Volume 15 Issue November 2012

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1 W e have reached the stage of the year amidst its hustle and bustle of exams, nativity play, reports, and other events, to take stock by looking back and assessing the good and the not so good. We started the year with a new member of staff, Mrs Lindy French. She came to us from the Public Library Services and her kindness, enthusiasm, attention to detail, as well as her care for our young and not so young borrowers is such an asset. M any of the events of the year have been reported in previous Hat Chats, but perhaps a statistic that is not so well known is the fact that about 2000 new books, magazines and audio visual items have been added to the collection. It is so gratifying to discover in this age of kindles, ipads and tablets that children still turn to a book for their entertainment reading and quite frankly there is nothing to compare with sitting close to a young child and sharing a picture book full of exquisite pictures and great stories. If the rush to claim a new book at the end of the New Book Display period is anything to go by, our TWC teenagers still love books. As Maya Angelou said in an interview with Oprah, some things are best said on soft paper and not hard metal. Volume 15 Issue November 2012 P ossibly the most perplexing and frustrating issue for the Staff has been the enormous number of books that are returned late, thus incurring a fine. We try to inculcate an ethos of consideration for other readers. It makes financial good sense to purchase only two or three copies of bestsellers, so the turnaround needs to be as quick as possible. It s so frustrating to be desperate to read something like The Hunger Games, only to find someone keeps it out for 5 weeks or more. Fines for overdue books are charged at R1.00 per book per day late with a 2 day grace period. Such fines are charged to parents accounts as we no longer accept cash. T he Library has also been busy with Research Skills classes in both the Junior and Senior sections. The aim of these lessons is to encourage our students to become holistic researchers. In a recent article entitled Why Googling it is not enough, the author, Annie Paul, raises the question as to whether the Internet has changed the way students conduct research. A survey of more than 2000 middle and high school teachers has returned a resounding, Yes, and not always for the better. Research for today s students usually means Googling, with the result that research has moved from being a relatively slow process of intellectual curiosity and discovery to a fast-paced, short-term exercise aimed at locating just enough information to complete an assignment (Paul, 2012). In the words of Barry Ronge from a 2007 Sunday Times Magazine article, students are receiving the sound bite instead of the whole speech and the headline instead of the whole story. While everyone is quick to acknowledge the benefits of the Internet for research purposes, for a wide variety of reasons, including engaging multimedia formats, many teachers express great concern that easily-distracted students with short attention spans are not developing the skills required to do deep, original research something which is vital for successful tertiary education. Not only that, but Googling encourages plagiarism through cutting and pasting. This practice has become rife and has dire consequences for those who practise it, yet young people are so tempted to try and get away with it. The Research Skills classes are a vital part of the Library s work with the aim of steering our students safely through the many pitfalls of modern research techniques. Our annual stocktake will be upon us shortly and we request that everyone return their Library books before 21 November. We hope you have had a chance to take advantage of our R5 a book sale and have stocked up with good reads. Finally, The Library Staff would like to take this opportunity to wish our users a blessed Christmas with safe journeys and great piles of riveting reads in your stocking. Paul, Annie Murphy Why Googling it is not enough. [Online]. why-googling-it-is-not-enough/ [Accessed 12/11/2012] Ronge, Barry The changing pattern of research. The Sunday Time Magazine 21 July, p.7. Marilyn Pattenden Media Centre Co-ordinator

2 SENIIOR SCHOOL NEWS The Lady Principal and Staff cordially invite you to attend the Senior School Prize-Giving (Grades 8 to 11) to be held in the Atrium on 30 November 2012 at 09:00 Tea will be served at Rosie s after the Prize-Giving JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS NATIVITY PLAY T his year s Nativity Play, entitled One Starry Night in the Karoo, has, as the title would suggest, a distinctly South African flavour. However, the central message remains timeless and for all people in all places; Jesus s birth is to be celebrated bringing hope, love and peace to the world. I continue to be amazed by the creativity and ingenuity of staff members who, year after year, enable us to experience the Nativity in new and fresh ways. Belinda Mabaso Topeka Koning Abby Anderson And of course it would not be possible to produce an annual Nativity Play if we did not have such supportive parents. All are to be thanked for assisting in countless ways, for coping with disrupted schedules and for attending the performances. Dhiya Bhagwan Zia van Niekerk Aphiwe Ndaba and Amahle Khanyile

3 REPORTS These may be collected before or after school on Thursday 29 November. Closing times as per Term 4 Calendar. Grades RR 2 11:45 Grades :20 Grades 6 & 7 14:00 Boarders may sign for their reports. Flick Wright Junior School Headmistress Keen readers seen with Mrs Michie after having presented a cheque to Ms Magdalena Wos from Heifer International : Read to Feed. Back left to right: Isabella Clarke, Mariam Jooma, Grace Grant, Haseena Kajee. Front: Aaliyah Sacoor, Clarice van Niekerk, Sherrel Michie and Bronagh Johnson. These girls participated in a Tennis Tournament hosted by Durban Girls College on Saturday. Left to Right: Shannon Firman, Megan McDonald, Samantha Yeats and Kate Dunton. The College Cup was won by the Open 1 st Team, Samantha Yeats and Megan McDonald; and the Open 2 nd Team, Shannon Firman and Kate Dunton, were the runners-up. This is a particularly special achievement as TWC Junior School has won the College Cup for the third consecutive year. All the girls are congratulated. GENERAL SCHOOL NEWS Dear Parents, Girls and Staff of TWC Once again we are collecting Christmas Presents which will be placed under the tree at Festival of Praise and then distributed to underprivileged children. Please wrap your present in Christmas Wrapping Paper and place a sticker on it indicating the AGE GROUP and whether the present is for a BOY OR GIRL. You may place the presents in the collection box in the Marketing Office.

