A South African School Making a World
of Difference Tel: (011)
577-6000/6387 (Direct); Fax: (011) 789-7519
ST STITHIANS COLLEGE
Private Bag 2, RANDBURG, 2125
Saints Honour:
Honour
God, Honour Others, Honour Self
NEWSLETTER NO. 06 – 07 JULY 2006
FROM THE DESK OF THE RECTOR
Dear
One & All
ANNOUNCEMENT
- HEADMASTER-ELECT (2007): ST STITHIANS BOYS’ COLLEGE
I have great pleasure in
announcing that the College has appointed Mr David Knowles as the Headmaster of
the Boys’ College with effect from 01 January 2007.
Mr Knowles matriculated
at
He has a broad range of
educational experience making him eminently qualified for this challenging
position. This includes his role as the Deputy Head of the Boys’ College since
2001 which has involved, amongst other responsibilities, pastoral care, learner
and staff leadership, and the day-to-day routine of the College. He was also in
charge of the academic portfolio in 2001 and 2005. On the sporting front his
experience has been in the swimming pool and on the rugby field. In addition,
he has had experience in governance through his role on the Council of Penryn
since 2005. His time at
The selection process
involved placing advertisements both locally and internationally and attracted an
array of top candidates from the teaching profession. Thirty six applications
were received and an initial short-list of eight candidates was identified. A
first interview round of six candidates was held and the list was then
shortened to three candidates. The selection panel involved the Rector, three
members of Council (including the Chair and Vice Chair), a member of staff, the
heads of two of the Saints schools and a senior member of the ISASA management
team. Psychometric tests as well as detailed reference checking completed the
selection process.
There are many
challenges facing St Stithians at this juncture in our history. The College’s
Strategic Plan maps out this direction for the next few years. Ensuring that we
remain a leading South African school at the cutting edge of education,
focusing on the diversity of our community as well as ensuring that our model
of education, based on having both boys and girls present on the same campus
and yet educating them separately, are key features of our strategic direction.
The smooth implementation of outcomes based education in Grades 10 to 12, while
enhancing our academic support programme and developing service opportunities,
are all essential in ensuring our learners receive the best there is to offer.
These elements together with the day-to-day challenges of running a
sophisticated educational institution require the skills of someone with
vision, able to lead others, to work as a team player and to reflect critically
on current practice in the light of best practice in education. I have no doubt
that Mr Knowles is able to lead a very committed, highly professional and
skilled staff in order to achieve these goals.
Arrangements have been
made to manage the transition in the period leading up to Mr Knowles’
commencement of service. Mr Knowles is participating in all processes of
planning for 2007 in both the Boys’ College and on the campus as a whole. He is
centrally involved in the appointment of all new staff at the Boys’ College. He
was due to take his long leave in 2007 but to avoid discontinuity in the Boys’
College next year, it has been decided that he will take his Long Leave in the
third term this year, although he will complete teaching his Matric history
class and has made himself available for all planning meetings for 2007.
On behalf of the entire
Saints community I wish him every success in this new role.
NEW ASTRO APPROVED
Announcing Advertising Opportunities at the St
Stithians Hockey Astros
Parents, Old Stithians,
existing Astro advertisers, regular suppliers to the College and other
stakeholders are advised of a window
of opportunity over the next three months to secure advertising space
for their businesses or brands around the perimeter of the existing Hockey
Astro and the recently approved 2nd Hockey Astro, which is due to be installed
by year-end.
The offer to the Saints
Family is being made prior to external publicity being released.
The existence of two
Astros will elevate the Hockey facilities at St Stithians College to national
and international standards, so that advertisers will be assured of reaching
audiences extending beyond the College fraternity, e.g. to participants or
spectators attending provincial tournaments.
Additionally, plans are in place to upgrade the entire hockey precinct
over the next few years.
Having two Astros will
also have a positive impact on the internal development of the sport played by
both boys and girls on the campus. The
energetic Hockey Supporters Committee will appreciate the flexibility afforded
to their planning of the annual Easter Hockey Festival. Furthermore, the
external development aspect of the sport can now be expanded, which is also of
interest to sponsors.
