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HoriZons<br />
The Ridge School Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Editorial<br />
“We have so much time and so little<br />
to do. Strike that, reverse it.”<br />
ROALD DAHL, Charlie and the<br />
Great Glass Elevator<br />
Indeed, strike that, reverse it, as we<br />
come to final edition of Horizons<br />
for <strong>2017</strong>! After a jam-packed term,<br />
I have a jam-packed Horizons for<br />
you: plays; music concerts; outings;<br />
tributes; summer sports; art exhibition;<br />
Reading Breakfast; camps; market<br />
day, golf day; Leaver’s Dinner;<br />
outings and visitors, and more…<br />
But beyond all of the photo-worthy<br />
activities you’ll read about in this<br />
edition; are innovative and creative<br />
activities that take place inside the<br />
classrooms that you may not know<br />
about.<br />
Through this, the Grade 5 boys<br />
have shown how generous and giving<br />
they are with their time and resources<br />
and it’s a pleasure for me<br />
to be witness to that.<br />
And it’s that, ahead of this holiday<br />
season, when we are surrounded<br />
by people who have far less than<br />
we do, that is something to both<br />
cherish and continue.<br />
Enjoy the read!<br />
Anton Pretorius<br />
For an hour each week, the Grade<br />
5 boys have a subject called BlendIT.<br />
In this hour, boys get to experience<br />
and learn about things outside of<br />
standard school activities. In the<br />
first semester, boys had some basic<br />
dance and movement lessons and<br />
more recently, boys played Ridge-<br />
Opoly, a board game, like Monopoly,<br />
which integrates elements from<br />
Geography, Mathematics and English.<br />
As in Monopoly, boys manage<br />
a budget to buy and sell property<br />
while working in teams or syndicates.<br />
Through loud and heated<br />
discussion, boys learn more about<br />
how to work as a team and resolve<br />
conflict!<br />
Unlike Monopoly though, community<br />
tasks are real tasks and require<br />
boys to step out of their comfort<br />
zones and give back to the community<br />
in some way, picking up litter<br />
in a local park; make food packages<br />
for homeless people or cook dinner<br />
for their family.<br />
The Ridge School 2 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Headmaster’s Message<br />
Dear Parents<br />
We are into the final week of the<br />
<strong>2017</strong> academic year here at The<br />
Ridge and as always there are a<br />
number of really significant happenings<br />
to enjoy before we can<br />
bring the curtain down. Central to<br />
so much of it will be the final farewell<br />
to our Grade 7 leavers. In this<br />
context, then, it is appropriate for<br />
me as Headmaster to begin this last<br />
Horizons newsletter of the year by<br />
paying tribute to our outgoing senior<br />
year group.<br />
In keeping with every other year,<br />
the Grade 7 crop of <strong>2017</strong> leavers<br />
has touched the life of our school<br />
in their own very special, highly energized<br />
and remarkably talented<br />
way. From the classroom and the<br />
sports fields to the performing arts<br />
and cultural pursuits, not to mention<br />
their areas of leadership and<br />
service, they have worked hard to<br />
stake their claim as a senior class<br />
above the norm. Their many and<br />
varied achievements and awards<br />
certainly bear testimony to their<br />
praiseworthy successes and to a<br />
legacy that will prove to be both<br />
noteworthy and long-lasting. Of as<br />
much importance, however, is the<br />
fact that they have gelled so well<br />
together as a group of boys; they<br />
have worked hard to hold high The<br />
Ridge badge and banner, and they<br />
have developed a depth of relationships<br />
with each other and members<br />
of staff that will clearly stand<br />
the test of time.<br />
Well done to each of you young<br />
men. We are confident that you will<br />
go on to your senior schools ready<br />
and able to make a difference, to<br />
play your part and to build on the<br />
foundations that have been laid<br />
here at The Ridge over the years. I<br />
have no doubt that down the road,<br />
you will be noticed and looked up<br />
to as young leaders of character, integrity<br />
and principle. Go well and<br />
may God bless you all.<br />
To the Grade 7 parents, and on<br />
behalf of the extended Ridge family,<br />
I would offer a sincere vote of<br />
thanks for all that each of you has<br />
done in support of our school over<br />
the years. In particular, for the role<br />
that many of you have been happy<br />
to play this past year as the parents<br />
of our senior boy: being willing, on<br />
so many occasions to add value and<br />
your own expertise to projects, activities<br />
or fund raising ventures. We<br />
trust that for you too, The Ridge<br />
memory will be a lasting and precious<br />
one. We wish you well as you<br />
enjoy opening the new and exciting<br />
college chapter with your boys and<br />
as you stand on the threshold of<br />
new senior school adventures.<br />
From the pen of C.S. Lewis a message<br />
to take away with you; “Some<br />
journeys take us far from home.<br />
Some adventures lead us to our<br />
destiny.”<br />
Still in the ‘thank you’ mode, I would<br />
like to pay a special tribute to our<br />
Ridge staff team.<br />
It should go without saying that it<br />
is within the design and make-up of<br />
a school’s human resource that the<br />
true success and deeper meaning<br />
of what the school stands for and<br />
delivers on can be most accurately<br />
measured. It is a fascinating paradox<br />
that at a time when technology<br />
and the digital world is having<br />
a huge impact on the way teaching<br />
and learning happens in schools<br />
throughout the world, the facilitating<br />
and pastoral role of the teacher<br />
has taken on more significance than<br />
ever before.<br />
As instructor to learning, confidant<br />
and friend, trusted care-giver, and<br />
as moral guide, amongst a host of<br />
other responsibilities, it is the primary<br />
school teacher who more often<br />
than not is being called upon<br />
to manage and oversee so many<br />
vital and contributing attributes of<br />
a child’s holistic well-being and so,<br />
alongside the parents, to manage<br />
the facilitation of a safe transition<br />
from childhood to adulthood.<br />
There is no doubt that, individually<br />
and collectively, The Ridge teachers<br />
measure up as being some of the<br />
very best around. It is my privilege,<br />
as their colleague, friend and headmaster,<br />
to acknowledge, affirm and<br />
congratulate them all on the wonderful<br />
work that each has done<br />
during another memorable year<br />
where child-centred growth and<br />
development has been the order<br />
of the day. Thank you, one and all,<br />
for the remarkable job that each of<br />
you has done.<br />
My grateful thanks too, is extended<br />
to the wonderful support staff team<br />
of men and women who make up<br />
our committed and hard-working<br />
admin, marketing, kitchen, housekeeping<br />
and ground staffing teams.<br />
So many of the lasting and happy<br />
memories from this past year are<br />
as a result of all that is done behind<br />
the scenes to host events, functions<br />
and fixtures at levels that set standards<br />
that are the envy of many.<br />
In closing, I wish our Ridge family a<br />
marvellously relaxing, fun-filled holiday<br />
and festive season. Please travel<br />
safely, take special care and God<br />
bless you all.<br />
Richard Stanley<br />
Headmaster<br />
The Ridge School 3 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Board Chair Report<br />
Being a bit of a “laat lammetjie”<br />
compared to my two brothers, I<br />
have been visiting The Ridge School<br />
for most of my life. As a young child<br />
I remember the current Rose field<br />
having no grass on it at all, a cricket<br />
mat was used for the pitch and<br />
the pavilion was a three sided tin<br />
shed. Even when I left the school<br />
in 1981 our standard 6 (Grade 8)<br />
classroom, yes they offered it in<br />
those days, was a semi-tin, semibrick<br />
building with a woodwork<br />
studio as the entrance to our actual<br />
classroom.<br />
The point is that over the years<br />
that I have visited the school its facilities<br />
have changed substantially.<br />
Today we have a campus that is the<br />
product of some excellent Governors<br />
who had a vision, followed<br />
through, and delivered something<br />
that The Ridge alma-mater can be<br />
proud of when they re-connect<br />
with our school.<br />
It is clear that the way young children,<br />
in our case boys, are taught<br />
is evolving. STEAM is a great example<br />
of this! We are proud of the<br />
fact that other schools are coming<br />
to our school to understand how<br />
we have successfully implemented<br />
STEAM into the Grade 5 curriculum<br />
this year. STEAM, which combines<br />
Science, Technology, Engineering,<br />
Art and Maths, is “taught”<br />
across three lesson times, has no<br />
formal assessment, is overseen<br />
by four teachers simultaneously<br />
and the classes are broken down<br />
into sub-groups. Quite a change<br />
from the way my older sons were<br />
taught at The Ridge - and they left<br />
the school as recently as 2014 and<br />
2016 respectively.<br />
We are acutely aware that there is<br />
a pre-requisite that Grade 7 boys<br />
impress prospective high schools<br />
with academic assessments and<br />
the likes, but the point is that the<br />
way boys are taught will require<br />
more flexibility going forward. The<br />
current Junior Prep building has<br />
done an adequate job to date, but<br />
looking towards the future this is<br />
highly unlikely to be the case. Certainly<br />
every possible tweak, tuck<br />
and extension that the architects<br />
could think of has taken place since<br />
it was built in 1973 and extended<br />
in 1988. We are really looking forward<br />
to the completion of the new<br />
Junior Prep building which will provide<br />
our boys and teachers with an<br />
incredible facility that will enable<br />
many Ridge boys to fully benefit<br />
from the evolution of education for<br />
decades to come.<br />
The new JP building is on track to<br />
get underway as soon as school<br />
breaks up in December this year,<br />
with the contractor having been<br />
appointed this week, and the keys<br />
for the temporary facility having already<br />
been handed over.<br />
The Ridge School 4 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Board Chair Report cont...<br />
Naturally, there are a number of<br />
other exciting capital projects<br />
planned for the future. As an example,<br />
though, we would love to<br />
see the Lawley Road staff housing<br />
moved to the top of the campus to<br />
make way for an astroturf or field.<br />
The houses in Lawley Road were,<br />
after all, acquired for this purpose<br />
some 15 – 17 years ago and would<br />
alleviate an enormous amount<br />
of pressure on our current sport<br />
fields, including the Hope field, as<br />
the school has grown to 500 pupils.<br />
The campus “map” below shows<br />
the current long term capital project<br />
plan, which will, in our minds,<br />
facilitate the continual improvement<br />
and upgrades to the school<br />
facilities as has taken place over the<br />
forty seven years that I have been<br />
visiting The Ridge and enabled our<br />
school to remain current, relevant<br />
and desirable from so many different<br />
aspects. We need to ensure<br />
that this remains the case for decades<br />
to come.<br />
James Clucas<br />
Chairman, The Ridge Board<br />
The Ridge School 5 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Senior Prep Report<br />
“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability<br />
to learn is a skill; the willingness to<br />
learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert<br />
It’s a scary thought that <strong>2017</strong> is coming<br />
to an end. Christmas paraphernalia has<br />
already begun cluttering the shelves of<br />
stores, businesses are starting to wrap<br />
up end of year goals, and schools such<br />
as ours, begin to wind down as we finalise<br />
another year that has flown by.<br />
Much has changed on the academic<br />
front, and we are starting to see the<br />
positive impact that P4C, STEAM and<br />
