Term 1: End of Term Circular

Dear Parents and Guardians

We have come to the end of an extremely long and demanding term, both the staff and boys need and are looking forward to a well-deserved break, even if it is somewhat short.

The boys have all received their common test results for the term and have been told to review their goals and
identify any current weaknesses that are evident. They have also been told not to procrastinate and to work from Day 1 of Term 2. They are all understandably excited about the reintroduction of their winter sports programme and a number of hockey and rugby teams are involved in festivals this weekend.

At the annual Department of Education District Awards Ceremony held at GHS, twenty-one members of our staff were commended for excellence in teaching and we acknowledge the following staff:
AFRIKAANS [FAL]: Mrs de Wet [Subject Head], Mrs Brunzlaff, Ms Greyling, Mr Fraser, Mrs Landsberg, Mrs Talke and Mrs Troveri.
ECONOMICS: Mr Pillay [Subject Head] and Mr Thembela.
EGD: Mr Sparrow [Subject Head], Mr B Bosch and Mr Govindasamy.
MATHS LIT: Mr Jeewan [Subject Head], Mr Els, Mr Sherriff and Mr M Zuma
PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Mrs Couperthwaite [Subject Head], Mrs Kritzinger, Mrs Rembold, Mr Hoffman and Mr Trodd.

This follows on from the recent PMB Circuit Awards where the following eight staff were acknowledged:
• Afrikaans FAL – Mrs C de Wet
• Agricultural Science – Mr J Tyler
• Business Studies – Mrs L Akerman
• EGD – Mr G Govindasamy
• Economics – Mr N Pillay
• Life Orientation – Mrs P Lowe
• Music – Mr S Stickells & Mr J Heyns

 

Yesterday, we held our annual House Music Competition, which included solo, band and a whole House item, it was a wonderful occasion where the boys were extremely enthusiastic and passionate. The adjudicators were most impressed by the quality of the soloists, band items as well as a number of the whole House items, this certainly indicated the incredible talent we have within the school. Well done to all these budding artists!! This was further evident when the annual ‘Night of 1000 Stars’ was held in the Olivier Cultural Centre. A video will be released shortly for all to view.

 

HOUSE MUSIC RESULTS:
Final Points
1 Fuller 209
2 Calder 178
3 Barns 169
4 Snow 167
5 Strachan 164
5 Lamond 164
7 Commons 159
8 Nicholson 136
9 Forder 130
10 Pape 108

HOUSE SOLOISTS’ RESULTS:
1st Barns: Zethn Desebrook
2nd Strachan: Seth Hutton
3rd Fuller: Luthando Jackson

 

Term Two – Monday 3 May to Friday 9 July
Summary of important dates:

Thursday 13 May Career Focus 2021
Monday 17 May #digi Funk Live Stream Premier
Tuesday 18 May 3rd Form Parents’ Evening
Tuesday 25 May 2nd Form Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 9 June to Monday 5 July Mid-Year Control Tests [Timetable to be provided to the boys]

Winter Sport Fixtures & Parents’ Code of Conduct
A reminder that currently no spectators are allowed to attend any school related events under the National
regulations. We ask that parents respect these regulations and assist the school in this matter. The school is
arranging and investigating plans to live stream as many games as possible across all the age groups and teams and you will be informed of these arrangements early next term.

Public Holidays/Free Weekends
Parents are asked to take note that there will not be a Free Weekend in the 2nd Term. We have one public holiday and that is Wednesday 16th June which is Youth Day.

Mid-Year Control Tests
Mid-year control tests are provisionally scheduled to start on Wednesday 9 June. Boys will check their scripts in the last few days of school and remediation of common errors will be done. There is a creeping tendency for some boys to bunk school after exams and this unacceptable. Please support the school in this matter by not allowing your sons to play truant. The responsibility of checking the test scripts lies with the boys, and if they do not attend school on the last few days of term, the scripts will not be checked, and the marks will be considered final. It is important to be aware that the purpose of assessment is to diagnose areas of weakness and to remediate, but if boys are not present for these discussions this cannot take place.

