`

Dear parents/students,

I would like to express heartfelt gratitude on behalf

of the school for the supportive words we have

received from parents and students in light of the

events the whole community has had to endure

over the past 6 weeks.

The loss of Mrs McFadden and Francis Namboya

within a few short weeks have tested the resolve

and strength of the staff, students and parents.

Thanks must also go to the tutors, Mrs Gausi (school

counsellor), Mrs Gaunt (Child protection officer) and

Mrs Samanyika (Deputy Headteacher - pastoral) as

well as the Heads of Year all of whom have worked

very hard supporting students and colleagues in this

difficult time.

The school has started plans for a multi-faith peace

garden and shelter where students and staff can

seek some peace and quiet. We have plans to mark

the lives of Mrs McFadden and Francis with art work

in this area. They are gone, but will never be

forgotten.

On Sunday, students and staff returned from the

long journey to Kamuzu Academy. A highlight of

their weekend was a 10-0 thrashing of Bishop

Mackenzie School in the boys' football. More of this

trip later in the newsletter.

Last week we welcomed Stephen Davies, author of

13 books for children and young adults. His

workshop focussed on Folk Tales and the students

enjoyed spending time with him. Stephen wanted

to pass on his thanks to all staff and students who

made him feel very welcome during his fortnight in

Malawi.

I hope you all have a well deserved rest next week.

Kieron P. Smith, Head Teacher

Calendar Dates - October

13th 5-7pm Year 11 Parents' Evening

25th/26th PM Year 7/8 Boys' Basketball Comp.

26th Year 12 Field Trip to Zomba

27th 5-7pm Year 13 Parents' Evening

November

1st/2nd PM Junior Boys' Cricket & Senior Girls'

Basketball House Comp

2nd 6:00pm Parents' Forum

4th 6:00pm Fashion Show

Trial of New Exit Gate

We have opened up the exit gate in order to trial a

new, more efficient route for cars. Please bear with

us while we assess the new arrangement. Once we

are satisfied with the direction cars move in, we

shall be resurfacing the exit route. We are planning

to make the entrance one way where you can use

both lanes into the school and one lane exiting

through a different gate. Cars exiting from the main

car park will also exit via the new gate after joining

traffic heading into the pick-up zone.

Reminder To All Parents!!

The School would like to remind all parents that

house afternoons are an important, integral and

thus compulsory part of a Saints education. If

students are at school then they are expected to

remain for their afternoon commitments. If they are

unable to take a full and active part in the afternoon

programme staff will allocate appropriate tasks for

them to do. In addition, all parents are asked to

avoid making dental appointments on house

afternoons.

Many Thanks,

Steve Ferguson

iGCSE v GCSE (Cambridge v Other exam boards)

Many people seem to be confused when comparing

Cambridge examinations with other examination

Newsletter #20

October 13th 2016

boards. All GCSE qualifications whether iGCSE or

GCSE and whatever exam board are quality checked

and endorsed by the QCA (Qualifications and

Curriculum Authority) and Ofqual (Office of

Qualifications and Examinations Regulation). Both

Cambridge (iGCSE) and other e.g. Edexcel, AQA

(GCSE) are Level 2 qualifications and are the same

level of difficulty. They accrue the same amount of

'points' and enable progression to A Level and

university. SAIntS chooses to enter students across

a variety of examination boards because it leaves us

the option to choose the most appropriate course

for our students based upon the expert advice of

our teachers. We are not restricted by a single exam

board and our range of GCSEs on offer is the widest

available in Malawi.

Do not think that because you see the name

'Cambridge' that other examinations are somehow

inferior or less challenging. Below are some quick

comparisons between Cambridge and 'All other'

examination board pass rates for 2016 in the UK

compared with SAIntS students:

Cambridge Other SAIntS

Mathematics 74% 61% 86%

(Edexcel)

Chemistry 66% 60% 95%

(Edexcel)

Business Studies 70% 64% 83%

(Cambridge)

Pass rates at SAIntS are higher than UK national

results in most subjects regardless of the

examination board we have chosen.

