Micklefield School

Term 2 April May 2016 Newsletter

Juliette Roux selected for International Maths Competition

Farewell Amy Ma

Congratulations to Juliette Roux in Grade 6 for being selected to represent

South Africa in the International Mathematics Competition to be held in Thai-

land from 14—20 August this year. There are two Grade 7 Teams (Juliette will

be in one Grade 7 team) and one Grade 10 team from Cape Town, consisting

of four pupils each. This is a fantastic opportunity for Juliette and we are ex-

tremely proud of her.

Pupils from public and independent schools in the Western Cape were invited to participate in the first selection round. The top achievers were then invited to write the second round. Successful candidates were chosen to represent

the City of Cape Town and South Africa at the competition. A number of Grade 7s wrote the first paper and Jaime Mc Gown also reached the second round. The aims of the mathematics competition are to: Foster friendly relations among school students from different cities and countries. Discover the Mathematics potential of talented students. Provide an opportunity for the exchange of information of Mathematics educators throughout the world.

It is with sad hearts that we bid farewell to our lovely Violin teacher Amy Ma.

Amy has taught the Violin, and recently the Cello, at Micklefield for the past 6

years. Both children and adults alike instantly warmed to her gentle nature and

friendly smile. Her students performed so beautifully at Assemblies, Music Con-

certs and Trinity Music Examinations.

Amy will continue sharing her musical expertise in China next term. We wish her

well for this exciting adventure!

Grade 7 Scholarships Congratulations to the following Grade 7 girls who

received Scholarships for High School. This is a

tremendous achievement and we are extremely

proud of you!

Sarah Gordon: St Cyprians and Herschel

Jaime McGown: St Cyprians and Herschel

Josie Andrews: St Cyprians

Aliya Bhorat: St Cyprians

Samiya Bhorat: St Cyprians

Congratulations!

On the 24th of May, the Grade 7s held their final Open Evening at Micklefield. It took lots of practice (and a bit of

stress!). But it was all worth it in the end as our parents had so much fun; even though they got almost none of the

answers in the various quizzes correct they all went home laughing.

“I wish I was taught like this at school,” said one parent.

“I think I would fail at being twelve,” said another.

And some thoughts from our Grade 7s:

“It went really well and the parents enjoyed it,” said Samiya

Bhorat.

“The parents had fun and they were able to see what it is like

being in Grade 7,” said Aliya Bhorat.

“It was funny watching the parents struggle to do what we do

and manage to do every day,” said Carrie.

Written by Carrie Murray

Lit Quiz

On a wet and stormy Friday afternoon the Term 2 Lit Quiz took

place at Springfield. Drenched from head to toe we arrived in the

hall, our brains buzzing with knowledge from all the books we had

read. We were ready to put our literary knowledge to the test.

After five rounds of racking our brains for answers in different cate-

gories we had a break during which Springfield helpers brought us

juice and crunchies. Then it was time for the final five rounds.

The Lit Quiz was a wonderful and educational experience and we’d

all do it again a heartbeat. We left with interesting new literary

knowledge and our heads held high with a smile on our face for

representing our lovely school, Micklefield.

Written by Julia Rubin and Caitlin Janssens

Grade 7 News This term the Grade 7 class elected new heads for the Leader-

ship Committee. The new heads are:

Secretary – Samiya Bhorat

Chairperson – Phoebe Kingston

Treasurer – Aliya Bhorat

This term the Leadership Committee held a Recy-

cling Fashion Show. The girls made outfits from re-

cycled materials and then proudly paraded them

for the school during assembly. Various prizes were

awarded to the amazing outfits.

The Committee is now planning a fun night for the

Grade 4 to 7 classes.

Micklefield Market - a fabulous fundraiser! The Micklefield Market, held at the beginning of the term, was a fantastic success. The weather was glorious, the

stalls looked magnificent, the children had heaps of fun and we raised R100 000 for Micklefield! The funds raised

will go towards the completion of the new IT Lab. The success of this day is attributed to the hard work and gener-

osity of the Micklefield parents, girls, staff and broader community. A special word of thanks to Peninsula Beverag-

es and Functions 4 Hire for their ongoing support as well as for all the donations of incredible prizes that make our

Lucky Draw one of the best around! Thank you too, to Bronwyn Thomson for these beautiful images.

My Fair Lady Linda Eedes (Eliza Doolittle), seen below in rehearsal with Trevor

Joubert (Proffessor Higgins), is a Micklefield Grade 1 mum. Book your

tickets to come and see this fabulous musical on Saturday 30 July, 19:00

and support Micklefield. Every ticket sold raises R100 for the Bursary

Fund! This fundraiser runs only until the end of Term 2, so book now to

avoid disappointment! Bookings: admin@micklefield.co.za

Grade 4 Camp

The Grade 5 camp was full of many adventures, activities and challenges. We had so much fun and made

lots of memories.

We enjoyed every moment of camp. Our camp leaders Hyne, Lizzie and Sia made sure of it, from baking

to zip lines and trying new things. Our days consisted of activities like: obstacle courses, team building,

minute to win it, making movies and many more.

Our tented accommodation was amazing and the food delicious. We would like to thank Mrs Shuttle-

worth, Ms Blackbeard and the KGW team for making this amazing camp possible. This camp pulled us all

together as a class and as a team.

