GOOD LUCK FOR THE EXAMS!
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
Letter of Acknowledgement received from Gift of the Givers
Accompanying this financial donation of R6800.00, our Assumption Convent School Interact Club also co-ordinated the collection within our school community of much needed bottled water for the flood victims in KwaZulu-Natal. 1045 litres of sealed bottled water were collected and a transport company, KNH Freight, kindly agreed to deliver this free of charge to the Gift of the Givers depot in KwaZulu-Natal.
Letter of Thanks received form St Teresa’s Primary School in Gqeberha
Recently, our High School Interact Club, ably supported by our primary school collected a substantial amount of stationary and quality used clothes which was the donated to our brother/sister Assumption school in Gqeberha. Our teacher in charge of Interact, Mrs Heeralall managed to persuade a courier company to deliver these much needed goods at no charge!. Below we attach the letter of appreciation received from the school principal and chairman of the School Governing Body.
Ilze Keuris
We received the devastating news that our much loved netball coach and special friend, Ilze Keuris passed away in hospital early Monday morning. Our heartfelt prayers and thoughts go out to Ilze’ s husband, Francois and their daughter Jacqui. Ilze had a very special passion for netball, and for our school. Her enthusiasm and commitment were infectious. Ilze always gave of her best to each and every child in her care, and she leaves a special legacy. Our school is a better place because Ilze has ‘passed through our school gates.’ Today we have joined in prayer at break and assembly to remember Ilze and her family. May she rest in peace.
Beautiful farewell from the Netball players.
Congratulations to Chloe Whittstock
Congratulations to Chloe Wittstock (class of 2017) who has graduated 1st in her year with Drama Honours from the University of Witwatersrand. Chloe was the only graduate in her class to pass with Distinction. Chloe also recently featured at the Africa Month Comedy night at the Market Theatre. Chloe, along with fellow artists J Bobs Tshabalala, Chick Aloy, and Pule Kanjanolitjiwe entertained patrons for two nights during comedy month to great critical acclaim.
ACS Has A new home or Ballet and our Marimbas Band!
Until recently our ballet and our marimba band did not have their own home base and were required to constantly migrate to different venues for practises. At long last, they now have a beautiful new home! The ‘Battement Studio’ (French verb for beat), is housed in the old estate manager’s home and provides beautiful, dedicated facilities for these two very special disciplines. Our sincere thanks to our estate manager, Mr Dawie Swanepoel for carrying out the extensive renovations and to our PTA for making this possible. Whilst we are now using these facilities, we plan an official opening in August during our annual Assumption Day celebrations.
N Workman
Principal
SCHOOL BRANDED BLANKETS
School branded blankets are now available from Mrs Nienaber @ R220 each.
WINTER FEST 2022
LINKS TO ACS
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HIGH SCHOOL RELIGION
Pope's Intentions for June
FAMILIES
We pray for Christian families around the world; may they embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives.
UGANDA MARTYRS
Today, 3 June, is a special religious feast day for us on the African continent. The universal church commemorates the Martyrs of Uganda (also listed as Charles Lwanga and Companions). The date celebrates the 22 Catholic martyrs, most of whom were servants of the king, and they were killed by King Mwanga for their religious beliefs. Between 15 November and 27 January 1887, forty-five Christians were persecuted for their conversion to Christianity and refusing to renounce their new faith. They ranged in age, with the youngest martyr only 13 years old at the time of his death.
Every year, pilgrims come together to worship, pray and remember the saints at Namugongo Shrine in Uganda, a shrine built close to the site where most martyrs were burned to death on 3 June 1886. The twenty-two Catholic martyrs were declared saints by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
May the martyrs of Uganda, pray for us. Amen.
Bible Quiz
On the morning of 28 May, seven of our high school girls took part in the inter-school Bible Quiz which took place at Veritas College in Springs. They were in two teams and in the overall results, they tied in sixth place and placed seven out of fourteens teams. The girls put in a lot of effort and had great fun preparing for the quiz.
Well done!
