Barking

The

aobab Bark

www.baobabcollege.org

BAOBAB COLLEGE – News and Information Issue 2 2007/21 September 2007

I don’t like the old TV slogan about SA cricket, “I don’t like cricket – I love it!” – I love it! And when you see the supporters of cricket there, you know they love it too. They are passion8, or passionate. But how about us? What are we passion8 about? More specifically how passion8 are we about Baobab? In the last “Bark” we were challenged with one key word declared by the Chairman of the Board at Speech Day for this coming year – ‘excitement’. He also urged us to be passion8. Allow me to help you to become more passion8, by looking at 8 steps (this is Maths Fun Number Week, after all…).

A ACCEPT faults and weaknesses. If you are waiting for the perfect man or woman to fall in love with, you are in for a long wait! We love, despite faults. All round the world, people are looking for the absolutely perfect school. While this school will have its weaknesses (which it is working on) we can still love it.

B BELIEVE in what we (staff, parents, pupils, Board) are doing. Believing is when you cannot see the end product yet (be that your child’s, or the school’s full development). Believe in what we are trying to do; believe in our ethos. Don’t just offer a token nod of acceptance.

C COMMIT to what we are doing. When the Romans invaded Britain, they burnt their boats, indicating there was no plan B. No wonder they were successful. Instead of looking around at other routes, burn your boats and commit yourself totally in this school.

D DO - in other words, be active at the school. In another context it is said “faith (see ‘believe’ above) without works is dead”. What could we do if we all worked together…?

E ENTHUSE - do you keep quiet about where you send your child? Or do you take every opportunity to tell folk proudly where you send your child and why? It is when we hear ourselves stand up for what we believe in (see B above) that we become more convinced, and passion8.

F FEEL - it’s not just a matter of rationalizing (with your mind) about what the school is doing or offering, but it’s a matter of feeling it, with your heart. It’s about putting one’s whole heart into it. It’s about the heart of the school. Relationships are not simply rationalized – they are felt. And school must be about relationships, about life.

G GRASP the opportunities. Many schools, and individuals, take the slogan CARPE DIEM – seize the day. Note it is not ‘take the day’ or ‘pick the day’ – it is “seize” – energetically, urgently, determinedly, strongly. But I would take it further – SEIZE AND SQUEEZE the day – grasp it, grab it and then get every last drop possible out of each and every opportunity.

H HEIGHTEN the bar. We should be looking to raise the bar and expectations all the time. A book that challenged me deeply was called “Living above the level of mediocrity”. There’s no passion in mediocrity. We must all aim high.

Someone once said “Love is not a feeling; it’s an act of the will”. Are you passion8 for Baobab College? It’s as easy as A,B,C,(D,E,F,G,H…). In that light, consider the words of Theodore Roosevelt……

“It’s not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled. Credit belongs to the man who is the arena; whose face is marred with sweat and dust. If he fails, he fails while bearing greatly so that his place should never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat”.

It seems that now we are four and a half weeks into term things have settled down and the majority of our students are working hard. This last week has seen an all action number fun week. Many thanks go out to all the staff in the maths department for all their efforts. More news of that to follow within this edition.

There has been a slight improvement in the punctuality of the secondary students in the morning. However far too many of them are still arriving after 7:20hrs. This has led us to introduce a system that could see your child end up in detention if they are late to school in the morning. If they arrive after 7:20hrs they are expected to report to the office where their name will be noted; they will not be allowed into class unless they have done so. Detentions will take place on Fridays between 13:10hrs and 14:00hrs. This will not be the only offence that will be dealt with in this detention. As of next Friday it will become a Secondary detention slot run by the various Heads of Faculty and Heads of Key Stage. Failure to complete homework and improper dress may lead to your child being kept in on Fridays. Your usual support in this matter will be highly appreciated.

Number Fun Week

It hardly seems a year since this last took place but time does have the tendency to fly, especially when you are having number fun. This last week all the secondary students have been engaged in a wide variety of activities. This has included Number Relays, Treasure Hunts, The Annual Crystal Maze (won by Falcon this year) and today the equationathon .

As if that was not enough one of the highlights of the week saw the entire school and staff play maths bingo during the assembly. Congratulations go to Zikhani, Adyeri and Jaimin who won the bingo and are now the proud owners of their own number courtesy of the Maths managers from the shed in Switzerland (which incidentally is where the owners of Mathematics have their offices). Watch this space next time to see the winners of the 2007 equationathon; to date only Mrs Ndiweni has entered the parent/staff challenge so congratulations to her!