the two Academic Semesters has had<br />
on our boys this year. A shift in culture<br />
and mindset, as well as an understanding<br />
of what education really looks like<br />
in the 21st Century, bodes well whereby<br />
our teaching pedagogies align with<br />
the way in which our boys learn.<br />
Teaching and learning continues to<br />
change, and what an exciting place our<br />
scool is to be in and be a part of at<br />
this time. The word “Digital Natives”<br />
springs to mind - Education author Jay<br />
Cross said “education is moving from<br />
the individual to the individual and his<br />
contacts”. This rings true, whereby<br />
boys are tasked daily to check Google<br />
Classroom, to upload projects and<br />
documents to Google Drive, and turn<br />
in assignments on given due dates.<br />
Content has shifted from “what I know<br />
to what WE know”. Sharing, collaboration<br />
and communication have become<br />
fundamentally important in the classroom<br />
environment.<br />
We have to understand that the landscape<br />
of education is changing at such<br />
a pace that the illiterate of the 21st<br />
century will not be those that cannot<br />
read or write, the illiterate will be<br />
those who cannot learn, unlearn and<br />
relearn. Tony Wagner says that “there<br />
is no competitive advantage today in<br />
knowing more than the person next to<br />
you. The world doesn’t care what you<br />
know. What the world cares about is<br />
what you can do with what you know.”<br />
I sent a newsletter out a few months<br />
back, which touched on something we<br />
like to call the softer skills, with some<br />
of these being empathy, grit, resilience,<br />
communication and collaboration. I<br />
feel we will do our boys a disservice if<br />
these are not taught and role-modeled<br />
everyday. Angela Duckworth, an academic<br />
and psychologist writes on grit<br />
and resilience and how regular individuals<br />
who exercise selfcontrol and perseverance<br />
can reach as high as those<br />
who are naturally talented—that your<br />
mindset is as important as your mind.<br />
As a primary school, and a foundation<br />
for learning, I strongly believe that the<br />
softer skills outweigh a mark or average<br />
on a report card. We need to continue<br />
asking ourselves what we (both<br />
teacher and parent) want our boys to<br />
“look like” when they leave The Ridge<br />
School. If we’re just focused on one,<br />
two or all three core pillars (Academics,<br />
Sport and Music) that make up our<br />
school, then we are doing our boys<br />
a disservice, and they will leave here<br />
with a very narrow minded approach<br />
as to what real life is about.<br />
Within the next 15 to 20 years, this<br />
will undoubtedly have changed. Your<br />
son, or sons will have graduated, and<br />
the story of what schools will become<br />
has already been written. The Ridge<br />
School will certainly be one of these<br />
establishments. It will be a place where<br />
teachers, parents and students come<br />
together to learn about the world, a<br />
place rich with technology that lets<br />
our boys dream big and where we create<br />
the fuel for those dreams. A place<br />
where learning is fun, where it’s not<br />
necessarily so much about competing<br />
against one another as it is about<br />
working together to solve the really<br />
big problems we’ll face together in the<br />
years to come.<br />
Gareth Dry, principal at Riverview<br />
Preparatory School in Melane, Mpumalanga<br />
says it best:<br />
“We are in the middle of another revolution<br />
– a revolution of thought. The<br />
future of our country and the world<br />
depends on the work we do today in<br />
our classroom. Are we going to continue<br />
to educate children by date of<br />
manufacture, or are we going to encourage<br />
flexibility, individual thought<br />
and opportunities for growth at different<br />
rates?”<br />
I am excited for what lies ahead of us<br />
in the coming years, and what we as<br />
a school, in partnership with parents,<br />
can achieve.<br />
May I take this opportunity to thank<br />
you all for your support. As education<br />
evolves and continues to change, The<br />
Ridge School will continue to remain<br />
at the forefront of teaching and learning.<br />
On behalf of the staff, enjoy a well-deserved<br />
and safe holiday. I have included<br />
a link below called the “WestJet<br />
Christmas Miracle”, where, some of<br />
the softer skills of what I have mentioned<br />
earlier apply.<br />
https://www.youtube.com/<br />
watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk<br />
Nicholas Diana<br />
Deputy Head: SP Academics<br />
The Ridge School 6 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Junior Prep Report<br />
I’m always amazed, when compiling<br />
this end of year article, at the<br />
volume of activities and events<br />
that we pack into any given year.<br />
Our core business in teaching<br />
and learning, and the growth and<br />
development that happens from<br />
January to December is exponential.<br />
Our precious time together<br />
is sprinkled with delights including<br />
dress up and theme days, outings<br />
and innings, concerts and galas,<br />
play dates and extra murals, sports<br />
and music. This year, the boys even<br />
witnessed a helicopter landing on<br />
the Hersov field!<br />
<strong>2017</strong> saw the introduction of the<br />
Grade 1 & 2 Homework supervision,<br />
which has proven to be a<br />
huge ‘value-add’ for parents. It has<br />
provided consolidation on work<br />
done in class, and freed up space in<br />
the evenings for working parents<br />
who can now just relax with their<br />
children as opposed to starting<br />
homework when children are tired<br />
and ready for bed.<br />
For parents who perhaps don’t<br />
have time to check the school app<br />
regularly, please see the Junior<br />
Prep info icon for “Recommended<br />
reading list” and forward any interesting<br />
articles to me and I will load<br />
accordingly. I would also encourage<br />
you read the article on resources<br />
for parents. We’ve realised<br />
in the last few months, that we are<br />
not doing enough to up-skill our<br />
parents in the area of parenting.<br />
Our boys have an important<br />
role to play in the future of our<br />
country, and encouraging them to<br />
have a heart for the community<br />
continues to be a top priority for<br />
me. Our combined and continued<br />
efforts in this department this year<br />
have been fantastic!<br />
Term 1 task money – Salvazione<br />
Christian School R10 000<br />
Term 2 task money – The Link<br />
Literacy Project R9306<br />
Term 3 task money – Brainy Birds<br />
Parrot Rescue & rehabilitation<br />
Centre R5500<br />
Mini City Council – Easter Egg<br />
Collection and sweets<br />
Fruity Fridays for the Hope School<br />
Santa Shoebox Project – Grade 0<br />
Rotary – Christmas gifts for the<br />
Ilanga Nutritional Care Centre<br />
Teddy Bear Clinic – Christmas<br />
gifts from Grade 3 boys & R10 000<br />
from the Greeting Card Project<br />
Heritage Day & 67 Minutes of<br />
Service<br />
Barring a few leaks due to the big<br />
rains we’ve had, the move to the<br />
temporary village has been amazing!<br />
Any move provides you with<br />
an opportunity to do a proper<br />
spring clean, reflecting on resources<br />
that are no longer relevant<br />
or perhaps some gems that you<br />
forgot you had! We are extremely<br />
excited to watch our dream of a<br />
new building become a reality.<br />
My son said to Garreth and I the<br />
other day, I wish I could invent a<br />
function on your cell phone that<br />
only allows you to use it for a limited<br />
number of hours in a day! And<br />
he’s right! My encouragement to<br />
us as parents, is to use these holidays<br />
as time to make many meaningful<br />
‘screen free’ connections.<br />
Everyday I feel honoured to be<br />
part of this incredible Ridge family.<br />
I am blessed to work with an<br />
amazing team of ladies and gents;<br />
all of whom have a passion for<br />
little boys and seeing them reach<br />
their full potential. They are totally<br />
professional in all they do and I<br />
am fortunate to be their leader.<br />
Nothing is ever too much trouble<br />
and especially heading into this<br />
frenetic time of year, concerts,<br />
plays, tributes, class slips, induction<br />
of new staff and boys, info sessions,<br />
parents interviews, ‘case conference’<br />
meetings and reports, they<br />
are miracle workers and certainly<br />
strive towards our goal of “Creating<br />
an inclusive, emotionally literate<br />
environment”. Our boys are a<br />
delight and we so enjoy the time<br />
we spend together. I not only think<br />
we have the best Junior Prep but<br />
I know we have the best school<br />
ever!<br />
Mandy Herold<br />
Head of Junior Prep<br />
The Ridge School 7 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Parent Association Report<br />
The Ridge School PA has had another successful year,<br />
thanks to the dedicated Class Moms and Dads. One<br />
aim of the PA is to act as a go-between for parents and<br />
staff, and to act as a forum to raise issues and work<br />
together to find solutions. Our monthly PA meetings,<br />
attended by PA reps and the school Executive Committee<br />
are lively and constructive – albeit long meetings!<br />
A big thank you to Mr Stanley and the Exec for<br />
their willingness to listen and act on parents’ suggestions<br />
and concerns.<br />
A second aim of the PA is to arrange social functions<br />
to facilitate Ridge parents getting to know each other<br />
in a relaxed setting, and to fund raise. We have had several<br />
social functions, detailed in this and other issues of<br />
Horizons. These functions have been enjoyed by parents<br />
and boys alike, with many friendships cemented!<br />
This year we raised in excess of R340 000, which will<br />
be given to charitable causes and selected projects at<br />
The Ridge, the details of which will be shared when<br />
finalised. We also raised R60 000 from the Cake Sales,<br />
which goes toward the Grade 7 Valedictory Dinner.<br />
ground and security staff also received R50 airtime.<br />
The PA has also sponsored the sunscreen situated<br />
around the school. At the beginning of the year we set<br />
out to make all our events welcoming to all parents.<br />
We hope we have made progress in achieving this goal.<br />
On a personal note, my highlight of the PA year has<br />
been getting to know the wonderful parents in other<br />
Grades, and working with all the dedicated Reps on<br />
the various functions and activities. Thank you to all<br />
the Reps for your time and commitment, and senses<br />
of humour! And thank you to all Ridge parents for<br />
generously supporting the PA initiatives.<br />
Fenella Johns<br />
A third aim is to look after our community. For Ridge<br />
families and teaching staff, this is achieved with the TLC<br />
funds, which are used to celebrate, commiserate and<br />
provide some comfort in tough times. This year, as a<br />
PA outreach initiative all Ridge staff were given a small<br />
jar of sweets to celebrate their birthdays. All cleaning,<br />
The Ridge School 8 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Happy Retirement<br />
Nomsa Mogale<br />
Nomsa Mogale arrived at The<br />
Ridge School in 1988 as the Grade<br />
0 teacher’s assistant. The school<br />
was much smaller then and Nomsa<br />
has witnessed many changes during<br />
her time here. One of the most<br />
dramatic being the introduction of<br />
technology and computers. Nomsa<br />
has also seen many changes of staff<br />
over the years. She speaks highly<br />
and fondly of the late Eula Taylor,<br />
Felicity Dempster (now Headmistress<br />
at The Parks), Di Arthur (living<br />
in England), Trishie Parker (retired<br />
to St. Francis Bay) and Jenny<br />
Jones (teaching at Kairos School).<br />
The Ridge has been a real family<br />
to Nomsa, supporting her during<br />
ill health and several family losses<br />
over the years. Nomsa has weathered<br />
these hard times stoically, and<br />
I know that the love and care of the<br />
boys, parents and staff have assisted<br />
her during these difficult periods.<br />
As can be expected after serving<br />
the school for nearly 30 years,<br />
some of her charges have returned,<br />
bringing with them their own sons.<br />
To Nomsa’s delight, <strong>2017</strong> saw the<br />