Sr Moloto
Condolences
Our thoughts and prayers are with the following families who have lost a close family member:
- The O'Grady family (Rachel Gr 11 and Ashlynn-Kate Gr 9 )
- The De Jesus family (Micayla Gr 12)
HIGH SCHOOL
Johannesburg Junior Council
“Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, fuels our love and carries our friendships, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limits” – Pat Tillman. As the Sports and Recreation committee we want to give all those less privileged than us the opportunity to grow their passion for sport. Over the past 2 months we have been collecting sports equipment from the surrounding schools of Johannesburg and we were able to donate all the equipment to an orphanage that would get good use out of them. On Saturday, the 28th of May we were able to spend an enjoyable day with the children at the St Mary’s Children’s Home. We split the children into teams and played netball, hockey, soccer, and tennis. We unleashed their passion for sport.
Kiara Krchnavy - Chairperson of the Sports and Recreation Committee
English Experience
On Wednesday, 1 June the Gr12 girls had the opportunity of attending a live Q&A webinar (presented by The English Experience) with the author of their English setwork, Siphiwe Ndlovu. She answered interesting questions and made us feel more confident about the symbols, themes and characters encountered in the text.
English Department
Feedback on the Embrace Symposium
The annual Embrace Symposium took place at St Benedict’s College yesterday, Thursday 2 June. This year’s theme was, “ Transforming our schools through Advocacy for Gender Justice.” There was an excellent line up of speakers, and this included our very own Cassandra Dunstan, (class of 2012) who works as an economists at National Treasury. Cassandra tackled the very relevant topic of, “unpacking the economics of inequality in South Africa .” Cassandra flew the Assumption Flag incredibly high, with not a note in front of her; she spoke with passion and intelligence and had the audience eating out of her hand. Equally impressive were Oluchi Jones and Naomi Natu who joined the learner panel discussion with St Benedicts, and Holy Rosary School to discuss the promotion of gender justice in schools..
Cassandra Dunstan delivers her address at the Embrace Symposium.
Members of ACS staff who attended the symposium: From left to right: Mrs van Wyk, Mrs Bondonno and Mrs Weinerlein.
Senior ACS pupils Oluchi Jones and Naomi Natu with fellow pupils from St Benedict’s College and Holy Rosary School before the panel discussion.
Anthea Weinerlein
Deputy –Head High School
Portuguese Award Ceremony inn Pretoria
Assumption Convent learners receive recognition at prestigious awards ceremony held at the Portuguese Embassy in Pretoria .
On Saturday 28 May, Primary and High school learners from Assumption Convent School, who are of Portuguese decent, had the very special privilege of attending an awards ceremony held at the Portuguese Embassy in Pretoria. Our learners received certificates of academic merit and leadership from the ambassador, Mr Carvalho.
HIGH SCHOOL SPORT
Eastern Gauteng Aquatics
On Saturday the 21st of May 2022 Eastern Gauteng Aquatics hosted their annual awards ceremony.
Tatum Lauf, Cassidy Sinclair, and Anastasia Sequeira all received their Provincial colours for participating in the Senior National Gala in Port Elizabeth in April.
Well done ladies, all your hard work, dedication, and passion towards the wonderful sport of swimming has certainly paid off.
Ms Pullen
HOD Swimming
Netball vs Sacred Heart
This week Wednesday we played against our neighbouring school Sacred Heart.
We managed to play a heartfelt game, despite receiving a call two days earlier about the lost of our u/14 Coach Ilze. Our girls did exceptionally well throughout the day, and managed to walk away with some wins. As TIC of Netball, I want to congratulate all the girls for pulling together and making the day a success in the memory of Coach Ilze. Our heartfelt condolences to her family and every single girl she has introduced to the game'.
Results were as follows:
- Under 14 A – Sacred Heart won 13-6
- Under 15B – ACS won 26-3
- Under 15A – Sacred Heart won 15-12
- Under 16A – ACS won 16-13
- 1st team – ACS won 36-5
Mr Goeieman
Soccer
On Friday, the 27th of May, the ACS team played a fixture against Steyn City School. Both the junior and senior teams played. Both teams lost their games, but it is evident how much the girls have grown and taken to the sport. This bodes well for the future of ACS Soccer.