Many thanks to all of the Maths teachers who worked tirelessly to make this week even more fun than usual. Thanks also go to the following Sixth Formers; Mwansa, Muma, Duncan and Sean for helping run the zones for the Crystal Maze.

Being able to read is one of the most valuable skills a person can learn. Teaching children to read, however, doesn’t only mean teaching them how to decipher and decode the letters on a page – it also means encouraging children to read for enjoyment and pleasure, so that the love of books and the willingness to read them, becomes a lifelong pursuit.

In order to build a culture of reading at Baobab College, students in years 7-10 now have one lesson a week dedicated to private, supervised reading. They are also required to have a reading book on them at all times. This may be an appropriate book from home, or a book that the child has selected him/herself during the weekly library lesson. Students will be encouraged to read during form time, during their library lesson, during prep for boarders, or at any other appropriate time.

We hope that parents will also encourage their children to read on a daily basis – not as a chore, but as an exciting pastime! Encourage your children to read magazines, newspapers, books and more. Read with your children and share your thoughts about what you have read. In this way, parents can

encourage and support their children as they develop and improve their language skills.

We are also hoping to provide students with better access to exciting fiction – please consider donating to the secondary library, good quality books that you think our students will benefit from and enjoy. Please leave your donations at reception, along with your name, so that we can be sure to thank you in later editions of the Bark.

This play revolves around four boys who witness a dog being run over and debate what to do next …

Performed by Year 11 IGCSE Drama Students using the Dramatic technique of Naturalism.

This is performed in the style of Theatre of the Absurd. It revolves around a Lady who accidentally puts salt in her coffee with humorous consequences…

This play is performed in the medieval style of morality plays that have stock characters. This play focuses on the 7 deadly sins which are Envy, Sloth, Avarice, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust and Pride...

Performed by Year 10 IGCSE Drama Students. See if you can figure out who is playing which sin..

The term began with two excellent class assemblies. Thank you to Year Five Hibiscus for their wonderful assembly about The Ancient Greeks. Well done to Year Five Syringa for their assembly about healthy lunch boxes.

It has been a very exciting week in the Primary school during Number Fun week. Key Stage One and Two children took part in interhouse maths quizzes. The children made class maths games and took turns to try each game. We even made a big number thirteen on the field to mark how many years Baobab has been operating. More photos and information will appear on the website and future Year Book.

The Year Six children returned from Treetops. This was the first outdoor educational trip of the term. The Year Threes had a wonderful trip to Fringilla last week!!! Well done to all the children and staff who participated and organised the trips. Next week the Year Two children will spend three days at Mundawanga and one night to camp.

If your child is new to Baobab you will receive a settling in report. This will be issued during the first week of October.

Until the next newsletter all the very best and please remember if you have any queries about your child please see your child’s class teacher immediately.

For new and existing parents at Baobab we also have Key Stage co-ordinators who also help solve problems. Mrs. Van Blerk is Early Learning co-ordinator (ELC & Rec), Mrs. Dingle is Key Stage One co-ordinator (Year One & Two) and Mrs.Golson is the Key Stage co-ordinator (Year Three to Year Six).

Mrs. Bazeley who is Deputy Head of Primary and I are also very happy to listen to any concerns and good ideas.

It was with much anticipation and excitement that 31 children and 2 staff members set off on the Monday morning of 3^rd September. The bags, food and equipment had been loaded and we were on our way. In true African tradition we were late leaving but few worried about that. The journey was fairly uneventful all the way to the Hook bridge gate – the main entrance to Kafue National Park. After lunch there we set off on the final leg of our journey. A mere 105 kilometres faced us. Not an ordinary 105k, I might add, but along a track through beautiful countryside with an abundance of wildlife and the dreaded tsetse fly. Never having encountered these mini beasts before I was blissfully unaware of their tenacity. After just a few kilometres the children had become adept at the art of swatting the invaders.

After a somewhat gruelling 4 hours we completed the final 105k and arrived at our destination feeling tired, hungry and a little battle weary after our brush with the tsetse. There to greet us were Mr and Mrs Bowden who had travelled down the previous day. The children went into their respective dormitories and decided who was to have the top bunk and unpacked.

There is little space to give you detailed account of the following 4 days. Everywhere we went we saw so much wildlife. Animals and birds became our constant companions, so much so that the children became accomplished mimics. The only animals to elude us were the wild cats that we all longed to see. There had been a sighting of a lioness on Tuesday but only a few of the children saw her. On the drive back through the park our determination was rewarded when we spotted a large, young male lion.