enrolment of Tyler-Rhys, son of Old<br />
Boy, Kaizer Motaung and Kuhle, Son<br />
of Old Boy, Muhle Tshablala. What a<br />
proud moment for both dads and<br />
sons.<br />
Nomsa has performed her duties<br />
tirelessly and is always willing to<br />
step in and lend a hand. She is an<br />
amazing detective and is able to<br />
weasel the truth out of any little<br />
boy who thinks they can pull the<br />
wool over her eyes. As teachers,<br />
we are often calling on her to help<br />
us find mislaid items, which she<br />
does calmly and efficiently. She is<br />
an amazing doctor to the little boys<br />
who have splinters in their hands<br />
or feet from the jungle gym, and is<br />
able to extract the offending piece<br />
of wood without them noticing.<br />
Her brilliant seamstress skills are<br />
often called upon, to sew on buttons<br />
or do last minute adjustments<br />
to concert costumes.<br />
Despite her years, Nomsa still retains<br />
her youthful prettiness and<br />
has bursts of high energy. The boys<br />
are delighted when she plays ‘catches’<br />
or soccer with them. Nomsa has<br />
an amazing story telling talent - she<br />
expertly regales the boys with stories<br />
passed down to her from her<br />
grandmother. In this age of technology<br />
it is gratifying to witness the<br />
boys, seated at her feet, completely<br />
spellbound by her enthralling tales.<br />
It is difficult to do justice to 29<br />
years of service in a few short paragraphs<br />
and to express the amount<br />
of appreciation and thanks for the<br />
work and devotion she has given to<br />
the staff, boys and parents. Nomsa<br />
retires at the end of this year for a<br />
well-earned rest and to be a Goggo<br />
to her three beautiful grandchildren.<br />
We salute you, Mrs Mogale,<br />
and wish you all the best for a<br />
peaceful and happy retirement.<br />
The Grade 0 Team<br />
The Ridge School 9 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Happy Retirement<br />
Pat Munton<br />
A wind of change<br />
Change is being embraced in the office adjacent to<br />
mine, as we sadly witness the retirement of a Ridge<br />
legend - Pat Munton who has been the ‘front of house’<br />
with the Ridge family for some 18 years. More often<br />
than not, her pretty, smiling face was the first introduction<br />
that many prospective parents had to The Ridge.<br />
Pat has a wonderfully calm and serene disposition and<br />
a knowledge of all that life at The Ridge entails. She has<br />
been a psychologist, a nurse, a confidant, a shoulder to<br />
lean on, a secretary, a travel agent, a sweet shop, and a<br />
P.A to Mr Diana and myself. Nothing has ever been too<br />
much trouble for Pat.<br />
Pat has loved The Ridge and we in turn have admired,<br />
respected, loved and trusted her. Pat’s warmth, genuine<br />
interest and respect for staff, boys and parents<br />
has enabled her to make a difference in their lives. Pat<br />
has directed parents to ‘read the app’ and patched up<br />
more boys (and staff) than she cares to remember.<br />
She is greatly loved and valued by all staff – academic,<br />
cleaning, administrative and ground staff alike. She has<br />
always quietly got on with her job and always had a<br />
smile and a kind word for everyone. Her integrity and<br />
reliability have been beyond reproach.<br />
We say thank you, Pat, for the wonderful contribution<br />
you have made to the success of the school over your<br />
years, and we wish you well as you spend more time<br />
with your family in the bush. You will be sorely missed.<br />
May the years ahead be kind to you in every possible<br />
way.<br />
Chris Verster<br />
Tributes - Bon Voyage<br />
Megan Gorringe<br />
Megan: meaning “pearl”<br />
Definition of pearl : a person<br />
or thing of great worth, highly<br />
prized as a gem.<br />
That is certainly our Megs.<br />
M<br />
E<br />
G<br />
A<br />
N<br />
magnanimous<br />
energetic, elegant<br />
gregarious, gorgeous<br />
altruistic, adventurer<br />
nurturing, non-pareil<br />
G<br />
O<br />
R<br />
R<br />
I<br />
N<br />
G<br />
E<br />
generous, glamourous<br />
optimistic, omniscient<br />
radiant, reliable<br />
resplendent,<br />
resourceful<br />
intrepid, inspirational<br />
noteworthy, nature<br />
lover<br />
gracious, genteel<br />
enthusiastic, exuberant<br />
“Of all the books in the<br />
world, the best stories are<br />
found between the pages of a<br />
passport.”<br />
Thank you for letting us be<br />
part of your story! Good luck<br />
back home!<br />
Di Wellard<br />
The Ridge School 10 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Bon Voyage<br />
Astrid Read<br />
The journey through life is an interesting<br />
track<br />
But for Astrid and Craig there is no turning<br />
back<br />
It’s time to write your next chapter and create<br />
some adventure abroad<br />
Your bravery for starting a new is something<br />
to applaud<br />
An exciting chapter awaits, a journey begins<br />
Although both scary and exciting, it’s bound<br />
to lead to great wins<br />
While South Africa is your home and for it<br />
you might yearn<br />
It’s time to give the land of Kiwis and Maori’s<br />
a turn<br />
Astrid has fitted in perfectly into the Lighthouse<br />
team<br />
Where laughter is aplenty, and support supreme<br />
We complement each other in so many ways<br />
Whether it’s finding lost keys, deliberating,<br />
lending a helping hand or offering praise<br />
Let’s face it, we are all slightly off the wall<br />
But through encouragement and jest we have<br />
always survived it all<br />
Without question or query you have always<br />
had our backs<br />
Your nurturing nature, your concern and<br />
countless kind acts<br />
Your laughter, your consideration, your wisdom<br />
and sharing<br />
Your golden heart that knows no boundaries<br />
of caring<br />
Your generous spirit, your warmth and sincerity<br />
we admire<br />
Your intuition and concern for others is<br />
something to inspire<br />
Learning support is your heart, your passion,<br />
your drive<br />
To truly connect with each learner is that for<br />
which you strive<br />
Your way with the boys is something to behold<br />
Fond memories of you we shall always uphold<br />
We shall never forget you, you made such an<br />
impact<br />
An incredible colleague of which that is a fact<br />
Without you, our team will never be the<br />
same<br />
Our time has been short, but sweet, and we<br />
are so glad you came<br />
Empathy always encircles all that you do<br />
But for now, our dear friend, it’s time to wish<br />
you well and bid you adieu<br />
Candice Fletcher and Jan Mallen<br />
You have definitely made your mark in two<br />
short years<br />
And now that you prepare to leave us, we are<br />
left with some tears<br />
Your approach has always been one of charm<br />
and grace<br />
And to match there has always been a beautiful<br />
smile on your face<br />
We love that you are sharp, insightful and<br />
witty<br />
Your zest for life, compassion and ability to be<br />
gritty<br />
The Ridge School 11 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Bon Voyage<br />
Gift Sanele Nkosi<br />
African myths sketch a conceptual world presided<br />
over by a divinity that is responsible for<br />
the emergence of humanity and the development<br />
of a community. Its in this realm that Africans<br />
look when naming a child. Gift (Mpho),<br />
a beautiful and prophetic name, given to one<br />
that comes into the realm of the living as a<br />
blessing from the Ancestors. Our Gift has been<br />
nothing but a blessing, he is spirited yet has a<br />
calm demeanour about him. Gift chuckles a lot<br />
but has clarity of thought and a solid head on<br />
his shoulders. He possesses the wit to read<br />
situations and make the right call, therefore<br />
displaying a maturity far beyond his 20 years.<br />
Ungu Sanele, a direct response from us of this<br />
world to acknowledge his presence amongst<br />
us. Indeed Sanele ngokufika kwakhe, we are<br />
happier for his coming and glad that our paths<br />
crossed.<br />
afraid to speak truth to authority and be morally<br />
upright. The children you will teach are<br />
your charges - inspire them, care for them,<br />
but most importantly, love them.<br />
We will miss you, but rest assured that we will<br />
be following your progress with interest. We<br />
will be rooting for you from our corner up on<br />
the cliff. We will be claiming you as our own<br />
as we know you are destined for great things.<br />
Stay humble, Bhuti, work hard. And make us<br />
proud.<br />
Godspeed and farewell, Ntwanenkosi, Wena<br />
wekunene, Dlamini!<br />
Moeketsi Motsepe<br />
Nkosana ya kwa Dlamini, may you keep being a<br />
gift and blessing to those that you come across.<br />
Choose your battles carefully, understand that<br />
the world requires and expects much to those<br />
whom much has been given. Be a star in the<br />
spaces you find yourself in. Allow you light to<br />
brighten the lives of those around you. And<br />
most of all know that teaching is not a profession,<br />
but a vocation and a higher calling, meant<br />
for those that are selfless, who give of themselves<br />
with no expectation of a reward. It is for<br />
those who are conscripted to poverty and a<br />
lifelong dedication to serving their fellow men.<br />
Teach then, Babe Nkosi, with a quiet dedication<br />
and a resolution that you are contributing<br />
meaningfully to the shaping of generations<br />
to come. Teach while others look at amassing<br />
great wealth at the expense of those things<br />
that we, as teachers, consider important. Be<br />
brave when you enter this space, for many<br />
have fallen by the wayside. Stand resolute, for<br />
these days we need teachers that will not be<br />
The Ridge School 12 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Onto new pastures<br />
Denny Surgey<br />
Denny joined The Ridge four years ago as an<br />
Intern in the Learning Support Department.<br />
During that time she completed her Honours<br />
Degree in Inclusive Education and then we<br />
were very happy to ‘hijack’ her into Grade 4,<br />
where she has taught for the last three years.<br />
Denny has a delightful sense of humour, particularly<br />
appealing to children and has even<br />
been known to go down the ‘high’ slide on<br />
Founder’s Day, much to the joy of children in<br />
her class. She understands within the framework<br />
of her teaching the importance of keeping<br />
in touch with children. In the words of one<br />
of my favourite teachers, a two-inch tall mouse<br />
named Stuart Little. Denny understands and<br />
epitomizes the three important rules:<br />
• Be a true friend<br />
• Do the right thing<br />
• Enjoy and live the glory of everything.<br />
Denny is an excellent teacher and she has certainly<br />
made her mark. She has the ability to<br />
think ‘out of the box’, is creative and enterprising<br />
in her methods. The boys, and their parents<br />
alike, grow very fond of her during the year<br />
they spend in her class. She is incredibly caring<br />
and has a wonderful depth of understanding<br />
of her boys, taking each one under her wing<br />
during the course of the year.<br />
Whilst she has been in Grade 4, she has taken<br />
responsibility for the Climbing Team and<br />
been involved in the Cross Country. She has<br />
also been a lifesaver when it comes to putting<br />
a song together and writing the lyrics for<br />
the Grade 7 tribute - which has been a great<br />
relief to the less musical members of the department!<br />
Denny leaves us to go and complete her Masters<br />
in Inclusive Education next year. She has a<br />
busy and exciting time ahead, especially with a<br />
wedding to plan as well. We thank you for all<br />
you have contributed to Learning Support and<br />
Grade 4 at The Ridge. We are going to miss<br />
you but we wish you all the happiness in the<br />
world in your exciting new ventures that lie<br />
ahead. Remember Denny “If a flower blooms<br />
once, it goes on blooming somewhere forever.<br />
What is changed is never gone unless we let it<br />
go. You will be remembered.”<br />
Jan Mallen and Erica Kinnear<br />
Beneath Denny’s slender frame, lies a remarkable<br />
inner strength. She is not afraid to take<br />
on new challenges and her determination and<br />
resilience will see her succeed in all that she<br />
does. She ran the Comrades Marathon this<br />
year for the first time, unsure whether she was<br />
