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DELTA NEWS 2016

Term 1 - No 1 of 2016

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE Dear Parents / Guardians

I am once again the proud principal of an exceptional school even with the challenges of the renovations which have come to a standstill! We have already achieved a lot in a short period of time, especially looking at the following accomplishments:

Delta Park School was awarded the best LSEN School in the district.

Delta Park School was 20th out of 60 schools in the district, including mainstream schools based on the Gr 12 results. We achieved a 98% pass for 2015.

Five of our staff members received awards at the NTA at District level: Ms S Biley (1st), Mr Jacobs, Ms Gill Townley (Ms J van der Hoven) and Ms G Lubowitz (2nd), Ms M Loots (3rd) and Ms G Visser (5th).

Six of our athletes were invited to participate in the LSEN SA athletics for the weekend of 12 March.

Our u15 7-a-side rugby team received bronze medals at the SOA rugby day. Thank you to Mr Siya Mgidi (coach) and Mr Visagie (organiser).

Ms Sarah Biley was nominated as best soccer coach for the month

We are often approached by many schools (including private and mainstream schools) to assist them because of our staff’s knowledge and expertise.

We had 5 educators marking Gr 12 final exams papers.

Ms Gates is also one of our lead teachers and is paramount in giving guidance and training to educators on a National level.

Unfortunately there have been some challenges as well.

We have had an increase in parents swearing and using derogatory language towards members of staff, especially Danny, our security guard. This is not acceptable and the SGB will be asked to assist in such matters.

The renovations which have come to a halt. Learners and staff have really been patient and have shown exceptional strength and endurance during a very challenging 2 years. If all goes well, the new contractors will be introduced to the school within the next week or so. Hopefully by next term we will be able to give parents more information. The good news is that the two boys who were injured in 2015 are doing well and are both at school.

Absenteeism of learners. Please remember should a child be absent without notification for 10 days, he/she could be removed from the school register and parents would have to reapply at the District Office. Frequent absenteeism can also be seen as negligence, especially when a learner is under the age of 15.

CAN YOU HELP???? WE NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING PLEASE:

Sponsorships and prizes for our annual Delta Dash MTB Race (16 April). Gazebos that we could borrow for this event.

If there is anything else you think you could assist with, please contact the friendly ladies in Reception. “Individually we are unique, together we are a masterpiece” Let us as staff and parents/ guardians/ caregivers stand united and work together to give our children the best we can. It is our obligation.

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STAFF MATTERS

We congratulate Ms. A Hiemstra on her new baby boy.

We welcome the following people who have joined us:

Ms. L Jooste Ms. S Cillie’ Foundation Phase class assistant Grade R teacher

Ms. C van der Merwe Ms. M Carter Grade 4 teacher Grade 2 teacher

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FROM THE NURSE

Greetings all Parents / Guardians. I am Nurse Gounden and have assumed medical duties at Delta Park

School this year.

Please take note of the following:

Medication:

A lot of parents are sending medication to school with

their children. This is very dangerous and does not comply

with regulations. It’s becoming a problem as children are not

handing the medication to the teacher or myself and often

medication is lost.

Parents must come to school to hand in medication for

their children so that proper management of medication can

be followed.

Please ensure that sufficient medication is sent to school.

A big thank you to all parents who make sure their children

always have medication. This really helps the learners to

grow academically and as future citizens.

Parents who have concerns / queries regarding medication

must please call me on 011 888 7228 or email me at nurse@deltaparkschool.co.za

Health Education:

Please ensure that your child is sent to school with a water bottle, as temperatures have been

extremely high in the mobiles. This will assist the learners to stay hydrated as dehydration can

lead to nausea and headaches.

We are currently experiencing a problem with nits and lice. Please make sure that you check

your child’s hair on a daily basis and if you suspect or find nits / lice please DO NOT send them

to school. Rather take them to a doctor /clinic to get them treated immediately so that they can

return to school sooner to prevent them from missing out on learning opportunities. Children

will only be accepted back at school if they have been seen by a doctor who certifies them free

of nits / lice and with a valid doctor’s / clinic note. Nits / lice are seen as highly contagious but

we also do not want any learner to be socially isolated or ridiculed because of this.

REMEMBER - this occurs on clean hair.