On Saturday, 28 May, the senior soccer team played in the inter-Catholic festival. This is a non-competitive celebration of Catholic schools sports. Our team played really well in some close encounters and were even involved in 2 penalty shoot-outs. The eventual player of the tournament was our goalkeeper, Chayanker Govender who pulled off some stunning saves on the day. Well done to all our soccer players and good luck for the last fixture of the season on Friday 03 June.
Hockey
On Thursday, 2nd of June, our hockey teams played their last fixture of the season against St Dunstan’s. The junior team lost to St Dunstan’s 2nd team while the 1st team also lost their fixture. We thank our matric hockey players for their contribution to the sport in their time at ACS.
Special thanks to our Matric Leavers: Gina Gomes & Ameerah Ngwu.
In loving memory of Ilze Keuris
It is with immense sadness that we received the news on Monday last of the passing of our much loved U14 netball coach, Ilze Keuris.
Ilze was a netball coach at Assumption Convent for 7 years. She showed a great passion for the sport and was always excited to share her knowledge and skills with her players and colleagues. She would call and text constantly with new ideas and plans for netball at ACS, even taking out her own time to start an indoor netball team for her athletes. Coach Ilze was always the first to grab a whistle and umpire a netball game because her heart was always on the court. She made it very clear that she had no intention of leaving the school as it was where she belonged.
The ACS Netball players wore pink and blue ribbons in the fixture on Wednesday in honour of Coach Ilze. It was a difficult occasion especially for her U14 team playing their first match without their coach. Ilze would be proud of the way her team represented her.
Coach Ilze, we thank you for the years of service to the school and its pupils. Your legacy will definitely live on in the lives of many who have crossed your path. This is a massive loss for our school and the South African netball community.
Our heartfelt condolences go to Ilse’s husband, Francois and her daughter, Jacqui and to the Sousa and Keuris families.
Mr Owusu
HOD Sport
ALUMNI
Nicole Davidson
My name is Nicole Davidson (nee McCormack) and I attended Assumption Convent from Grade 0 and I matriculated in 1997, I went on to RAU to complete my LLB degree. I am now a partner of a successful law firm specialising in personal injury and medical negligence with a specific interest in birth injury. I have 3 children, and my little girl is going on to grade 4 at Assumption Convent in 2022 and has loved every year of her attendance at the school.
Assumption Convent gave me the confidence and self assurance to go on and achieve whatever it was I set out to achieve, with vigour and determination, whilst doing so with integrity.
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S DESK
Parent Pop-In Day
The Primary School teachers and pupils are looking forward to welcoming their parents to the Parent Pop-In Day on the 15th June at 07h00 to 08h30 or 14h00 to 16h00.
Parent teacher meetings have been the primary communication between parents and teachers for many years. The idea behind the Parent Pop-In is to include the child in the communication.
21st century learners need to be life-long, self-motivated and independent. When students lead conversations about their work, they take responsibility for it and learn to be in control of their own learning i.e. what and how they learn.
Learners choose selected work in all their subjects to show and discuss with their parents. In the selected pieces of work the girls have had to ask themselves why they have selected it, why they did well in it, why they are or are not proud of a particular end result. (i.e. synthesis their own learning or analyse their own results) They become part of deciding how or what to do to improve their own results.
This will encourage the girls to develop a responsible attitude to their own learning. They feel they have greater control of their academic progress. Parents, students and teachers are encouraged to have open honest dialogue. It is a student-centred philosophy where the emphasis is on the learners as a whole and does not only focus on formal assessments. Leaners are encouraged to build an open and honest relationship with their families concerning their progress. It also develops presentation and communication skills. Although teachers will be present in the classroom, they are there only to guide the leaners through their work with the parents.
The Parent Pop-In Day is not an opportunity to formally discuss your daughter’s progress individually. Once formal assessments have been completed and the mid year report formalised, an invitation will be sent to arrange a meeting with a teacher or team of teachers to meet parents at a specific time if necessary. These more formal meetings will take place after midterm break.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Mrs Cherrith Elliott who has been appointed to Head of Department in the Senior Primary Phase. This is a well-deserved appointment and we trust that Mrs. Elliott will bring energy and fresh ideas into the Senior Primary School.
