Well done, Josh

Josh Fodor (right, front) is the latest Prince Alberter to be accepted at the prestigious Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology (CAMST) in Cape Town. Josh, who is now in Grade 10 and is a graduate of Hoërskool Zwartberg, joined fellow-Prince Alberters Johndry Miljiet, Sharon Abrahams, Shaldine and Shaldo Sass, and Angelo Roberts at CAMST at the start of the new school year. The Western Cape Department of Education established CAMST in 2004 to provide specialised schooling for learners with the potential to excel in maths, science and technology.

It is part of a broader strategy to increase the numbers of learners matriculating in these subjects and help overcome the desperate shortage of much-needed skills in South Africa.

The Government announced recently that we will have to import 35 000 skilled foreigners to address the growing skills crises.

Growing our own wood …

- Ailsa Tudhope -

The first two weeks of the second term brought four past pupils back to Hoërskool Zwartberg to complete a practical component of their teacher’s training.

The South Cape College of Technology students spent their days observing classes and then teaching children from Grade 0 to 7. Karen Cordier and Deolan van Schalkwyk were 2006 matriculants, Mariann Cordier and Yvonne Freysen from the Class of 2007 and Annemarie Cordier came all the way from Cape Town to work here with her cousins and spend some time with Ouma Baby Cordier.

Hier is wat die studente gesê het:

Yvonne:
My proeftydperk by die skool was baie lekker. Die onderwysers het uit hulle pad gegaan om my te ondersteun en my vrae te beantwoord. Dankie aan almal.

Karen:
Hoërskool Zwartberg, julle is TOPS! Die proeftydperk was so kort, maar tog het ek so baie geleer. Baie dankie aan al die onderwysers en kinders wat hierdie ervaring so lekker gemaak het.

Mariaan:
My eerste ervaring as proefstudent by Hoërskool Zwartberg was wonderlik. Ek moet sê dit voel baie lekkerder om aan die anderkant van die klas te staan. Baie dankie vir die hulp en ondersteuning.

Deolan:
Dit was die begin van ‘n nuwe tydperk in my lewe. Dit is momente en ervarings soos dié wat jou altyd by bly. Ek het dit geniet om soveel respek te kry vanaf leerders. Ek bedank almal by Hoërskool Zwartberg wat hierdie ondervinding vir my moontlik gemaak het.

Die onderwysers is baie beïndruk met die harde werk en toewyding van hierdie span en wens vir hulle net die beste in hulle toekoms as studente en onderwysers.

Prince Albert Schools Tackle Town’s Litter

-Imke Maeyer-

On Friday, 6 June 2008 the grades 1 to 6 children of Hoërskool Zwartberg and the grade 3 learners of Prince Albert Primêr will move through areas of our town where litter is a problem. They will clean up and sort the rubbish in support of the recycling project which will be up and running very soon.

The project is a collaborative effort between the two schools and the Prince Albert Solid Waste Management Forum and is the start of a campaign to raise awareness about issues of waste management. The schools would like to do similar and ongoing projects of this nature if the campaign is successful.

The project has a number of aims:
· Cleaning our town and making it a better place for all to live.
· Increasing awareness of our success in the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s Cleanest Town competition – in 2007 we won the prize for most improved town!
· Raising awareness of school children and adults about littering and recycling.

The rubbish pick up will be preceded by a poster competition and a play by the Patchwork Theatre about pollution and waste. The play will be performed for all the classes from grade 1 to 6 in both schools. The Matric science learners will give a talk to the older children about global warming.

The children in the pick-up campaign will receive a healthy, filling snack to motivate them and give them strength on their mission. To encourage participation, there will be prizes for the biggest collectors, most enthusiastic collectors, etc.

Teachers will accompany the children. As 250 children will participate on the day, if anybody would like to join us to collect litter or assist in supervising the children, or in any other way, we would be MOST grateful and who knows, there might be a prize in store for you too!

If you have any advice, or if you feel you can assist in any small or even big way, please contact Imke Maeyer at 023 5411 184 or Ellen Nicol at 023 5411953 for further information.