Advertising packages
have been designed for pairs of boards, with a monthly rental over 5
years. As an indicator, a twin
double-sided board rental over a five-year period will cost an advertiser R1700
per month. Alternatively substantial
discounts of the order of 40% are available for up-front single payments of the
five year rentals.
Advertising on the light
stands (similar in size to that on the soccer club lights) is another
option. A three-sided advertisement will
cost R6000 per month over 5 years – again with discounts applicable for advertising
on multiple light towers and for making up-front payments.
Do not miss out on this
once-off opportunity – contact our Sponsorship Consultant Colin Hudson (on
083-628-6406 or 011-706-1657) or Allan Mclaren of Media In Sport Investments
(on 082-551-2006 or 011- 797-8400) for further information, and to obtain the
agreement documentation.
HIV/AIDS
POLICY
For the past few months, a
Saints Committee, chaired by Mrs S McLean (Junior Prep Counsellor) and
comprising representatives from all five schools, has met to discuss an overall
HIV/AIDS Policy for the College. This
policy is attached at the end of this newsletter for your information.
FOUNDERS’
DAY
Many parents have
requested copies of the Guest Speaker’s address. Ms Gillwald’s speech is enclosed for
information at the end of the newsletter.
SAINTS FAMILY NEWS
·
We wish to express our sincere condolences to
the following members of the Saints Family on their loss of loved ones during
recent weeks. Please keep these
families in your thoughts and prayers.
o
The Poulos Family (Mrs Christine Poulos, Art
Teacher, Boys’ College) on the death of their mother/mother-in-law;
o
The Jonson Family (Mr Graeme Jonson, MIC Hockey,
Boys’ College) on the death of their grandmother;
o
The Morolo Family (Khumo & Gary Morolo and
Khanya, Gr 9 St Stithians Girls’ College) on the death of their
father/grandfather after a long illness;
o
The Smith Family (Mr Johnny Smith, Bursar) on
the loss of their grandmother after a long illness;
o
The Finnemore Family on the tragic death of Mark
Finnemore (Matric Class of 1993).
·
Congratulations to:
o
Melissa & Jonathan Kumleben (Girls’ College
Counsellor) on the birth of their daughter, Chloe;
o
Trish & Cliff Jackson (Council Member &
President of the OSA) on the birth of their grandson, Richard (son of Brent Jackson, Matric Class of 1990), in
RECTOR’S REPLY TO QUESTIONS
Traffic
“My
son enrolled in Grade R at the beginning of the year and I am doing most of the
morning school drops as it is on my way to work in Sandton. Whilst the
experience of spending some time in the car with your child is rewarding, the
struggle to get out of the
Between 7h00 and 7h45 in the morning it can
take between 10 and 20 minutes to get out of the school and into
The solution suggested in
the above e-mail is precisely the one that the Planning & Development
(P&D) Committee has on its agenda to assist with the traffic problem. The reply that we have received is that this
will not make a difference unless there is a left slip-lane on the other side
of the intersection. We are presently in
discussion with the developers at
Safety
& Security
One of our parents
raised concerns around various security and safety issues at the College, which
I discussed with the Operations Manager (Mr Michael Meyers) in our weekly
meeting last Tuesday. Mr Meyers replies as follows to the matters raised:
1.
Who is in charge of
Security and Safety at the school?
The security
portfolio falls under the ambit of the Saints Operations Manager, Mr Michael
Meyers. The College employs a full time Security Manager. Gremick Security is
the outsourced company contracted for the security of the estate. IMP Security
acts as the the security consultant to the College. IMP also do the off site
monitoring of the surveillance equipment. As Mr Meyers is in charge of security
for the College, all of the above-mentioned staff and consultants report
directly to him.
2.
What is the purpose of
the "Saints sticker" (handed out at the beginning of the year)? I
know they are for cars but I see so few of
them?
All staff and
parents are supposed to display the "Saints sticker" on their cars,
as this is checked when they enter so that the guards would know who to
hand a card to. We urge parents to collect these from Reception as it is in
their own interests and for the safety of their children.