AFTERCARE

Routine = Light lunch; homework; sporting activity (if applicable); free play in the Foundation Phase’s Playground; juice and biscuits @ 4pm; home before 5:30pm. Advantages of our Aftercare:-

The Aftercare is situated on the school’s property so there is no need for your child to be transported by anyone but yourself.

Easy for your child to attend extra lessons when required.

Easy for your child to attend school sporting activities and matches.

Homework is supervised and checked daily.

Staff from Delta Park School are in charge and they are in daily contact with your child’s teacher. Please contact Cheryl Parnell, after 2pm, on 083-415-3909 for further information.

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FROM THE SOCIAL WORKER Good day to all parents.

My name is Ms Ennie Saruchera and I am the new Social Worker at Delta Park School. I have vast

experience in the field of social work, as I previously worked for the Department of Social Development. My

responsibilities included but was not limited to statutory work, presenting cases in court, house visits and

interventions with children and families on various levels.

My roles and responsibilities at Delta Park School can be summarized as follow:

Assisting in developing positive behavioural intervention strategies.

Assisting with conflict resolution and anger management.

Helping learners develop appropriate social interaction skills.

Working with parents to facilitate their support in their children’s school adjustment and general

adjustment to new situations.

Alleviating family stress to enable the child to function more effectively in the school and community

environment.

Providing staff with essential information (cultural, societal, economic, familial, health) affecting learner

performance and behaviour.

Providing direct support to staff.

In-service-training for staff.

Developing intervention strategies to increase academic success.

Group, individual and family counselling.

Referrals to institutions e.g. rehabilitation, Boys Town, Girls Town, etc.

Home visits.

All referrals to be given to the SBST.

I am organized and always strive for high standards of professionalism and excellence in my field of social work. Parents are welcome to contact me for any assistance or guidance.

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FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE Finance:

Exemptions: Collection of application forms for Exemption of school fees for 2016 close on 29 February

2016, as per resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting held in November 2015.

Discount: If school fees for 2016 are paid in full on / by 29 February 2016 a discount of 10% is applicable.

Please remember to swipe your My School Card.

Tax Certificates: Please remember that tax certificates for school fees paid will only be done on request.

Please send you request to accounts@deltaparkschool.co.za. Please indicate if the certificate should be

sent home with the learner or via return e-mail.

FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL

High School Athletics

Once again, we had a very successful athletics season at Delta Park School. Our first meeting took place

at Sasolburg. We returned with 25 Gold, 17 Silver and 16 Bronze medals! Athletes that really stood out at

this meeting were Masego Mmodi and Refentse Mnagadi who both received 4 medals and Ashleiz

Ntoagae who won an impressive 5 medals.

Our second meeting took place at Germiston and once again we came home with 24 Gold, 18 Silver and

20 Bronze medals. The third meeting was the Prestige meeting that took place at Pildich Stadium in

Pretoria. We had nine senior pupils that qualified for the inter-provincial athletics meeting that will take

place on the 12th of March in Sasolburg. They are Tyrese Lungu (Long Jump), Abraham Zimba (Long

Jump), Theolyn Palmer (100 m and 200 m), Refentse Mngadi (200 m, 100 m and High Jump), Ashleiz

Ntoagae (Long Jump), Masego Matshunyane (Javelin), Lervelle Lungu (High Jump), Keanu Bartlett

(100 m) and Malefu Mailula (Long Jump). Delta Park learners also broke a total of 7 records. Masego

Mmodi broke the record for Long jump, Ayanda Nyathi for 60 m, Ashleiz Ntoagae for Long Jump, Pinky

Adams for 100 m, Lervelle Lungu and Refentse Mngadi for High Jump, Oratile Sathekge for 100 m. We

wish our learners, who are going to the inter-provincial meeting the very best of luck!

Ashleiz Ntoagae

Masego Matsunyane

Theolyn Palmer

Refentse Mngadi

Malefu Mailula

Lervelle Lungu

Keanu Bartlett

Tyrese Lungu

Abraham Zimba

Adams Scholar Transport in surrounding areas: Westbury,

Bosmont, Newclare, Florida, Maraisburg and

Corrontationville.