Three generations on the Zwartberg campus

- Ailsa Tudhope -

Many schools can turn to their class records and discover that one generation after another of a particular family has trod their corridors, raised their voices in song in the school hall, dashed around the sports fields and sweated over comparable examination papers.

Not many can boast three generations dashing off to the same school at the same time every morning.

In January Hané Smit started her Grade R year at Wildekanisland as her mother Chrisna and grandfather Chris Gouws began another year of teaching within shouting distance at the High School. To add to the family presence, young Jan-Stephan Smit began his school career at Die Meernes in the school grounds.

Chris has recently moved to Prince Albert and returned to teaching intermediate phase learners. Chrisna dedicates her time to teaching English to the high school masses and the younger generation have the long haul through to Matric ahead of them.

May their involvement with Hoërskool Zwartberg be richly rewarding for years to come.

Zwartberg spog met drie nuwe onderwysers.

- Ailsa Tudhope -

Hoërskool Zwartberg se skoolhoof Kobus Snyman en onderhoof Danie Rossouw was jare lank die enigste dorings tussen meer as tien rose. Verlede jaar was Anton Nortier die derde doring, en vanjaar is daar nog drie manne.

Chris Gouws is ‘n bekende gesig in Prince Albert en is nou weer terug in die onderwys ná baie jare. Hy was in Bloemfontein adjunkhoof van ‘n skool vir serebraal gestremde kinders.

Hier by Zwartberg sal hy Engels, Natuurwetenskappe, Sosiale Wetenskap en Ekonomiese Bestuurwetenskap vir kinders in die intermediêre fase leer. Chris se dogter, Chrisna Smit, is die skool se Engelse onderwyseres.

Marcus Izaks is uit die Noord-Kaap in Prince Albert om Afrikaans aan te bied. Hy het veertien jaar onderwyservaring en sy laaste pos was by die Katho Hoërskool. Marcus is ook ’n pastoor van die AGS en gaan betrokke wees by die plaaslike gemeente. Ons verwelkom hom en sy vrou Gail in die dorp.

Die derde nuwe gesig is Shaun van der Walt, wat verlede jaar sy prakties hier voltooi het. Shaun is ’n gegradueerde van Noord-Wes Universiteit op Potchefstroom, asook van UNISA waar hy nog Rekeningkunde studeer.

Ons sien uit na ‘n besige en lonende jaar saam met dié vyf dorings tussen die rose in die Zwartberg personeelkamer.

Pedals Empower Hoërskool Zwartberg Learners

- Linda Jaquet -

By now you’ll have noticed an increase in bicycles on our streets (not just rusty ones) and the whoops of delight of their Hoërskool Zwartberg riders as they whiz by.

This is thanks to the combined efforts of National Government’s “Shova Kalula” programme and a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation, the “Bicycling Empowerment Network” (BEN).
“Shova Kalula”, which means “Pedal Easy” in isiZulu, hopes to increase the mobility of particularly rural South Africans through non-motorised transport and aims to provide bicycles to 1 million people by 2015. BEN was founded in 2002 by retired engineer Louis de Waal to promote the use of low-cost, environmentally-friendly transport and at the same time, to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Louis pointed out to the Friend that “the bicycle is mankind’s most affordable form of transport.”

On 30 July 2007, Louis handed over 60 spanking new bicycles to Hoërskool Zwartberg. Learners lease the cycles from the school at R10 a month – this includes a lock and a helmet - and sign a rental contract for a year, undertaking to keep their bikes in good condition. They also need to pay R50 a year for insurance and have to return the bikes to the school during school holidays. Louis and his two assistants also spent some time training Hoërskool Zwartberg’s janitors, Hennie Ceylon and Koos Jacobus, in the basics of bicycle mechanics and repairs.

At the time of writing, half the bicycles had been leased from the school. Several learners, who had never owned bicycles before, set off one afternoon to ride to Prince Albert Road and upon their return, declared that it “was the most fantastic thing they’d ever done!” As a result, some of their school mates are looking for part-time jobs to raise the funds they too need to “shova kalula.” The Friend has also learned that a number of teachers are casting covetous eyes over the remaining cycles!