3. Why are some cars allowed to enter the
grounds without accepting a 'temporary card'?
The
staff of the College have a different coloured staff card and a staff
sticker. Staff keep their personalised card in their possession and only have
to show this at the gate when entering or leaving the College
4. Are ALL the camera's operational at ALL the
entrances and exits? (specifically at Hurlingham road)?
The College
has a plan to cover most areas on campus, over the next few years, by making
use of a surveillance system. It is
important not to disclose security issues relating to the surveillance system
as this will jeopardise our security. As
mentioned above, it is monitored off site by a professional company.
5. Is there an Emergency Plan for the school (or
various schools)? Has it been formally documented and rehearsed?
The College
has employed an Occupation Health and Safety consultant. Safety committees have
been established. Meetings are held and formally documented. The rehearsals
will be taking place at the different Schools during the next month or two as
this has already been planned.
6. Would it not be a good idea to place a camera
(or two) at the entrance to the Junior schools to record all visitors?
We
have a comprehensive plan to cover as much of the campus as possible but do not
wish to divulge any details as that will compromise the integrity of the Plan.
Grounds
“I am one of the parents
that make use of the wonderful grounds at St Stithians, and I enjoy walking my
dogs every morning. It is with some concern and dismay that I have
observed the general devastation of the area of land surrounding the main dam
during the last few weeks. I was pleased to see you had made reference to
what is going on in your last Newsletter, and had offered some explanation for
all the activity. However, no matter how I try to convince myself that
this agreement with the building contractors is a positive thing that will
result in extended playing fields and facilities for the school, I find it hard
to see beyond the extensive devastation that greets me each day.
Today, having not walked
at the school since last Thursday I was horrified to enter the forest area from
the Corlett Gate end and see that the destruction and dumping has now
encroached onto the pathway through the forest, and furthermore, that the
“soil” that the construction company were dumping seems in this case to be only
giant boulders! I know that many of the trees in this area are alien gum
trees and wattles but it would seem preferable to remove them gradually, and I
hardly see the presence of massive heaps of rock as a fair “exchange”.
What exactly are the schools intentions for this area? It certainly can’t
have anything to do with the proposed upgrade to the Wayne Joubert Field?
The bird life in the
area of the dam has noticeably decreased, and it is hoped that the slopes of
soil that now descend towards the water are going to be planted with indigenous
trees and shrubs and grassed over before a huge thunderstorm comes along and
washes the whole lot into the dam. If the trees and shrubs are planted in time,
I agree that the dam will be enhanced by indigenous vegetation and the bird
life should over time return in great abundance.
The question still
remains about what is going on in the forest, was this all part of the
agreement with the construction company? Or have they now thrown in a few
boulders and rocks as well as the promised soil?
We are so lucky to have
such wonderful grounds at our school, and I feel privileged to be able to make
use of, and truly enjoy these beautiful places each day. It is inevitable
that I and my fellow walkers are concerned about all the activity going on at
the moment, and we would like to hear exactly what is planned for the area, so
that when we see the daily devastation and destruction we can envisage what it
will be like in the future and understand what is going on.”
I would like to reassure
parents and the broader Saints community that the developments alongside the
Wayne Joubert Field, are going according to plan. The College’s engineer has developed a plan
to ensure that a full sized athletics track will be gained at this site. In
time, the slopes of the field will be grassed and planted with indigenous
vegetation. The rocks that have been placed
are according to the plan and to ensure that drainage and storm water flows are
properly managed and will not adversely affect the new field. We will retain a grove of trees, albeit
“exotics”, between the new field and the western boundary of our estate. May I reassure One & All that we
have the future interests of the College firmly in our sights.
QUESTIONS FOR THE RECTOR:
If
there is anything you would like more information about, please do not hesitate
to send your questions to me at rector@stithian.com. Learners as well as parents are quite welcome
to send their questions.
