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From the Desk of Mike Thiel - Executive Headmaster 

My grandmother used to encourage me to count my blessings, and as with any lesson oft repeated, this has become a habit for me. I would suggest that it should be a habit for everybody! Reflecting on what is right, rather than constantly bemoaning what is wrong heightens one’s sense of gratitude and leads to improved wellbeing and a positive approach to even the more challenging issues in life. The counter-argument often made is that it leaves you with a false picture of reality and one needs to deal with the negative…. Yes indeed, there are always problems to deal with, but how sad if you allow your reality to be so exclusively focused on the negative that you cannot see the many reasons we have to count our blessings. Indeed it is in focusing on what is right that one finds the strength and creativity needed to turn problems into solutions.
 
Counting our blessings as we look back on our year at St David’s Marist Inanda is easy, as it has been a successful year for our school by a variety of measures. It has also been a building year in the academic space, and one of building across the campus. Both areas (academic and building programme) will certainly be setting up the school for greater success in the future.
 
So, as we move out of the 2017 academic year, we leave behind our celebrations of the Bicentenary of the Marist Institute as well as the year that  celebrated the 150th year of Marist Brothers in Africa, the first continent they travelled to out of Europe. Spread across all continents now, with either Marist schools or Marist universities in over 80 countries and heading towards a million young people touched by this special ethos, we are indeed part of a special movement that is so much larger than all of us. The General Chapter met in Colombia some months back and brought together the entire Marist world to discern what the new beginnings need to be for our Marist world.
 
Part of our own celebrations asked us to consider what it is to be Marist, and the #IamMarist campaign and the commitment at our Montagne Day Mass in October to living a more Marist life reminded us again of the values and characteristics we strive to live by – of humility, modesty and simplicity, of love of work, family spirit, presence and in Mary’s way. More important for all of us is to display these values in our hearts… to live lives that speak to the compassion that our world is crying out for. When our boys reach matriculation, there is no question that they are academically prepared for success in tertiary study as our top IEB matric results last year proved, but more importantly - Are they prepared in character to be men of significance who understand that real success comes from what we give in life, not what we get?
 
A Grade 3 boy asked me the other day what we are celebrating next year, no doubt wondering what could possibly come next after our 75th Jubilee year in 2016 and our Bicentenary and Africa 150th in 2017. I wondered for a moment too, but then remembered that the New Beginnings theme from the Marist Chapter asked us to look beyond ourselves. It is here that we find what we must celebrate in 2018, with the Marist world theme exhorting us to “Journey together as a Global Family”- A reminder to look outwards, not inwards, to realise our responsibility as global citizens. If we get that right then we are set up for success, both as a school and as individuals.
 
To fulfill this charge to be global citizens, our boys need to be prepared in every way, and here on campus 2017 has been a building year to this end. Not only the bricks and mortar type building of the Jubilee Swimming pool and the Marcellin Basketball Complex, or even the new Boarding house where the rain let up slightly this week to allow the first roof trusses to go on! That is important building, yes, as top class facilities give greater opportunities to our boys, but the building of character I have already spoken about and the building of curriculum to prepare our boys to be lifelong learners is even more critical. READ MORE
 
The Owen Simms Award
 
The combined Prep and College Inter-house Owen Simms Shield for 2017 was awarded at the final combined  Prep and College assembly at the end of the term. The results were as follows:

College                                                                                         The Prep

College          31                                                                           Osmond        38
The Bishops  19                                                                           Benedict        35
Benedict         27                                                                          The Bishops  31
Osmond         23                                                                           College         26

Total Overall
1st - Benedict
2nd - The Bishops
3rd - College
4th - Osmond
Click here to read: Mini Marist Prattle
PREP NEWS AND SPORT
Grade 2 Chocolate Day
Grade 7 “In-reach” Programme



Grade 7 boys serve lunch to support staff and ground staff to thank them for all their hard work throughout the year.
 
PANTOMIME


Children from the Love of Christ Ministry enjoying treats with our Prep Boys ahead of watching the Pantomime Pinocchio at the Joburg Theatre

  
 

THANK YOU


A huge thank you to all the parents and pupils who contributed to our Mini Council sweet collection. The response was so generous, you have put smiles on so many faces this Christmas!

Inter House Canoeing

Here are the final standings after the Inter house canoeing event that was held on the weekend:
 
House House Points # of boys

Osmond

O

168

8

The Bishops

TB

130

6

Benedict

B

81

5

College

C

16

1
   
395

20
 
It was a great morning of races.
  1. The main event was a Long distance and paddlers were ranked based on quickest time to complete a set number of laps depending on a paddlers age.
  2. All paddlers had to race backwards over a set course (fun race) and
  3. All paddlers had to capsize in the dam, flip their boat over upright, climb back in to boat, collect paddle and the first paddler to raise paddle above their head won (fun race).
 