On the same day, BEN presented 30 bicycles to the Prince Albert Land Care Bush Camp run by André Gouws in the Prince Albert Valley. The camps, held throughout the year, encourage young people to be more caring of the environment and to live in harmony with Nature.

Helping Learners have a Voice

- Helene Smit -

At the beginning of 2006, a very exciting programme was launch-ed at the Hoërskool Zwartberg initiated by Penny Alder. Together with teachers at the school, a need had been identified to enhance the thinking and communication skills of learners who would soon leave school and have to function as independent adults. The traditional curriculum helps learners to improve their language capacity, but there are not necessarily enough resources available for additional processes which may help learners. Penny’s idea was to gather volunteers from the town, who would be willing to give their time and energy to provide an opportunity for learners to have facilitated conversations in which they could develop their skills.

The Grade 11 class was chosen for the first round of the project. The class was divided into 10 different groups, and each group had a group of three facilitators allocated to it. The facilitators took turns to spend a period a week with the class. Learners discussed a variety of topics ranging from Valentine's Day, relationships, to more difficult social problems such as teenage pregnancy, drugs, racism and HIV.

The idea behind these conversation classes was to assist learners to develop their own thinking about the issues that confront them in their daily lives and explore the complexity through facilitated conversations. Some of the issues are light-hearted, and some are tricky and even difficult to talk about.

The learners themselves choose what they want to talk about, and the facilitators facilitate the discussion, but they do not tell learners what to think. In this way, learners are able to develop their own thought processes and to debate different viewpoints amongst themselves. The most important thing is to help learners to develop the capacity to think for themselves and be able to stand up for what they believe.

The project is now in its second year, and although we have made some changes based on the learning of what worked well and what didn’t last year, the process is essentially the same. The volunteers were trained in facilitation skills, and have to manage processes such as the group dynamics, who participates, and how the learners listen to one another and respond. The facilitators have the task of helping the learners’ develop their ability to critically think through all the various aspects that affect a particular area and be able to express their feelings and views to one another in constructive ways.

Kobus Snyman and the teaching team have been very supportive of the project and have commented that they have noticed an increase in the confidence and communication capacity of learners who have been part of the conversation classes.

There are currently 15 dedicated volunteers and many of them have commented how much they themselves have learnt through the project. Thank you to them for their time and commitment.

If anyone else is interested in becoming involved in the project, you are invited to contact me in my capacity as project leader on (023) 5411 063. All Prince Alberters are welcome and we will provide the necessary training.

Auf Wiedersehn Lisa

- Ailsa Tudhope -

Hoërskool Zwartberg bade farewell to Lisa Weinmayr at the end of term. Lisa has spent six months here and found Prince Albert quite a change from her industrial hometown of Pforzheim near the Black Forest in Southern Germany.

The Karoo heat was daunting but by the time she left Lisa reckoned she far preferred it to the cold that was awaiting her at home! She really enjoyed living in a village, where everywhere is within walking distance and found Prince Albert a beautiful, peaceful and friendly place.

School was very different – here Lisa wore a uniform, experienced learning in very large classes and took subjects she had never studied before, like ‘Toerisme’ and ‘Lewensoriëntering’. Maths and Science were familiar, but using scientific concepts and learning definitions in a foreign language takes some doing.

She passed all her subjects with flying colours, impressing all her teachers with her hard work and is probably the first pupil ever to pass her Afrikaans literature paper with some answers written in English. At home she studies German, English, Latin and Ancient Greek.

Jennifer Munro and the tennis team will really miss Lisa, who enjoyed the camaraderie of the team. Tennis matches took her to George and Oudtshoorn and holidays with the Steyn family, her hosts during her visit, and with her own family who spent Christmas in South Africa, took her to the Garden Route, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

During this term the Science Festival and Art Tour were wonderful opportunities to see more of the country and meet youngsters from a broad spectrum of South African schools.

We will miss Lisa as the new term begins but are pleased to hear she is back in Pforzheim, catching up on all the local news with her parents and sisters, Paulina and Carla.

