29thNovember Wednesday : 30th November Thursday : 1st December Friday : Junior Assembly Gr R—3 8am : Senior Assembly Gr 4—7 8h45 4th December Monday : The Bellavista Stars 8h10—12noon 5th December Tuesday : General Knowledge Quiz 6th December Wednesday : 7th December Thursday : Final Assembly 8am School closes at 10am for the holidays 17th January 2018 : School reopens Gr 1—7 22nd January 2018 : School commences for Grade R Tues—Friday mornings 7:30—8:15 Tues afternoons 12—14:45 Dear parents A lot does not mean a lot and something might just be everything In our modern day lives, when everything is available anytime online and our panic to provide our children with all that we can afford is driven by smart marketing campaigns and idealistic social media facades, it is easy to think that “a lot” will be solution and “a little” is inadequate. Research and common sense might just call this false truth into question. Children are developmental creatures. Adults are too. As humans, we evolve into a state of being and, at any one time, we are on the spectrum of aging; or, more kindly, ‘maturing’. Think of a person as a physical, cognitive, socio-emotional being. Physically, we accept developmental theory readily - it happens in front of our eyes. Babies walk at a certain age. Toddlers talk at certain milestones. Adolescents enter puberty quite apparently. Adults mature. Humans have distinct physical ability at certain times of their lives and this is seldom disputed (although at 40+ it may be reluctantly accepted). The same developmental framework exists on a socio-emotional level. Theorists like Erik Erikson and, dare it be said, Sigmund Freud, have carefully spelled out stages of this development. Whilst this piece is not to bash out the nuances of the theories, there is some agreement that we start life quite egocentric, prioritising our survival and only considering ourselves; then dawns an awareness of ‘the other’; we move on to establish our individual identity and thereafter relate with others for the rest of our days. We conclude our life either in a place of fulfillment and what Maslow calls ‘self-actualisation’ or in a state of what Erikson calls ‘despair’, unsettled and discontent with how we have lived our years. Every socio-emotional stage throughout a lifetime is described by Newsletter No. 12: November/December 2017
Transcript
29thNovember Wednesday :
30th November Thursday :
1st December Friday : Junior Assembly Gr R—3 8am
: Senior Assembly Gr 4—7 8h45
4th December Monday : The Bellavista Stars
8h10—12noon
5th December Tuesday : General Knowledge Quiz
6th December Wednesday :
7th December Thursday : Final Assembly 8am
School closes at 10am for the holidays
17th January 2018 : School reopens Gr 1—7
22nd January 2018 : School commences for Grade R
Tues—Friday mornings
7:30—8:15 Tues afternoons
12—14:45
Dear parents
A lot does not mean a lot and something might just be everything
In our modern day lives, when everything is available anytime
online and our panic to provide our children with all that we can
afford is driven by smart marketing campaigns and idealistic social
media facades, it is easy to think that “a lot” will be solution and “a
little” is inadequate. Research and common sense might just call
this false truth into question.
Children are developmental creatures. Adults are too. As humans,
we evolve into a state of being and, at any one time, we are on the
spectrum of aging; or, more kindly, ‘maturing’. Think of a person as
a physical, cognitive, socio-emotional being.
Physically, we accept developmental theory readily - it happens in front of our eyes. Babies walk at a certain
age. Toddlers talk at certain milestones. Adolescents enter puberty quite apparently. Adults mature. Humans
have distinct physical ability at certain times of their lives and this is seldom disputed (although at 40+ it may be
reluctantly accepted).
The same developmental framework exists on a socio-emotional level. Theorists like Erik Erikson and, dare it
be said, Sigmund Freud, have carefully spelled out stages of this development. Whilst this piece is not to bash
out the nuances of the theories, there is some agreement that we start life quite egocentric, prioritising our
survival and only considering ourselves; then dawns an awareness of ‘the other’; we move on to establish our
individual identity and thereafter relate with others for the rest of our days. We conclude our life either in a place
of fulfillment and what Maslow calls ‘self-actualisation’ or in a state of what Erikson calls ‘despair’, unsettled and
discontent with how we have lived our years. Every socio-emotional stage throughout a lifetime is described by
Newsletter No. 12: November/December 2017
Erikson as a ‘crisis’, and how we resolve each crisis determines how well we manage future demands on our emotional
reserve. In layman’s terms: children must separate from their parents and feel secure; adolescents must find out who they
are and what they believe; young adults must forge a sense of purpose; older folk must find contentment with the life they
have lived.