THE
HISTORY OF ST STITHIANS COLLEGE
As announced at Founders’
Day 2005, Mr Walter Macfarlane, former Head of the Boys’ Prep, was commissioned
some years ago to write the history of the College. Mrs Sandi Arrenbrecht, a former parent, of
CREDA Publications has assisted Walter Macfarlane with the design and layout of
this wonderful coffee table book and has done a magnificent job. The History is currently available for
purchase from the Bursar’s Office at a cost of R295, 00.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2006
Please diarise the following important dates:
·
The College Report Back
The next College Report
Back session for parents is scheduled for 17 October 2006.
GOOD NEWS COLUMN
It is always gratifying
to receive letters of praise and congratulations about our staff and
learners. Should you wish to contribute
any Good News, please send the details to: rector@stithian.com.
It gives me great
pleasure to share the following e-mail received on 09 June 2006 with the Saints
Family:
Subject:Trip to
Our son in Grade 8 went on the
Kearsney trip and came back minus a blazer, which he said he had with him on
the train on the way back. We told him to check the lost property on
Monday -although we believed it to be lost, after hearing and
reading about about the theft problem from previous years.
Imagine our delight when
he came home on Monday with his blazer - found in lost property, and to our
amazement his money he had not spent on the trip was still in his
blazer!!!
A huge thanks to
the person who was honest enough to hand the blazer in and leave the money.
What a wonderful way to
have started the week.
Thanks again ...and
let us all never give up in believing in the goodness of people!!!
Kind regards,
Vaughan and Bev
With kind regards.
STEPHEN LOWRY
RECTOR
ADDRESS BY MS CHERYL GILLWALD AT ST STITHIANS
COLLEGE ON THE OCCASION OF THE COLLEGE’S FOUNDERS’ DAY,
SATURDAY, 10 JUNE 2006
Programme Director, Members of the Board, distinguished guests,
educators, parents and relatives, and most importantly I salute the St
Stithians learners with whom we share this special occasion.
Thank you very much for inviting me
to join in the celebration of your school’s annual Founders’ Day. I am delighted to be able to speak to you at
this very important school occasion.
The
Rector has asked me to talk about violence in our society – how it affects us –
how it manifests itself – what the consequences are – and then perhaps to
suggest some proposals about how all of us can make our world a safer place to
live in.
Violence
has many faces, some more recognisable than others. The one we are most familiar with is the
bloodied face of a victim – a blue eye and a couple of broken teeth.
Other
are not as easy to identify – when victims are the target of verbal or
psychological abuse – there are no physical scars to show us that something has
gone wrong. Victims usually just
withdraw and start believing that they are as worthless as their tormentors
would have them believe. They can’ t
hold down jobs and tend to job-hop or they underachieve at school further
reinforcing the notion of worthlessness.
The pain and misery, in theses instances, are no less damaging than if
they had been sucker punched in face.
Words
are powerful symbols and it often the context or the tone which is used that
conveys a value system of disrespect and contempt.
Within
the education system I have noticed that many schools have retained the title
of Head Master or Head Mistress and resisted the class-neutral term
Principal. In a country whose
world-acclaimed Constitution has declared that no-one shall ever again be the
master of any – is this term appropriate?
It’s just a word, you might argue; so big deal. But it isn’t you see, the word master has
meaning based on the value of subservience and submission and this is conveyed
symbolically to notions of the other teachers that report to the head master
and the young children that become the beneficiaries of value framework.
And
then there is the equally insidious practice of economic violence. You’ve heard the conversations before when
divorced parents part – economic deprivation is often used to leverage
authority and power in broken relationships.
The irony though is that withholding economic support from one’s spouse
(just to get even with him or her) has a direct impact on the quality of life
of the couple’s children. What can be
more violent than withholding economic survival from a child – and what does it
say about a person that would inflict this deprivation on his or her
child?
Sexual
violence is a particularly pernicious form of attack – and let’s be clear about
the nature and substance of the act of rape: it is not an act of passion; it is
an act of dominance aimed at humiliating and robbing a victim of his or her
human dignity. And while we are on the subject
let’s clear up any misconceptions that might have arisen over the past few
weeks on how a victim dresses. What a
girl or women wears is not signal about what she wants and no one has the right
to use the way someone dresses as a licence to behave in a way that compromises
her integrity. The same can be said for
the way a woman sits.
