St John’s Preparatory School
St John’s Preparatory School
Houghton
Tel: 011 645 3100/ 087 550473
Reminders from
the Diary
03/02 U11 Water Polo Festival
Open Water Polo Festival
04/02 Swimming Gala
05/02 Cricket Vs CBC Boksburg
09/02 ABRSM Music Theory Exam
09/02 UIII Feedback Evening
11/02 Swimming Gala
12/02 Cricket Vs St David’s
15/02 Parent Information Evening: Sport General Douglas A MacArthur with you as I think
17/02 U11 Water Polo Festival
Open Water Polo Festival
18/02 Swimming Gala
GROBS Rehearsal
19/02 Cricket Vs St Stithians
21/02 LII Camp to Kloofwaters Departs
GROBS Rehearsal
22/02 GROBS 2011
23/02 Golf Tour to Mpumalanga Departs
LII Camp Returns
Inter-Schools Quiz
GROBS 2011
24/02 Break up Mid-Term Break
LIII Camp to Lapalala
3 February 2011
Newsletter Number 1
From the Headmaster…
Introduction
May I wish you all the very best for 2011- I am
excited about the year ahead and I hope that
together we can help make this wonderful school an
even better place for all of us.
The other day I heard someone refer to 2011 as
Two Thousand and Heaven a lovely positive
perspective - so let’s hope and pray that it is!
I thought I would share this wonderful prayer by
that as parents and as teachers we can learn a great
deal from it.
PRAYER FOR MY SON
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to
know when he is weak and brave enough to face
himself when he is afraid. One who will be proud and
unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle
in victory.
Build me a son who will know Thee – and know him-
self in the foundation of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and
challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the
storm, here let him learn compassion for those who
fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal
will be high, a son who will master himself before he
seeks to master other men, one who will learn to
laugh, yet never forget how to weep, one who will
reach out into the future yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough
sense of humour, so that he may always be serious,
yet never take himself too seriously.
Give him humility, so that he may always remember
the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true
wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper: ‘I HAVE NOT
LIVED IN VAIN.’
 Page 2 St John’s Preparatory School
Staff
We welcome the following new staff and we hope that they will enjoy a long and happy
time at St John’s Prep:
Craig Verdal-Austin Deputy Headmaster (Extra-Curricular and Discipline)
Heather Baker Upper II Class Teacher
Caroline Rimmer Learning Support Teacher
Lynn Joubert Sports Coach
Natalie Brummer Drama Teacher
Charne Conway Intern
Nick Falconer Gap Student (UK)

Curriculum matters
Our new curriculum changes are working very well and we are very pleased with them. I
am certain that we will soon reap the benefits of these changes. I would like to thank all
the staff and in particular, Margot Long, for all the hours of hard work they have put in
to ensure that the changes are implemented smoothly and successfully.

Sport
Despite the unpredictable weather, our boys have managed to play some exciting cricket
matches, participate in two wonderful water polo festivals, several fantastic swimming
galas, as well as play several challenging chess matches.

Survey
A full report on our “How Good is St John’s Prep?” survey will be out shortly and various
issues / queries which were not discussed in focus groups will be dealt with in
forthcoming newsletters.

Reflection
We have begun the process of using our reflection times and this has proved quite
interesting. Just getting the boys to keep still for a short while is proving to be a
challenge, but we are getting there! I encourage you to talk to your sons about the
process and about how, when we reflect on the past, it helps us improve the future. Just
being able to sit quietly for a short time in our busy lives is beneficial!

Weekly Timetable
You may have noticed that we have a new weekly schedule on the School Communicator
and up on the noticeboards. This schedule has all the events and fixtures for the week
ahead and will be posted by 14h00 every Friday. Any feedback about this new initiative
would be greatly appreciated and I thank Craig Verdal-Austin for taking this on.

Conclusion
Please know that my door is always open to anyone. Please feel free to come in and see
me, even if it is just for a chat.
Patrick Lees
Headmaster
lees@stjohnscollege.co.za
 Page 3 St John’s Preparatory School

This very interesting article by Rushworth Kidder about Bullying and Courage appeared in
The Ethics Newsline.