Cognitively, we are developmental too. Infants and young children
experience the world in a very concrete fashion. Objects exist or
they don’t. Learning happens in a successive manner based on
sensory input and concrete actions that form the output. As
children enter the primary school years, their cognition becomes a
little more abstract, but not entirely. They can accept, for example,
that 250ml water is the same amount of water whether it is in a cup
or poured in a bowl. They are able to conserve number. Only after
the age of eleven or twelve years will a child begin to connect
events and concepts more abstractly and so deal in hypotheses
and scenarios that may not be visible before them. Think of the
cognitive move in Mathematics from seeing parts of a pizza cut up
as 1 or ½ or ¼ of a pizza to seeing the abstraction that is a
number written in numerators and denominators to represent parts
of a whole.
Why the theoretical lessons just as the school year ends? As you enter the
holiday and reflect on the year past or plan the year ahead, consider that a lot
doesn’t mean a lot when you place a child on a developmental framework.
Growing up takes time. It happens progressively, with just the right amount of
nurturance and attention. Nothing more. Nothing less. Intervention can only be
paced with the maturation of the child; neither more nor less will deliver the right
outcome.
A lot of therapy won’t accelerate development; well-planned, regular intervention
supports progress and addresses lags on a perceptual level.
A lot of sport won’t make a sports star; deliberate practice with proper periods of
effort, nutrition and rest might.
A lot of awards and rewards won’t build esteem; but acknowledgement in just the
right moment will.
A lot of supplements won’t address issues that are developmental in nature; the
right routines and lifestyle might.
A lot of gifts and novelty won’t replace the need for nurturance in a child’s life; be it in toddler years or late adolescence,
unconditional love will always deliver.
A lot of toys and technology won’t stimulate cognitive development better; natural experiences in the mud, getting wet,
baking, laying the table, hearing debates, travel, grazing knees and building rocket ships out of cardboard might.
A lot of tutors can’t bridge the gap that needs to close developmentally.
A lot of opinions, tests and exploration might mean more confusion not less. Rather partner with someone you trust to
return to basics and a careful look at the history and facts already known.
More counseling won’t produce the ethical child; consistent parenting might.
More discipline won’t shape the values of a young one more than good modeling of right and wrong, clear boundaries and
fair, consistent correction.
A lot doesn’t mean a lot. Something might mean everything.
An incremental improvement on your child’s standardised scores for reading is the developmental step you are looking for.
Progress means everything.
A kind word, a gentle smile, a gracious act and respectful greeting from your child indicate that he or she sees ‘the other’.
Quick eye contact, a nod or a ‘thumbs-up’ might make your child’s day.
Thirty minutes on a ‘date with dad’ once a week, could be all the quality time that your child is looking for.
A quick WhatsApp to your teenage daughter to wish her a great day might just help her feel supported as she ventures into
her world.
A smart haircut and the correct polished shoes might be the something that means everything as your child presents him-
self at school.
A few small healthy snacks packed by a parent may mean more than the store’s vacuum packed offering.
Simply attending school as required and receiving regular
affirmation builds a work ethic for life.
Telling a lie to bail your child out of a consequence might just
model negotiable ethics for your child forever. One small
indiscretion to avoid a moment of discomfort might mean every-
thing later in life, for the worse.
Taking a risk and failing, and having this celebrated in and of
itself, could be the support a parent needs to give in order to
launch a successful entrepreneur later.
Children are developmental. Our world forces adult demands on
children’s lives. We need to consider the framework, stop the
bus, acknowledge the stages of development and let our
children be children where something might mean everything
and a lot doesn’t mean a lot.
Pledge yourself to use the upcoming holiday season to be – to be in the moment; to be parents; to relate with one another;
to idle away the time; to read stories together not practice reading; to explore the environment; to care for other people.
Children grow over the holidays. They will come back to school older, enriched, and with shared family experiences that
become memories. Use the time to do something little that could mean a lot!
All the world's a stage
All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow.
Acknowledgements
As we close our 50th year at Bellavista School, I am excited to reflect on the past year and imagine our brighter future.
