORTS Donate R300 to Hearts of Hope and receive a limited edition Linocut from our Potted Sports Committee. Please find the poster at the end of the newsletter.

A note of Thanks Thank you so much to Mrs Chopdat, parent of Amani Chopdat in Grade 10, who so generously donated material worth R600 to the school. This material was then used for our décor at the Night of Stars function. These acts of kindness do not go unnoticed and are very much appreciated.

Parents’ Association News Passionate & Proud MySchool is celebrating their 20th birthday. From 9 to 28 October, MySchool will give R20 to PHSG for every NEW sign up. The Card Application Form for a MySchool card can be downloaded from our website or apply on-line by clicking this link: https://www.myschool.co.za/supporter/apply/

THE SCHOOL ACCEPTS OUTSIDE ADVERTISEMENTS. WE ARE UNABLE TO TAKE

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE NATURE AND QUALITY OF THE SERVICES OFFERED

DR. A.K. SEEDAT - ORTHODONTIST OPERATING FROM 22 BONANZA STREET SELBY FORDSBURG FOR APPOINTMENTS, PLEASE CALL: 011 834 7786/1952/4700 SANDTON: 011 656-2766 (Mon &Tues) EMAIL: akseedat@iafrica.com YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE ON: www.akseedatorthodontics.co.za

FOR SALE Contact Claire: 0726273553

Opel Corsa 1.4 Essentia 2010 ASKING R95 000

Mileage 68 000km. Colour – White Excellent condition,One driver

ABS, EBD, Manual, Power steering, Aircon, Driver and passenger airbags,

CD/Radio, Aux in, New Tyres.

The Parkview Residents’ Association’s Halloween in the

Park takes place on Tuesday 31 October at George Hay

Park from 4 to 8pm. Entry fee is dog/cat food for Animals

in Distress. Dress up prize-giving takes place at 5.30pm.

Food trucks will be selling food. There will be games for

children aged 2 to 12. Enquiries: 082 820 8437.