Term 4 2018

From the Principal’s Desk I would like to take this opportunity to firstly thank all the staff at Epworth for their dedication, passion and hard work

they have given to all our pupils and the school this year. This includes all those that are behind the scenes that

contribute to the smooth running of Epworth throughout the year.

To our parents who have spent many hours supporting their children at the many and varied events, thank you so much

for your loyal support and for being there for our children.

To the pupils who make every day an exciting adventure for us, no two days are ever the same. I have on many

occasions been so proud of them. Thank you for making this such a wonderful and colourful school.

This past term has been a very busy and exciting one for everyone in the Prep School. The Grade R’s shared the nativity

story which, this year, was told by the landlord’s cat! They also enjoyed a fun evening at their farewell party. There was

great excitement on 14 November when the children arrived at school to find the foyer transformed into Christmas.

Thank you to the mums on the Parents’ Association committee for doing this. The teachers also worked hard with the

children, creating many beautiful artworks to celebrate this special time. In the last week, we all enjoyed a Christmas

show and a visit from Father Christmas.

For the Grade 7’s, the fourth term marked the end of their primary school education and after exams, it was time for

goodbyes. The school bade farewell to them at a special chapel service and the Grade 7’s, in turn, said their thanks and

goodbyes at their final assembly. Each pupil received a certificate which highlighted their strengths and unique attrib-

utes. The good fellowship awards, which were voted for by the Grade 7’s, went to Nicola Bentley and Toby Nuttall.

Thank you to the Parents’ Association that organised the Grade 7 dinner. The venue was tastefully decorated and after a

delicious meal, the pupils exchanged gifts, signed autograph books and took numerous photographs. What a happy and

memorable occasion it was!

The Christmas service, which was held in the chapel on 28 November, was a time to bring the Epworth family together and to celebrate and recognise the essence of the Christmas season. To begin the service, the Scripture Union group spoke about Jesus being the light of the world and the beauty of this message was portrayed through the lighting of candles. The Grade 3 pupils took part in readings and a nativity tableau which was reinforced by the theme of the service “What a strange way to save the world” with the birth of baby Jesus in a humble stable. Viewing the Christmas service emboldens us all to have happy and full hearts and to share in the joy together.

It is with an extremely heavy heart that we have to bid farewell to a number of ladies who are retiring at the end of this

year.

Mrs Shannon Potgieter, fondly known by all as Mrs P, has been a loyal and dedicated staff member at Epworth for the

last 31 years. She has touched so many lives, both in and out of the classroom. As well as being a wonderful mentor to

our pupils, she has also been an amazing role model to staff. Her contribution to Epworth is immeasurable and cannot

be quantified. She has personified all that Epworth stands for. We wish her and Les all the best in her retirement and

Library facelift

hope they get to spend many hours with their grandchildren.

Alison Dicks has controlled the front Office for 18 years. Alison is a fountain of knowledge and has cared for many an

injured pupil. Whether it be a serious injury or someone just needing a plaster or a comforting hug, she has done it with

a smile. It will certainly be very strange to arrive at school to a different face in our “fish bowl” and to hear a different

voice cheerfully greeting us. We wish Alison and Pete all the best in their new adventure underneath the mountains.

Trish Look has completed two stints at Epworth that add up to 11 years’ service in total. A wise lady who has the

education of children at heart, Trish has been an important part of the Epworth team. Her most recent role of mentoring

the interns has been amazing and she has treated these fledgling teachers like her own children. Trish’s flair for helping

children with difficulties has meant that the pupils in her class have developed immensely and in such a positive manner.

We know Trish will not sit still for long and we wish her all the best in her next adventure.

This year we also say goodbye to two interns, Brad Hempson and Jacqui Strachan, who have qualified and are now

moving on to new adventures. Sibs Khumalo, Sharon Banche and Rahel Maharaj have all qualified and are staying on as

interns to complete their Honours’ degrees.

Dana Drimml, who has now qualified, will take over the Grade 6 class from Mrs St Leger. Zama Khanyile, an experienced

educator, will replace Mrs Look in Grade 2, and Sam Maharaj will take over as the permanent Grade RRR teacher.

Katherine Botha will be the face in the front office in place of Alison Dicks. We extend a warm welcome to all of them

and hope their stay with us will be an exciting and happy one.

