Magazine 2017

Exclamation has grown substantially over the last few years, and we are excited to see what new and exciting developments the next year will bring. Ms Michelle Stuckie PEER SUPPORTERS To become a member of the Peer Support group, FET learners are required to take part in a training workshop facilitated and presented by the recognised NGO, Childline. This workshop equips learners with basic counselling techniques and skills to be able to communicate better with their peers who may be in need of emotional support and assistance. They are further equipped with knowledge related to stress and conflict management, and interpersonal and communication skills. Under the supervision of the school counsellor, the learners are able to put their new skills into practice by offering guidance and support to their peers, family members, and others in the wider community. Ms Michelle Stuckie BOOK CLUB “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. "(John Green, The Fault in Our Stars )". We arrived at a similar conclusion at the Book Club when we read, “If I was your girl” by Meredith Russo. Russo was brave enough to tackle one of the most controversial subjects of our time - Gender Identity - and she did not shy away from asking difficult questions. In the same novel, she also highlighted issues around acceptance, friendship and betrayal, which are all inseparable within today’s society. It is a must read for all bookworms. Apart from reading a variety of books, we also celebrated this year’s World Book Day by dressing-up as our favourite book characters and the grade seven learners and some members of staff joined in the fun. Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. Mr Colin Zinyeredzi PUBLIC SPEAKING Public Speaking has always been an active club with many members of the past having garnered achievements both national and international. These achievements generally start with the Annual Inter-house Public Speaking Championships. Thus, we spent a lot of club time preparing the speakers for what was ahead - both impromptu public speaking and prepared public speaking. We had a positive sign-up for the Championships with some new talent coming through. Congratulations to Merel van den Brink and Abigail Tshiamala who were the big winners on the night. Abigail walked away with the Rodney Mhungu Trophy for Public Speaking having been crowned Best Overall Public Speaker on the night. Mr Stephen Le Feuvre Q-POINT Q-Point has assisted with various successful new learner orientation programmes. These are in place to assist new learners in getting up to speed with our advanced use of technology in the classroom. We have also developed a Q-Point website, which will soon become an easy platform for learners to learn quick tips on MacBook and iPad use. One of the highlights of the year would be having the opportunity to act as the Tech Support Desk for the Google for Education Summit, which was hosted at Parklands again this year. Our bi-annual Tech Showcases have been extremely successful and we are hoping to bring in more interesting gadgets and devices to get people excited about the world of technology. Mr Shaun Oberholzer LAB ASSISTANTS CLUB Lab Assistants Club is a society that allows the junior grades to gain experience in the Science Lab. They first learn about lab safety and then get lessons in different practicals that we run within the Science Department. The club gives learners the opportunity to do practicals of higher grades and prepares them with the knowledge of the Science behind the practicals. We also allow the learners to bring some of their own fun Science experiment ideas to test in the safe environment of the lab. We use high-grade equipment and equip the learners with life-long skills in Science. After these GET learners participate in the Lab Assistants Club, they are encouraged to join the Chemistry Club in the FET phase. Mr David Greenland UMPIRING AND REFEREEING SOCIETY This year the Umpiring and Refereeing Society has grown and has branched out into multiple sporting codes. Learners give of their time to be cricket scorers, waterpolo tech table scorers, soccer refs, hockey umpires, timers for swimming galas, as well as rugby assistants during school matches. This is all under the watchful eyes of the different MIC of their specific sports codes and their team managers. Interhouse events such as Winter Sports day and Old boys cricket matches have become fully self sufficient with our eager and capable learners officiating. Mr Darin Viljoen WORD WIZARDS In this new club our aim is to engage with the wonderful world of words. Our learners are exposed to various literary genres, which we discuss in order to come to grips with how authors and poets manage to manipulate us into being moved by their stories and texts. In the first quarter we focused on preparing for the English Olympiad and the rest of the year we focused on honing our writing skills in order to enter Word Competitions. Mrs Sue Smïd CULINARY CLUB Culinary Club is a very popular club with the GET learners. We meet once a week on a Monday, when we have the opportunity to cook something delicious to eat! We alternate between sweet and savoury dishes and learn practical skills and knowledge that develops our culinary abilities. Monday is always the highlight of the week as we have that satisfaction of having created something perfectly yummy and edible knowing that we can make it again for our families at home! Mrs Lucette Torbet SOUND ENGINEERING The Sound Engineering Department has seen large numbers of learners taking an interest in the field of audio production. Our beginner sound engineers have learned the basics of GarageBand and have been orientated around live sound venues such as the Curie Hall, where all our major live productions are staged. This year sees the second group of learners taking part in our sound engineering course. These learners have had an enthusiastic year so far learning about the ins and outs of audio production, audio recording and mixing. We have also had musicians in studio to record original material, which we will be including in our next Parklands College Studio Album. Mr Luke Clayton GREEN SOLUTIONS CLUB Green Solutions Club is dedicated to creating awareness of our environment by finding appropriate solutions to eco problems present in our immediate day-to day lives. The club is open to all; whether as a member of the organising committee or by taking part in our competitions, cleanups and other activities and events. Learners who have a question, want to get involved in saving our environment or have something environmental they wish to discuss, all have a place in Green Solutions club. Through giving learners opportunities to interact and help our environment with each event arranged, we are allowing and growing responsible individuals with a care for how they leave the environment and with a desire to do and learn more about the world in which we live. 110 Parklands College, Twentieth Edition, 2017