4 APPEAL Calling all parents and businesses This year, we are again hoping to attract your support for Upstream 2012 through page sponsorship. The cost of sponsorship is: R200 per page R300 inside front cover and inside back cover The text will be printed across the bottom of the page and could read something like: This page sponsored by the Smith Family OR This page sponsored by Grade 12, 2012 OR This page sponsored by Smith Engineering Please would you make your bookings by ing the Upstream Editor, Ant Lovell, on or leaving a message for him at Senior School Reception.

5 SWIMMING TWC "C" Team won the Gala which we hosted on 1 November. TWC "A" Team came second to Merchiston at the Gala held at Merchiston on 6 November, whilst our TWC "C" Team came sixth. As our Galas are over for the year I would like to take this opportunity to tell the swimmers that I am so proud of them. Thank you to all the coaches who are involved in their training. JUNIOR SPORT HIGHLIGHTS TENNIS Congratulations to Samantha Yeats and Megan McDonald who won the Durban Girls' College Cup on Saturday 10 November, held in Durban. This is the third consecutive year that TWC has brought this Trophy home. Kate Dunton and Shannon Firman were the runner up. This meant that both TWC Tennis Teams played each other in the Final. Well done, girls, and thank you to Denise Gouws for her coaching and Chanti Firman who travelled with the Team. SQUASH RESULTS Our TWC 1 and TWC 2 Teams won both their matches against Scottsville with a score of Results vs Merchiston: TWC Team 1 won 10-2, TWC 2 won 8-4 and TWC 3 drew 6-6. Results vs St John s: TWC 3 won 12-0, TWC 2 won 9-3. Our TWC 1 Team played Epworth and lost 4-8. Our Squash girls, too, have had a very successful season, and I would like to congratulate all players and coaches. Gaynor Weir SENIOR SPORT HIGHLIGHTS TENNIS The KZN Midlands girls tennis leagues have come to a close after an extremely competitive year in which the TWC teams have been primary contenders for the winner s podium on the termly league ladders. In the third term, the Joy Watt U19A League, U19B, U19C and Emily Howard leagues were won by the TWC U19A, U19C, U19D and U15A teams respectively. It must be mentioned that the U19B team were entered into the same league as the A side and their results enabled our A team to bring home the winning trophy. This is a definite improvement by all teams from the first term leagues where our teams were a few points behind the league winners. INDOOR HOCKEY The indoor teams have played a number of matches over the last two weeks. Senior 1: vs St Anne s 1 lost 2 7 (Melissa Glutz) Senior 2: vs St Anne s 2 lost 1 4 (Aimee te Riele) Senior 3: vs St Anne s 3 won 4 3 (Beth de Carle x 2, Hayley Keyser, Cynthia Kijjambu) Junior 1: vs St Anne s 1 lost 0 3 Junior 2: vs Grace 1 won 3 0 (Meagan Deenik, Bulelwa Kupe, Nicola Brill) Junior 2: vs St Anne s 2 drew 0 0 Junior 3: vs Grace 2 won 6 0 (Kristine Davis, Jordan Magrobi x 2, Lucy Bryant x 2, Catherine Lohrentz) Junior 3: vs St Anne s 3 lost 1 5 (Lucy Bryant) Junior 4: vs Grace 2 won 1 0 (Lucy Bryant) Junior 5: vs Alex 1 lost 2 3 (Catherine Lohrentz x 2) Abigail Vigar pushes the ball to Aimee te Riele who scored against St Anne s. Lyndal Robertson

6 CANOEING Last weekend 5 of our canoeists entered the Inter- Schools Canoeing Enduro at Shongweni Dam. Each team consisted of 3 or 4 members who, over a 2 hour period, completed numerous 2.5km laps on the dam in a relay. Courtney Mackenzie joined up with two Epworth girls to form an U18 team. Our U16 team, consisting of Amanda Peake, Linda Sithole, Holly Edmonds, and Katherine Barry, did very well and were placed 2 nd overall. Congratulations to Sarah Harries who was placed 3 rd overall in the U16 girls section for We are very proud of our TWC canoeists who came 2 nd in the Inter-Schools Girls Section for the 2012 season. Well done to the girls for a great season with much excitement and improvement. Thank you to Rowan Ainsworth, our coach, who has put time and effort into the training sessions and has supported the girls on the river during the races. Thank you to all the parents who provided much appreciated support and cheering at all the races throughout the season. Sam Barraclough WATER POLO WATER POLO CO-ED FESTIVAL FRIDAY 2 NOVEMBER. To end the 2012 Water Polo season TWC hosted the second Inter Schools co-ed festival. The tournament involved ten KZN boys and girls schools. The format meant each school played three matches during the course of the evening, had quality socialising time and an interval in which each player enjoyed a Prego roll and an array of salads provided by Capitol Catering. The event was such a success that we already have schools booking for the 2013 Festival. Thank you to several of our Junior players who helped make the tournament possible by providing their DJ services, working the Tech Table and even assisting with rush hour at the catering table. Sarah Dixon racing a MHS player to get the ball Grades 8 and 9 girls helping at the Tech table

7 SPORT S COACHES At TWC we are always striving to get the best available coaches to assist with the training of our girls at their sports practices. We are in the process of planning for 2013 and are still short of coaches in the following sports: WATERPOLO (Jan to March 1x per week) NETBALL (March June 2 practices and 1 match per week) BASKETBALL (July September - 2 practices and 1 match per week) Our coaches need to have their own transport and be willing to umpire/ref their own games. Should anyone know of students or even parents that are able to assist us, please send their contact details to the Senior School Sports Department on or via to sport@twc.org.za.