College Careers Focus 2021 – Directing the unique potential of our boys.
The annual Career Focus workshop is being held on Thursday 13th May in the Alan Paton Memorial Hall.
To ensure the health and safety of our parents and boys we will be staggering entrance as follows:
⬧ 14:00 – 15:00 3rd Form compulsory attendance
⬧ 15:00 – 16:00 5th Form compulsory attendance
⬧ 16:00 – 17:00 6th Form

At Maritzburg College, we firmly believe in preparing our boys for life and part of our strategic plan involves striving to improve the work ethic of our boys. We already have a very successful career guidance programme in place in our Leadership/Career and Tertiary Centre and Life Orientation departments. We believe that when young people focus on their future, there is an improved level of motivation and work ethic at school. We have identified a number of individuals whom we believe would make a valuable contribution to our programme and who are in careers that would interest our boys. These individuals cover a very wide range of careers from the traditional to the more unusual. To this end, we would be delighted if you and your sons would join us at this event.

There will be compulsory attendance for all 3rd and 5th Form pupils, but all boys from 3rd to 6th Form are welcome to attend. We look forward to hosting you our parents, and boys at this event which we are confident will be valuable in assisting to direct the potential of our boys.

Academic Support
Maritzburg College offers a wide range of Academic support free of charge for pupils that need it. Entrance into the academic support programme is made in consultation with the boy’s subject teacher and is based on need as well as on the work ethic of the boy concerned. If a boy is experiencing difficulty, he first needs to speak to his subject teacher, who will help where possible. Thereafter, should the need arise, he may be admitted into the academic support programme for a particular subject. These sessions are generally offered after school and pupils need to speak to the Subject Heads of the various departments to find out further details. A copy of the programme is also available on the D6. In addition, pupils are encouraged to make full use of the school Moodle which can be accessed using the following link http://moodle.mcollege.co.za. This resource offers our boys a wide range of learner support material including past papers and memos, PowerPoint presentations, YouTube clips and tutorials. Should your son require the assistance of a Peer Tutor, he is asked to speak to his Housemaster who can arrange this. For academic success, it is essential that boys are accountable for their own learning, and that they take full responsibility for their results. The second term is a control test term, and it is vital that boys make early preparations in this regard.
Consistent and thorough preparation for exams will reap rewards.

Parents’ Evenings
Parents’ evenings are held in the Alan Paton Memorial Hall from 17:15 to 19:00 and are designed for parents to have short discussions about their sons’ academic progress with their teachers. Should a longer discussion be necessary, parents are asked to make an appointment to see the relevant teacher at another time. Please note thatba few teachers who are involved with sport coaching may arrive later than 17:15.
⬧ 2nd Form – Tuesday 25 May
⬧ 3rd Form – Tuesday 18 May

Passive Fundraising for College via MySchool
As most of you are aware, College is part of a number of rebate/support programmes. MySchool was the first rebate programme we registered for and has proven to be the most successful. This programme provides a monthly income which benefits the school in several ways. We urge parents to simply download the MySchool App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and scan your virtual card at till points to give back to your causes every time you shop.

Ed-admin
College has implemented a browser-based application for recording and reporting of learners’ marks. This software application Ed-admin includes other facilities to manage administration, communication, co-curricular activities, and human resources. In Term 1 boys have used the online portal to check their marks. In Term 2 parents will be introduced to the parent online portal to view their sons’ marks and reports. Ed-admin also has mobile apps where learners and parents can view boys’ timetables, school messages and activities.

Cashloop
College has launched a new way of making payments using the CASHLOOP app. The aim is to enhance our current approach to health and safety, while providing an easy and instant way of paying, communicating, and collecting at Maritzburg College. The App’s sole purpose is to enable cashless, contactless payments in our school ecosystem.
Learners will be able to pay instantly via the app at retail spaces within the school, including the Zarm Farm and our College Shoppe. This means ZERO cash. No need to give large sums of money or credit cards to boys, as you can upload and transfer to their Cashloop eWallet from yours remotely. We kindly ask you download the Cashloop app for yourself as a parent, and for your son, in preparation for their return to school on Monday 3 May. Please ensure your phone’s mobile software is fully up to date to enable the app to work optimally.

School Fees
I again appeal to all parents to pay the school fee to enable us to continue to supply an uncompromised educational service to your sons. Please make the school account a priority.

Contact Details
We are continually updating the database and we thus urge all parents to ensure that should their contact details change, the school be notified as soon as possible. Changes can be emailed to info@mcollege.co.za.

We wish you and your sons a blessed, safe, and healthy holiday break.
Thank you for your continued support of your sons and College.

Pro Aris et Focis