Chantal Van Wyk
Primary School Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL RELIGION
Compassionate Fatique
I was introduced to a new phrase this week by one of my good friends, “Compassion Fatigue.” She was being honest in that she just felt completely overwhelmed in trying to make ends meet for her own family, let alone other people in this country. It is a legitimate feeling. I googled it. Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others. It is the negative cost of caring. It is most common among professionals who work in the healing or helping capacity, but in our every day lives, it is people like you and me who are feeling overwhelmed by all the pleas for support. The world’s challenges seem never-ending.
Compassion fatigue is a real thing. We often feel overwhelmed because we have this belief that there is too much for us to do, the world is too broken for us to heal it, we cannot fix everything. But our Lord doesn’t expect us to do everything, He just wants us to do something. Matthew 11 verse 28: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Many of us just simply feel like enough is enough, we can no longer commit any more energy, time, or money to the plight of others. It is a difficult thing to admit. The world’s challenges just seem overwhelming. At times we are feeling at such a loss of what to do, the world’s problems are just too much, South Africa’s problems are just too much, and that’s when we need to remember to ‘act locally’, to not think globally because it can be too much for our brains to process. Think rather of your community, city, country, and practice service and kindness in the areas in which you can bring change, like helping the less privileged at a local soup kitchen, those who have lost everything in the Kwa-Zulu Natal floods. We need to think of how we can serve and practice kindness right now where we are.
Prayer for my Community
Dear Lord
I pray that You will bless my community today. I ask You would give our leaders guidance and wisdom in the days ahead. Help me to be a light in my community. In Your Holy name, Amen.
Our prayers are with Coach Ilze Keuris and her family during this difficult time. Our hearts are broken and many of our girls are feeling great pain and loss for this caring, lovely lady who brought them such happiness, encouragement, and a passion for life.
Mrs Bondonno
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Foundation Phase Choir
On Wednesday 1 June, our Foundation Phase Choir sang at St Benedict's with Holy Rosary. Our girls performed incredibly well. We look forward to the next festival. Thank you too all those involved.
"I just wanted to say that Assumption outshone tonight. Not only in their singing but they looked incredibly smart, behaved extremely well and left such a great impression. Well done"
Mrs Lloyd
Creative Arts Festival 2022
On Saturday, 28 May, a number of our Grade 4-7 girls participated in the Drama section of the Creative Arts Festival at Crawford Sandton Preparatory. The girls were well prepared and presented their monologues and dramatised poems with flair. It was such a privilege to see them in action.
The results were as follows:
MONOLOGUE:
Prestige Awards (95-100%)
Honours Awards (90-94%)
- Karina Figueira
- Maya Koopman
- Emily Rhodes
DRAMATISED POETRY:
Prestige Awards (95-100%)
- Yulisha Marday
- Oratile Tshabalala
- Clara Visentin
Honours Awards (90-94%)
- Jenna Figueira Goddard
- Nyakallo Motsabi
- Arianna Nagar
- Tanesha Barnes
- Summer Fillis
 
Mrs Swanepoel
Grade 5 Creative Arts: Where Keith Haring meets Piet Mondrian
The Grade 5 girls created Mondrian collages using only primary colours, squares, and rectangles. Their cartoon figures, in the style of graffiti artist Keith Haring, added an entertaining touch to their unique modern art pieces.
 
Mrs Swanepoel
Grade 4-7 Art Club
The budding artists from Grade 4 – 7 were inspired by the Japanese contemporary artist, Yayoi Kusama. They created a collaborative mushroom garden and experimented with colour, pattern, line, and shape.
Mrs Swanepoel
PRIMARY SCHOOL EXTRA-MURALS
Netball
- Well done to our Grade 5 – 7 netball girls who participated in the Holy Rosary Festival on Saturday, 28 May. It was a busy morning for the girls, and we faced some tough opponents, but our girls showed up and played their hearts out. We are so proud of our girls, and we will tackle next season with even more force and dedication.
- Good luck to our Grade 1 – 3 netball girls who are playing in the Sacred Heart Festival tomorrow.
Hockey
- Grade 1 – 3 hockey will start on Monday, 6 June.