Bullying and Courage: Why The King’s Speech Speaks to Us Today

Could a film about a middle-aged man overcoming a speech defect become a box-office
success? It would help, of course, if the man were a British monarch and if the historical
tensions were legendary, the settings opulent, and the actors of the calibre of Colin Firth
and Geoffrey Rush. Still, a key question would remain: Why, in 2011, would moviegoers
care about a stuttering king in the 1930s?

The King’s Speech answers that question brilliantly. Detailing the agony of King George
VI as he forces himself to deliver a key radio broadcast on the brink of World War II, it
focuses on two topics of keen interest these days: courage and bullying. …
Based on the true story of Albert, Duke of York it probes the background of his publicly
debilitating stutter. At bottom, apparently, was a case of deliberate and persistent bully-
ing by a royal family that willingly addressed “Bertie” (as Albert was known) as “B-B-
B-Bertie.” Following popular post-Victorian views of abnormality, his parents insisted
that his left-handedness be corrected by retraining, that his knock-kneed appearance
be altered by painful splints, and that (as his father demanded) he should will his way
through his stuttering by learning to “just spit it out!”

At the time, neither the royal family nor Western culture recognized that such aggressive,
persistent intimidation of the weak by the strong constituted a potentially deadly threat.
Yet in Bertie’s case, the harassment and denigration led not to suicide but to an
astonishing expression of moral courage. Facing a situation that still strikes fear in the
heart of many a perfectly normal adult — the requirement to speak publicly to large
audiences — he faced up to the danger for the sake of his moral principles. His sense of
duty, and the unorthodox but effective coaching he received from an iconoclastic speech
therapist, impelled him onward. In the film’s climactic moment, he delivers a stirring
nine-minute speech that helps galvanize his nation against Hitler’s advances — and is
praised by those who know what he’s been through as one of the most courageous
people of his generation.

As an object-lesson in overcoming bullying through moral courage, the film has deep
relevance for today’s educators. As old-style bullying morphs into cyber-bullying, many
schools are at a loss. In the old educational models, bullying typically was seen as a
schoolyard phenomenon — and, therefore, subject to the school’s jurisdiction. Today, as
bullies resort to relentless, anonymous digital pestering through texts, cell-phone
messages, and Facebook postings, the schoolyard has become a cyber-yard. When the
offending messages are sent outside of school hours, who’s in charge? Educators rightly
question whether schools should — or even could — exercise control over their students’
private activities.
 Page 4 St John’s Preparatory School

Yet without the community that the educators create, most cyber-bullying, which
typically takes place between individuals who are part of the same community, could not
operate. So educators can’t shirk their responsibility for addressing this problem. Nor are
they helpless. By seeing bullying as an issue rooted in community values, ethics, and
moral courage, they can do two things:

• First, help students understand that, as a community, their school needs to operate
by humanity’s shared ethical values — fairness, respect, compassion, honesty, and
responsibility — and that bullying violates all of them. Bottom line: There are no
ethical bullies, and ethical communities can have no tolerance for bullying.

• Second, teach students about moral courage — the willing endurance of significant
danger for the sake of principle. Help them understand that in the triangular
relationship of bully, victim, and onlooker, the bully has only the fake courage of
bravado. Real courage resides in the victims who, like Bertie, rise to victory despite
the bullying — and in those onlookers who, feeling their own values violated by the
disrespect and irresponsibility of the bully, find courageous ways to intervene, speak
up, or bear witness in ways that crimp or stop the behaviour.

As criminologists, auditors, and anticorruption experts can attest, crime declines when
the community’s culture says, “We don’t do that around here.” Building courageous,
values-driven educational cultures where individuals know why bullying is wrong — and
dare to do what’s right — is no longer an option. Given the public anguish over bullying,
it’s a requirement.
©2011 Institute for Global Ethics

Margot Long
longma@stjohnscollege.co.za

4CTea
28th January 2011

Andrew Raney Cricket

Matthew Gouveia Helpful to new boys
Riyaadh Haffejee Helpful to new boys
Janovin Scholtz Exemplary behaviour
Kirvashan Govender Exemplary behaviour
Jaan Niehaus Exemplary behaviour
Tariq Seedat Excellent behaviour
Jack Lees Cricket
 Page 5 St John’s Preparatory School

Bullying: Defend a Friend!