Skaakspelers Blink Uit

Twee van ons skool se vyftienjarige skaakspelers het teen die einde van 2006 bewys dat hierdie sportsoort wat min of geen publieke en regerings-ondersteuning kry, steeds blakend gesond bedryf word by Prince Albert Primêr. Die Wes-Kaap o/17 Dogters en Seuns Skaak-spanne, wie aan die Suid Afrikaanse Skole Spele te Kaapstad deelgeneem het, was be-voorreg om spelers soos Nadia Claassen en Joshua Afrika in hul midde te kon hê. Hierdie twee is Provinsiale spelers en het die af-gelope 3 en 6 jaar onderskeidelik, jaarliks aan Nasionale Kampioenskappe deelge-neem, en kon dus met hulle ervaring hul onderskeie spanne tot groot oorwinning by die Spele help.

Nadia en Joshua het tydens die spele wat plaasgevind het vanaf 3 tot 6 Desember 2006, albei agt uit die nege rondtes gewen, wat vir hulself, asook hul spanne, Goue medaljes besorg het. Ons hoop van harte dat hul nuwe skole, Bridgton Senior Sekondêr en Die Kaapse Akademie vir Wiskunde, Wetenskap en Tegnologie, hulle die ge-leentheid sal bied om hul skaak verder te bevorder. Ons wens hulle alle sterkte toe met hul studies!

Duitse Musiekskool besoek PA binnekort

-Bodo Toelstede-

Die Schreiber Musiekskool van Duitsland wat uit 17 lede bestaan, besoek Prince Albert op die 3, 4 en 5 April 2007.

Wildekanisland se kleauters is baie bevooreg om musiekopleiding op bogenoemde datums te ontvang.

Op 4 April 2007 om 19h00 (7 uur) word ‘n Kultuuraand deur die groep in die Hoërskool se saal aangebied.
Kaartjies kos R20. Onthou die datum en teken dit in u dagboek aan.
Duitse musiek is tog so mooi!

Hierdie Kultuuraand is slegs die aanhef vir wat ons te wagte kan wees, want op 5 April 2007 om 19h00 (7 uur) word ‘n Kultuuraand in die V.G.K saal aangebied.

Die groep besoek ook verkeie ander dorpe, nl. Keurboomsrivier, Kleinmond, George en die stad Kaapstad. Ons is baie bevoorreg dat Prince Albert ook in hul reisprogram ingesluit is.

Kom geniet ‘n mooi aand.

PA Primêr verbind tot bewaring

- J.C.Minnaar -

Die Departement van Bewaringsekologie en Entomologie (Universiteit van Stellenbosch) het 'n uitgesoekte groepie gr. 8 – leerders se natuurdors met 'n tweedaagse veldskool te Mountain View ( Karoo Nasionale Park) tydens November 2006, geles.

Danksy dr. Sue Milton, wat vir die af-gelope 14 jaar die skool onder voogskap geneem het, kon hierdie uitstappie soos vele ander in die verlede, ook ‘n werklikheid word. Die veldgids, mnr Jan Jacobs, het soos gewoonlik, met sy geesdriftige aan-bieding, die leerders in vervoering gehad. Sy ryke kennis van die endemiese flora van die Nuweveldberge het hierdie groepie tot groter bewaringsbewustheid aangespoor.

Zwartberg News

-Di Steyn-

Our 2006 Matrics Shine

Hoërskool Zwartberg’s Matric learners have shone again. Several of the class of 2006 achieved distinctions (over 80%) in specific subjects, namely, Rolan Mars who attained 89% for Business Economics and 82% in accounting; Deolan van Schalkwyk, 85% for Business Economics; Kimmy Gouws, 82% for Afrikaans and Donovan Plaatjies, who gained 80% in Computyping.

Both Kimmy Gouws and Rolan Mars should be well pleased with their overall B grade, as should those who passed with an overall mark of C: Donovan Plaatjies, Eufrim Schoeman, Deolan van Schalkwyk and Alicia van Zyl.

Congratulations to all of you who made it and especially those, who worked hard to gain high grades.

In the last twenty-two years, Hoërskool Zwartberg has only had three students not pass their final Matric exams. Keep up the good work, 2007 Grade 12 students!

New Staff

The School welcomes Mrs Joy Rolfe and Mr Anton Nortier from De Rust, who will both be teaching Business subjects. Ms Correen Bezuidenhout joins us as a student teacher.