If would like additional information about the

differences between examination boards, please

feel free to contact our Deputy Headteacher

(Curriculum) Mr Waite.

SAIntS Peace

Garden

Our Thursday

afternoon club,

led by Mrs

Samanyika, is

designing and

constructing a

peace garden.

We have decided to dedicate it in Mrs Macfadden’s

honour, who sadly passed away earlier this year. We

want to create this peace garden for students who

want some peace, quiet reflection or prayer. The

garden will be behind the Modern Languages block

and is a perfect, peaceful location.

In the garden, we will be creating some mosaics and

we are very lucky to have the help from Jenny from

CCJ who is helping us landscape the area. There will

be lots of plants, seating and a shallow lily pond. By

student request the Year 8 students are also going

to design a statue in memory of their dear friend

Francis Namboya.

We hope the garden will be open by the end of term

3. We are sure you will all benefit from it and we

can’t wait to get this project running. We will keep

you updated on our progress with regular photos in

future newsletters.

If you would like to help us by donating any plants,

seating, stones etc it would be much appreciated.

By Ashlin Mathew 9n

Students are able to access care and support

through a number of channels within school. Form

tutors, Heads of Year, Mrs Gausi (Counsellor), Mrs

Gaunt (Child Protection Officer), and Mrs Samanyika

(Deputy Head Welfare), will assist with any pastoral

concerns from both students and parents.

This week, a further provision for those who need

more intensive support or assessment, has been

made more accessible to students outside of school.

Dr Chiwoza Bandawe (Clinical Psychologist), works

privately from Mwai Wathu Hospital on a Friday

afternoon and appointments can be made by

phoning 01822999 and asking for the Out Patients

Department.

Alternatively, Dr Stefan Holzer (Consultant

psychiatrist) and Dr George Stewart (Consultant

Child & Adolescent psychiatrist), operate from

Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and see new

patients on Mondays and Thursdays (young people

preferably on Thursdays). Clients are advised to

arrive at the Health department (also known as

'room 6'), located to the right of the Accident and

Emergency Trauma Centre (AETC), before 7:20am

and to sign in with the nurse on duty to make sure

they are placed with an early appointment.

Consultations start at 8am and clients require a

medical health booklet which can be bought from

the main Reception at the hospital.

If parents are unable to take their children to

appointments then the school will assist where

possible.

For any further enquiries, please feel free to contact

Mrs Gaunt on agaunt@saints.mw

Year 12 Mulanje Trip 2016

The traditional Year 12 Mulanje Trip returned to the

school calendar this year, thanks largely to the

efforts and motivation of Mrs Gaunt and Mr Dodd.

Here, Year 12 student Kamilah B (Soche, 6CDo)

reflects on what was a truly memorable experience:

“From the 30th of September to the 2nd of October

2016, a group of 41 Year 12 students climbed Mount

Mulanje, which is a 3,002-metre high mass of rock,

grasslands and rainforests.

We began the ascent early Friday morning around

8.30am, accompanied by the following school staff:

Mr Dodd, Mrs Dodd, Mrs Gaunt, Mrs Grant, Mr

Colliver, Mr Hara and Lyton our school lifeguard. Mr

Benbow, our previous SAIntS Head Teacher, joined us

with his wealth of experience on the mountain.

We were divided into seven groups with a member

of staff leading each group, guides and porters were

arranged and, with this all in place, we set off.

Temperatures were extreme and almost to the point

of being unbearable. The beautiful mountain views

motivated every one of us to keep climbing to see a

better, more beautiful view, despite the haze, but we

all managed to reach the top at our own speeds. By

sunset the whole group was safely at Lichenya hut,

with tents up and fires lit for dinner.

Each one of us had accomplished a challenge, and

we were all ready to eat and sleep! Every moment of

the trip was a life lesson, and cooking was definitely

on the list - as well as cleaning dishes. After some

small social engagement around the warm camp

fire, fatigue soon set in and it was early to bed in

tents and sleeping bags in and around the hut.