On the 1st of February, all the boys at St John’s Prep watched a production entitled
“Bullying: Defend a Friend”. The production was put on by The Health and
Wellness Theatre Company and it aimed to teach the boys about the effects of
bullying behaviour. Whilst being thoroughly enjoyable and interactive, the
production was also educational. The messages conveyed in the play were aimed at
helping boys to identify bullying behaviour and provided appropriate ways of reacting
to a bully. The vital role of the non-reactive bystander was emphasised, highlighting
the importance of standing up for those who cannot do so on their own. We
encourage all our boys to use the three magic words from the play by making sure
they always “Defend a Friend”.
For further information or if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact
me.

Hugo Meirim
School Psychologist
meirim@stjohnscollege.co.za
 Page 6 St John’s Preparatory School

St John’s Script
Our St John’s script has been in the news on Radio 702. St John’s script was introduced
at St John’s Preparatory School in 2006. Teachers found that boys who had spent many
hours learning cursive writing were making very little use of it and often reverted back to
printing as they progressed through the Prep and into the College.
We felt that we needed to develop a form of writing that was closer to print and that the
boys would continue to use. St John’s script is essentially a joined form of print.

For more information about St John’s script, contact Mrs Ana de Gouveia (011 645 3100)

Or degouveia@stjohnscollege.co.za
 Page 7 St John’s Preparatory School

Community Service: TLC Babies’ Home

Many, many thanks to all our boys who contributed to the charity collections during
the course of last year. At the end of the year, Ms Maitland used the last of the fund
to buy this impressive pile of nappies and baby products, and during the holidays I
delivered them to the TLC Babies’ Home in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg.
Founded by the Jarvis family, TLC first began rescuing abandoned babies in 1993.
Over the years, TLC has changed the lives of more than 600 babies.

Several St John’s families have become

involved in assisting the home in different
ways, and many of our College boys
complete valuable community service
hours there. If you would like more
information about TLC, please visit their
website:
http://www.tlc.org.za/TLC-DW/
aboutTLC.html
or feel free to contact me.
Margot Long
longma@stjohnscollege.co.za

011-645 3122
 Page 8 St John’s Preparatory School

Chess Results
31st January 2011

St John’s A vs St Peter’s A
Seniors won 25 - 7
Juniors won 11 - 9
Over all won 36 16

St John’s B vs Auckland Park A

Seniors won 25 -7
Juniors won 18 -14
Over all won 43 - 21
Well done to the following boys who won both their games:
S Modi, M Berger, J Batzofin, W Kerr-Phillips, B Thomas, Li-An Pan, S Harryprasadh,
A Ionescu, D Greeff and S Omand

Individual Achievements

Equestrian

Euan Chew, LIIZ and Tristan Butler, LIIZ

competed in the SANEF Schools Equestrian
League on Saturday 28th January. Euan is
pictured doing one of his dressage tests on
his pony Waterside Bonfire. Well done, boys!
 St John’s Preparatory School Page 9

Upper I

The Upper I’s are currently covering the theme of “My Body”. They really enjoyed
building their own skeletons and are looking forward to looking at real internal
body parts… a cow’s heart and lungs! What fun!!
 St John’s Preparatory School Page 10

Upper I - Don’t Poems

My Don’t Poem

Don’t write swear words on the school walls

Don’t be rude to adults
Don’t harm the school environment please!
Don’t run around the school buildings
Don’t steal school property please, please, please!
Don’t not do your homework
Says Mrs Löser BUT we don’t listen
By Michael Gerhard UIL

Don’t scream in the classroom

Don’t start a fight
Don’t beat up and tease other boys
Don’t break other peoples property
Don’t blow up Mrs Reeves’ house
Don’t break windows
Says Mrs Reeve BUT we don’t listen
By Kwindla Mangaliso UIR

Don’t dare your friends to do the wrong things

Don’t run, scream and shout in the library
Don’t settle for less than your best
Don’t smack the teachers
Don’t back chat the teachers
Don’t forget to say hello to guests
Says Mrs Löser BUT we don’t listen
By Stuart Omand UIL
 St John’s Preparatory School Page 11

