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PRINCIPAL'S BLOG |
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18 June 2008
From the Office As the 1st semester
draws to a close, and the first real signs of the Cape Winter are felt, we
look forward to another very good end-of-term here at Hendrik Louw Primary.
As mentioned previously, education in South Africa today is in a very
challenging phase of development and many schools are experiencing great
difficulty as regards staff, discipline, the curriculum and finances. Here at
Hendrik Louw we are also ‘exposed’ too many of the challenges, but we do
enjoy wonderful blessings and the standard of schooling is high. Arguably the
school’s greatest asset is the strength and commitment of an excellent team
of teachers and admin staff, and we know that our parent community and
education department are indeed very happy with the Hendrik Louw team of educators. Matters worth mention
here at the term’s end: 1.
Congratulations to our 8 new provincial players
/ stars: Zander and Dehan (rugby), Chadley, Anmore and Nasheeta (hockey),
Melissa and Amy (tennis) and Schoeman who will be touring with WP cricket in
the UK next month. 2.
All our touring teams are practising here in the
‘off season’ until the last week: Port Elizabeth (rugby & netball) and
Argentina (rugby and hockey). 3.
Although South Africans are facing very tough
economic times our parents who pay their school fees in full (78%) have
remained faithful and this is a real joy to the management of the school. 4.
We say farewell to another excellent young
member of staff who will be furthering her teaching career in Adelaide
Australia. Our staff turnover at school is very low as we believe that people
enjoy working here at HLPS. Sadly however we do lose teachers to schools in
the UK, USA, Down Under. Best wishes to Marilene de Witt – thank you for your
wonderful input. 5.
Several staff members are spending money this year
as their own children make marriage plans: Marlene Punt, Denise Booth, Emmie
Jackson, and Marina de Milander – best wishes with all these exciting plans. 6.
Our biggest sports day of the year takes place
here at our sport fields on Friday and Saturday 25 & 26 July against the
teams of Somerset West Primary. More than 400 of our own learners will be
participating on these days. In advance we thank our parents for wonderful
support. When the new term starts
on Monday 14 July we start with the following activities from a leadership, management and strategic
perspective: 1.
All the 2009 enrolment applications, with
special emphasis on grades R and 1. Nowadays with overfull schools and very
little state assistance, this process has become very important and is a
difficult one to manage. When a school has a good name, like Hendrik Louw,
the pressure as regards too many applications and determined parents who want
their children at our school, becomes a sensitive and very challenging
process to manage 2.
The 2009 draft school fee budget. We have
already started with provisional estimations as regards a feasible school fee
structure and the projected expenditure profile. Our strategy this year is to
announce the new structures as late as possible as this will ensure a fairer
2009 school budget. We are faced with ‘daily’ / regular increases as regards
cost of living and this makes the preparation of a budget very difficult as
we need to be sensitive to our parents, who as consumers, are often finding
it tough to meet all their living expenses. The payment of school fees is
compulsory, but we would also like our parents' attitude towards fees to be
willing and positive. 3.
The allocation and appointment of the 2009 staff
establishment will also be finalised in August / September. Here we also
spend time finding coaches and supply staff for the new school year. 4.
The HL Year Book / Manual with all the school’s
policies, matters day to day, all rosters, the calendar for the year, sport and
PTA functions, special days and our vision and objectives for 2009 receives
thorough attention in September. Next year sees the
school in its 129th year of primary education --- we look forward to 2010
when sometime after the FIFA soccer world cup we’ll celebrate 130 years of
opportunity, excellence and vibrancy here at the school. In 2009 we also
send, arguably our last, sport teams to Argentina – rugby and hockey – this
will be our 3rd visit to this beautiful country and we have over the years
built excellent warm relations with our South American friends. This is an
opportunity of a lifetime for a primary school learner. Best wishes to all our
parents and WEB readers. The next message from
the OFFICE will be at the end of the winter season. Lewellin Brown |
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7
May 2008 Here comes some news
from the OFFICE as the 1st signs of the colder month May start to show us
that the Cape Winter is just around the corner. After all the ‘disruptive’ long
weekends of last month, a unique South African feature nowadays, and one that
is pretty disruptive to the maintenance of normal good schooling, we now
focus on 8 weeks of teaching excellence with a full school. Arguably the greatest
challenge facing school management today is the provision of quality
education within the enormous constraints facing a school budget – i.e. from
school fee generated income. In the present economic climate all parents are
facing own challenges financially as costs rise on a regular basis w.r.t.
transport, fuel, municipal services, food, bond repayments and the like with
no or little salary increases. The commitment and ability to pay school fees
will take strain, and that leaves a school in a real dilemma as fees cannot really
be increased at this time. What are the options - offer a smaller package as
regards extra-murals, re-look at the use of technology, staff reductions, a
cut back in resources and the offering of opportunities, etc ---- all of the
above inevitably will lead to a lowering of standards. Once standards drop,
then the capacity to re-lift / raise the benchmark, will become a near
impossibility. All of the above just to illustrate the huge challenge facing
a good school today. Just a ‘dream’ of mine
in passing --- If one looks at all of education in SA today with all the good
things happening, exciting new ventures and ideas, the enormous challenges
facing us to eliminate backlogs and to the raise standards, the difficulties
w.r.t. discipline, teacher training, lack of resources and infrastructure and
many others, I somehow think that ‘lots of the issues will be solved’ if the
persons/parties in control of managing/leading education were totally
committed to ensuring 25 learners in a classroom conducive to good learning.