On saturday morning, six of the students lead by Mr

Benbow, Mr Colliver and Mr Dodd were fortunate

(mad?) enough to climb three peaks: first up was the

mighty double-peaked Chilemba (2,356m), followed

by a small, unnamed peak across the col (we named

it ‘Jack’s Peak’ after Jack T in our group), then finally

Simpson’s Peak (2,216m) – so-named after the last

European resident of Lichenya Forestry Lodge who,

from his khonde, one Guy Fawkes Night, enjoyed a

fine display of fireworks after his servant ignited the

peak. After a walk to the astonishing crater, the day

ended with a chilly swim in the cool mountain pools.

A second group climbed Simpsons Peak, hiked to the

same crater and also cooled down in the mountain

pools. The third and final group went to the crater

and met back in the cool mountain pools with all the

other groups. While we all cooled down in the

crystal clear waters, stories were shared amongst

each other about our adventures that day. Back at

the hut, as night fell we crowded around the giant

camp fire, roasted and ate marshmallows, and

enjoyed an entertaining evening of activities varying

from card games and tricks, to impersonations of

teachers and students. Much laughter and fun was

had by all. A spooky story by Mr Benbow had us all

thinking before we went to bed: a hiker went

missing on Mulanje in 2003 and has never been seen

again… or has she?!

Sunday was descent day; the serene Mulanje

sunrise, coupled with the feeling of wishing for a few

more days together, made it difficult to leave. It is

often more challenging and risky climbing down a

mountain than up. Fortunately, apart from a few

slips and slides, we all made it safely back to the

buses ready to return home. Our challenge and

adventure had come to an end, leaving us with sun

tans, sore feet and memories, as well as stronger

relationships with each other.

The Year 12 students became more than a year

group: we became a family. We would like to thank

all teaching staff, accompanying adults, the guides

and porters for making the weekend what it was. A

great memory we will all forever remember.”

Kamliah B (6CDo)

Author Visit – Stephen Davies

Creative writing was at the top of the SAIntS agenda

last Monday, when acclaimed author Stephen

Davies conducted workshops and a MasterClass with

students. Stephen – whose credits include Blood and

Ink, Outlaw and Hacking Timbuktu – inspired our

young writers to revisit the folk tales learned in their

childhoods. Africa – and particularly Malawi – has a

rich heritage of orally-delivered tales and fables

which form the backbone of our literary heritage.

Students learned about the genesis and

development of these stories, and are now building

on these ideas in English classes. We wish Stephen

well in his ongoing tour of primary schools in

Blantyre.

Welcome to Our New Teaching Team

Mrs C-L Harrison arrived in

Malawi with her family in

August 2015. After helping

out in the MFL and Business

Studies departments last

year, she has now joined

the staff full-time as Head

of Modern Languages. She

is tutor to 7 Soche and is

enjoying teaching French to A Level again. It is also

exciting to be encouraging students in their pursuit

of so many language qualifications (Mandarin,

Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, German and of

course French and Spanish too). Meanwhile, Mrs

Harrison has become a language learner again – this

time Chichewa (arguably the hardest language I’ve

ever learnt).

Tijana Randjelovic: I am a Serbian national with a

curious nomadic soul. I

spent over a decade in the

Middle East, exploring

Arabic culture and taught in

Egypt and Oman as an Art

teacher.

Recalling the memories of

Egypt, it feels beautiful to be settled in Africa again,

this time in its very essence, in its heart at Malawi.

I am very pleased to have an opportunity to work

with the exceptional students of SAIntS at Blantyre,

and hope that I will make a positive impact on their

education. This year I will be leading the Art

department and acting as a parent in girls boarding.

I am Leah Mulimba Mwagomba. I was born on 3rd

May, 1986 at QECH, Blantyre,

Malawi. I have a two year old

son, Bupe, and awaiting

another bundle of joy

somewhere in December!!

