First Newsletter of 2009

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20 January 2009
01/09
Dear Parent(s) / Guardian(s)

Welcome back to all our families. I trust you all enjoyed a relaxing holiday and are ready to become involved in what promises to be a wonderful year. I would like to take this opportunity of also welcoming all our new children, parents and teachers to the Camps Bay Primary School family. I wish each and every one of you a happy, peaceful and successful 2009.

As the new Principal of Camps Bay Primary School I look forward to an exciting year and the challenge of leading Camps Bay Primary to become one of the leading primary schools in the Peninsula. I look forward to meeting you at the Parent Meeting on Tuesday 27 January 2009 at 18:00 in the Bernie Segal Memorial Hall.

Welcome back to the teaching staff as well as to the administration and support staff. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you a new team of teachers and to inform you that we have a full complement of competent, committed and well qualified teaching staff who complete the team for 2009.

The team consists of:
Principal: Mr Stuart Collier
Deputy Principal: Mrs Liesel Visagie
Teaching Staff:
Grade 1: Ms Nelle Buhrmann
Grade 3: Ms Tina van Hoof and Ms Joanne Goetz
Grade 4: Ms Tauhirah Adams and Ms Elizabeth Jensen
Grade 5: Ms Gina Sobey and Mrs Tertia Weldon
Grade 6: Mr Luke Rycroft and Ms Kerith Gibbs
Grade 7: Mrs Beth Hamber and Mrs Liesel Visagie
Music: Ms Caroline Attwell and Ms Deborah Ferreira
Computers: Mrs Tharieta Bosman
Xhosa: Ms Feziwe Selepe
Library: Mrs Susann Olivier
Remedial: Ms Wendy Hammond

Admin Staff:
Principal’s Secretary: Mrs Pat Readman
Bursar: Mrs Belinda Caldis
Secretary/Receptionist Mrs Debbie Fairhurst

Support/Maintenance Staff:
General Foreman: Mr Vincent George
General Assistants: Mrs Linda Anders
Mr Jason Abrahams
Camps Bay Schools Co-ordinator/Marketing: Mrs Vivienne Ashcroft
Aftercare: Mrs Elaine Allen

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Herewith information to assist you with the start of the 2009 year.
Please read this carefully and respond where applicable as this will also assist us in our ‘start-up’ programme for 2009.

Theme for the Year: ‘Proudly Camps Bay Primary’
Slogan: ‘Yes, we can!’

CLOSING TIMES: WEEK 1
Please note that school will close at 13:00 for the duration of this first week of the first term.

PARENT MEETING:
As stated above, a meeting for all parents will be held on TUESDAY 27 JANUARY at 18:00 sharp in the Bernie Segal Memorial Hall. This is a very important meeting as matters pertaining to your child’s education for the year will be discussed. It will be an opportunity for you to meet the teachers but also the items on the agenda will include, Academics, Sport & Extra-Murals, Homework and Discipline. The meeting will be held in the Hall after which you will be invited to your child’s class to meet with his / her respective teacher. Kindly advise your child’s teacher in writing, should you not be able to attend.

PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM:
Accompanying this newsletter is a form on which you are requested to complete some personal information. Please complete this as a matter of urgency and return it to school tomorrow. Often parents need to be contacted in an emergency and not having vital details such as addresses and correct telephone numbers can be a serious problem. Please assist us in this regard to avoid any potential difficult situations.

SCHOOL FEES FORMS:
Parents wishing to pay school fees via debit order should complete the accompanying debit order application form and submit to Mrs Caldis. A reminder of the fees structure for 2009:

Accompanying the newsletter is “Preferred Payment Method” form on which you are requested to indicate your method of school fees payment. Please complete and return this document to school tomorrow.

ATTENDANCE:
All pupils must be on campus each morning by 07:50. All pupils report to the Netball court or, in the event of rain, report to the Hall. When the bell rings at 07:50 pupils will line-up at the various Grade venues. Any pupil reporting after 07:50 must be accompanied by a parent and report to the office – pupils will then receive a ‘Late Slip’. A reminder that those pupils who succeed in maintaining a perfect attendance record for the year will receive recognition at Finale 2009.

COLLECTION OF PUPILS:
All pupils must be collected by parents by 14:40, unless they are attending an official school extra-mural activity which commences at 14:40. In this case, they are to be collected by 15:40. No pupils may wait for dance, ballet or any other extra-mural which commences later in the afternoon. They will be expected to report to Aftercare on a “casual basis” and will be charged accordingly.

GRADE 1’s: PUNCTUALITY:
To avoid unnecessary disruption of class time as well as anxiety in our little ones it is essential for all children to be brought to school on time and collected promptly. A child who is left waiting after the other children have gone may become very distressed and believe that s/he has been forgotten. If you are unavoidably delayed please phone the school so that we can reassure your child. Your child will then be placed in Aftercare and you will need to pay the Aftercare Managers the casual aftercare rate. All play arrangements should be made by the relevant adults the previous day, these arrangements may not be made through the office or staff.