We have decided to increase our management team and will be including two new HOD’s. We are excited to announce

the appointment of Mrs Julie Calitz (Foundation Phase) and Mr Jan-Hendrik Van Tonder (Intermediate/Senior Phase).

To the families that are leaving us, we wish you all the best where ever you have decided to start afresh. May your

transitions be easy and your days filled with happiness.

Lastly, a sad farewell to our Grade 7’s. It is now your time to take on the world of high school. We know that you have all

the skills necessary to go and achieve your goals and dreams. Remember “BE KIND” and make the most of everyday you

are given.

On behalf of the staff of Epworth, we would like to wish every family a blessed festive season and may you have a restful

and peaceful time with your families.

FIDA HUMANA FORTIS

Reynard White

Art Exhibition

The annual art exhibition was a spectacular, kaleidoscopic display of artwork produced

by pupils from Grades RRR to 7.

A showcase of musical talent

A lunchtime concert on 11 October provided

an ideal opportunity for the Prep’s junior

musicians to exhibit the skills they have

developed over the past year.

Cultivating environmental awareness

In order to instil an awareness for the environment, the Grade RRR’s engaged in a recycling activity which involved each child bringing a small bag of recycling products to school. As a group, they visited the mini recycling village on campus

where they learnt about separating their recyclable items according to material. They then disposed their items into the appropriate bins.

In their class assembly, the Grade 1’s had a

chance to come up with the BEST gift for Mrs P’s

retirement. The pupils thought a pet would be a

marvellous idea but which pet to choose? A

mole, a firefly, a sardine or a rat? How on earth

could they choose! They thought of all the

problems that could happen if they gave her a

shark – it might eat her husband. In the end they

decided that perhaps a box full of pictures of

different animals might be a safer option, and they got on with drawing their best pet ideas. But as usual, Mrs P

had a sneaky trick up her sleeve – or in this case – a rat! When the children presented her with their gift, she

pretended to be horrified at the rat inside the box. The surprised looks on the children’s faces were priceless and

to date, that rat is still spoken about.

A pet for Mrs P

The local SPCA benefited

from the school’s SPCA

Civvies Day. Generous

donations of pet food

were received from

many of the pupils. The

SPCA thanked the school

for reaching out and for

making a concerted

effort to assist them in

difficult times.

Exploring the theatre The Grade 7’s had a chance to visit a fully

operational, professional theatre – The

Hexagon – on the local UKZN campus. They

were divided into small groups and given an

in-depth tour of all the backstage areas,

including the wardrobe and workshop

areas. They were shown how all the lights

are rigged and some were even allowed to

press the buttons on the lighting desk and change the cues. By far the most favourite part was the great climb up into

the catwalks above the main stage. What a view!

Bringing literature to life One of the highlights of the Grade 3 year

was celebrating a Christopher Robin

picnic which involved making picnic eats,

taking a walk through “the Hundred Acre

Wood” to find the character’s “homes”,

and enjoying a picnic together in

“Christopher Robin’s Garden”. For the

build-up to the day the pupils made invita-

tions and learnt about party etiquette.

Best-selling South African author, Lori-Ann Preston, spoke

to the Grade 4’s and 5’s about her new book, Thabo, the

Space Dude. She explained the research, writing and pub-

lishing process and told the young Epworth writers how

they can get their own stories published.

During the Grade 6 assembly the pupils were treated to a

presentation by adventures Steve and Eleanor Pienaar

who recently completed the Grand Slam - running seven

marathons on seven continents, as well as one at the

North Pole. They are the first South African couple to have

achieved this feat.

Community engagement activities

Stationery pack drive

The Prep School filled 471 packs for the whole school stationery pack drive that will benefit the children at Eden

Kids, Youth for Christ and Ithembalomntwana pre-school. The children had such fun packing their stationery at

the pop-up shop and designing their cards, which will accompany each pack. Thank you to Office National and

Electrical Repair and Wiring for their sponsorship. Many thanks, too, to the parents for their generous donations.

Reaching out to Allison Homes

The Grade 6’s chose to donate 10% of their market day profits to

upgrade the residents’ coffee shop at Allison Homes. The pupils

bought brightly coloured fabric and some of the girls demonstrated

their sewing talents by making table cloths for the coffee tables.