going to do it until the last minute, and then<br />
surpassed all her dreams and expectations.<br />
Denny is a woman full of courage and grit, and<br />
those qualities have certainly seen her through<br />
the challenges of the last few months.<br />
The Ridge School 13 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Onto new pastures<br />
Marilyn Middlewick<br />
Marilyn began teaching at The Ridge in January<br />
of 2011 after Gill Olley decided she could<br />
no longer teach our Grade 0s. She was an<br />
obvious and wonderful choice! Marilyn came<br />
to The Ridge with endless experience, a tremendous<br />
love of children and huge knowledge<br />
of this age group. She continued this valuable<br />
and important role with ease and love. Her<br />
teaching is inspired, appropriate, and provides<br />
the most wonderful start a little boy can have<br />
as he embarks on his exciting musical journey.<br />
One just has to go into a Grade 0 music lesson<br />
to sense the happiness, joy and fun these boys<br />
are have.<br />
Marilyn is also a very organised person and always<br />
knows what to do and how to do it well.<br />
Her concerts are a delight for everyone, and<br />
one can only marvel at what she manages to<br />
achieve in a single year with these very little,<br />
very energetic boys. They arrive straight from<br />
nursery school, very young, quite unruly and<br />
not very confident. They have in most cases<br />
done very little music but within a few short<br />
weeks they are ready to perform their musical<br />
debut for their grandparents. It is quite amazing.<br />
She has managed to create a delightful musical<br />
performance in only a few short weeks!<br />
Marilyn’s work ethic and determination is unrivalled.<br />
Even when she has been very ill, nothing<br />
has stopped her from appearing at work<br />
and preparing the children brilliantly for their<br />
concert. She even gave a Grade 0 concert with<br />
a broken pelvis. Marilyn does not let anyone<br />
down - the show will go on!<br />
Marilyn, you can look back with pride on the<br />
countless children who have gone through<br />
your hands, knowing you have provided the<br />
most wonderful musical inspiration for them.<br />
I know you will remain at Pridwin next year,<br />
continuing your sterling work until the next<br />
chapter begins. We hope you will continue to<br />
teach music to children, but you also deserve<br />
to enjoy your ‘own time’ with Paul and your<br />
beloved sons. Thank you for a job very well<br />
done. We will miss you.<br />
By Janet Fox Van Der Poel<br />
The Ridge School 14 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Onto new pastures<br />
Gerrit Koorsen<br />
Gerrit has been teaching ‘cello with<br />
us for 5 years. Many people don’t<br />
see him very often as he comes in<br />
early, teaches his pupils and then<br />
rushes off to UJ for his ‘proper’ job.<br />
Gerrit is one of the lucky ones who<br />
combines a musical and an academic<br />
career.<br />
many people don’t know about him<br />
is that he is the highest qualified<br />
member of The Ridge staff, with<br />
a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD)<br />
from Cambridge University and a<br />
Masters of Science degree (MSc) in<br />
Molecular Biology from UCT. He is<br />
currently a Senior Lecturer at University<br />
of Johannesburg.<br />
Gerrit we appreciate all you have<br />
given to us and we understand that<br />
you need to spend more time with<br />
your Biochemistry students. You<br />
will be sorely missed by your ‘cello<br />
students and colleagues. Go well<br />
special man. You leave a big gap.<br />
Janet Fox Van Der Poel<br />
Gerrit is loved and revered by his<br />
pupils, and is admired and hugely<br />
respected by his colleagues. He<br />
is humble, unassuming and an extraordinary<br />
musician in his own<br />
right. He performs regularly as a<br />
soloist and in in the orchestra for<br />
operas, shows and ballets.<br />
His pupils play beautifully and he has<br />
enhanced many of our musicals and<br />
performances over the years. Gerrit<br />
is very hard to replace. What<br />
Tributes - Leaving Locums<br />
Susan Hughes<br />
The Ridge has been exceptionally<br />
lucky to have Sioux Hughes join<br />
the Grade 6 team for the final term<br />
this year. She had big shoes to fill<br />
with the very popular and energetic<br />
Shannon Diedricks heading off<br />
to teach in Sweden. However, she<br />
made her positive mark immediately,<br />
and has done an outstanding job<br />
of “knowing and growing” her boys,<br />
and providing them with a safe and<br />
caring learning environment.<br />
Her formal teaching responsibilities<br />
were as a Grade 6 class teacher, as<br />
well as teaching Natural Science<br />
and Afrikaans. Although she dutifully<br />
took on all these classroom<br />
responsibilities with consistent<br />
professionalism and care, it was her<br />
unwavering passion to go above and<br />
beyond for the boys and the school<br />
that really made her stand out during<br />
her time with us. She is one of<br />
the first staff members to put up<br />
her hand for extra responsibilities,<br />
and I was particularly impressed by<br />
her creative and divergent thinking<br />
that she would always employ<br />
when tackling a new task or school<br />
project.<br />
She personifies taking initiative and<br />
this was particularly evident in the<br />
energetic and thoughtful manner<br />
in which she has headed up and<br />
planned the entire “Innovation<br />
Week” for the Grade 6s at the end<br />
of this term. Further to this, she is<br />
far more than just an “ideas” person,<br />
and her commitment to delivery<br />
of top quality education combined<br />
with a gentle motherly touch<br />
was a privilege to watch on a daily<br />
basis.<br />
We will miss her dearly next year,<br />
and wish her all the best in her future<br />
contributions as a significant<br />
educator in South Africa.<br />
Daniel McLachlan<br />
The Ridge School 15 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Tributes - Leaving Locums<br />
Robyn Presbury<br />
It has been an absolute delight to have Robyn step<br />
in for Lauren Baines-Fourie, who was on maternity<br />
leave. In her own gentle and warm way, she has connected<br />
very authentically with her fellow members<br />
of the Grade 1 team and they have enjoyed working<br />
with her. Robyn has also been very approachable to<br />
the parents, and above all, she has been amazing with<br />
the little boys in her care.<br />
Mandy Herold<br />
better fit within our team, than Robyn. She ahs also<br />
kept us well fed with a carrot cake on our very busy<br />
Fridays. Thank-you for everything Robyn!<br />
Wendy Schultz and Tracy Beukes<br />
Robyn has a wonderful sense of humour and keeps us<br />
laughing all day. She is a perfectionist and her preparation<br />
for each day is top-class. She has been supportive<br />
of all our ideas with plenty of new suggestions to add<br />
to the programme. She loves her family and has been<br />
very calm even though her son was writing matric<br />
examinations. She has a very busy life but is always<br />
willing to add more to her schedule, such as homework<br />
supervision. In the words of a Grade 1, “she is<br />
cool and very very very nice!” She is organised and<br />
arrives early to ensure her day runs smoothly. She is<br />
game for anything and we could not have asked for a<br />
World Teachers’ Day<br />
On the 5th October, The Ridge<br />
teachers celebrated World Teachers<br />
Day. In true Ridge style, many<br />
staff members dressed up for the<br />
occassion by dressing up in school<br />
uniform!<br />
“World Teachers’ Day, also known as<br />
International Teachers Day, is held<br />
annually on October 5. Established in<br />
1994, it commemorates the signing<br />
of the 1966 “Teaching in Freedom”.<br />
“Empowering Teachers” is the theme<br />
of this year’s (<strong>2017</strong>) World Teachers’<br />
Day, celebrated around the world<br />
since 1994.<br />
Its aim is to focus on “appreciating,<br />
assessing and improving the educators<br />
of the world” and to provide an<br />
opportunity to consider issues related<br />
to teachers and teaching.”<br />
Source: Wikipedia.com<br />
The Ridge School 16 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Music Report<br />
What a wonderful term this has<br />
been with so many cultural highlights.<br />
These have to include a brilliant<br />
instrumental soiree and music assemblies,<br />
Junior and Senior choir<br />
festivals and exciting instrumental<br />
festivals for orchestras, jazz and marimba<br />
bands. Our year ended with<br />
outstanding performances from<br />
all our boys. Our Grade 0’s entertained<br />
their parents and guests<br />
with their wonderful “Rumble in<br />
the Jungle” concert and then of<br />
course the Junior Prep boys from<br />
Grades 1 – 3 gave 3 performances<br />
of their exquisite Nativity Play, ‘The<br />
Light of the World’.<br />
The Senior Prep were in particularly<br />
good form for their ‘African<br />
flavoured’ Carol Service which had<br />
to include Mango Groove’s ‘Special<br />
Star,’ which the orchestra performed<br />
to rapturous applause. Each<br />
performance was meaningful and<br />
beautiful.<br />
We have had a wonderful year culturally,<br />
beginning with ‘The Sound<br />
of Music’ and culminating with<br />
beautiful carols and end of year<br />
sparkles. Thank you to all our wonderful<br />
boys and staff for their very<br />
hard work.<br />
Janet Fox Van Der Poel<br />
Director of Music<br />
The Ridge School 17 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Sport - Swimming<br />
Captain: Jonathan Stagman<br />
Vice Captain: Ashton Haslam<br />
The <strong>2017</strong> season saw each of our<br />
3 teams faring well in their respective<br />
leagues. It was like a ‘military<br />
manoeuvre’ on a Friday afternoon<br />
with over 100 boys heading off to<br />
their various venues for their galas.<br />
Having entered a C team for the<br />
first time at the end of last year,<br />
they have now established themselves<br />
in the B25 league. As only a<br />
few schools can field a C team, they<br />
often found themselves competing<br />
against many of the B teams where<br />
they certainly held their own.<br />
In the Inter House Championship<br />
Gala earlier in the year saw Rose<br />
surprising everyone (not least of<br />
all themselves!) by winning the gala,<br />
with Nicolson finishing in second<br />
place.<br />
And then more recently, the ever<br />
enjoyable Tabloid Gala saw history<br />
repeating itself with Rose winning<br />
again and Nicolson coming second<br />
place again.<br />
Erica Kinnear<br />
Our B team had some tough galas<br />
but finished well amongst the<br />
best of the B teams from the other<br />
schools and attained 4th place in<br />
the Boys Prep Schools Gala.<br />
The A team often found themselves<br />
short on numbers with various<br />
clashes on a Friday afternoon, but<br />
always showed their true mettle<br />
and rose to the occasion. They retained<br />
their very creditable 3rd position<br />
at the Prep Schools Gala with<br />
the Open team winning 4 of their 5<br />
races. We’d like to thank them for<br />
the invaluable contribution they<br />
have made to the swimming teams<br />
through their years at The Ridge<br />
and the high standard they have set<br />
for the future. We shall really miss<br />
them next year.<br />
Congratulations must go to Jono<br />
Stagman, our captain, who has attained<br />
National Colours for Swimming<br />
which is a wonderful achievement,<br />
and to his brother, Richard,<br />
for achieving his provincial colours.<br />
The Ridge School 18 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Sport - Water polo<br />
The senior water polo squad enjoyed yet another successful<br />
and enjoyable year. For the first time we were<br />
able to enter 3 senior teams. This shows the growth<br />
of the sport at The Ridge, especially considering that<br />
water polo is completely optional. The commitment<br />
shown at early morning training, combined with the<br />
competitive edge displayed during fixtures, has ensured<br />
strong development of skills throughout the year.<br />
Undoubtedly the highlight of the year for the 1st team<br />
was the tour to Cape Town, where we took part in the<br />
SACS water polo tournament. This was a steep learning<br />
curve for the boys involved, playing against some of<br />