Bellavista is an extraordinary place, a centre of excellence in the community and for the community. It exists as an example
of partnership – parents with the school, teachers with therapists, staff with parents, parents with parents, children with
teacher, children with each other. Over the years, including this celebratory one, I am reminded of and grateful for these
relationships. Some special thanks are due.
Mrs Almarie Conradie, Chairperson of the Parents Association 2016 – 2017. Almarie
put up her hand in 2015 to steer the PA into the anniversary years and, at the end of
this year, her tenure will close. She has capably and sensitively worked with teams put
together around various projects to ensure that the ethos of our school is perpetuated
through the involvement of parents. Apart from the bonus of funds raised to purchase
a new bus, sustain our uniform shop, install a borehole, enrich our Book Weeks,
launch the Legacy of Bellavista rose, part finance the new furniture throughout the
school and renovations in the hall as well as install basketball hoops, the Parents
Association over these two years has knitted together a community. The Bellavista
Bash is a highlight of belonging for every child here and the Bellavista Ball suitably
raised a glass to the school, but most importantly, the alumni and alumnae thereof.
Almarie quietly supported the class mums to plan and host social events, cover library
books, prepare costumes, extend TLC and support charities. From the bottom of my
heart and on behalf of the entire community, I thank Almarie (and her family for
sharing her), for her labour of love.
To the entire PA, thank you too! You make our Bellavista world go round!
Thank you to Mr William Marshall and the Board of Governors for their careful and wise governance through another year.
As I read back through the school’s history it was so apparent that the ethos envisaged and laid out in 1967 remains the
same today. This preservation is attributed to the good governance and careful custodianship of what is valued and
treasured in this place.
Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth.
And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part.
The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
William Shakespeare
With the close of a school year, there are always a few staff movements.
Mr Edward Moyo and his steadfast wife, Nellie Sibanda, retire this
December and head home to Zimbabwe to establish and grow their
family business there. Edward has served this school with distinction
for 19 years. He has cared for the property and all who come here as if
they were his own. I commend him for his loyalty, integrity and wisdom
and thank him for being a sure and certain manager on the property
who has only supported myself and the needs of the school at every
turn. We will miss him and Nellie for their example of care and value of
community. Nellie, like Edward, is well known to the parents and
children as she capably ran the reception and tended to the bruises
and scrapes or filtered out class avoidance from genuine need for first
aid! She is our in house matriarch!
Hambani kahle! May the road rise up to meet you both.
Ms Busi Tshabalala leaves Bellavista after nearly eight years of service here. Together with her son, she is off to explore
the world and has taken up a position in the U.A.E. Busi contributes only of her best and has shared her expertise and time
across all of our work: School, S.E.E.K. and S.H.A.R.E. She is much loved by the children and parents and we will miss her
on the staff. On behalf of the school community, I wish her only success and trust that in this global world, she won’t
become a stranger.
To all the parents and children leaving for other lands, other schools and other phases of education, thank you for sharing
your journey. It has been a privilege to partner with you. Each child has found his or her place in the sun, now it’s the time
to blossom and grow.
In anticipation of new positions in the new year, we welcome Mr Max Khumalo to the position of Senior Grounds Manager,
Mr Vincent Mkhari to the support staff, Mr Percy Thipe will continue as Front Office Administrator and also take up
residence on the property with caretaker duties. Mrs Sue van Staden joins the Remedial Therapy Department, Miss Nisi
Rudolph the Speech-Language Therapy Department (albeit she is already here), Mrs Linda Seymore and Mrs Peta Hafner
will enrich Grade Six and Four respectively, and Miss Alex Boyes-Varley steps in to the role of class teacher.
On a practical note:
This Friday, 1 December, is an Awards Assembly where we recognise achievements within the term. Parents whose
children are receiving recognition will be notified to attend. The assemblies are at 08h00 for the Foundation Phase and
08h45 for the Gr4-7 group. School continues for the usual hours thereafter.
Interhouse Cricket is played this Thursday between 10h00 and 12h00. The event is organised by the House
Captains and is in-house, without spectators.
School closes on 7 December after the Final
Assembly. Formal uniform is an absolute
requirement, including polished school shoes. In
keeping with our annual support of the St Vincents
School shoe drive, the children may leave their
shoes here as a donation for others who need
them and leave “footloose and fancy free”; this, of
course, only with your expressed permission.
Boxes for the shoes will be situated outside the
reception on the morning. All parents are invited to
the Final Assembly and no individual notifications