AFTERCARE:
This facility, privately run by Mrs Elaine Allen, operates Monday to Friday from the close of school to 17:15. All pupils attending the aftercare facility have to register each afternoon with Elaine Allen. Pupils may only be in the Aftercare room or on the 5-a-side soccer court. No children may be anywhere else in the grounds. All Aftercare pupils will be collected from the Kinnoull Road gate at the back of the school. All aftercare children are expected to bring a change of clothing with them and change out of their uniform and into civvies for aftercare. Any pupils not collected by 14:40 will be sent to the Aftercare facility and parents charged the casual daily rate.

LUNCHES:
Please ensure that you pack a healthy snack for your children for both break times. Do not pack sweets, fizzy drinks etc. For those children who have afternoon extra-mural activities or who attend Aftercare, please consider packing them a mid-afternoon snack as well.

EXTRA-MURALS:
It is our policy that every child participates in ONE summer and ONE winter sporting extra-mural activity. The extra-mural timetable for Term 1 of 2009 also accompanies this newsletter. You are required to assist your child in making a selection as this involves a commitment for the duration of the term. Please go through the document with your child and encourage him/her to become involved in an extra-mural activity. It is essential that the registration forms for the various codes be completed and returned to school by Friday 23 January 2009. All extra-murals commence as of Monday 26 January 2009. Kumon commences 21 January.

MUSIC TUITION:
Should you wish for your child to receive tuition in piano, flute, violin, recorder, guitar or drums, please complete the appropriate application form, obtainable through the office. Applications for Music bursaries may also be made to the Notes4Notes Music Scholarship Fund. The application forms are available from Mrs Caldis.

STATIONERY:
It is absolutely essential that each and every pupil has a full complement of stationery right from the start of the year. As in the past, Waltons have offered us the “pre-packed “Back-to-School” packs. Although each and every piece of stationery must be clearly labelled with your child’s name and grade, please hold off with covering the books until your child has been given the necessary instructions at the start of the year. Pre-ordered packs of stationery through Waltons may be collected on Tuesday, 20 January between 08:00 and 10:30. Any enquiries may be directed to Waltons, “Back to School” Division on 021-442-2300 or fax 021-442 2301.

SCHOOL TERMS 2009:

Term 1
Opens 19 January (educators)
Closes 21 January (learners)
Closes 03 April

Term 2
Begins 15 April
End 26 June

Term 3
Begins 20 July
Ends 23 September

Term 4
Begins 05 October
Ends 11 December (learners and Educators)

Public Holidays:
1 January - New Year’s Day
16 June - Youth Day
21 March - Human Rights Day
09 August - National Women’s Day
10 April - Good Friday
10 August - Public Holiday
13 April - Family Day
24 September - Heritage Day
27 April - Freedom Day
1 May - Workers' Day
15 June - School holiday
16 December - Day of Reconciliation
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Day of Goodwill

Please ensure that ALL & ANY holiday plans fall during school holidays only.

PROVISIONAL DATES TO DIARISE:


DATES TO DIARISE – 1st TERM 2009

January 2009
Mon, 19 - Staff back
Tues, 20 - Stationery available for collection
- New parents and pupils at 09:30
Wed, 21 - Pupils back (school closes at 13:00)
Thurs, 17 - School closes at 13:00
Fri, 22 - Assembly 08:10
Thurs, 27 - Parent meeting at 18:00
Wed, 28 - SGB meeting at 17:00

February 2009
Tues, 3 - Birthday – Mrs Elaine Allen
Fri, 13 - Inter-house Athletics 07.30 am
Mon, 16 - Valentine’s Week
Wed, 18 - SGB meeting at 17:00
Fri, 20 - Civvies Day & Valentine’s Dance
Tues, 24 - Colin Sunkel photographs - Indiv
Fri, 27 - Inter-house Gala 08.30 am.

March 2009
Thurs, 5 - Birthday – Mrs Linda Anders

April 2009
Fri, 3 - 1st term ends at 11:00


NEWSLETTER:
Each week on a Thursday, a newsletter will be circulated. Please insist on receiving your weekly newsletter from your child as it is an important piece of communication between school and home. Not only does it contain news, but it is an effort to keep you informed with important information as well as dates for you to diarise.

I look forward to seeing all parents at the Parent Meeting on Tuesday 27 January 2009 at 18:00 in the Bernie Segal Memorial Hall.

Wishing you a prosperous, peaceful and successful 2009.

Proudly Camps Bay Primary

S.P. COLLIER
PRINCIPAL