This MUST be the goal that all parties relentlessly strive to achieve as soon
as possible. What a GREAT day for everyone that would be, and beneficial to
all South Africans. It is possible to attain this, I believe, but then the
political will and capacity must be there to ensure that quality education
for all is the first and most important priority in our country. Hendrik Louw has created
additional sport opportunities this year for both boys and girls in that the
sport programme has been so structured allowing learners/parents the choice
of two winter codes that can be practised. Many children are now at school in
the afternoons, 4 days a week, participating in sporting skills and games in
a structured manner. It is always conducive in the promotion of balance and
healthy development that children participate in games, enjoy normal playing
activities, read and learn, and spend family and friends time together.
Parents, in these times of modern business and pressure, need to prioritize
well so that overwork, too much stress, too many demands, too much / too
little (?), don’t impact negatively on the child. My very BEST wishes to all
our parents in the tough and wonderful world of being a good parent. Enjoy
being part of a family, enjoy your child in their young years, enjoy and
APPRECIATE your child’s good school and the staff. Until we meet again via
the net Blessings and greetings Lewellin Brown |
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18
February 2008 It is with joy and pride
that I write this first 2008 newsletter to all the readers of the HL web as
we have really started the new school year well, with many positive moments
already at these early stages. Our enrolment is high – 845 learners, too high
as far as we are concerned. Over crowded schools is a national problem and is
not being addressed with the urgency it deserves. As we make plans to reduce
class sizes, hire in more staff that we pay out of own pocket, so the people
move in from other parts of the country at a pretty brisk rate and further
add to the enrolment challenge. It is very tough in the existing climate to
refuse entry to a learner if we are the closest school to home. No new
schools are being built in our area, and there are no plans for new schools.
New residential suburbs in the Helderberg are mushrooming and everybody wants
their children in a good school – we can understand that. Sadly all the
schools in our Basin are not good schools and thus the pressure on enrolment
at the existing good schools is very high. The 10 positives at Hendrik Louw at the present are: 1. A very good team of experienced
and committed teachers, 2. A full extramural package with
lots of variation, 3. Opportunity by way of exciting
tours for senior learners, 4. Good management and healthy governance, 5. Involved parents although many
are full day working employees, 6. A very good and clean
infrastructure and sport facilities, 7. Arguably the best presented
curriculum in the classroom with excellent results as compared to any other
primary school in the region – we are very proud of the high standards we
achieve w.r.t. our core business: classroom instruction, 8. The excellence as regards the
name ‘Hendrik Louw’ – a very healthy brand name in which to work and teach, 9. Visible warmth and passion with
regard to what we do here at HLPS, 10. Happy learners who function well
in a safe & balanced environment every day. We have over the years acquired the very good and
regular habit of benchmarking our school package, vibe, the quality of what
we do against some of the best schools in the Province. We regularly interact
with others in the business, we talk, we ask advise and then re-evaluate
ourselves within the constraints within we work – community, perceptions,
finances, resources, capacity and then ensure that we strive to implement the
best possible for our school and its learners. Mediocrity in the broader
field of education is very evident – as long as we have the will to do
better, we will. We do sincerely thank all role players, especially some real
amazing parents and members of the local business community, who inspire us,
who encourage us, who are always available to assist although their own
programmes are also full – we appreciate. Sport: Our very strong girls hockey (Indoor) is once
again doing remarkably well, some athletes have shown themselves to be stars,
and a few of our cricketers are really doing well. Although still summer, we
start with provisional planning as regards the BIG Winter Three – netball,
hockey, rugby, as from early March. Our boys and girls, for the 1st
time ever, will be attending a hockey clinic in Durban at the end of March. Rugby and netball will be touring the Eastern Cape
in the mid-season. We start the second school term with a real banger – the popular
Saturday morning of fun and clinics for all three sporting codes on the 19th
of April. All parents welcome to attend. Lastly, for some or other reason, the annual first
term fundraiser always works well here at school. For the past 10 years we
have managed this very basic project and always with success. An amazing
thank you to our parents and learners for patience with the school, for
understanding why thus drive is important, and for once again supporting the
school. Thus far after two weeks we are still on target to reach the
R100 000. This will entitle all to an off day on Thursday 20 March
making it possible for all our holiday travellers to reach destinations
before the Easter rush the day thereafter. Thank you everyone – we appreciate
your efforts. Your Headmaster Lewellin Brown |
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Number of
visiters since 20 May 2002: |
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