The trip was certainly beneficial for those who took part, not only for them to become at one with nature but also as a valuable bonding time. Children from both classes socialised, worked together and formed deep friendships. It is an experience I would strongly recommend any one to take up given the opportunity.

There are a number of people who deserve our heartfelt thanks. To Mrs Stokes, Mrs Günter and

Mr Riddiford for doing so much of the groundwork necessary before undertaking such a trip. To Mrs Nayee for providing the food and making sure that the children (and staff) were very well fed. A huge vote of thanks must go to Mr and Mrs Bowden who volunteered to accompany us and without whom the trip would not have been as successful as it undoubtedly was. Mrs Bowden and Mrs Sweeney had the kitchen under control in minutes as well as being knowledgeable guides on our game drives.

Mr Bowden shared his knowledge and passion for wildlife both of which will stay with the children for a long time to come while Mr Chelemu very kindly gave up his time and his truck to provide invaluable assistance and support. And finally to the children who represented Baobab proudly and were a joy to take away.

As in all organizations, it is always important to have the right channels of communication, to go to the right person for that matter. We would like to remind you of the appropriate steps to be taken at this school. If you have a concern or question, (or indeed, a matter of praise!) regarding your child’s education, please first go to the teacher concerned, both to express your thoughts and to hear their rationale. Only if you felt the explanation was inappropriate, insufficient or against school policy should you take it to the next level (Head of Department/Faculty). You must first address the person concerned, please and in the manner in which you would wish to be treated. In this way we hope the matter can be dealt with.

If the matter is still not dealt with sufficiently in your mind, you may ask to take it to the next stage (Key Stage Co-ordinator), then to the Head of Primary/Secondary, then to the Principal. If it still remains unsolved, the final recourse is to the Board for the matter to be dealt with constructively and effectively. Please do not discuss it with others in a public forum – you are invited and encouraged to air your views but you are reminded to do so in the appropriate direction and manner.

Further to the gentle timely reminder in the Bark last month about pupils arriving on time, a less gentle statement must now be made. Pupils arriving late for school more than once will be punished. Parents, don’t allow your child to be late – do you accept your workforce arriving late?.......

Baobab College is proud to be committed to a uniform policy. While other schools choose not to, this school has deliberately opted to have one and parents in choosing to accept a place at this school for their children agree not only to this policy but also to implement this policy fully.

The authorities in the school have reminded the pupils of their obligation in this regard and would like now to reinforce it to all parents so that together the standards of uniform will be maintained at the high level expected. Parents are therefore reminded that:-

Ø The correct school uniform must be worn to and from school and at any formal school function

Ø The uniform must be worn in full, whenever it is worn. Pupils may not take shoes, socks, ties off at the end of school – if they are in school uniform they must be in a full school uniform, whether at school, in shops on the way home or in any other public venue. Failure to do this will indicate they are bringing the school’s name into disrepute and these pupils will be punished accordingly.

Ø Pupils are to ensure that shirts/blouses are tucked in properly at all times.

Ø Boys in the Primary school are to ensure that socks are pulled up (parents are strongly encouraged to provide garters to assist in this exercise).

Ø Pupils playing sport at or for the school must wear the full correct Baobab sports uniform. (Flip flops/barefeet are unacceptable footwear for sports other than swimming).

The school does have a second-hand uniform stall while Lost Property can be checked each day. Parents, this is another area where you above all can ensure the standards of the school are upheld. Please undertake this responsibility uniformly – we will show how smart we are by making sure our pupils are always smart.

Jandré Gunter: Those of you who attended Primary Speech Day at the end of last term will recall that Jandré was awarded Junior Cross Country, Junior Swimming Victor Ludorum, and Junior Sportsman of the Year prizes. In the holidays he went to a youth tennis tournament in South Africa where he reached the ¼ finals and also mixed with a wide variety of sportsmen from across the African continent. It may also be worth noting that Jandré has won a multitude of swimming awards for the school and Baobab Baracudas alike, as well as keeping a very close eye on his academic studies. In the interview done with Education Post on Saturday 8^th September 2007 Jandré is credited with saying ”despite my involvement with sport I keep on working hard at school thereby maintaining my academic performance at the same time as continuing to improve my sports skills”. Not bad for a Year 6 student and just the sort of philosophy we could all learn from. Well done Jandré and keep it up.