I did my O levels at Joyce

Banda Foundation. I have an Upper Class Bachelors

of Arts Degree in Education ( majoring in languages;

English and French) obtained in 2010 from Mzuzu

University. After graduating, I have been teaching

English As A Second Language and also English for

Malawi curriculum for five years at Joyce Banda

Foundation Secondary School. And in May,2016 I

was offered a Teaching Assistant job here at SAInts.

Transitioning from a classroom teacher to a

Teaching Assistant has helped me realise how much

patience the profession requires, and I believe that

this role will mould me into a better and improved

teacher!!

I love hanging out with friends, exploring new places

and trying out something new!! I love barbecues!!!

Mrs Caroline Grace. I am

excited to be joining

SAIntS as the Lead

Teacher of Learning

Support. I have

previously worked in

Secondary and Further

Education in the UK in

roles specific to the

highly rewarding challenge of supporting individuals

with a variety of learning needs. It gives me great

pleasure to be part of a team which can provide the

support needed to ensure that all SAIntS students

can be happy, fulfilled and successful individuals.

Hello, my name is Patricia

Butler and I have joined

SAIntS as Head of English

and Chiradzulu Form

Tutor. My last school was

in Kathmandu, Nepal,

where I worked for three

years as Head of English

and Head of Key Stage Four. What has so far

impressed me most about SAIntS is the students’

friendliness, creativity and expertise at debating!

Malawi is a beautiful country and I feel very lucky to

have the opportunity to experience it.

Mrs Hannah Grant. I have

arrived from the South West

of the UK with my husband,

Nick and cat, Boris, and we

are all enjoying our new

Malawian home. We have

cycled to Majete, visited the

lake and climbed Mulanje

already and look forward to lots more adventures to

come!

I have taught History and Politics for five years in the

UK, leading the department for the last two of

those, and am really excited to have joined the

History team here at SAIntS where I will have the

opportunity to study different histories and

perspectives on world events. Outside of the

classroom, I have a huge passion for motorbikes and

rugby, among other things, and aim to encourage

and develop girls rugby within the school at all

levels. Thanks to the whole school community for

the great welcome!

Hola! I’m Miss Taylor, and

I am a Spanish teacher

here at Saints. I have

spent time in Chile and

Spain speaking Spanish

and it is one of my

favourite things to do. I

am originally from the

North of England where I have worked as well as

working in Surrey and Switzerland. I am keen to go

explore Malawi and have begun to learn Chichewa.

Naomi Sibande: Learning

Support Teacher I am qualified

chemistry and Biology teacher.

For the past two years I have

been teaching chemistry

(IGCSE) and science (KS3). I

believe in the potential of

every student to achieve their maximum ability, this

has made me have an interest in Special Education

for a better understanding of the varied needs of

the students. Due to this interest, I spent my college

holidays volunteering at a special school (under St

John of God) in the northern Malawi.

I am very happy to have this opportunity to work

with the teachers and students at SAIntS ( and their

parents) in ensuring that each student maximise

his/her potential. I am in the learning support as a

teaching assistant, and i am excited about this new

challenge.

I am Mtheto Hara. I joined

SAIntS as a Sixth Form

Supervisor but I am already

enjoying teaching year 9

Mathematics and helping

out in the boarding

experience. I have had a

pleasant welcome from all

members of staff ranging

from teaching to support staff.

I have worked with the most amazing students in

the sixth Form study room. With my 8 years of

teaching and my performance within this shortest

period of time, it has pleased the Senior Leadership

Team for me to be incorporated into the Learning

Support Department as a Teacher Assistant. I have

taught IGCSE Chemistry, KS4 Mathematics, KS3

Science & ICT in my previous school and I am keen

to help students at SAIntS in any of those subject

areas. All in all, I am happy to join SAIntS and I am

looking forward to wonderful experiences with the

students as well as parent.

Chirukani Mkandawire: I

came out from the

University with a Bachelors

Degree in Education and

further with a Post

Graduate Diploma in

Management. I am a

friendly and focused

personality with vast experience in training and

teaching for 15 years covering high school level and

also tertiary level.