Contact details: 081 812 7376 or 082 453 4547

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RCL CAMP 2016

We were hardly back at school after the December holidays when the

RCL had to leave on their leadership camp that took place on the

weekend of 16 – 18 January 2016. We left early for Motsomi Bush

Camp for a weekend of fun and games to develop our team spirit. The

weekend was filled with exciting games and activities like paintball and

archery. On Saturday the learners had to make their own potjie in the

rain, and they did an excellent job. On Sunday we came home tired

but extremely satisfied.

We would once again like to thank Project Summit for a lovely camp. .

Swim & Slipper day (24 February 2016)

On this warm, sunny Wednesday, the High School walked to the Blairgowrie Swimming Pool. The

educators and learners left for the swimming pool at 10:00 and returned at 12:30.

Fun was had by everyone; the learners swam, yelled, talked and ate, and the educators ate and ate and

ate…

……awesome, the High School way….!!!

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Grade 8 Induction Excursion

Friday, 29 February 2016

This was the final round of the grade 8 induction.

For 2 weeks the new high school learners were “put to task” on a range of induction exercises which was a

fun way of welcoming the “newbies” to Delta Park High School.

As a celebration for completing the induction programme, our learners were treated to a fun outing at “I-

Jump” in Stroebensvalley, where they enjoyed a day of jumping, hopping and dancing on trampolines.

The excited learners and RCL members were taken by bus to the venue. Their excitement could not be

contained! On arrival they immediately kicked off their shoes and started jumping like crazy. Two hours later

the learners were exhausted and were taken back to school. Back in class, they were too exhausted to even

lift a pen.

It was indeed a day of fun and the perfect welcome for our Matric class of 2020!!

MERIT AWARDS

Delta Park School celebrated its own Oscar Award Ceremony – our annual Merit Awards Day - on 11

February 2016. The event was filled with razzmattaz and glitz; from the red carpet, the splendid décor, the

exciting music of the Oscars to the receiving of trophies and certificates.

In the tradition of the Oscars, we acknowledged and congratulated our precious learners who were

honoured for their accomplishments for the 2015 academic year.

The top achievers in each grade were as follows:

Grade 8 – Lindokuhle Baloyi Grade 9 – Zandisile Ndlovu

Grade 10 – Kelsey Pomroy Grade 11 – Mersadez van Zyl

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A huge thank you to all the proud parents, relatives and well-wishers (we had an excellent turnout) for their

constant support, love and enthusiasm.

Our sponsors for the morning’s event - Mindshare - provided a professional photographer and a DJ. The

top achievers and the two recipients of the Ambassador’s Award received tablets, courtesy of Mindshare.

FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

GRADE 3 LEARNERS

On Friday 19 February, the Grade 3 learners were invited to the Delta Park Environmental Centre to take

part in their ‘General Environment’ programme. Although we were disappointed that the film crew who were

supposed to film us did not arrive, we all had lots of fun. We got to learn about the environment and how to

look after the environment so that humans can survive.

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FOUNDATION PHASE CAMP-OUT

On Friday 26 February, the some of the foundation phase learners and their families attended the first

Delta Park School Camp-Out. It was great fun, despite the massive rain storm! The staff and parents

enjoyed socialising together, while the children got to play with their friends. The sunrise on Saturday

morning was incredibly beautiful to wake up to! Thank you to all those families who supported the event.

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Grade 7 Monitors Camp.

Venue: Montsomi, Hammanskraal, Pretoria

Date: 15 – 17 January 2016

Delta Park School Monitors went out for an exciting camp which was full of learning and fun. We would like

to thank Mrs Harmse and Mr Moyo for accompanying the kids.

The monitors went out to be equipped and they definitely got all the necessary tools needed for their

leadership roles. During the camp the monitors were involved in an obstacle course where they swam,

cooked, modelled and danced.

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JUMBLE SALE

JUMBLE SALE

DELTA PARK

SCHOOL

SEPT

02

Donations needed

Delta Park School is hosting its annual

Jumble Sale as a fundraiser for the Speech

Therapy department. Proceeds will go

towards assistive devices enabling us to give

learners the gift of hearing. Please assist us in

making their dreams come true by leaving

your unwanted goods at reception.

Ite

Items needed:

Clothes & Shoes

Toys

Books

Household Items

Linen

Accessories

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FROM OUR PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Psychology Department: Grade 9 Subject Choice Assessments

The Psychology Department will be conducting assessments with all the Grade 9 learners on;

Tuesday, 5 April 2016 and Wednesday, 6 April 2016 during school time.