the best teams in the country. The team can be proud<br />
of their efforts, playing a very high standard of water<br />
polo throughout the tournament. Unfortunately<br />
we struggled to find the back of the net, instead managing<br />
to hit the crossbar on several occasions. Ryan<br />
Bezuidenhout, our team manager, eventually offered<br />
to repaint the goals in an effort to repair the damage<br />
caused to the woodwork!<br />
I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching this fantastic group<br />
of boys. They listen to suggestions, ask intelligent questions<br />
and give 100% in the water, making them the most<br />
coachable group I have had the pleasure of working<br />
with. I wish the Grade 7s all the best as you move on<br />
to your various high schools and I sincerely hope that<br />
many of you choose to continue playing water polo, as<br />
you have shown great potential this year.<br />
Thank you to all players, parents and coaches who<br />
have contributed to making <strong>2017</strong> another incredible<br />
year for senior water polo at The Ridge. I hope you all<br />
enjoy the holiday and I look forward to getting started<br />
again in the new year.<br />
Mike MacFarlane<br />
The Ridge School 19 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Sport - Cricket<br />
This term saw the 1st XI play some<br />
scintillating cricket. During the half<br />
term break, when most of the boys’<br />
friends were ‘chillaxing’, our boys<br />
were battling it out against our<br />
visitors from Clifton Durban and<br />
Cordwalles.<br />
In the T20 against Clifton, the Roy<br />
brothers batted well together with<br />
Troy scoring a half century and<br />
Croy falling just short of his (47).<br />
The boys pulled off an emphatic<br />
win with Coleston hitting a superb<br />
boundary off the last ball.<br />
The following day we returned to<br />
play a time match which ended in a<br />
draw. Despite the draw, Croy again<br />
got into the forties (42). Kinger<br />
supported him with a fine 36 and<br />
Cuffie picked up 4 sticks. The time<br />
match against Cordies on Saturday<br />
was quite remarkable. Cordies had<br />
a strong side and convincingly beat<br />
St John’s the day before. We only<br />
managed to score 190 runs in our<br />
allotted time, with Lano scoring a<br />
fabulous 63. Cordies believed it was<br />
not enough, as our boys “could not<br />
even reach 200”. But cricket is a<br />
funny game. We bowled and fielded<br />
very well. Dippy took a blinder of a<br />
catch to get rid of their kingpin and<br />
as the day got older, the spin factor<br />
came into play. Our spinners ripped<br />
through the rest of their batsmen<br />
taking 8 wickets between them.<br />
Cordies only managed to score<br />
152 all out and were sent packing,<br />
with their tails between their legs!<br />
The awesome half term experience<br />
carried us through to the<br />
Eastrand where CBC Boksburg<br />
awaited. Mackers was in fine form,<br />
and his magnificent century (100)<br />
along with another half century<br />
(53) from Lano and 42 in quick<br />
time from Troy, aided the team to<br />
score 241/7. Consistent bowling<br />
saw CBC bowled out for a mere<br />
90, with Harters picking up 3/13<br />
and Bram 2/6.<br />
Onto St Benedict’s, arguably our<br />
weakest performance of the year.<br />
Collectively, the boys’ heads were<br />
simply not in the game. We fielded<br />
poorly and allowed St Bennies to<br />
score freely. Despite this, Mackers<br />
got a 7 wicket haul to end St Bennies’<br />
innings on 227. Our batting<br />
let us down and we were forced<br />
to close up shop and try to grind<br />
out a draw. Brangus batted beautifully<br />
and showed a true test of concentration<br />
to score his maiden half<br />
century (56*) for the 1st team with<br />
Kinger supporting him on 39. In the<br />
end, it was a bridge too far and we<br />
were bowled out in the second last<br />
over.<br />
Our final game of the year was<br />
against the old foe from Pretoria,<br />
WHPS. We batted first, with Mackers<br />
scoring freely and getting his<br />
2nd half century (54) of the year.<br />
Lano chipped in with 33 and Troy<br />
reached 45. Croy and Kinger looked<br />
set to score their top scores of the<br />
year. Croy reached his half century<br />
(finally) and Kinger got out on 40.<br />
With limited time left, Croy teed<br />
up. Despite Bucks pushing an extra<br />
over in, Croy fell just 4 runs short<br />
of his century, hammering a sublime<br />
96*. Chasing a massive 318, WHPS<br />
batted for the full 3 hours, ending<br />
up on 176/4 thus drawing the game.<br />
Congratulations on a fine term of<br />
cricket, I wish you all success in<br />
your cricket endeavours. Remember,<br />
if the door of opportunity does<br />
not knock, go out and build a door.<br />
Chris Verster<br />
The Ridge School 20 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Sport - Tennis<br />
What sport can help educate and<br />
inspire a 9-year-old and at the same<br />
time be picked up by a 90-year-old?<br />
The sport of a lifetime – that’s<br />
what!<br />
For generations past, and for generations<br />
to come, tennis has positively<br />
impacted the young and old,<br />
on and off the court, in countless<br />
ways. I strongly believe in the mantra<br />
“Quantity plus Quality Equals<br />
Success”<br />
At The Ridge, one of my primary<br />
goals is having and maintaining a<br />
“No-Cut Tennis Program”: anyone<br />
that wants to play, gets to play.<br />
I’ve always thought that if you cut a<br />
person when they’re young, they’ll<br />
drop the sport and never pick it up<br />
again. Tennis can be a lonely sport<br />
but this year we have injected a<br />
sense of fun and adventure into our<br />
Ridge Tennis Program.<br />
Here are some of the highlights in<br />
<strong>2017</strong>:<br />
1. The Ridge A Team successfully<br />
defended their title at the prestigious<br />
Sun City South African<br />
Private Schools Tournament –<br />
held in August. We became the<br />
first school to win this team<br />
championship 2 years in a row.<br />
2. Nick Lane (Grade 7D) who is<br />
the A Team tennis captain was<br />
awarded Player of Tournament<br />
– congratulations Nick – well<br />
done!<br />
3. The Ridge A Team went undefeated<br />
during Term 2 winning<br />
every fixture against all other<br />
schools, which is a tremendous<br />
achievement.<br />
4. Jayden Pakkiri, Grade 6, ascended<br />
to the Number One<br />
singles ranking in South Africa<br />
in January in the boys U12 division.<br />
Congratulations Jayden, on<br />
this great achievement! Jayden<br />
was also nominated by Tennis<br />
South Africa during the August<br />
holidays to participate in a Tennis<br />
Europe Championship in<br />
Copenhagen, Denmark.<br />
5. The Ridge resurfaced and upgraded<br />
all 3 tennis courts and<br />
they now look and play beautifully!<br />
6. We have a record number of<br />
boys taking up tennis in Grades<br />
4-7, coming to weekly practice<br />
and having fun learning the<br />
sport.<br />
7. Tennis is offered across all 3<br />
terms here at school.<br />
8. A Ridge Saturday Social Tennis<br />
afternoon program started in<br />
Term 3 with the aim of encouraging<br />
Ridge parents to play tennis<br />
with and against each other<br />
on Saturday afternoons. This<br />
program has really taken-off<br />
and is well attended and enjoyed<br />
by our Ridge parents.<br />
As any tennis player knows, the<br />
sport can be humbling. Here are<br />
how some of the best players in the<br />
world started playing tennis in their<br />
own words:<br />
MARIN CILIC<br />
My parents were an inspiration. I was<br />
6 and , so I didn’t have much choice<br />
in deciding which sport I was going<br />
to play. But I enjoyed tennis and loved<br />
it from the first point. I also have to<br />
thank my cousin, who was playing tennis<br />
in Germany and started before me.<br />
ANDY MURRAY<br />
My mom used to be a tennis player,<br />
and then she got me and my brother,<br />
Jamie, playing when we were young.<br />
We had tennis courts very close to our<br />
house, a two-minute walk. I just loved<br />
doing anything sporty when I was a<br />
kid because my brother was doing it<br />
as well. It was great family time for us.<br />
SIMONA HALEP<br />
The very first person that pushed me<br />
into tennis was my brother, because he<br />
was playing before me. Also my father,<br />
because he brought me to the court—<br />
even if I was smaller than the net.<br />
NOVAK DJOKOVIC<br />
I started playing tennis when I was<br />
four years old. Nobody had ever really<br />
touched a tennis racquet before me in<br />
my family, so there was no tradition to<br />
inherit. Three tennis courts were built<br />
in front of the restaurant my parents<br />
were running, so it was kind of a sign<br />
of destiny for me to start playing. I fell<br />
in love with it. A lot of tennis camps<br />
and clubs from Serbia came to those<br />
courts. I was watching them, then joining<br />
them, and that’s how the love story<br />
evolved. Ever since then I’ve been<br />
in love and feel the joy of holding a<br />
racquet every single time. As long as<br />
that’s there, I’ll be playing on a high<br />
level.<br />
Damian Pakkiri<br />
The Ridge School 21 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Sport - Kayaking<br />
<strong>2017</strong> was another highly enjoyable<br />
year for the Kayaking Club at The<br />
Ridge. The club consisted of over<br />
20 enthusiastic Grade 6 and 7 boys,<br />
that made the Monday and Friday<br />
afternoon sessions held at Emmarentia<br />
Dam during the 1st and 3rd<br />
terms. Also, on the 9th of December,<br />
a group of 18 boys, siblings and<br />
parents will again embark on an<br />
epic Kayaking Club Orange River<br />
adventure, which should round off<br />
a very busy school year on a fantastic<br />
note. Below is an article written<br />
by William Mills for the Game<br />
of Life, which to a large degree captures<br />
the essence of the Kayaking<br />
Club in <strong>2017</strong>. Enjoy the read.<br />
We look forward to an enjoyable<br />
year in 2018 and we not only<br />
continue our Kayaking Club, but<br />
also look to expand kayaking into<br />
Grade 4 and 5.<br />
Daniel McLachlan<br />
Kayaking- a waste of<br />
petrol or not?<br />
The Ridge School is one of the few<br />
schools lucky enough to have their<br />
own small kayaking club.<br />
We are not the biggest or most<br />
competitive club, in comparison to<br />
schools like like St. David’s or Parktown<br />
Girls who sometimes come<br />
down to Emmarentia, if they have<br />
not gone to a far off dam to practice.<br />
Driving to places in school vehicles<br />
is always costly on the environment,<br />
no matter who is paying<br />
for the petrol.<br />
The motive (in my eyes) for having<br />
a club at our school is to promote<br />
the sport of kayaking. It is also to<br />
have a good time and to learn a<br />
new skill.<br />
Some of the things I have learnt or<br />
improved on are:<br />
• Better balance<br />
• How to roast your legs on the<br />
top of the boat<br />
• How to sprint in a kayak, for<br />
example when you need to get<br />
away when someone is trying<br />
to capsize your boat<br />
• What to do when your boat<br />
capsizes<br />
• The importance of focus. On<br />
this note, Mr McLachlan one<br />
Friday told the Grade 6’s in the<br />
club to take another whole lap<br />
without chatting, which was a<br />
minor success.<br />
• That when one boat capsizes<br />
it is an accident but that when<br />
three boats capsize it must be<br />
deliberate and is considered<br />
as disrespectful to the boats<br />
because it wears the fibreglass<br />
out when you are emptying out<br />
the water.<br />
To show a bit of what we experience<br />
besides all the small bits of fun<br />
in between, here is our schedule:<br />
• Have hot lunch (for those who<br />
do it) or pack a lunch box if you<br />
need it.<br />
• Be down at the bottom parking<br />
lot by 13:45.<br />
• Everyone get into the combi.<br />
• Drive to Emmarentia dam and<br />
enter the parking by the boats.<br />
• Grab a boat and bring it through<br />
to the bank.<br />
• Get a life jacket and paddle.<br />
• Board your boat and start paddling.<br />
• Come in and return your life<br />
jacket.<br />
• Return your boat to the racks.<br />
• If there is anything you left on<br />
the bank, go fetch it.<br />
• Get into the combi.<br />
