St Francis College Newsletter ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­
 
 
 
Newsletter Number 1 January 2020
 
 
Welcome Back

St Francis College is excited for 2020!

 
back to school (2)
 

News from the Headmaster

  SFB logo square

It is all systems go at St Francis College and everyone at the school is excited about what 2020 has to offer. The children have already started their swimming at Liquid Lines in preparation for the B and C group galas which will take place on most Saturdays through January and February.

Parents were treated to a lovely cup of coffee on arrival at school on the first day. This was very welcome given the rather cool weather conditions. A big thank you to Richard and Joha Moolman and Greg Darke for making the arrangements for the coffee machine, coffee pods, frothed milk and sugar.

Lucy Kotze is back in the office after being off on maternity leave for most of last year. It is lovely to have her back again. We also welcomed Kathy Kopke as the grade 2 teacher. Kathy was at the school last year doing remedial classes and some teaching, but it is super to now have her in a full-time capacity in grade 2.

The staff will enjoy a staff development session on the afternoon of 31 January. This will be presented by Dr Darryl Smith who is a local counselling psychologist. We are grateful to Darryl for this support of the school.

The annual family braai is scheduled for the first week in February. This is a chance for all families at the school to relax, socialise and get to know each other. By then the school will be well into the swing of things and ready for everything that is planned for the first term. Some of the highlights on the planner are the Greenwood sports tour to Plettenberg Bay, the Wacky Woods Camp and the Beach Fun Day.

 
 

STAFFING GRADE 0 

kym 

Mrs Kym Clephane has informed the school that she and her family will be relocating to Johannesburg at the end of the first term. Mrs Clephane has served the school loyally and enthusiastically for the past two years. We thank Kym for her professional and dynamic service to the school and we wish her, her husband Scott and the children, Ben and Layla, everything of the best as they make the transition to the big city.

The grade 0 post is being advertised and it is expected that a new teacher will be appointed for the start of term 2.  Please see advert at the end of the newsletter.

 
 

Nursery School News (Mrs. Lonsdale)

Welcome all to the first term of 2020 at the Nursery School. We are so happy to report that we had a smooth start to the year, with all the children coming back to school with big smiles and the Mum’s and Dad’s with even bigger smiles!

A very big welcome to Matthew Wallace and his family who have joined the Bumblebee Class.  A big welcome also to Nathan Reynolds and Vincent Nel to the Ladybird class.  Your children have been little stars settling in and it is a pleasure to have them in the Nursery School family.

Tunes for Tots will be on a Tuesday morning at 9.30-10:00. Contact Natasha Brown on 083 305 3081 if you would like to sign your child up.

Ball skills with our very own Coach Ralton will be on a Thursday from 9.15-10.00.  All children will take part as part of their school programme.

We would like to thank Duncan Kotzé for transporting our beautiful new sand for our sand pit and to Duncan Lethbridge for donating it to us.

We have 2 outings planned for this term.  Once we have confirmed dates we will send out notices.

Let’s keep this positive fun adventure going throughout this year.

Hugs to you all
Teacher Jane and Teacher Cath


 
sandpit pic
 
bushmen talk pic

Grade 5 History Lesson

The Grade 5 pupils are studying the San in history this term and we were very privileged to have Mr. Clive Horlock come and share his incredible experience of living with the bushmen.  What a fascinating talk on such incredible nature loving people.  Thank you Clive! 

 
 

SUPERVISED HOMEWORK

homework 

One of the ideas surveyed for this year was the introduction of a supervised homework session from 15:00 - 16:00.  In the first and third terms, this would be available on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  It would not be available on a Tuesday in these terms because of the children having swimming at Liquid Lines.  In the second term the sessions would be available from Monday to Thursday.  The supervised homework sessions would be for children from grade 1 to grade 7.  

The cost for this will be R75 a week (per child) in the first and third terms (three sessions) and R100 per week (per child) in the second term (four sessions).  The child must be signed up at the beginning of a term and must be committed to a full term.  Billing will be for every session during the term, regardless of whether the child attends every session or not.

We are wanting to push ahead with this idea.  If you wish to sign your child or children up for this additional service, then please complete the reply slip in the office.

 
 

Mathletics & Reading Eggs

mathletics logo 

We have once again been given the opportunity to sign up for Mathletics or Reading Eggs at a reduce rate for 2020.  Mathletics will continue to be part of the Grade 7 curriculum, so it will be paid for out of their school fees.  Other Grades can benefit from this programme as an extra tool to supplement their school work.  The research shows that your child's Maths and/or reading will improve by using these programmes three times a week for 20 minutes.  The Maths Seeds programme is the Mathletics programme which has been designed for the Grade 0 to Grade 2 children.  If you would like to sign your child up for this please complete the form in the school office by Tuesday 4th February. Please note that those who used the programme last year, the programme will come to an end on 31 January 2020.