Upper I - Don’t Poems

Don’t swear at Mr Lees

Don’t bully your friends
Don’t kick your teacher
Don’t fight Miss Whizz
Don’t shout at Mr Gunning
Don’t be mean to Mrs Reeve
Don’t play with fire
Don’t kill your friend
Don’t scream at anyone
Don’t smack your house master
Don’t hit your best friend
Don’t run around the classroom
Says Mrs Reeve BUT we don’t listen
By Ekow Daniels UIR
Don’t swear in class
Don’t jump on Mr Lees
Don’t scream in the library
Don’t kick Mr Gunning
Don’t throw the teacher out of the window
Don’t hang your friends on a tree by their
underwear
Says Mrs De Gouveia BUT we don’t listen
By Matthew Russell UID

Don’t annoy your friends when they are working

Don’t sulk in the toilet
Don’t swear at Mr Lees

Don’t kick your teacher when you get something wrong

Don’t cheat when we play bingo
Says Mrs De Gouveia BUT WE DON’T LISTEN
By Zaahid Sulliman UID
 Page 12
St John’s Preparatory School

LIII Camp to Lapalala - Photo Gallery

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St John’s Preparatory School
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St John’s Preparatory School
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St John’s Preparatory School

UPPER III ADVENTURE: SURVIVOR BABANANGO

The Upper III boys took off on the second day of term for a nine-day experience in the
heart of Zululand, SURVIVOR BABANANGO. It was a profound time of personal
growth, bonding, getting to see each other and teachers in a new light, experiencing
and appreciating the amazing natural environment, learning about Zulu culture,
experiencing life in a rural Zulu homestead, completing various Extreme Explorers
challenges and learning about leadership, team work and service. Without giving
away too much more, here is a glimpse into what went down on camp. The Upper III
parents will hear the full story from the boys at the Feedback Evening on Wednesday
9th February.
 Page 16
St John’s Preparatory School
 St John’s Preparatory School Page 17

Notices

Staff can be contacted via e-mail, please see the list of addresses below. Please note
that teachers will only be able to download their e-mails first thing in the morning and late
afternoon.
Ana de Gouveia degouveia@stjohnscollege.co.za;
Anita Trolese trolese@stjohnscollege.co.za
Ben Oosthuizen oosthuizen@stjohnscollege.co.za
Brigitte Taylor taylorb@stjohnscollege.co.za
Caroline Rimmer rimmer@stjohnscollege.co.za
Cheryl Reeve reeve@stjohnscollege.co.za
Dave Odgers odgers@stjohnscollege.co.za
Duduzile Mashele mashele@stjohnscollege.co.za;
Grace Arthur arthur@stjohnscollege.co.za
Heather Baker baker@stjohnscollege.co.za
Ian Stevens stevens@stjohnscollege.co.za
Ivan Forbes forbes@stjohnscollege.co.za
Jean Bwasa bwasa@stjohnscollege.co.za
Joe Xaba xaba@stjohnscollege.co.za
J-P Lubbe lubbe@stjohnscollege.co.za
Lynn Jonsson jonsson@stjohnscollege.co.za
Marco Martins martinsm@stjohnscollege.co.za
Michelle Fehrsen Rileym@stjohnscollege.co.za
Nick Carter ncarter@stjohnscollege.co.za
Nikki Sulter sulter@stjohnscollege.co.za
Paul Rowney rowney@stjohnscollege.co.za
Tony Johnson johnsont@stjohnscollege.co.za
Zeza De Oliveira deoliveira@stjohnscollege.co.za
Anita Rossouw rossouw@stjohnscollege.co.za
Ben Bornman bornman@stjohnscollege.co.za
Brett Nicolson nicolson@stjohnscollege.co.za
Bruno Poco poco@stjohnscollege.co.za
Charney Conway conway@stjohnscollege.co.za
Craig Verdal-Austin verdal@stjohnscollege.co.za
David Mulenga mulenga@stjohnscollege.co.za
Ethel Thomas thomas@stjohnscollege.co.za
Grant Harrison gharrison@stjohnscollege.co.za
Hugo Meirim Meirim@stjohnscollege.co.za
Isabella Bonnet bonnet@stjohnscollege.co.za
Jaques Pretorius Pretoriusj@stjohnscollege.co.za
Jean Clarence Clarence@stjohnscollege.co.za
Jonathan Gunning gunning@stjohnscollege.co.za
Karen Maitland maitland@stjohnscollege.co.za
Lynn Joubert joubert@stjohnscollege.co.za
Margot Long longma@stjohnscollege.co.za
Natalie Brummer brummer@stjohnscollege.co.za
Nicola Loser loser@stjohnscollege.co.za
Patrick Lees lees@stjohnscollege.co.za
Tessa Van der Merwe vandermerwe@stjohnscollege.co.za
Veronica Savage savage@stjohnscollege.co.za