By Kate Williams and Caroline Baynham

Grade 5 Camp

Dear Diary

Last week was the best time of my life. On Wednesday we left for CAMP! We did so much that I am only going to

say my favourites and here they are:

The hike in the morning

Building rafts

Canoeing

The Leap of Faith

Swimming

And the supper …

Diary extract from Zara-Leigh Olifant

Witten by Phoebe Heath

When we arrived at camp I think that all of us were staring at the amazing two storey house, green grass and the

Breede River we would be staying next to for the next 2 days. Our camp leaders greeted us with warm smiles. After

we settled in we were put in our camp teams. We then had to come up with a name and design our own flags.

After that we did some team activities and competitions. We had to help each other climb over obstacles, walk to-

gether on giant planks and do riddles and mind games.

The food over the 2 days we were at camp was AMAZING! From spaghetti to sandwiches to burgers! The next day

we had 20 minutes to think about all the opportunities we have had and all the things that we are grateful for. For

the entire camp we all liked to go and look at the beautiful and sparkling Breede River next to the camp site. We

went on a night walk and were taught all about the stars and the satellites that circle our planet.

The next day we went on a walk through the bush on a treasure hunt, trying to find all of the things on the list that

they had given us. One of my favourite activities was going down to the river and exploring how healthy the river

was by searching for the insects and bugs that lived in it. A girl from every group had to go down the river and

stand in it until a few, small leaches had attached themselves to her leg. They were harmless and part of the activi-

ty was to take them off to inspect them.

Later that day we were split into groups of 3 and each group was allocated a rubber canoe. We paddled down the

river and halfway back to camp we stopped at a little beach and played in the sand dunes. We then swam in the

river and paddled back to camp. Afterwards we were shown that all of the water that we had been drinking at

camp was actually Breede water that they had filtered! We went through all of the filtration steps and each camp

team had to make their own mini filter. This was a fun activity and we were all sad when we were told to go back

inside and start to pack. As we said our farewells our hearts were filled with the excitement of thinking about all of

the memories that we made in only a few days.

Grade 6 Bonamanzi Camp

The Grade 1 girls spent a lovely morning at Kirstenbosch learning to observe with all five of their senses. We did the braille trail while closing our eyes and listened to the sounds of nature; as well as walking through the fra-grance garden and smelling all the fragrant plants. We also walked along the Boomslang and saw the wonderful view from high up in the tree top canopy. Thank you to all the parents who lifted and assisted.

Grade 1 outing to Kirstenbosch

Sans Souci FACETS Festival

Micklefield took up the challenge this year to enter the Sans Souci FACETS Festival which ran

during a week in April. We participated in three categories: Public Speaking, Art and Culinary

Crafts. We are so proud of our girls for competing and for doing so well.

Jaime McGown and Julia Rubin participated in the Public Speaking. Not only did they need to

present a 3 to 4 minute prepared oral on the topic “Conservation is Survival” but they were

also required to present an impromptu speech! Julia was awarded first place overall in the

Public Speaking event.

The girls who participated in the Culinary Crafts were Michaels Douglas-Jones with Amaara

Abdulla and Caitlin Janssens with Phoebe Kingston. Caitlin and Phoebe proved to be Micklefield’s Masterchefs

when they were awarded second place with their delicious parfait creation.

Auditions have taken place, the cast has been announced and rehearsals are now well under way. The girls are en-thusiastic and responding well to direction and giving their best at rehearsals. Behind the scenes, meetings are taking place to begin work on the set, props and costumes. There was much ex-citement shown by the Grade 1 drama class when a white fur coat, possibly to be worn by the Snow Queen herself, was shown. Everyone had a turn to try it on and imagine what it must be like to be her! The play promises to be a spectacle that will delight and entertain and excitement is certainly mounting for opening night in September!

Knysna Hockey Festival

Our Open girls went on the Hockey Tour to Knysna at the end of the first term. They were excellent ambassadors

for Micklefield, both on and off the field. They played 12 matches over the 3 days, winning 6, drawing 4 and losing

only 2!

Lloyd Bristow Dog Show

The Grade 00 - 6 girls were treated to the fabulous Lloyd Bristow Dog Show. Ever popular, the show combines en-

tertainment and education in such a delightful way, that everyone left with a smile and increased admiration and

love for these beautiful animals.

Grade 2 outing to Oranjezicht City Farm

The Grade 2s braved the cold on Friday 22 April when they visited this interesting inner-city farm. A small piece of land has been converted into a thriving and productive farm. The girls explored the farm doing a scavenger hunt, searching for interesting objects in nature. They discussed the importance of eating a variety of vegetables, every colour of the rainbow. I was so impressed by their willingness to taste apples, oranges, lemons, green pepper, marrow and even brinjals. During the tour of the farm they learnt about the importance of saving water and com-posting. They met some very important earthworms, planted a pea and picked and ate a carrot. The girls learnt a lot and enjoyed their trip - and they got home before the storm broke.

As part of their 'Water Theme' in Term 1, the Grade 2 girls visited the Hout Bay Museum and River. The day began with an informative lesson in the Museum. Here the girls could demonstrate their knowledge of the water cycle and water conservation as well as learn some new and interesting facts. They also learnt to identify a variety of water insects and travelled to a beautiful section of the river to try to catch some bugs. Most of the girls braved the water and had fun trying to catch some elusive bugs in their scoops.

Gr 3 outing to the Honeybee Foundation

Grade 2 outing to the Hout Bay Museum and River

The Grade 3s visited the Honey-Bee Foundation and were very lucky to have Jenny show them around and teach them so many interesting bee facts. Wow, we never knew how clever our little bees were!