 
 

Age Group Gala

Well done to the children who swam in the C Age group gala last Saturday at Sunridge Primary School in Port Elizabeth. The following places were achieved:

BACKSTROKE
U8 Girls  1st Emma Darke
U10 Girls 5th Hannah Harding
       Boys 4th Noah Pearton

BREASTROKE
U8 Girls  2nd Emma Darke
               6th Layla Clephane
      Boys 5th Jamie White
U9 Boys  1st Ben Clephane
U10 Girls  6th Hannah Harding
        Boys 1st Gabriel Pearton
                  2nd Noah Pearton

FREESTYLE
65 swimmers in U8 age group
U8 Girls  5th Bailey Richardson
U9 Boys  2nd Ben Clephane
U10 Girls  5th Hannah Harding
       Boys 2nd Gabriel Pearton
                 5th Noah Pearton

The next Age group gala will be the B group gala on 1st February at Newton Park in Port Elizabeth.  Good Luck to those swimmers!

 
c gala pic
c gala group pic
 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING

social media image 

The school’s marketing strategy involves, to a large extent, showcasing the activities which take place at school, both on the Upper Campus and at the Nursery School. As a result, numerous photographs of the children doing various activities, either in the classrooms or outdoors, are posted on our facebook page, on the website and on Instagram. Some pictures also appear in the local print media. If any parent is uncomfortable with their child’s picture being posted on social media or in the print media, they are requested to inform the office of this so that preventative steps can be taken. We are in the process of drawing up a social media policy. Vikki Hodder is our media liaison person. 

 
 
valentines disco

GRADE 7 FRIENDSHIP SOCIAL

Friday 14 February 18:00 to 21:00

R50 – includes Juice and a Hot dog.

Extra Hot dogs available at R15 each.

Tuck shop

All Gr 4 to 7’s welcome – Invite your friends from other schools too!

 
 
valentines civvies day

Valentine's Civvies Day

Tour Fundraiser – 14 February 2020

All pupils are invited to wear red, white or pink and bring in R5 to raise funds for the Grade 6 and 7 tour.

Valentines Gifts (necklaces, chocolates and heart cookies) will also be for sale at R5 - R20 each.

 
 
road pic

SCHOOL ROAD

The picture to the right is of the school road and not of the surface of Mars.  The landlords have assured me that the road will be repaired soon. We hope it will be very soon!

 
 
d6-icon

Important Dates 2020

For more details on calendar events please take a look at our online events calendar or on the D6 Communicator.  

To download the D6 installer from the d6 School Communicator go to https://d6.co.za/education/downloads/ 

Parents who are currently using the D6 App are reminded to please change your relevant class groups for 2020

 
 

Parents' Association 2020

  volunteer image

We welcome the following people to the Parents Association:
Antoinette Pearton, Helen Collins, Caroline Anderson, Fran Eden, Heather White, Elizabeth Anderson, Roger de Doncker, Jenna van der Westhuizen and Vicki Hodder. 
The PA had their first meeting on Thursday night and Heather White was elected as Chairperson.  Caroline Anderson was elected as Secretary.  The main event this term will be the Golf Day to be held at the Village Golf Course on Friday 27 March.  A Valentine's raffle will also take place in February..  Anyone else wanting to join  please contact the office.  

 
 

LOST PROPERTY

lost property 

There is a lost property box outside the toilets at the front of the school. It is currently full of items, mostly from last year. Parents are welcome to look through the box for missing items.

The problem of clothing items getting lost is most extreme at Liquid Lines. This is one of the reasons why we like children to get changed back into their school clothes after swimming. If they put their clothes back on then they cannot leave items behind. However, swimming costumes or underwear are often left behind. In dealing with these lost property items, it is often the case that items are not marked with the owner’s name. After swimming this week we had the following unmarked items left at the swimming pool: two school shirts, a girl’s Speedo costume, two goggles, two caps and a pair of underpants. These can be claimed at the office.  

 
 

THANK YOU FROM THE GARDENING CLUB

bright gardening 

A huge thank you to Chio Moulang and Saskia Boonzaier for their donations. Chio organized lots of bags of compost and she brought in a carpenter to complete the build on our seedling area. Saskia lent us her gardener to help tackle the December weed growth and she managed to organize with the municipality for grass cuttings for us to use as compost. We are very excited to prep our beds and get them ready for another year of healthy produce. 

 
 
medical thanks

THANK YOU

Dr Herb Freercks has kindly offered to help the school by doing a free medical check-up for staff who need this when applying for a public driving permit (PDP). This is much appreciated. Thank you Herb! Dr Freercks has his practice right next door to the squash courts in Lyme Road South.

 
 
book thank you

THANK YOU

There is another author in town!  Fiona Burdett visited the school and donated 5 copies of the book which she has written to the school library. 

I am sure the children will enjoy the story.

 
 
thoughtful thursday

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

As part of our community drive we will be supporting the St Francis Bay Animal Rescue.

We will collect food for our local animal rescue group and will also arrange a day when kids who would like to volunteer, can join the Thursday Outreach programme.

Each grade will have a chance to collect each week throughout the term. 