Upper I Class Music

Please ensure that your son brings his Recorder and

Razzmajazz book along to his class music on
Thursdays.
Upper IL and Upper ID have class music on Fridays.
 St John’s Preparatory School Page 18

Notices

St John’s College Shop

New opening times:
Monday & Thursday 7am to 3pm
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10am to 3pm
 Stationery and Labels as well as all your sports clothes, jerseys, bags and
socks

LOST PROPERTY
Lost property will now be open every morning from 7h15 - 7h30

Class Mums 2011

Lower IIT Jacqueline Gouveia
Lower IIV Fatima Haffejee
Lower IIZ Jane Golding
Upper IIH Julia Cavalieri
Upper IIB Michelle Lowdon
Upper IIF Linda Roets
Lower IIIC Nicola Beswick
Lower IIIF Paula Boshoff
Lower IIIM Liza de Jesus
Upper IIIS Lauren Frew, Traci Gerber, Lesley Kinghorn
Upper IIIJ Sue Bentley, Megan Nelson
Upper IIIC Helen Harding, Jackie Standish-White
 Page 19 St John’s Preparatory School

Notices

Art club and extra classes

From the beginning of next term, Mr Poco is starting an Art Club (for LIII and UIII boys) and extra art classes for junior
boys. Senior boys are encouraged to join the Art Club on Tuesdays from 14h00 -15h00 or Thursdays from 15h00-
16h00. Juniors may arrange extra art lessons with Mr Poco at alternative times and on alternative days.

We hope to see the senior boys joining the Art Club to create various exciting art works with mediums they do not
normally use in class, such as print making, photography, oil painting and many more. This will be a fantastic opportunity
for any boy who wishes to develop his art skills.
For further information e-mail Bruno Poco on poco@stjohnscollege.co.za

EXTRA ZULU Extra Math Lessons

LESSONS Individual tuition offered
Lower III and Upper III boys.
Mrs M Hauptfleisch
Every Thursday 13h45 Call 011 442 1854
Upper III Mrs Mashele 083 256 7714
All Welcome

Italian Hair Dee-Lite 082 462 6813/

Language 011 648 6367
Lessons Dee offers excellent work for the whole family,
Small age appropriate classes and individual tuition competitive prices and the added
offered outside school hours at St John’s.
convenience of being on campus.
Experienced mother-tongue graduate teacher using
communicative method of conversation, maintaining Modern cuts, colours (from R300) and hi-lites.
cultural ties for solid IEB foundation.
Kids R50
Contact Lisabetta on 082 682 2859 or
7 Elm Street (Opposite Rice Field)
Lisabetta@iafrica.com
Open Tuesday to Friday
08h00 - 17h00
Saturday 08h00 - 13h00

EXTRA MATHS
LESSONS
Lower III & Upper III boys in Mrs Jean Clarence’s
classroom
Every Thursday 13h45 All Welcome
St John’s Preparatory School Page 20

The Expert
Little Joe Horner
Sits in the corner
As quiet as a packet of peas
He wouldn’t say boo
To a bucket of glue
And he always says thank you and please

He can’t kick a ball

And he’s no fun at all
In the playground he sits on his own
His writing is neat
And his homework’s complete
Cos he always takes lot of work home

But he’s the most popular

Boy in the class
Now you might think that odd, I agree
But he’s expert at maths
And at Science he’s brill
And the best bit - he sits next to me

He’ll give you a hand

If you’re stuck with your sums
There is nothing that he doesn’t know
If you can’t add or measure
He’ll help you with pleasure
And his charges are reasonably low

By Roger Stevens