- The times for the Grade 1 – 3 hockey have changed:
- Grade 1 & 2: Mondays and Wednesdays (13h00 – 13h30)
- Grade 3: Mondays and Wednesdays (13h30 – 14h15)
- The fixtures will be sent out as soon as they have been confirmed.
Updated Extra-Mural Timetable
An updated Grade 1 – 3 extramural timetable has been uploaded onto the app and website and has been emailed to all parents. Please familiarize yourself with the changes. There has been a change to the Grade 3 hockey times.
Inter-House Netball
The inter-house netball will take play on Wednesday, 15 June. More details will be sent out by the 10th of June.
Private Tennis Coaching at Assumption
Our new tennis coach, Kent Joubert, is now offering private lessons. These lessons will be held at our school courts. Please contact Coach Kent for further information: 079 506 6846
Swimming Club at Assumption
We are excited to promote the new swimming club that will be running from the Assumption School pool during the summer months and from Planet Fitness Bedfordview during the winter months. The club offers swimming sessions for all levels and all ages. This is a private activity, and all queries must be sent directly to the club itself. Please contact the below numbers for more information.
- Swim Waves: Janine – 076 585 1509
- Raven Aquatics: Eden – 083 566 5114
Upcoming Fixtures
Ms Tennant
BABY STEPS 2 ASSUMPTION
Our little ballet dancers had a fun ballet lesson in the new ballet studio at Assumption Convent School
WE NOW OFFER
PORTUGUESE LESSONS
We now offer Portuguese Lessons.
“The limits of my language are the limits of my world”
-Ludwig Wittgenstein-
New Banking Details
Photo's
Extra Clothes
No toys to School
- Please ensure your children are at school by 8am sharp as learning starts taking place. It can be disruptive to the class if children arrive late, and they also miss crucial learning. Thank you for your understanding in this regard.
- If your child is sick, has a fever or a runny nose and cough please do all possible to keep them at home until they are will so we do not spread germs. With COVID we cannot be too careful and need to take extra precaution. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this regard.
- The school provides all meals and snacks, please do not send in any food unless arranged with Chantal – due to severe allergies etc.
- Please do not send your children to school with toys from home. This can cause conflict amongst the children, and we unfortunately cannot be held liable if the toy is lost or broken.
- Please make sure you log onto our school app. – PROSUM – babysteps2assumption (one word) should you need any assistance please contact your school manager - Chantal.
- This app will help keep you updated and connected with all the happening of the school and important dates to remember. You will also be able to view our daily photos there.
- Please note our banking details have changed – please ensure updated your end.
- Kindly note school fees are due on or before the 1st of every month. For prompt allocation, please forward POP to bs2assumption@outlook.com
- 15 June DAD’s to drop little ones off at school on this day a little treat awaits
 - 16 June Youth Day – Kindly note: BABY STEPS WILL BE CLOSED 16 & 17 JUNE
- 27 June - 1 July School is Closed for this week - Holidays
THE WEEK AHEAD
Theme: Amphibians and Reptiles
Colour: White
Shape: Hexagon
Letter: Mm & Nn
Number: 10
Kind Regards
Tracey Urquhart
Baby Steps 2 Assumption Principal
My School
Parners to MySchool
School-Days Fundraiser
 
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH MERCEDES-BENZ
BABY STEPS 2 ASSUMPTION
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Items available from Mrs Nienaber’s office:
- School Branded Blankets: R220 each
- House T-Shirts: R 110,00 each.
- Retractable branded ACS umbrellas: R 25,00 each
- ACS lanyards: R 20,00 each
- Branded ACS swim caps: R 80,00 each
2. Items available from Ms Pullen/Ms Tennant’s sports office:
- PE Swimming costumes for H/S and P/S: R 120,00 – R 160,00 each
- Primary School Team costumes: R 310,00 each
- High School Team Costumes: R 800,00 each
FIXTURES & EXTRA MURALS
PRIMARY SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
ADVERTS
DEBUTANTE FUNDRAISING
TUTORS @ YOUR SERVICE
RAVEN AQUATICS AND SWIM WAVES AT ACS
TARGET TUTORS
HIGHLAND & IRISH DANCING
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