 
St David’s Willy Castle Water Polo Festival



Kirsty having fun with the boys after their win!

 
COMMUNITY
Be a Star this Christmas – give the Gift of a Marist Education at St David’s

You can make a young boy’s wish come true this Christmas, through a contribution of any amount to the St David’s Marist Foundation Bursary Programme.
"I don't want my start in life to define my future"
(Response from a young bursary applicant during his St David's interview)
The Bible tells us that, at the birth of our Saviour just over two thousand years ago, His young family was assisted in their time of need by the kindness of friends and strangers, some of whom had very little themselves and some of whom brought great gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 
This Christmas give the gift of a Marist Education to a young boy for whom this would ordinarily be an unattainable dream.
All donations are eligible to receive a Section 18A Tax Certificate which entitles you or your company to a tax rebate of up to 10% of your taxable income (with this year’s Tax Year closing on 28 February 2018).   In addition, company donations to the Bursary Fund qualify for SED and SD points in terms of the Revised B-BBEE Codes for Companies.

The Christmas Star Campaign


Please click here to complete a Christmas Star Donation Form and make your donation.
 
How can you contribute?
You will receive a Christmas Star Certificate in your name (or the applicable gift name), together with a Section 18A Tax Certificate for tax rebate purposes
 
Donate to the Father Bernard Brewer Bursary Fund
Make a donation of any amount (choose one of the Christmas Star options) in your name, or as a gift donation for a family member or friend. 
Donate to the Mizpah Bursary Fund
The Mizpah Bursary Fund was established in August of this year by a current Bursary Recipient - his wish is to be able to give future boys with financial need the same opportunities and experiences that he has received at St David’s.  
(Mizpah means ‘togetherness, blessing and protection’ and the Fund is administered by the St David’s Marist Foundation)
 
Consider establishing a Family Bursary Fund at St David’s in your family’s name
Invest in the lives of boys and young men who are financially excluded from receiving an education at
St David’s Marist Inanda. There is no better way of leaving a family legacy than ensuring that our world has the leaders and change-makers that are needed to make our world a better place for all generations to come. 
(Please contact the St David’s Marist Foundation to discuss further)


How to make your donation:

Donate via Snapscan (QR Code below)



                                                       Banking details:                                                          

                                 St David’s Marist Foundation                                      
Standard Bank
421028289
Sandton
019205 
Reference: Your Surname + STAR
Via the online ‘donate’ button
 https://stdavids.devman.co.za/devman/web/giving/           
                                                             

It may seem a bit like you only hear from the St David’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) when we’re passionately advertising major events like Nite Fever. However, the truth is that all the parents and teachers on the committee give of their time and effort the whole year through, connecting the school and parents in myriad ways, and plotting opportunities for fundraising and FUNraising.
 
Once-a-month meetings see us gain a deeper understanding of the local and environmental issues impacting the school and how the executive is navigating its way through often complex waters. We rest assured that all decisions made are guided by the school’s Marist principles and the various lay and Catholic bodies that form a chain of command to ensure that the school is indeed offering a truly Marist education to our boys.
 
Those meetings are also used for planning the various events that happen throughout the year, such as the Swim-a-long, the two Grade 6 and 7 socials, the Golf Day and Nite Fever – and it really is true that many hands make light work.  The MySchool initiative quietly brings in money – around R250,000 each year, with other events during the year bringing our 2017 total to around R500,000.
 
Nitefever in 2017 was always going to be a challenge but the committee was confident that we could do something different and still achieve our objectives. There was no NiteFever in 2015 due to the Jubilee celebrations, and we had to restructure the event in consideration of our new policy prohibiting fireworks. We have some learnings to take away and improve on next year but one thing is for sure – Nitefever is here to stay!
 
What do we do with the money we raise? We work closely with the school to identify areas of need, and 2017 saw the PTA commit to providing the funds needed for these three impactful projects at the school:
  • A new Junior Prep Reading Programme – R65,000
  • A new Prep School Science Laboratory – R360,000
  • Financial support for the school’s fleet of golf carts – R60,000
The 2017 parent representatives on the PTA were
Grant Krog (Chairperson), Liesl Bebb-McKay (outgoing Deputy Chairperson), Layla Cassim, Jim Davies (outgoing Treasurer), Harry Fisher, Kerry Haggard, Paul Hutton, Derrick Kaufmann, Riana Klopper, Paula Lehane, Asima Moosa, Mendie Ndimande, Mark Staniforth, Charles Stuart (incoming Treasurer), Gordon Tonetti (Old Boy and parent)
 
The 2017 school representatives on the PTA are:
Mike Thiel, Graeme Edwards, Bruce Eyles, Lara Klement, Jan Albertyn, Helen Mills, Fabian Howard
 
The PTA would like to recognise the dedication of both Jim and Paula over their many years of service to the school and the PTA. We will miss them both and their contributions to FUN and FUNDraising initiatives. Charles Stuart has agreed to take over the role of Treasurer from Jim.
 