The aim of these assessments is to assist the learners with choosing subjects for Grade 10 onwards. Recommendations will be made based on the learners’ interests, personality as well as their abilities.

Please ensure that your child attends school on those particular days in order to complete the assessments.

For more information please email us at: psychology@deltaparkschool.co.za

Study Skills Workshop

The Study Skills programme was introduced to the Grade 4 parents at a workshop that took place on Saturday, 20 February 2016. Thank you to all parents that attended and for supporting your child! A follow-up workshop has been scheduled for parents to assist with the preparation for the June exams. Date : Saturday, 7 May 2016 Time : 09:00 to 12:00 Programme: 09:00 – 10:00 : Time management, managing your child’s stress levels, terminology used in exam papers (English and Afrikaans). 10:00 – 10:20 : Tea break 10:20 – 12:00 : How to answer an exam paper, studying exam content.

Registration forms will be handed out during the first few weeks of

Term 2. Please complete and send back to your child’s register

teacher.

We hope to see you there!

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WELLNESS CLUB

LEARNER ACHIEVEMENTS

Ameer Seedat has been selected to represent the Gauteng Cobras in the National Baseball Championships. This is not the first time he has been chosen to play at national level. In the championships, Gauteng Cobras will be playing against other districts such as East Gauteng, Eastern Province, Boland and Western Province. “It has taken immense dedication just to get to this stage, so you want to make every opportunity count” - Ameer

WELL DONE, AMEER!! YOU MAKE US PROUD.

TERM 1 and 2 will kick off with HOCKEY! Join us

Thursday, 3 March 2016!

Once again we really need more girls to join us!

We meet every Thursdays from 14h00 – 15h00 in

front of the staff room!

We are looking forward to seeing you there! For more information please contact

Ms. Mareli Steenkamp at Office B16

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MERSADEZ VAN ZYL

Sadie recently took part in the inter schools Equestrian Nationals competition and achieved second place.

Well done Sadie, we are very proud of you.

She also participated at the National Model of the year competition. She represented her agency, Figures

Models and achieved second place.

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SCRIPTURE UNION

Psalm 119:105 ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Scripture Union is an International Christian Youth organization. Delta Park School is running a very active

Scripture Union branch. All learners who wish to learn more about the Bible and following Jesus Christ, are

welcome. We get together every Thursday during first break.

The Gr.1-5 learners met in DID Room 5 to have a praise-and-worship session one week and learning a

memory verse from the Bible, the alternative week. They were taught verses on the next “Fruit of the Spirit”

– PEACE!

The Grade 6-7 learners met in DID Room 18 and learnt what the Bible teaches us about Self-Control in

various typical teenager situations.

Philippians 4:7 “And God’s peace shall be yours. That tranquil state of a soul

assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content

with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding

shall guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

IMPORTANT DATES

APRIL 2016 MAY 2016:

5 April 2016: Gr. 9 subject choice 4 May 2016: Spur evening 6 April 2016: Gr. 10 subject choice 6 May 2016: Mother’s day gifts for sale 7 April 2016: Gr. 8 study skills Cheap and chirpy sale 13 April 2016: Gr. 4 to 12 reports handed out (2pm – 3pm) (5pm – 6pm) 7 May 2016: u/15 rugby day @ Lantern Gr. 12 outing Gr. 4 study skills 16 April 2016: Delta Dash 11 May 2016: Gr. 8 NS outing 19 April 2016: Reading Award Launch 12 May 2016: u/15 rugby match 20 April 2016: Open day (8am – 10am) 13 May 2016: Soup day sale 21 April 2016: Visual Art Gr. 11 outing Gr. R – 12 civvies day u/15 Rugby match (Destinata) 19 May 2016: u/15 Rugby (semi-finals) 26 April 2016: u/15 Rugby match (School of Achievement) Gr. 9 NS outing 26 May 2016: u/15 Rugby – finals JUNE 2016: 3 June 2016: Cake / Candy Sale Gr. 7 exam starts 6 June 2016: Gr. 4 to 6 exam starts 16 June 2016: Public Holiday 17 June 2016: Public Holiday 24 June 2016: School closes @ 10am 27 May 2016: Cake / Coffee sale 30 May 2016: High School exam starts