• Be counted in the head count.<br />
• Drive back to the school.<br />
• You are back after a rousing and<br />
wonderful session of kayaking.<br />
In conclusion I am very grateful<br />
that Mr McLachlan for running the<br />
Ridge Kayaking Club.<br />
William Mills<br />
The Ridge School 22 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Cultural - Art<br />
This year’s Art Week was a riot of<br />
colour and activity. Boys paraded<br />
wearable art, there were funky Picasso<br />
faces made from cool-drink<br />
cans, beautiful interpretations of<br />
Aloes and shells, Pop Art, soaring<br />
Eagles and much more.<br />
The evening was a showcase of art<br />
from Grade 0 through to Grade 7.<br />
With every boy having an artwork<br />
on display, there was something for<br />
everyone to enjoy.<br />
Once again the school was able to<br />
raise a substantial amount for the<br />
Rhino Fund, due to the generous<br />
pledges made by parents against<br />
their boys’ artworks.<br />
The art on display was the result<br />
of working individually and collaboratively,<br />
learning about various<br />
techniques through painting, sculpture,<br />
collage, printing and drawing.<br />
Art classes have stretched our<br />
boys to create valuable and interesting<br />
works of beauty and technical<br />
prowess. But more importantly,<br />
through the process of making art,<br />
they have been challenged to think<br />
creatively, critically, problem solve,<br />
and be more empathetic. The variety<br />
of work was testimony to boys<br />
as makers and thinkers.<br />
The evening was topped off with<br />
sumptuous cheese and wine, and an<br />
award ceremony for the top 5 artworks<br />
on exhibition, in each grade.<br />
It was an evening filled with laughter,<br />
pride, creativity and fun.<br />
Nicci Kurz<br />
The Ridge School 23 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Cultural - Media<br />
This term kicked off on a high note<br />
with the amazing On Cue Productions<br />
team performing their hilarious<br />
Around the World in 80 Days.<br />
The Grade 1-7 boys were able to<br />
sit back and enjoy the play, based<br />
on the classic by Jules Verne.<br />
On the 15th of September, we had<br />
another fabulous Reading Breakfast,<br />
celebrating Roald Dahl’s birthday.<br />
Boys had to dress up as their<br />
favourite Roald Dahl character or<br />
book, and the creativity was endless!<br />
Families shared breakfast<br />
goodies as well as good books with<br />
each other and also shopped at the<br />
wonderful Book People’s book tables<br />
for some new reads. We once<br />
again had a Stop-Drop-Read activity,<br />
at random times through the day,<br />
where boys had to sit down where<br />
they were and read until the signal<br />
was given to carry on.<br />
Part of our Reading Breakfast activities,<br />
was the Revolting Rhymes<br />
competition for Grade 3-7. Boys<br />
love Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes<br />
and had to come up with their own<br />
masterpieces. The winners were:<br />
Grade 3: Oli Bouilliart, Connor van<br />
der Walt and Khashane Maenetje<br />
for their revolting gum rhyme<br />
Grade 4: Milo Thornhill-Davis for<br />
his revolting spider rhyme<br />
Grade 5: Ben Workman for his revolting<br />
Humpty Dumpty rhyme<br />
Grade 6: Cameron Fleming for his<br />
revolting fantasy-literature rhyme<br />
Grade 7: Winston Bailey for his<br />
revolting rhyme titled ‘The Tinderbox’<br />
Well done boys!<br />
Hanlie Lombard<br />
The Ridge School 24 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 0<br />
The Grade 0B boys embraced<br />
Outdoor Day by taking their<br />
books and stationery outside, and<br />
enjoying the sunshine and freedom<br />
of space.<br />
Grade 0R had fun creating a pond life freeze.<br />
The Ridge School 25 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 1<br />
What an enjoyable and exciting<br />
year in Grade 1. The boys have<br />
worked so hard, but we still found<br />
the time to have a ton of fun too!<br />
The Ridge School 26 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 2<br />
The Grade 2s completed a Homework<br />
Journal called “My Random<br />
Act of Kindness” – the boys had<br />
to choose something kind to do<br />
to someone they either know or<br />
don’t. Boys chose to bake a cake/<br />
buy a meal/donate something to<br />
an orphanage. Below are some<br />
examples of what boys wrote in<br />
their journals.<br />
My Random Act of Kindness<br />
My random act of kindness was baking<br />
chocolate brownies for Terrence<br />
and the guards. The reason I baked<br />
the chocolate brownies was because<br />
every day they have to stand in the<br />
hot sun when we get to be in a cool<br />
classroom. They also have to protect<br />
us all day. When I gave them the<br />
brownies they were very happy.<br />
Ryan Magill<br />
My Random Act of Kindness<br />
On Tuesday my mom and I were<br />
driving home from school and we saw<br />
a homeless person that we usually<br />
see when we drive to school. So we<br />
stopped and spoke to him. He said<br />
his name was Ernest and he has<br />
no home and no food to eat. I then<br />
gave him a blanket we had in the car<br />
and we bought food for him to eat<br />
and also gave him some money. This<br />
made me very happy that I wanted<br />
to cry.<br />
Ernest was very grateful and kept<br />
saying thank you.<br />
It felt great to give and I want to<br />
keep on giving to people in need<br />
because it makes me so very happy.<br />
Lelo Mofokeng<br />
The Ridge School 27 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 3<br />
The Grade 3 boys have been learning<br />
about Egypt in between getting<br />
ready for the Nativity Play. They<br />
have done some wonderful story<br />
starters and developed their writing<br />
skills.<br />
As part of their homework, the<br />
boys made canopic jars that they<br />
researched and creatively designed.<br />
Di Wellard<br />
The Ridge School 28 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 3 - Camp<br />
On Monday the 16th October I<br />
was going to camp for the first time<br />
in my life. In the morning right after<br />
my brother woke me up, I ran out<br />
of my bed and I ran to my mom and<br />
dad’s room to wake them up.<br />
“Dad dad wake up” I said. Right after<br />
he woke up he said to me “Go<br />
and shower now”<br />
Before I could answer my brother<br />
came in and said it was my turn. After<br />
I showered I ran to the car.<br />
When I got to class I gave my meds<br />
to Miss Wellard. I packed the bus<br />
and got on and went to sleep. Then<br />
I woke up and started talking to<br />
Lwazi and Zuzu about games.<br />
We got to camp. I was so happy. I<br />
got out of the bus and got my bag. I<br />
went to the facilitators and they put<br />
us in groups. Ater we went to our<br />
dorms. I was in the buffalo dorm.<br />
lunch. It was great food. I wished I<br />
could have it everyday.<br />
When we had finished eating, we<br />
went back in our groups. We went<br />
to the start of the obstacle course.<br />
Moose told us everything that we<br />
needed to know. We started with<br />
the ropes of death which were<br />
metal. Then we did the log of love<br />
and right after that we had to crawl<br />
into the pit of pain. It was like I was<br />
in minecraft.<br />
Leruo Chikapa-Phiri<br />
We went into the hall. The facilitators<br />
told us their names and the<br />
reasons for their names. After we<br />
learnt their names, the facilitators<br />
put us into new groups. We had to<br />
make war cries. Moose told us to<br />
choose a president. The president<br />
was Ikenna. Then Moose asked<br />
us who wants to paint the flag.<br />
Khashane and Jono painted the flag.<br />
We started thinking of war cries.<br />
We had 3 options. The first suggestion<br />
was from Sizwe and I, and the<br />
last suggestion being from Moose.<br />
We went with Moose’s suggestion.<br />
Then it was time for the language<br />
of the country. Our language was<br />
pig latin. Everything was ready so<br />
we went to the hall. I had to say<br />
what Sizwe was saying but in English.<br />
After all the groups were done we<br />
were told to go and get a hat and<br />
sunscreen. After my camel bag was<br />
filled with water we went to play<br />
volleyball. It was the boys vs the<br />
facilitators and teachers. Volleyball<br />
was super fun. Then it was time for<br />
The Ridge School 29 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 3 - Camp cont...<br />
The Ridge School 30 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 4<br />
Gold Reef City<br />
I went to Gold Reef City with The<br />
Ridge School. We went inside the<br />
old mines to learn about Joburg’s<br />
gold rush. When we got back up<br />
from the mine tour we were split<br />
up into groups. My group was Elliot,<br />
Davrin, Tom and Matthew. We went<br />
to Nando’s to eat. I had chicken<br />
wings and a Stoney. I won a prize<br />
for a game where you hit cans with<br />
a ball. The prize was a baby Dragon<br />
Plushi. I named it Dingo. I then went<br />
on the log ride, it was fun. I got very<br />
wet. On the way back I sat next to<br />
Elliot and Dav. Great day!<br />
Luke Camerer<br />
Outdoor Teaching Day-<br />
Writing a descriptive<br />
paragraph<br />
The Telkom Building<br />
The Telkom building shone in the<br />
colourful rays of the sun. The sound<br />
of the traffic makes the city feel<br />
alive with joy and wonder. The sky<br />
scrapers are filled with busy workers.<br />
The jacarandas blooming with<br />
purple are an amazing sight. All the<br />
radio towers stretch up into the<br />
brightest blue sky while the birds<br />
are returning from an exciting migration.<br />
Sebastian Newton-King<br />
Outside<br />
The sun reflected off my book as<br />
if it was a tiny mirror reflecting<br />
all the bright sun into my face. I<br />
could hear the loud leaf blower<br />
in the distance. I was standing<br />
with my friends writing the paragraph<br />
I never wanted to write.<br />
Instead, I decided to turn it into<br />
a glorious story. Beside me is one<br />
of my best friends. In front of me<br />
is a green bowling machine and<br />
behind me is there is a beautiful,<br />
but freezing, pool. There was a<br />
lot of noise in the distance now.<br />
Just to the right of me was a hut<br />
made out of straw. On one of the<br />
brown benches was an abandoned<br />
plate with just a few crumbs on it.<br />
Who knows what its history was?<br />
I could see a shiny bakkie in the<br />
distance. The cricket nets were<br />
open, waiting for the happy sounds<br />
of boys coming to play. It was such<br />
a glorious day and I started to notice<br />
the millions of purple flowers<br />
all around. As I walked back up to<br />
class, I realised how much I wanted<br />
to write this.<br />
Tom Dewar<br />
The Ridge School 31 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 4 cont...<br />
The Great Outdoors<br />
The bright shining sun is reflecting<br />
off the varnished wood. Birds are<br />
singing and the leaves are rustling in<br />
the gentle wind. The grass is bright<br />
green and is as soft as could be. The<br />
teachers are calling and the children<br />
are talking. I can smell the spring<br />
flowers and the fresh plants while<br />
listening to the buzzing of the bees.<br />
I see there is a small bright red fruit<br />
that has fallen to the ground from<br />
a colourful tree. I feel the warm<br />
spring sun shining on me and I can<br />
see that nature is smiling.<br />
Kabir Budlender<br />
Creating the Phases<br />
of the Moon using<br />
Oreos!<br />
Oreos present the perfect opportunity<br />
for boys to combine their<br />
love of food with learning about<br />
the phases of the moon. Although<br />
for some the temptation became<br />
too much and the Oreos were<br />
eaten before the phases were<br />
complete!<br />
Erica Kinnear<br />
The Ridge School 32 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 5<br />
Outdoor Classroom<br />
Day<br />
On Thursday 12th October, the<br />
Grade 5’s participated in World<br />
Outdoor Classroom Day. In addition<br />
to the other enthusiastic<br />
teachers at The Ridge, we joined<br />
thousands of teachers from around<br />
the world who are making outdoor<br />
learning and play part of children’s<br />
everyday lives.<br />
The Grade 5’s were tasked with<br />
a Social Science treasure hunt,<br />
whereby they had to search around<br />
the Channon Anniversary Quad<br />
