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Tag Archives: Upper II
Eye tests for UI, UII and UIII boys
Most of your sons will have had their eyes tested during their time at the Pre-Prep, by Mrs Kate Houslay. We have been fortunate to secure Kate’s services again to do a further round of eye tests for our Upper I, Upper II and Upper III boys next week. It is recommended that young children’s eyes are tested at regular intervals during these formative years.
The tests will be run during the normal course of the school morning, and boys will be accompanied by their class teachers.
- Upper I: Tuesday 17th January
- Upper II: Wednesday 18th January
- Upper III: Thursday 19th January
The cost of the eye test is R40 per boy, and this will be debited to your school account. If you do not wish your son to have an eye test, please could you notify Mrs Debbie Powell before Monday 16th January (e-mail: powell at stjohnscollege.co.za).
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards
Margot Long
Second Mistress – Academics
Upper II Puberty talk
In today’s society where our boys grow up so much faster than before, there is a need to educate them and make them aware of the changes their bodies will go through as they develop. To this end we will be having a lesson with all the Upper II boys where we will start the discussion on puberty, hormones and body changes. Upper II H will have their lesson on Monday 21st November from 9:15‐10:15am, Upper II F on Monday 21st November from 10:45‐ 1145am, and Upper II B on Tuesday 22nd November from 8‐9am.
The lesson will be one hour long, where we will show the boys a 30 minute DVD that discusses in simple and appropriate terms the changes that both boys’ and girls’ bodies go through as they enter puberty. The DVD also discusses some of the emotional changes that may be expected, as well as the importance of hygiene. Following the DVD, we will have a 30 minute discussion session, which will allow the boys a chance to ask questions and have them answered in a factual and age‐appropriate manner. This introductory lesson will form the basis for the more in‐depth discussions that take place in Lower III.
We understand that this is a sensitive topic and needs to be handled appropriately with regards to what the boys are taught at this young age. Thus should you have any concerns, or should you wish to discuss this in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Nicolson <nicolson at stjohnscollege.co.za> or Mr Meirim <meirim at stjohnscollege.co.za>. We hope that this lesson will also present you with an opportunity for conversation with your son on this matter.
Regards,
Hugo Meirim
Clinical Psychologist and Head of Pastoral Care
meirim . at. stjohnscollege.co.za (011) 645 3154
Upper II Music Videos – Drama
There is great excitement in Upper II Drama as the boys are studying film this term. Here are some guidelines as to what is expected from the boys:
- The boys will be taught basic film techniques and work in groups in class. Areas of study include writing a concept, writing a script, pitching, production design, location scouting, costume, choreography, direction and film language. Editing will be covered in their computer class. This is obviously being kept to an age- appropriate level.
- The process of pre-production is our focus and boys will be given various activities to complete in class. These activities will be assessed on a continuous basis.
- The final product will be presented after half-term and may take the form of a live music video or filmed version that has been burned onto DVD.
I wanted the boys to shoot their videos at school and during school time, but they have requested rather to shoot off campus to avoid having to bring all their props, etc to school. I suggest that a home and garden is used for this purpose.
Please may I ask that parents assist the boys in the co-ordination of the practice and shooting times and locations? This should involve about 3 – 4 hours outside of the school programme that I have planned.
I know that there are some hugely creative ideas being discussed and it is wonderful to see the excitement. I do not want to limit the boys in terms of my understanding of what they are capable of. I know that they are very comfortable with all the film language involves. So please allow them the liberty of creative experiment – limited by practical expectations.
I would like the boys to come up with a product that is their own and ask that parental involvement be kept to a co- ordinating role.
Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to call me.
Regards,
Natalie Brummer
Entrepreneurship Day 2011
The annual St John’s Entrepreneurial Day will be held on Friday,
22 July 2011. Only the Upper 3 classes will be taking part in the
selling. Upper 1s and Lower 3s will be welcome shoppers on the day.
Please support our budding entrepreneurs by giving your son some
pocket change to spend at the market. Parents are also welcome to
come and enjoy in the festivities of the day but may not take-over
the running of their sons’ stalls.
The market will run from 8:00 – 11:30. Upper 1 – Lower 3s are to come
to school dressed in their full school uniforms.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries.
Kind regards
David Mulenga
HOD Economic and Management Sciences
Drama Showcase evenings (Lower II, Upper II)
Our Drama and Music showcase will be performed this week. Performance dates are as follows:
- U2B and L2V-Tuesday 19th July
- U2F and L2T-Wednesday 20th July
- U2H and L2Z-Thursday 21st July.
Performances will take place in Big School and start at 18.00.
Boys need to wear their school tracksuit pants and a long-sleeved white vest, preferably thermal, for warmth. Boys will perform barefoot, but need to arrive in slip-on shoes or slippers and a warm sweater over their vest. Boys should have their hair neatly combed out of their faces.
Please feed the boys a light meal by no later than 17.00. Butterflies in the stomach can play havoc on the system so please avoid any dairy products.
Boys should arrive by 17.30 and meet their respective teachers in their classes. Please inform us if your son is not going to be able to perform.
We are very proud of the boys and the hard work they have put into the showcase. We look forward to an encouraging and enthusiastic audience each night.
Regards
Natalie Brummer
Drama Journal Writing: Lower II and Upper II
I understand that there are still some concerns surrounding the journal entries for drama. This letter, I hope, will shed some light on some of the issues.
Drama does count for marks in Lower 2 and Upper 2. The work we cover in our drama classes assesses performance, movement and the life skill aspects of drama. Creativity, storytelling and writing are covered in the boys’ journals.
The journal entries are set as a creative exercise and the boys have the option of writing a story, drawing a comic strip, creating a collage or a combination of all of these. The aim of journal writing is to provide the boys with reflection time and to give them an opportunity to express their thoughts about their lives, feelings, hurts, hopes or anxieties in their journals. Journals are not marked for grammar and spelling ‐ the focus lies on the creative expression of their inner thoughts.
The boys are free to choose between writing a daily or a weekly entry. I must stress that there is no preference for either and the number of entries in no way affects their marks. The task is not intended to become a daily homework burden.
Most of the boys thoroughly enjoy the process and they are utilizing their journals to maximum effect. We can definitely see some authors in the making!
Please feel free to contact me should you have any further queries.
Kind regards
Natalie Brummer
Drama teacher
brummer at stjohnscollege.co.za
011 645 3100
Top Gear Outing – Upper II
Please see the attached letter regarding the Top Gear outing on Friday.
TopGearInfo
Top Gear Outing
Please see the form linked below if you are interested in the Upper II Top Gear outing.
Top Gear outing
Brainpower Week
As is tradition at St John’s, we will once again end off the year with our extension programme known as BRAINPOWER. We have planned a fun-filled and exciting educational programme for the boys, starting on Friday 26 November. Activities include visits by wildlife experts, authors and adventurers). There will also be craft and sporting activities and an exciting House morning. Each class will also embark on an outing away from school Upper Is visit the Honeydew Mazes, Lower IIs go to the War Museum, Upper IIs visit the Sterkfontein Caves, Lower IIIs play adventure golf and Upper IIIs go ice-skating at the Northgate Ice Arena.
An all-inclusive amount of R140 per boy is being requested to fund this extension programme. (This is a massive saving of R60 when compared to the 2009 price!) In order to make everyone’s life easier and safer we would like to make use of the school account facilities and debit accounts with R140. Should there be any difficulties in this regard, please do not hesitate to call Mr Lees to make alternate arrangements.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to a wonderful end to the current school year.
Yours faithfully
Karen Maitland
BRAINPOWER Co-ordinator
Brainpower Week 2010