The
scary thing about sexual assault is that the perpetrators are often known to
the victim and in many instances the hideous act occurs in the home of a victim
– the one place on earth that people ought to be safe.
“Date
rape” is a piece of vocabulary that has slid effortlessly into the terminology
that we use to describe the perils of social interaction gone wrong and the
chilling statistics among teens and university students must lead parents to
believe that there truly are no safe places left for their children any more.
How
does violence influence our lives?
Violence – or even the threat of it – preclude the capacity of people to
develop and achieve their full potential; a right to which our precious Constitution
entitles us.
Studies
undertaken in
Interestingly
the research in the
The costs are
wide-ranging and impact on the employer, the victim, the perpetrator, the
family, the government (when response services are provided) and NGOs that work
in the field. Costs include:
-
the direct costs of facilities,
resources and services;
-
the cost of replacing lost or damaged
household items;
-
the cost of changing schools and/or
homes; and
-
the opportunity costs that are lost as a
result of missed opportunities for advancement in the workplace.
There are also costs involved in raising
awareness on the issue… and second generation costs of children exposed to
domestic violence that show a propensity to become involved in juvenile crime.
Not surprisingly both the
I could go
on… The purpose of this input is to give
you a glimpse of the scope and magnitude of the problem and to alert you to the
possible implications if this problem continues to remain unresolved.
The
statistics on violence reveal a society whose social fabric has been rent
asunder – and don’t kid yourselves:
domestic violence is not the sole preserve of the poor or indigent. This malevolent behaviour knows no class
boundaries – it is as commonplace in the leafy northern suburbs of
The
statistics on interpersonal violence also bear testimony to the inequalities
that continue to persist in our society – inequality between men and women;
inequality between the races and a spiralling inequality between the classes.
The gap between rich and poor has widened over the past decade in our country
with
It
is a given fact that equal societies experience lower levels of interpersonal
violence and that is what we must stress here:
equality is good for everyone – and it doesn’t come at the expense of
any group or person. Empowering and
enabling women does not come at the expense of men – beneficiation though
empowerment is what the experts call a benevolent or positive spiral –
empowerment has exponential benefits that go beyond the individual that is
being empowered.
And
who are the victims of violence – what do they look like? How are we reflected in them? In South the
answer to this question – more often than not – is ‘Women”. That is because we tend to characterise
victims as being women and women as being victims – and partly because the
lobby in favour of services for women is stronger, has more obvious legitimacy
and is more successful than any other. Victims are also seen as vulnerable and
traumatised – characteristics that fly in the face of the widely held belief
that men are tough, invulnerable and in firm control.
You might be interested to
discover that while young men commit the overwhelming majority of violent
crimes, the group most at risk of violent victimisation are boys between the
ages of 14 and 24 – worldwide! This is quite logical – young men engage in
risky behaviour and they are more likely to be in the presence of alcohol,
drugs, guns, fast cars and the other elements that help spark violence.
In
our paternalistic society, we don’t encourage male victims to recognise
themselves as such. “Cowboys don’t cry”
remains central to our notion of manhood. If young men are not allowed or
encouraged to deal with their own issues as victims, how can we possibly expect
them to empathise with or relates to women that become victims.
It
is also becoming clear to us that victims of violence if not assisted to heal
from the experience become trapped in a cycle which offers two options: one
that turns young victims of abuse into violent adult perpetrators or one that
traps young victims into a permanent submission to violence where they tend to
choose violent life partners or bosses for the rest of their lives.
This year the new Sexual Offences Bill will define rape in
gender-neutral terms which means that the victims of rape can be either male or
female. Up until now the rape of male minors has be described in the law as
“indecent assault” a far lesser crime than rape. I believe that as this new legislation swings
into action and as boys start turning to the law for remedy our notions of
victims and victimisation will experience a rude awakening as we come to
discover the levels of sexual predation that afflict our son’s lives. We will also begin to discover the real
causes of our unacceptably high rape, domestic abuse and assault statistics –
the high number of unattended child male victims has turned into a generation
of adult predators. And, socialised with
the notion of “might is right” they present a particular threat to our
collective wellbeing.