Unfortunately Liesl resigned towards the latter part of the year and the role of vice chairperson is currently vacant. Our thanks to Liesl for her time and commitment on the PTA!
 
While the current PTA meets its constitution’s requirements in terms of representing different sections of the school, there are a number of vacancies due to parents of 2017 Matric boys leaving the school. If you would like to get involved with the PTA in 2018, please contact us on pta@stdavids.co.za.
 
If you’re not able to join the committee – and we do understand that time is precious and pressures are many – please support our projects during the year by sponsoring children in the Swim-a-long, and attending our various events through the year with your friends and extended family. You could even join us to marshal at one of the Socials – ours are particularly popular with parents from other schools because we place such a high emphasis on the children’s safety.
 
Thank you for your enthusiasm and support during 2017 – we’re looking forward to 2018 being an even better fundraising and FUNraising year – all with building the community and improving the school’s facilities as a goal. We hope we can count on your support to make that dream a reality.
 
Wishing you a safe, happy and blessed festive season!
 
The 2017 St David’s PTA
REFLECTION

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the tranquil night. Thank you for the stars, for the silence, Thank you for the time you have given me. Thank you for grace, for life. Thank you for being there, Lord. For listening to me and for taking me seriously. Thank you for my friends and for my family.
Thank you for keeping us safe, always.



 
LITURGICAL
Sunday 3 December- 1st Sunday of Advent
Ps 80, 2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Mk 13, 33-37
ADVERTISE HERE
VISIT THE DIRECTORY
Cricket Clinic January 2018
 

The traditional last week of holidays Cricket Clinic will run from Monday 8th January to Friday 12th January and will be co-ordinated by Mr Eyles (National Level 3 Coach) and conducted by school staff with cricket coaching experience.

The emphasis at the clinic is 'fun and sun' and obviously also includes a lot of advice and skills development. It is also an opportunity for the boys to transition from holiday mode and to ease into routines, to see their friends, to get some fresh air and exercise, to have fun and to learn about cricket.
 
Venue: Prep Fields
Dates: 8th-12th January
Times: U 7-9           8:00-10:00
U 10-Open 10:30-12:30
 
If you intend sending your son to the clinic, please click on this link and fill in the short survey so that we have and idea of the number of boys who will be attending.
 
https://goo.gl/forms/2HWI418d4jEry5lS2
 
2017 SWOP SHOP TIMES
Day Time
Monday 07:15 - 08:30
Tuesday 13:00 - 15:00
Wednesday 07:15 - 08:30
Thursday 07:15 - 08:30
 
 
2018 REGULAR HOURS
Day Open Close
Monday 07h15 08h30
Tuesday 13h00 15h00
Wednesday 07h15 08h30
Thursday 07h15 08h30
 
 
2017 SPECIAL HOURS
Date Day Open Close
27-Nov-17 Monday 07h15 09h15
28-Nov-17 Tuesday 13h00 15h00
29-Nov-17 Wednesday 07h15 09h15
30-Nov-17 Thursday 07h15 09h15
01-Dec-17 Friday 07h15 09h15
 
2018 SPECIAL HOURS
15-Jan-18 Monday 12h00 14h00
16-Jan-18 Tuesday 13h00 15h00
17-Jan-18 Wednesday 07h15 09h15
18-Jan-18 Thursday 07h15 09h15
19-Jan-18 Friday 07h15 09h15
ST DAVID’S MARIST INANDA 2018 CALENDAR 
 
Term 1
Start Wednesday 17 January
Close Wednesday 11 April
Half Term CLOSE Thursday 1 March
RETURN Tuesday 6 March
School and Public Holidays  Wednesday 21 March (Human Rights Day)
 Friday 30 March (Good Friday)
 Monday 2 April (Family Day)
 
 
Term 2
Start Wednesday 2 May
Close Friday 3 August
Half Term CLOSE Friday 22 June
RETURN Monday 2 July
Public Holiday Saturday 16 June (Youth Day)
 
Term 3
Start  Tuesday  4 September
Close  Thursday 6 December
Half Term CLOSE Thursday 18 October
 
RETURN
 
Tuesday 23 October
Public Holiday Monday 24 September (Heritage Day)
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