MotoCross: Paul Ferriman competed in the MotoCross event at Eureka on Saturday 15^th September and whilst doing well in the first round he managed to come off in the second round breaking a metatarsal in the process. He is now joining the England football team’s sick list of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Emile Heskey all of whom have or had a similar injury – an illustrious group indeed. Hard luck Paul and get well soon. We need you back on the rugby field. Former student Michael Hacking came 2^nd overall in what was a highly competitive international field

Cricket: At the time of writing the Girls Cricket XI are preparing for their first match of the season against a girls development XI from ZCU. Results will be published in the next edition of “The Bark” but let’s wish Nicole Ford and the girls well for that match and the rest of the season.

On the subject of cricket Andrew Toms is back from his exploits in Jo’burg with the Zambia U/19 team. He is quoted as saying ”we did really well in what was a difficult group containing Namibia and Kenya and next time we will do even better having benefited from this exposure to the international game.” Bearing in mind that Andrew is still only 16 (17 in October) he has a couple of years at that level to go still and without a doubt he will make his mark on U/19 cricket in Zambia and probably internationally.

SATURDAY 29^th SEPTEMBER 2007: The 3^rd BAOBAB CRICKET 6s TOURNAMENT is upon us and we have 7 teams in so far. Come along and have a great day out or better still enter a team. K250 000 per team to enter and forms are still available from the sportsdesk (E mail: kevinr@sch.baobabcollege.org). Squads consist of 8 players and each team must have two ladies (or as close as we can get) in it. Funds raised go to the Rugby tour to Zimbabwe slated for July next year.

If you can’t enter a team but fancy a game anyway come along and we will put together a scratch team

or if you would like some publicity for your company/business we have 3 teams from school entering who could do with some sponsorship. Results will be published in the next edition of “The Bark”.

Swimming: The swim team is off to Kitwe this Saturday to participate in the Jubilee gala and we wish Tonia and the Barracudas well for this gala and for the rest of the season. Results will be published around school, on Radio Phoenix Sports News and hopefully in the first available edition of The Post

Do you have something you want included in the “from the Sports Desk” part of The Bark? If so please let me have it as soon as possible for inclusion in the next edition. kevinr@sch.baobabcollege.org

At the recent AGM, a new committee was formed as follows: Laetitia Reichert takes on the role of Chairlady; Hans Sportel, Vice Chairman; Trudie Gunter, Treasurer and Zoe Newton remains as Secretary. Committee members are Sahar Hemaiden, Eleni Vasilakopoulos, Jackie Brown, Tima Kuwani, Natasha Bekker, Fedila Saadi. Julie Riddiford is standing again as Hostel Representative and representatives from Primary are Helen Radford and Laura Stokes and in Secondary, Natalie Mann and Kasichila Simwanza; and last but not least Tim Middleton!

A big “thank you” must go to the outgoing committee who achieved so much and the challenge to this committee is to at least equal, if not better, their achievements.

The PTA and the Secondary school would like to establish a “class parent” system in Secondary school. If you would be prepared to represent your child’s class and to support the PTA and the school at various functions, please pass your details to Natalie Mann as soon as possible.

Once again Business Studies students from Baobab College, 28 of them, went to the “Game” Store at Manda Hill to undertake the task of stock-taking, an enormously valuable practical exercise to supplement the theory they learn in the Classroom. Indeed this year they appear to have excelled, with two students being elevated to the role of auditors!

Our sincere thanks once again go to GAME for providing this ideal opportunity for our pupils in the real world of business and we trust that the whole exercise was mutually beneficial.

Website: Please take time to visit the school web site. You will find all manner of newness on it, regular updates from the Principal, new pages and of course the Alumni page “Tartar Source” where we are trying to set up an old boy/girls network which will include get togethers and just keeping up to date with all of our former students.

New Email address: Please note that we have a new email address at the school: with immediate effect it is: info@sch.baobabcollege.org. and the old address of enquiries@sch.baobabcollege.org will no longer be in use after the end of September.

The Brains Trust: It is with pleasure and a great deal of pride that I announce the 2^nd Place of the Baobab Teachers Team “Where’s Alan Bazeley” in this month’s quiz held on Wednesday 19^th September. Well captained by Nick Golson the team consisting of Mr and Mrs Mann, Mr Merryweather, Mrs Jerné Golson, Mr Bymolen and Mr Pike. In previous visits to the quiz table the Baobab Team has managed to increase their music collection by going home with the “wooden Spoon” CD. However, it is only a matter of time before they will be seen in the staff room supping out of the much revered winners’ mugs.

For Sale: The big blue bus is for sale. It has been a faithful servant to the school over the past 6 years but the time has come to put it out to pasture. Sadly it broke down and was deemed too expensive for the school to repair but one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Serious offers should be directed to Mr Nick Golson.