I have sketched a grim picture and you might just be feeling
as though there is no hope – that we are all doomed. I don not believe this to be the case.
In fact, now more than ever, there is evidence that men are
ready, able and willing to be become part of the solution to this huge
problem. They want to define themselves
differently and they surely want to distance themselves from brutish and
hurtful behaviour. The generation of
boys and young men in this hall are ideally placed to insist on changed
behaviours and attitudes – they are a little freer from the stereotypes and biases
that have burdened my generation. And
their sons will be even more so…
So where do we start?
I believe that peace begins in the home.
We, as parents, should take stock of our individual commitments to
ending domestic violence in terms of the way that we raise our sons and
daughters and the way in which we relate to one another in our homes. It is at home that children learn the values
of respect and dignity. And surely our
children learn and develop ideas from observing us, their parents, about the
way in which our society views and treats its women and children. It is in the way that we rear our children
and the values that we imbue in them, that this problem will be countered. Words like “dignity” and “respect” are mere
verbiage until they become evident in the behaviour that we demonstrate in our
daily interactions with one another at home, in the workplace and in our
communities.
I am the mother of a son and it is surely at my hands that
he will learn to define his masculinity in a way that chooses the path of peace
secure in the knowledge that it is thugs and bullies that resort to violence
and that life’s heroes – at all times – embrace tolerance; they hold dear the
value of diversity; and chose to give substance to the rights of people – all
people – to respect, human dignity and freedom from fear.
And you cannot compartmentalise violence – it cannot be okay
in the hazing and initiation ceremonies common to many of our schools and
universities - and not okay in another
context. American women living on
military bases are starting the pay the price for their partners being sent to
fight a brutal war. These men are
returning to their bases – warrior-husbands and lovers – and wreaking havoc on
their families back home. Domestic
violence and femicide – the murder of a female spousal partner – have
sky-rocketed within the military since the invasion of
Finally, it is both unhelpful and inaccurate to cast
men as the constant perpetrators and perpetual enemies of women and children;
it also alienates those many good men who are committed to peace and
non-violence. However, decent men can no
longer remain on the sidelines mouthing platitudes to the tragedy that is
playing out before us.
I would like to remind all these good men – and
indeed all South Africans of Edmund Burke’s stark reminder of the dangers of
apathy on this matter:
“The only
thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”
ST STITHIANS COLLEGE
POLICY: HIV / AIDS
Preamble
1.
It is St Stithians’
goal to create an environment of tolerance, understanding and compassion and of
being non-judgmental of people living with HIV/AIDS.
2.
St Stithians College
recognizes that HIV/AIDS is a serious epidemic affecting
2.1.
taking active steps in
the prevention of the spread of HIV.
2.2.
to effectively
managing and supporting staff and learners living with HIV/AIDS.
2.3.
St Stithians College
acknowledges the following scientific facts:
2.4.
HIV is a blood borne
virus and is spread only through intimate contact with blood, semen, vaginal
fluid and breast milk.
2.5.
The Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is not transmitted through casual contact.
Therefore, there is no reason to treat individuals with HIV differently from
other members of the school community.
General principles
3.
HIV testing will not be
a prerequisite for employment or school admission.
4.
HIV status will not
constitute a reason to preclude a person from employment or school admission.
5.
It will not be
mandatory for staff, learners or applicants to disclose their HIV status.
6.
Staff members living
with HIV/AIDS will:
6.1.
Have the same rights
as all staff including sick leave, compassionate leave and benefit entitlement.
6.2.
Have the same
responsibilities and obligations as all staff.
6.3.
Continue to be
employed until they are no longer able to meet the acceptable standards of work
performance and attendance. Management will make reasonable accommodations to
enable these staff members to continue working at St Stithians College for as
long as possible.
6.4.
Not be denied
promotion/ training because of their positive HIV status.