Each pupil also made a pot plant to brighten up the area.

In the last week of school the Prep School invited the folk from

Allison Homes to attend their Christmas service dress rehearsal.

The Grade 6’s served them tea and cake in the chapel garden

before the service.

Kwangubeni drama exchange The Principal of KwaNgubeni Primary School, Mr Ngcobo,

and two of his teachers, Mrs Sibisi and Mrs Mazi, spent a

morning with Mrs Henning and the Grade 4 pupils

observing what we offer in our drama classes. Mr Ngcobo

recognises the value of drama for children and is really

excited about starting a drama club after school. Four

young Grade 4 pupils from the school joined in the class

and made lots of new friends while playing simple, but

creative drama games. Even the teachers got caught up

in the infectious energy and joined in the fun.

Books2You visits Epworth

The Books2You book

fair, held in the library,

appealed to all ages.

Some children just

enjoyed browsing while

others took advantage

of the books on sale.

At this year’s Grade R Christmas

concert, we followed the story

of the nativity as seen through

the eyes of the landlord’s cat.

What a delightful rendition of

this celebrated story!

The Landlord’s Cat

A visit from Father Christmas

An interactive

“crocodile”, that is

attached to the wall

outside the creative

classroom, is the latest

attraction amongst the

pre-primary children.

Final chapel service for Grade 7’s

The Grade 7’s, accompanied by their Grade 1 mentees, took centre stage as they celebrated their last chapel service as

Epworth Prep School pupils. Each pupil received a candle and was presented with a special card from their mentee. The

central theme of the service was kindness. Mrs Rebecca Schultz said: “In a world where you can be anything...be kind.”

Mr Reynard White encouraged all the Grade 7’s to look forward to creating a new world and a new person and to use

every opportunity to expand their knowledge. His parting words were: “Wherever you go, know that we carry you with

us in our hearts.”

End-of-year fun

The Prep Parents’

Association put on a

superb Great Gatsby

party for all the

staff. Everyone joined

in on the spirit of the

event.

The annual Christmas

dice, at Camps Drift,

is always a firm

favourite with the

junior paddlers.

So long, farewell...

“There’s a sad sort of feeling in the quad down at school And up in the chapel too

And there at the front, a cute little group Is popping up to say “Boo-hoo”

So long, Grade seven, we must say goodbye Your wings must spread, it’s time for you to fly

Our little chairs and tables you outgrew the sandpits, too, goodbye, to you and you

Cheers, good luck, enjoy your next adventures Please bring back Mr White’s dentures

Pass the tissues, have a little cry Share a hug, and wipe your teary eye. Goodbye

You’re glad to go, you heave a great big sigh You’ve had enough of all of us, don’t lie

The time has come, and now we wipe our eyes So long, farewell, Grade seven, now goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.”

Christmas service

Accolades for former pupils

Former Prep School boys, Avumile

Mcunu (Hilton College) and Matthew

Fuhri (Maritzburg College), were

recently selected for the KZN Youth

Orchestra. Avumile will also be going

on an exchange to Eton College in the

UK next year.

Achievements

The A and B squash teams

competed in a squash

tournament in Bloemfontein

where they fared very well.

Phillip Schütte and Kimrin Manickum

were selected to represent the

Maritzburg Football Association in a

tournament.

Elihle Dlwati, Stefne Coetzee and Jenna

Curry were selected to represent KZN at

the Inter-Schools’ Diving

Championships.

Madison Campher, Melissa Martens, Sydney

Lancaster, Amber Warr and Emma Williams

received KZN Umgungundlovu primary

school swimming colours.

Kayleigh Els received a number

of awards from the KZN Ice

Hockey Association.

Abby Clayton was selected to

swim at the SALGA DSR Games.

Rhys Purves recently completed

her 10th parkrun.

Keona Duthie was chosen to

be a member of the KZN

Youth Orchestra.

The following pupils participated in

the Swimchix charity swimathon:

Amylee Holtzhausen, Erin Jansen van

Vuuren, Tyla Lavery, Madison

Chambler, Rhys Purves, Aisha

Cassim and Roxy Van Zyl.