 
Family Braai Image
 

BIRTHDAYS IN JANUARY

10 Jan Phoebe Nelson
11 Jan Murray-John Boonzaier
11 Jan Dylan Hodder
12 Jan Elisabeth-Helene Sitshetshe
13 Jan Gabriel Pearton
14 Jan Mrs. Natasha Brown
14 Jan Finnley Exon
16 Jan James White
17 Jan Anashe Phiri
19 Jan Samkelisiwe Mofu
22 Jan Amy Masterson
23 Jan Bagcobile Mtshilita
23 Jan Sine Hlela
23 Jan Ryan Marais
25 Jan Ricky Anderson
27 Jan Judah Osborne
27 Jan Hayley Keller
28 Jan Troy Kennedy
29 Jan Ndabentle Swepu
31 Jan Ruby Darke
31 Jan Catherine Miller

BIRTHDAYS IN FEBRUARY

07 Feb Darren van Wyk
14 Feb Mrs. Kym Clephane
18 Feb Stacy Bekeer
20 Feb Linathi Saki
21 Feb Francis Sacks
22 Feb Mila Meyer
22 Feb Grace Christy
25 Feb Miane Bosch
25 Feb Mrs. Lutha Mofu
27 Feb Ben Clephane
28 Feb Miss Alice Kaunda
29 Feb Matthew Firth
 
 

Superspar Monthly Draw

  super-spar-st-francis-bay

Congratulations to Mr J Syme who won the  R1000 SUPERSPAR vouchers for the January draw.

Forms can be obtained from the office and a debit order of R50 a month as part of fund raising could win you a R1 000 shopping voucher from the St Francis Bay Village Square Superspar.

If you would like to enter into the monthly draw for just R50 per month please inform the office on info@stfranciscollege.co.za 

 
 
100 CLUB

The next meeting will be on Thursday 27 February at Mauros at the Port.  Please consider joining up!

 
Monthly draw Poster
 

Term 1 2020 Extra Mural Timetable

Monday

1:15 to 2:00                         Grade 1 to 2 Boys / Girls     Tennis                     

1:15 to 2:00                         Grade 1 to 2 Boys/ Girls      Choir                   

2:00 to 3:00                         Grade 3 to 7 Boys / Girls     Tennis                     

2:00 to 3:00                         Grade 3 to 7 Boys/ Girls     Choir
2:00 to 3:00                          U13 Cricket Matches

Tuesday

1:30 to 2:30                         Grade 0 – 2 Swimming    

2:30 to 3:30                         Grade 3 – 7 Swimming      (no aftercare on swimming days)

Wednesday

1:15 to 2:00                         Grade 0, 1 & 2 Ball Skills                            

2:00 to 3:00                         Grade 3 to 7  Eco Club/Adventure Sport/ Chess                          

Thursday

1:15 to 2:00                         Grade 1 to 2 Boys Cricket / Girls Netball                             

2:00 to 3:00                         Grade 3 to 7 Boys Cricket/ Girls Netball     

2:00 to 3:00                         Grade 3 to 7 Chess      

 
 

Dates for Term 1 2020

01 February                    B Age Group Gala – Newton Park, PE

06 February                    Recycling Collection – College Campus
                                       Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 00 & Nursery School Campus

07 February                    Family Braai – College Campus

                                       Baker Day Grade 5

13 February                    Grade 3 Outing
                                       Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 0

14 February                    Grade 1 & 2 Outing

                                        Grade 7 Social

15 February                    B Age Group Gala – Newton Park, PE
20 February                    Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 1

21 February                    Baker Day Grade 4 & 1

22 February                    C Age Group Gala – Collegiate, PE

27 February                    Beach Fun Day – Grade 00-7, Cape St Francis Beach

                                       Half Term Commences

28 February                   Top 8 Invitational Gala, Newton Park, PE
29 February                   Valentine's raffle draw
03 March                       School re opens after half term

05 March                       Recycling Collection – College Campus
                                      Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 2

06 March                       Greenwood Sports Tour (Away)

10 March                       Inter House Gala Grade 3-7 & select Gr 1 & 2 1:30 - 3:30

12 March                       Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 4           

13 March                       Grade 3

18 March                       Wacky Woods Camp Grade 7

19 March                       Wacky Woods Camp Grade 4-6
                                      Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 3

23 March                       Auditions for talent show Grade 0-7
26 March                       Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 5

27 March                       Baker day Grade 0
                                      Golf Day

31 March                       Splash In Gala Grade 0-2

02 April                          Talent Show
                                       Thoughtful Thursday - Grade 6 & 7

03 April                          Baker Day Grade 00

                                       Extra Murals End

06-April – 08 April          Parent Interviews / No extra murals

09 April                          Recycling – College Campus

09 April                           End of Term 1

 
 

GRADE 0 TEACHER

ST FRANCIS COLLEGE,
an independent primary school in St Francis Bay, offering an exceptional education in a unique coastal environment, invites dynamic, qualified applicants to apply for the following post:

  • GRADE R TEACHER

Commencement date: 01 May 2020

Please submit covering letter and CV to info@stfranciscollege.co.za

Closing date:  Wednesday 19 February 2020

The school reserves the right not to make an appointment.  Only short listed applicants will be contacted.