to find various bits of information<br />
about South Africa’s heritage. In<br />
completing this fun challenge, boys<br />
learnt about the various heritage<br />
sites within each of South Africa’s<br />
provinces – from The Cradle Of<br />
Humankind in Gauteng, to the Castle<br />
of Good Hope in Cape Town.<br />
Anton Pretorius<br />
Grade 5 Visit to<br />
Maropeng<br />
As part of their learning of South<br />
Africa’s heritage, the Grade 5s visited<br />
Maropeng in the Cradle of Humankind.<br />
The boys learned about<br />
the history of humans, observed<br />
many interesting and wonderful<br />
displays and even enjoyed a fun and<br />
mildly scary underground boat ride.<br />
Anton Pretorius<br />
The Ridge School 33 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 6<br />
Maths<br />
Our Maths programme in Grade 6<br />
has incorporated a number of “project”<br />
based learning opportunities<br />
throughout the year, and this term<br />
we focused on an outdoor investigation<br />
around the school, which<br />
gave the boys an opportunity to<br />
apply their measurement skills to<br />
various objects and areas around<br />
The Ridge.<br />
Some of the features of the school<br />
investigated were:<br />
1. The Periodic Table outside the<br />
OSIC centre<br />
2. The Glass Cubes in the OSIC<br />
centre<br />
3. The polygons in the Grade 2<br />
Jungle Gyms<br />
4. The volume of the school<br />
swimming pools<br />
5. The area and perimeter of the<br />
cricket pitches<br />
6. The total number of squares<br />
on the chess board outside the<br />
Music Block<br />
7. The height of the bell tower in<br />
the Channon Anniversary Quad<br />
(using its shadow)<br />
October is a beautiful month of<br />
the year to spend outside, and the<br />
Grade 6’s thoroughly enjoyed this<br />
practical learning experience.<br />
Daniel McLachlan<br />
Afrikaans<br />
Learning in a variety of environments<br />
turns a routine lesson into<br />
a memorable experience.<br />
For Afrikaans poetry, we sat<br />
around the sunny quad and envisioned<br />
the sights and sounds<br />
conjured in the poem ‘Nuwe Jaar’.<br />
We practiced the rhythms and<br />
rhyme as we let the words roll off<br />
our tongues.<br />
Susan Hughes<br />
Design and Technology<br />
The boys participated in a fun and<br />
highly practical Design and Technology<br />
program this term. A lot of<br />
fun was had and the boys learnt<br />
many practical skills.<br />
The Ridge School 34 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 7<br />
Grade 7 isiZulu Class<br />
Project<br />
Ukwakha iqhugwane – Building a<br />
traditional beehive hut.<br />
Little did we know that iqhugwane<br />
(a traditional beehive hut) has so<br />
much to teach us. For our <strong>2017</strong><br />
isiZulu project, we decided to build<br />
our own. We collected wire, thatch<br />
grass and very thin wire to tie the<br />
ends tight. It was such an exciting<br />
exercise, as we worked outside the<br />
classroom and breathed some fresh<br />
air. We also got the opportunity of<br />
working as a team and realised that<br />
every member of the team is important,<br />
no-one is inferior or superior.<br />
We worked as equals and we<br />
equally owned our iqhugwane.<br />
As we finished building a structure<br />
we sat down and we looked<br />
at the symbolism of iqhugwane to<br />
us as The Ridge School community.<br />
These are the things we learnt<br />
about.<br />
The exterior of Iqhugwane<br />
• The beehive shape gives iqhugwane<br />
more balance; it’s not easily<br />
swept away by strong winds<br />
or waters instead it keeps holding<br />
– This teaches us that, being<br />
together and holding hands will<br />
help us stay balanced, no matter<br />
the storms, winds or waters.<br />
• The grass thatch keeps our<br />
Iqhugwane warm in winter and<br />
cooler in summer – We need<br />
to retain that warmth and be<br />
able to adjust to all situations.<br />
• The poles and sticks which are<br />
tied around as the foundation –<br />
symbolise us holding together<br />
to make a firm foundation. We<br />
need to keep holding, otherwise<br />
the centre will not hold if<br />
the foundation is weak.<br />
The interior of Iqhugwane<br />
• As we sit around the fire in<br />
a circle we are all on par, the<br />
distance from the fireplace to<br />
where everyone is sitting is<br />
equal and it becomes easy to<br />
see when one member is not in<br />
a good space. In this school, let<br />
us all treat one another equally<br />
and ensure that everyone is<br />
reachable.<br />
• Sitting in a circle also symbolises<br />
unity and togetherness – We<br />
need to be united as one family<br />
irrespective of the fact that we<br />
are different –instead, we need<br />
to celebrate the fact that we<br />
are different.<br />
• The fire that keeps burning at<br />
the centre symbolises hope to<br />
every member of the family.<br />
• It is also a symbol of motivation,<br />
zeal, passion and determination<br />
– we as The Ridge family, especially<br />
the boys, need to display<br />
all these elements wherever we<br />
go. To the Grade 7’s, as we go<br />
out to high schools next year,<br />
continue to be motivated, show<br />
that zeal and determination and<br />
keep achieving the high standards<br />
of The Ridge School.<br />
• To the boys who are remaining<br />
at The Ridge School – keep that<br />
fire burning, keep the school<br />
warm, keep doing the right stuff<br />
but remember this: “United we<br />
stand! And Divided we fall.”<br />
SIYABONGA.<br />
Zaahid Sallie<br />
The Ridge School 35 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 0 Concert<br />
Rumble in the Jungle was the theme<br />
for the Grade 0 concert this year.<br />
The stage was miraculously converted<br />
into a dense, creeper-filled<br />
forest, full of wild animals and exotic<br />
birds. The Grade 0 boys were<br />
transformed into growling, trumpeting,<br />
hissing and croaking jungle<br />
creatures. They loved singing and<br />
dancing to the jungle songs and recited<br />
their poems most beautifully.<br />
Thanks must go to Martin Rousseau<br />
(the Rousseau twins’ grandfather)<br />
who spent hours painting the<br />
magnificent backdrop. Jess Russell<br />
was instrumental in designing and<br />
making the set come alive, with<br />
full size animal cut outs and jungle<br />
prints. Thank you to all the parents<br />
for helping their children learn their<br />
poems and for all the help with the<br />
costumes. This year we had a bright,<br />
colourful programme, for the parents<br />
to have as a keepsake. Thank<br />
you to Darshan Mistry for compiling<br />
this.<br />
This concert was Marilyn Middlewick’s<br />
last Grade 0 concert with<br />
The Ridge School and what a triumph<br />
it was. Thank you, Marilyn<br />
for all your hard work with our<br />
boys, over the last 7 years. They<br />
have enjoyed coming to your lessons<br />
and the concerts have always<br />
been a highlight for them and their<br />
parents. We wish you many more<br />
happy concerts and musical times<br />
in the future.<br />
The Grade 0 Team<br />
The Ridge School 36 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Junior Prep Nativity Play<br />
The end of the year always sees the<br />
appearance of the baby in a manger,<br />
stars shining so bright and of<br />
course angels in heaven!<br />
This year we also had a special<br />
guest appearance of Mrs Herod!<br />
Who would have thought that she<br />
was left out all this time?<br />
The theme of this years Nativity<br />
was “Light” which also saw a new<br />
addition of Prophets of Lights and<br />
Rays of Light. It incorporated Diwali,<br />
Hanukkah and the usual stars!<br />
Although it was slightly different,<br />
the message of peace and goodwill<br />
remains the same. The wonderful<br />
Christmas story reminds us of the<br />
importance of family and friends.<br />
Di Wellard<br />
The Ridge School 37 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
STEAM<br />
STEAM has been a highly successfgul<br />
initative at The Ridge, and consequently<br />
found the school has<br />
been the focus of a few articles<br />
tnat have appeared in various publications.<br />
Over the next two pages<br />
is an adapted article from one of<br />
these publications:<br />
STEAM: Equipping learners<br />
with a mindset fit for<br />
the 21st century<br />
How relevant is the current curriculum<br />
to the rapidly changing world of work?<br />
Primary school learners are headed<br />
for a future for which jobs have not<br />
yet even been invented. How do we<br />
prepare them for the unknown?<br />
Some educators are saying the answer<br />
is in developing specific life skills. An inquiring<br />
mind, resilience, creative problem<br />
solving, collaboration and self-confidence<br />
will allow learners to adapt to<br />
and thrive in any environment.<br />
to the real world. This year the Grade<br />
5s have had to use recycled materials<br />
to build a transporter that could<br />
feasibly navigate the terrain on Mars.<br />
They’ve designed and filmed their own<br />
scientific experiments for their own<br />
Myth Busters episodes. They created<br />
3D warrior masks and then coded a<br />
narrative about them using a software<br />
programme.<br />
The boys document everything on<br />
their iPads to share with their peers,<br />
and the groups meet up at end of the<br />
session for reflection on what they<br />
each learned, their frustrations and<br />
what they enjoyed, and to gain each<br />
other’s input to improve their work.<br />
What has surprised Science teacher,<br />
Anton Pretorius, most is “the complete<br />
learner investment.” He says, “It was<br />
as if they were craving something like<br />
this. They’re so invested in what they’re<br />
doing. The majority are genuinely putting<br />
their heart and soul into each<br />
project.”<br />
This year, The Ridge Preparatory<br />
School in Johannesburg put STEAM,<br />
the next evolution of STEM learning<br />
(which integrates Science, Technology,<br />
Engineering and Maths) into action.<br />
STEAM is all of these disciplines, but<br />
with Arts and Design at the centre.<br />
“We’re working with the child’s whole<br />
being, not their left or right brains<br />
separately,” says The Ridge’s Head of<br />
Visual Arts, Nicci Kurz. “These subjects<br />
are actually all interconnected. We see<br />
them as stronger together than apart.”<br />
“The thing I look most forward to is<br />
definitely building,” says Thomas Clucas<br />
(11). “We get to be boys – having<br />
fun building things and getting dirty.”<br />
STEAM is highly practical, project-based<br />
learning that develops<br />
multiple skills. The project themes<br />
are often topical and always relate<br />
The Ridge School 38 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
STEAM<br />
Teachers walking the talk<br />
The six teachers running the programme<br />
at The Ridge are living the<br />
STEAM philosophy themselves. They<br />
are not trained in STEAM but are “going<br />
by feel” and adjusting the process<br />
as they go. “We came in completely<br />
cold at the beginning of the year and<br />
relied only on hard work and motivation,”<br />
says Anton. In the same way that<br />
the boys need to be adaptable and<br />
open to new ways of doing things, art<br />
teachers have had to learn about coding<br />
and maths, and science teachers<br />
about colour and aesthetic proportion.<br />
to be seen, but having the fundamental<br />
values of creative, exploratory<br />
thinking and curiosity will surely help<br />
them in the long run – and potentially<br />
help make the world a better place.<br />
“We’re only getting better at it as we<br />
gain more experience,” says Anton.<br />
One thing is for sure - The Ridge’s<br />
Grade 5s will be continuing with<br />
STEAM in Grade 6 for 2018, because<br />
for them, there is no going back.<br />
Failure is part of the process.<br />
“The boys have got to make their own<br />
mistakes, and we have to let them<br />
make them. This is how we develop a<br />
growth mentality, so that there is no<br />
fear of failure,” she says. “Innovation<br />
happens when we are faced with a<br />
problem,” says Nicci. Of course, failing<br />
is not always comfortable or enjoyable.<br />
“The Myth Busters project was my<br />
best. It was extremely challenging. We<br />
wanted to see if Mentos and Coke<br />
could self-modify in a vehicle,” says<br />
Tom. “We failed eight times. But after<br />