I love teaching, and I am passionate to see my

student excel. During the last ten years I have mostly

focused on teaching management related subjects,

in particular Business Studies. I have also partly

worked in the administration of institutions for

some years.

Beside my professional job I love charity and

assisting the less privileged, and leading people to

realise their potential and aim high in life.

I am Emmanuel Nyirenda, teacher of Mathematics and ICT. I have started on a high note enjoying all my classes and also being a form tutor of 8M. Both, teachers and pupils have welcomed me to SAINTS and have definitely supported and assisted me to find my way

around. Especially my Form captains have done a good job of assisting me to find my footing! I also assist with boarding duty, especially with Students' Prep. I have enjoyed these sessions with the boarders and also the weekends I have been with them. all in all I look forward to working extremely hard to add value to my departments and my favourite House 'MICHIRU'!

It’s been a rewarding and exciting time since I

arrived in Malawi nearly two

months ago. Originally from

Lincolnshire in England, I

previously worked in a

comprehensive school in

Coventry for six years.

Being a music geek, the

subject takes up most of my time, but when I get a

chance I love to cook, scuba dive, read and think of

the next bad joke – believe me, they’re bad.

Meeting everyone here at school has been a real

pleasure and I’m looking forward to the many

adventures that are yet to come over the next few

weeks and months.

Blessings, Mr. Moss, Music

More teacher profiles to come in the next

newsletter

Year 13 Mangochi Trip

From the 22nd to the 25th of September the Year

13’s made a trip to Nachengwa Lodge in Mangochi.

The trip was designed to challenge us, allow us to

experience Malawi’s beautiful nature and culture

and to strengthen the bond within our year group.

There were many experiences and adventures on

the trip and it’s safe to say we all came out stronger

and left a positive mark on Mangochi.

The two parts of our trip included a Charity project

at Pemphero Secondary School and a hike into the

mountains to visit the historic Fort Mangochi and

indigenous rainforest.

Thanks to Mr. Maclean, we were introduced to

Pemphero Secondary School. Alongside the teaching

the school offers girls accommodation so that they

can continue with their education and learn in a safe

environment, without the fear of being attacked in

unsafe private lodgings. We decided to help the

school by building shelters and outdoor working

spaces for the students, with talented DT students

Alden B and Chris G taking the lead as foremen.

As difficult as it was in the scorching heat we worked

as a team and managed to create 3 covered shelters

that incorporated seating and tables. We also were

able to discover individual skills and talents, for

example, Lurein is great with a saw and I am

excellent with a paint brush! Thank you to everyone

who donated money to this project to fund the

materials.

The second part of the trip was a challenging day

long hike up to Fort Mangochi. This is set in the

Mangochi Forest Reserve with some of Malawi’s

only remaining indigenous rainforest. Despite the

challenges of asthma, heat, muscle cramp and

blisters we made it to the top and found ourselves

immersed in 200 years of captivating history, set in

beautiful and unique landscapes. We learnt

knowledge from local guides as well as working

through a booklet on the geographical, ecological,

tribal and colonial history of the area; many

interesting debates were had about slave trading

and deforestation.

Our downtime included boat rides to an island just

opposite Nachengwa Lodge, complete with a “Lake

Police” encounter; certainly one of the most calm

and relaxed forms of authority. I like to think of it as

the Lake Effect, where most people who find

themselves at Lake Malawi feel a sense of serenity

and bliss!

Aside from numerous Volleyball competitions,

tossing about Frisbees and dive bombing in the pool,

Aila and Palesa orgnaised a very entertaining

student talent show: It was mixture of raw emotion,

laughter and many, many incredible dance moves. I

am not exaggerating when I say that we performed

‘Single Ladies’ better than Beyoncé could have

dreamed of!

Ultimately, we have the teachers, Mrs Dodd, Mr.

Maclean, Mr. Stubbs, Mr Dodd and Miss. Tampa to

thank for giving us a weekend full of fun and

enjoyment, while also giving us the chance to give to

charity in a meaningful way and to expand our skills

and knowledge beyond the school environment. We

have made memories that will last far beyond our

years here at SAIntS.

