1 December 2009
Dear Parents
The school has been very quiet over the last few days and I am looking forward to the girls returning from their various outdoor excursions today with the happy noise that they bring with them.
Outdoor Education is a strong part of our curriculum and often the girls learn more about themselves and about relationships out there than they ever could in a classroom. A big thank you goes to the staff who left their families and put themselves under considerable pressure workwise to accompany the girls. They are as follows:
Grade 8s to Hobbiton: Mrs Roodt, Ms Potgieter, Ms Middlebrook and Mrs Steele
Grade 9s to Kirkwood: Ms Smailes, Mrs Le Guillou, Mrs Oosthuysen and Ms Embling
Grade 10s on Fish River Journey: Mr Wright, Ms Seymour, Ms Davis and Ms Stephenson
Mr Boschoff, Mr Alcock and Mrs Scott for organisation and support.
SAC teachers who led groups: Mr Barnard, Mrs Cobbing, Ms Taylor, Mr Mackenzie and Mr Frayne.
Grade 11s on Outward Bound: Mrs Carver and Rev Schwartz
Thank you also to the ‘home team’ – the teachers who stayed behind to carry the administrative load that the end of year and the preparations for a new academic year bring.
Prior to Outdoor Education the girls completed their year-end examinations. Generally the work ethic of our girls is high and we are pleased with how they have fared in these examinations. Some will feel that they could have done better and others will know that they should have worked harder. Part of the exercise lies in the experience and hopefully every pupil has learnt something. The Matric results are due on 30 December and will be published on our website.
It has been another full term with Music, Drama, Dance and Sport productions, tours and tournaments filling our lives. You can read about all of the highlights of these activities in our annual magazine.
I was saddened when reports about some of the instances of underage drinking and associated behaviours filtered back to me after Half Term, which many of our girls spent at Kenton-on-Sea. Equally worrying are the number of pupils, and some parents, who are convinced that this is none of the school’s business. Whether we like it or not we are drawn into the fray. In part this is because we teach the whole child and so we deal with the aftermath of the behaviour, and partly because they are identified as DSG girls and the Kenton community is outraged by some of the behaviour. Our girls are put at risk and our name is also badly tarnished as a result of such behaviour. As the girls embark on the long Christmas holiday I trust that they will be safe and that parents will remember that they are young people subjected to enormous social pressures with little experience of how best to deal with it all.
At the end of this term I had to deal with a serious disciplinary incident: a number of our Grade Eleven girls bunked out of boarding to meet Matrics at a licensed establishment in town. It is gratifying that the girls owned up to this. They have been suspended for two weeks, close-gated for a further two, been given community service and placed on a final warning for Head’s offences. Many of you will have read in the Sunday Times this past weekend about teenagers and their propensity for high risk behaviour. I think that we have to understand what happened in that context. The girls were rash in their actions and have shown remorse. They have accepted the consequences and I believe the sooner we can put this behind us and move on the better for the girls and for the DSG.
We live in a country where the justice system is under threat and it has become increasingly important that as a school and as adults we take a principled stand on discipline. I am dismayed that the conspiracy of silence is so pervasive in our school that even teachers are reluctant to come forward. In this case false information has done considerable harm. I appeal to you as parents to caution your daughters against hearsay and to talk to them about principles.
As is always the case at this time of the year, there are some staff that we need to bid farewell to. Mrs Jenny Kitson has headed the Junior School and worked there for many years. For the past few years she has worked as part-time art teacher and she has decided to retire. We wish her good health in her retirement. Mrs Elysson Ross (French) has resigned. She will travel for a while next year and is then contemplating a move to Australia to be closer to her children. Ms Katharine Embling (Music) has taken a year out to travel and Ms Andrea Tzircalle has also resigned in a bid to travel and see more of the world. We wish them bon voyage.
Next year Mrs Madeleine Moore returns from Long Leave. Dr Petra Gentz, who stood in for her, will remain in the Life Sciences department in a part time capacity. In 2010 we will split the Grade Six class and Mrs Nicky Rosslee has been employed as the second teacher there. Ms Pamela Bowren, a provincial hockey player and part time hockey administrator, will join us as a sports coach.
Next year’s calendar is filling rapidly and some exciting tours are planned. The first Netball team will be at St Andrew’s and the first Hockey team will attend back-to-back tournaments at St Mary’s and St Stithians in the April holidays. Also planned for next year is a joint Drama and Dance tour to New York and the French department is taking a number of their pupils to France. At the start of this holiday our first quad will race in the Boat Race at Port Alfred. They have had a very successful start to the season and we are eagerly anticipating this race. The start of Term One 2010 begins with pre season Waterpolo and Tennis camps as well as the Prefects’ Camp.
A few housekeeping issues:
Please do not send your children back with electrical appliances such as fridges, toasters or kettles. There is a communal area in each House providing for these and the electricity in the Houses cannot cope with the overload.
The last period on a Friday and the last day at the end of the term and at the start of half term are still being eroded. I appeal to all parents please to abide by the times and dates that they are given.
Grade Eleven parents are reminded to take cogniscence of the Matric Dance Dress rules if they are planning their daughter’s dresses with them this holiday.
In 2010 all girls, with the exception of Matrics, will be expected to own a DSG book bag. The girls have been informed about this in assembly since July.
Please note that the school sanatorium is closed over half term and during the holidays. Sister Mary Kruiskamp, who lives there, goes to her home off campus.
Lastly, a school like the DSG works because the majority of girls, parents and teachers support it and treasure it. I thank you, the parents, for your faith in us and for your ongoing support. Thank you also to the staff – academic, administrative and support – who do a superb job and are wonderful colleagues. I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a blessed time with your families.
Kind regards
Shelley Frayne
Headmistress
Kelly Long represents South Africa 10th May 2012
Kelly Long represented South Africa at the 5th International Sustainable World Project Olympiad in the USA