getting it right, the feeling of success<br />
– I love it so much. Then reflecting on<br />
it makes you even happier with what<br />
you’ve done.”<br />
“As teachers, we have had to really<br />
let go,” says Anton. “We have to give<br />
them the freedom to do what they<br />
want. Some learners have been extremely<br />
ambitious … Generally teachers<br />
struggle to let go and watch them<br />
fail, but it’s vital to the growth mindset<br />
process.”<br />
Will it catch on?<br />
At The Ridge, learners are beginning to<br />
see the bigger picture – a more holistic<br />
and connected view of things. Whether<br />
this will result in changes to high<br />
school curriculums before they reach<br />
that point in their education remains<br />
The Ridge School 39 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Market Day<br />
The Grade 7 Market Day initiative<br />
gives boys the opportunity to show<br />
off their entrepreneurial skills. The<br />
boys were tasked to sell at least<br />
one durable product, as well as<br />
other products of their choice, and<br />
many of them opted to sell food<br />
and drinks. Our eager and enthusiastic<br />
boys were tasked to sell their<br />
wares to The Ridge community, ensuring<br />
that they take into inconsideration<br />
their different target audiences:<br />
boys, parents and staff.<br />
After the initial excitement of the<br />
task, the boys were woken to the<br />
realities of what it is to run a business<br />
and the difficulties faced when<br />
selling a product in a very competitive<br />
market. During the 5-week<br />
project the boys understood the<br />
importance of advertising, managing<br />
a budget and the value of team<br />
work. The boys got the opportunity<br />
to demonstrate and develop<br />
these vital skills in a fun and exciting<br />
manner.<br />
On the respective Market Days,<br />
the atmosphere was lively and energetic<br />
and it was lovely to see our<br />
Grade 7 leaders manage their project<br />
so wonderfully and efficiently.<br />
Boys from all the grades supported<br />
the Grade 7’s and it was fantastic<br />
to see the boys engage with each<br />
other so happily.<br />
The Grade 7 boys would like to sincerely<br />
thank The Ridge community<br />
for supporting them so generously.<br />
The profits made will go towards<br />
the Grade 7 gift for <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
Urvasi Naidoo<br />
The Ridge School 40 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
The Ridge Golf Day<br />
The <strong>2017</strong> Ridge Golf Day was<br />
another successful event on the<br />
school’s social calendar in aid of a<br />
worthy cause – Salvazione Christian<br />
School. This year approximately<br />
100 golfers took to the<br />
sublime Parkview greens to enjoy<br />
an afternoon out with friends. The<br />
fourball alliance competition meant<br />
that great team spirit was exhibited<br />
at all times as each team battled<br />
to claim bragging rights at the 19th<br />
hole. The weather was once again<br />
on our side as the summer rains<br />
stayed away and allowed the field<br />
to finish what turned out to be a<br />
glorious and relaxed afternoon of<br />
golf.<br />
Once again, I would like to thank<br />
our generous sponsors who assisted<br />
greatly in reaching our target of<br />
R80 000 over the past two years.<br />
Most importantly, thank you to the<br />
golfers on the day for taking time<br />
off work and your busy lives to<br />
make the event possible. The 2018<br />
golf day will take place in early November<br />
so please look out for the<br />
invitation soon.<br />
Joe Kotwal<br />
The Ridge School 41 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Class of 2012 Assembly<br />
The Grade 12 Assembly (Class<br />
of 2013) was yet again a great indication<br />
that Ridge Boys not only<br />
achieve incredibly well at college<br />
but they will always cherish their<br />
roots.<br />
This year 42 boys out of a possible<br />
57 arrived from all over the country<br />
to reignite bonds with past class<br />
mates, connect with former teachers<br />
but also to simply give thanks to<br />
an institution that never said goodbye<br />
but rather good luck!<br />
The assembly was an opportunity<br />
for The Ridge to encourage and<br />
support our class of 2013 as they<br />
take on the challenge of their final<br />
exams but also to honour them<br />
one last time as they venture into<br />
the world.<br />
Each Old Boy received a Ridge engraved<br />
pen from a Grade 1 boy to<br />
remind of where they started.<br />
Joe Kotwal<br />
Old Boys Cricket Game<br />
The annual Old Boys Cricket match<br />
against St Peter’s Old Boys took<br />
place at the beautiful CCJ Auckland<br />
Park cricket field on 7 October.<br />
Following a stiff defeat in 2016, The<br />
Ridge team sought to even out the<br />
scoreboard and did so in emphatic<br />
fashion dishing out a 6 wicket win<br />
in a rain shortened game.<br />
St Peter’s elected to bat first and<br />
scored a competitive 142 for the<br />
loss of 8 wickets in their allotted<br />
20 overs. Although chasing at<br />
just over 7 to the over may have<br />
seemed a tall order it proved to be<br />
about 30 runs short as The Ridge<br />
team strolled to victory in 16 overs<br />
with 6 wickets in hand. Lunch followed<br />
the completion of the game<br />
just as the heavens opened up and<br />
washed away the remnants of what<br />
went on that day.<br />
The St Peter’s team have vowed to<br />
avenge this defeat as we return to<br />
their home ground next year. This<br />
rivalry will only continue to grow<br />
as both sets of Old Boys rekindle<br />
fond memories of playing for their<br />
school.<br />
Joe Kotwal<br />
The Ridge School 42 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Lumo Dance<br />
The Lumo Dance was held by The<br />
Ridge PA on 6 October <strong>2017</strong>, with<br />
boys and girls from The Ridge and<br />
our extended school communities<br />
in attendance. The dance is a<br />
fundraiser in support of Salvazione<br />
Christian School, which offers<br />
cost-effective, quality education to<br />
children from the Slovo Park informal<br />
settlement and the surrounding<br />
areas.<br />
The weeks leading up to the dance<br />
saw a buzz of activity with Mums<br />
from the PA organising everything<br />
from décor to drinks, music to<br />
merchandise, and fabulous food<br />
vendors. The boys had the opportunity<br />
to add their favourite songs<br />
to the playlist prepared in advance<br />
for the DJ.<br />
On the day the children, and indeed<br />
some parents, arrived dressed in<br />
their brightest luminous gear which<br />
they supplemented with fantastic<br />
accessories purchased at the Lumo<br />
merchandising stall.<br />
While the children had fun and<br />
danced in the Nicolson Hall, parents<br />
socialised outside in the carpark<br />
on a pleasant spring evening.<br />
A special thank you is made to the<br />
vendors that supported the Lumo<br />
Dance, who either discounted their<br />
services or donated a percentage<br />
of their profits to the fundraiser.<br />
They are Tony Main (Purple Plate<br />
Catering), Lilly Js River Café, Sushi<br />
Bus, Beerhogs, and DJ Duane.<br />
Jenny Henderson<br />
The Ridge School 43 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 7 Leaver’s Dinner<br />
On the 1 December, the school<br />
celebrated the Grade 7 Leaver’s<br />
Dinner. A fanatasitc evening was<br />
had by all. Below is an extract from<br />
a speech made by Matthew Botha,<br />
one of the Grade 7s.<br />
Good evening Mr Stanley, teachers,<br />
pupils, mums and dads.<br />
As you have just heard I was born and<br />
lived in the United States. I came to<br />
South Africa on holiday in December<br />
2011 to visit family and I have been<br />
living here ever since. So what can<br />
happen in 6 years, twelve cabinet reshuffles<br />
for a start. But for me they<br />
have been 6 years at the most amazing<br />
school where I have made wonderful<br />
friends and participated in an<br />
array of activities from freezing movie<br />
nights on the field to a nativity play<br />
with a dish towel on my head. During<br />
this time we have developed both<br />
physically and mentally into the fine<br />
young lads you see before you tonight.<br />
Before I came to this school I had categorically<br />
declared two things<br />
• I will never go to a school<br />
where l would sit at a desk, unlike the<br />
school I was attending in the US<br />
• I will never wear a school uniform<br />
The Ridge had a different idea for me.<br />
However, once I was smartly dressed<br />
in that uniform I wore it with pride<br />
as I still do to this day. In fact at my<br />
first civvies day I refused to to wear<br />
“civvies” and chose to go in uniform.<br />
I was probably the only one wearing<br />
a uniform that day besides the lonesome<br />
few who forgot. I truly loved the<br />
uniform, it gave me a sense of belonging<br />
and made me feel accepted by my<br />
classmates. And as for a desk school,<br />
who would choose any other?<br />
We as pupils at this school have so<br />
much to be grateful for, so much to<br />
be proud of and so many people to<br />
thank. How far would we have come,<br />
how many lessons both in and out of<br />
the classroom would we have learned<br />
without our precious teachers? These<br />
amazing people have guided us<br />
through tough times and given us fond<br />
ones. They have inspired us, they have<br />
looked after us, they have disciplined<br />
us and most importantly they have<br />
been like a family to us. They have<br />
taught me to use my brain, which according<br />
to the controversial Woody Allen<br />
“it’s my second favorite organ”<br />
For all this, on behalf of all the boys<br />
I would like to thank all the teachers<br />
and coaches for everything they have<br />
done for us during our magnificent<br />
time at this one of a kind institution.<br />
I would also like to thank those that<br />
have been with me by my side through<br />
this journey, my peers. Most of us have<br />
been together for at least 6 years and<br />
through the bonds of friendship we<br />
have made many wonderful memories.<br />
There is so much more than the daily<br />
grind of lessons, such as the camaraderie<br />
we share on the sports field, the<br />
wonderful and exciting tours we have<br />
shared as a group and the immensely<br />
disappointing social injustices of ZuluDesk.<br />
The dynamic that exists within<br />
this group is a healthy, supportive one<br />
with good people who uplift one another<br />
and drive each other. Whether<br />
you are academic, sportsman, artist or<br />
musician we have mutual admiration<br />
for one another.<br />
It has been an incredible honor to<br />
know and be able to connect with all<br />
of you. For some there will be final<br />
goodbyes next week but the memories<br />
will remain and I wish you all the best<br />
for your future at whichever college<br />
you have chosen. I don’t think there<br />
is one of us here tonight that won’t<br />
admit even to himself that he will miss<br />
this place.<br />
And so to the class of the hour – THE<br />
RIDGE SCHOOL CLASS OF <strong>2017</strong>,<br />
I would like to say thank you for<br />
the amazing lifetime memories and<br />
friendships made.<br />
Although I still say gras instead of<br />
grass I am now firmly a part of this<br />
vibrant African nation, the school and<br />
my peers have played a major role in<br />
this transition.<br />
We have been privileged to attend The<br />
Ridge and have been blessed with a<br />
fantastic, holistic education. Remember<br />
that Success will not come to us<br />
rather we must use the tools we have<br />
been given, take the opportunities we<br />
are presented with and chase our<br />
goals and dreams. We can only truly<br />
show our gratitude to our parents,<br />
teachers and friends through our actions<br />
in the years to come.<br />
I leave you these words adapted from<br />
Dr. Seuss<br />
“So, Be your name The Egg, Potato,<br />
Jimmy Nutron,<br />
Khaya Zondo, Keshav Maharaj, Hog<br />
Rider, Stoney or The Rat<br />
We are all off to Great Places!<br />
Today is our day!<br />
Our mountain is waiting.<br />
So let’s get on our way!”<br />
Thank you<br />
Matthew Botha and his dad, Jean<br />
Botha<br />
The Ridge School 44 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>
Grade 7 Leaver’s Dinner Photos<br />
The Ridge School 45 Horizons Term 3 <strong>2017</strong>