By Maarya O, Year 13

Encouraging reading in the local community

This week has been a busy one for SAIntS Learning

Resource Centre. The librarian and his assistant

have been busy selecting and packing surplus books

for a historical donation to the remote community

day secondary school in Phalombe district. The

school’s name is Chisugulu Community Day

Secondary School (CDSS).

SAIntS Library made a donation of 100 books of

fiction for children in the age group of 12 to 19

years. The idea behind this contribution is to reach

out to local community groups in need of assistance

in terms of reading materials, information, and

encouraging a reading culture from grassroots. Mr

Anderson Chopi (SAIntS Librarian) donating books to

Chisugulu Community Day Secondary School.

NETBALL REPORT: KA TOURNAMENT

The Saint Andrew's netball and football teams left

Saint's to go to Kamuzu academy for the games at

approximately 7:00am with all the courage and

confidence about the games the next day. We

arrived at around 5:00pm and went straight to our

guest houses which Kamuzu Academy provided for

us.

Saturday at 9:30am the games had began with

Kamuzu Academy against Saint Andrew's high

school. Each game was 48 minutes long. The game

was tough with a lot of aggressiveness; I almost

mistook it for rugby. But Unfortunately Kamuzu

Academy won with the scores of 15: 5, of course the

netball for Saint's were devastated and lost hope

but our ambitious coach, Mrs. Gausi and assistant

Miss Chikwana strengthened us and encouraged us

that there was still hope for us to come in second

place and that we should continue working as a

team and having the team spirit that everything will

be alright, there was no giving up from any of us. We

stayed strong.

The next game at 10:00am was Kamuzu Academy

against Bishop Mackenzie. Kamuzu Academy got

lucky and won Bishop Mackenzie, 11: 8. Straight

after that game everyone went to have lunch and

the next game, Saint Andrew's against Bishop

Mackenzie was starting at 1:25pm. The game

against Bishop Mackenzie was rough but the Saint's

netball team managed to defeat them by 22: 10. We

were victorious and everyone was happy that we

never gave up and continued working hard for

second place.

The overall winners were Kamuzu academy. In

second place came Saint Andrew's and lastly came

Bishop Mackenzie. We had free time at the end of

the matches and in the evening attended a spicy

fashion show in the main hall of Kamuzu Academy.

The next morning we woke up early, got ready and

packed. Went to breakfast at around 7:00am and

left the campus at approximately 7:30am and

arrived safely in Blantyre at Saint Andrew's at

around 5:00pm. We had fun and showed the

Kamuzu academy and Bishop Mackenzie teams what

Saint Andrew's international high school is all about

and what we are capable of doing.

By: Tamanda N 10C

U19 SAIntS – MAPETO Rugby Tournament

On Saturday 8th October, SAIntS hosted a friendly

U19 touch rugby tournament.

Seven community development teams were invited

to play so with a total of 8 teams, two pools were

set up and then the winners of each pool (Ndirande

and SAIntS) played in an exciting final. SAIntS won

the tournament by two points.

MAPETO sponsored the event by paying for

transport costs (some teams travelled in from

Luchenza), food (buns, bananas and lunch for all 100

competitors) and prizes (each team and the Most

valuable player of the tournament were given rugby

balls). SAIntS would like to thank MAPETO for their

generous contribution.

The next tournament will be on Saturday 5th

November, if you would like more information

about upcoming events or sponsorships

opportunities please contact the school.

Sports Fixture – Kamuzu Academy (7th-9th October)

The under-13’s spent the weekend at KA for

Football, Netball and Golf fixtures against KA and

Bishop Mackenzie. Both the Footballers and the

Netballers recorded comfortable victories against

Bishop Mackenzie before unfortunately being

defeated in very competitive and hard fought games

against KA. The Students played with passion and

represented the school extremely well throughout

the weekend.

A particular highlight was the 10-0 victory over

Bishops in Football with hat-tricks from both Wayne

N and Ronnie K. We look forward to the next

meeting in Lilongwe.