Maranatha School Blog

Grade 7 Tour, 2010

2010-12-08T15:27:00.025+02:00

Grade 6 Camp, 2010

2010-12-08T14:36:00.007+02:00

Some photos:

Prize-Giving 2010

2010-12-07T10:52:00.021+02:00

Our guest speaker: Mrs Nerine Odendaal-Hinze, a local educational psychologist who has worked with some of our learners intensively this year.

Preschool:

Foundation Phase:

Intermediate and Senior Phase:

Grade 5, 2010

2010-12-07T09:15:00.006+02:00

Grade 4, 2010

2010-12-07T07:28:00.008+02:00

Grade 3 Camp, 2010

2010-12-06T07:51:00.013+02:00

Photos:

Grade 2

2010-12-02T08:37:00.009+02:00

Here are some photos of the grade 2's of 2010:

Grade 1 Fun!

2010-11-30T15:31:00.023+02:00

Here are some photos of the grade 1 year 2010:

WE HAD A BUSY YEAR:

In the classroom, working hard...

Visiting the bakery at Pick 'n Pay...

Repurposing some boxes for a building project...

Making a profit at the entrepreneur's day...

Doing some light aeronautical engineering before lunch...

Visiting the animals at Ziggy's Farm...

And lots more!

Merit Awards 2010

2010-11-30T15:10:00.003+02:00

Each term, learners try to earn the academic merit award, which goes to learners with an aggregate of above 75%.

In term 1, the following learners earned the award: Ziphozonke Madonsela, Claire McCubbin, Rebecca Ries, Negar Nezamparast, Phatiswa Myeni, Inothando Mathogo and Sophie Greyling.

In term 2: Troy Singh, Ziphozonke Madonsela, Nelisile Nkosi, Negar Nezamparast, Claire McCubbin, Phathiswa Myeni, Inothando Matogo, Susette Lista-Oviedo, Karishma Menon, Sophie Greyling and Luke McCubbin.

In Term 3: Nelisile Nkosi, Rebecca Ries, Sophie Greyling, Ziphozonke Madonsela, Negar Nezamparast, Claire McCubbin, Troy Singh, Susette Lista-Oviedo, Phathiswa Myeni, Inothando Matogo, Luke McCubbin.

Soccer World Cup Fever!

2010-11-30T11:53:00.007+02:00

Maranatha got swept up in the spirit of the Fifa World Cup 2010! Below are some comments by two grade 6 learners:

"The Fifa World Cup was a sizzling cup! For South Africa it was bad, but we still tried. Their first match was a draw 1-1. Simphiwe Shabalala scored the opening goal for South Africa. The second match against Mexico went badly, but the match against France was good, but not good enough to qualify. The score was 2-1. Bangani scored the first one and then Katlego Mphela scored the second. France was out but so was South Africa." - Malungelo

"South Africa was knocked out of the tournament, but they put on quite a show for us, beating France 2-1. Ghana were Africa’s last hope, but with Gyan missing a penalty against Uruguay, they were knocked out too. Spain headed their way into the final against Germany with the score 1-0. Spain then won a great victory against the Netherlands, with Germany coming third (grade 6 class!) and Uruguay fourth. It was the best world cup ever!" - Brendan.

Maranatha also decided to do our own mini-cup this year, involving mixed teams from the whole school. Below are another learner's impressions:

"Vuvuzelas blowing! The ground shaking! People cheering! We at Maranatha felt the Spirit of the world cup before the whole country. On the 4th of June we had a soccer tournament. The students were divided into 8 groups. I was in group 8 and we did well, but unfortunately our journey ended in the semi-finals. After each match, the players ate some oranges, chips, sweets and drinks. The parents were as excited as we were - on their feet through the whole tournament! Groups 6 and 7 are the two teams that made it to the finals. Mrs P had a hard time because both her children were in the finals in different teams! It was the best event to prepare us for the FIFA world cup. Well done to group 6 for winning the trophy." —Laizah.

Some photos:

Inter-Primary Athletics

2010-11-30T08:26:00.006+02:00

The inter-primary event is always a highlight of our sporting calendar. This year, with Wittenberg hosting an exceptionally well organized meeting proved to be no different. Maranatha sent a small team of 30 athletes to the event, which welcomed 8 teams in total from Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Carolina, Luneburg, Morgenzon, Piet Retief Home-Scholars, and of course the hosts, Wittenberg. We would like to congratulate our medal-winners. Gold went to Lorraine Venter (1200m), Henry Venter (1200m), Nicole Gerber (high jump), Vanessa Hill (80m), Natashia Mashigo (shot-put) and Ziphozonke Madonsela (long jump and 200m). Silver was earned by Ziphozonke Madonsela (100m), Vanessa Hill (100m), Siphesihle Sibiya (150m hurdles), Kagiso Nkaota (150m and shot-put) and Sinegugu Mdletshe (70m hurdles). Bronze went to Brendan Mbuli (long jump and 75m hurdles), Ziphozonke Madonsela (shot-put), Sinegugu Mdletshe (shot-put and 80m), Siphesihle Sibiya (100m and 150m), Nicole Gerber (150m hurdles), Waric Harcombe (80m) and Salim Sofinia (high jump).

Special mention should go to Ziphozonke Madonsela, who had an exceptional day, earning a total of 1298 ASA points from his four events. He broke the meeting record for long jump by 8cm and was the fourth best male athlete of the meeting. Congratulations!

Maranatha participated in the hurdles events for the first time this year and won 4 four medals through our six participating athletes. Well done! Thank you to Mrs Lynne Volker for coaching the hurdles team.

We would like to thank all the parents who contributed in any way to the success of our team this year. You are greatly appreciated! We would also like to congratulate Wittenberg, our gracious hosts, for the excellence of organization that was so evident to everyone participating.

Some photos:

Interhouse Athletics

2010-11-25T15:23:00.012+02:00

The inter-house meeting on the 30 January saw the Ephesians victorious for the first time in three years! This may have been due, in part, to the efforts of Sinegugu Mdletshe, whose performance in shot-put saw her earning 730 ASA points and the Best Field Athlete award. In 100m, she was able to earn a further 720 points, making her the Best Track Athlete of the day as well. Not surprisingly, Sinegugu was Victrix Ludorum. Due to injury, Sinegugu was unable to repeat this form at other competitions this year, but we are looking forward to some exciting results again next year!

Victor Ludorum: Daniel-Keegan Hockly
Victrix Ludorum: Sinegugu Mdletshe

Some Photos:

A Tribute

2010-11-25T14:49:00.004+02:00

The most influential teachers I had in School were my mom and a Mrs Matthee. My mom taught me to love reading and value creativity. Now I have two degrees. Thanks Mom! Mrs Matthee was special for a very simple reason: she praised me in front of my parents. She was the first teacher I ever had who did this, and it made a massive difference in my life. That year (grade 7) was the first year I ever received anything at a prize-giving. By the time I hit matric, my academic life had turned full circle. I received general honours and was deputy head boy. I thank these two wonderful ladies for that.

But this article isn't about me or them. It's about another special lady. I only mention my story as an example of what a truly superior teacher can mean in the life of a child. The lady that this article is in tribute to, is Mrs Elize Botes. She and her husband are leaving Piet Retief so that he can persue a new career situation. She will be sorely missed. She will never be forgotten.

In the greater Mkhondo area, Mrs Botes has been responsible for establishing many rural schools. She has been involved in the lives of the learners in these areas as well as the teachers. All of these schools are still running today. Mrs Botes has also acted as HOD of the foundation phaze and the preschool of Maranatha and has spent many afternoons working one on one with children who needed a little extra help, at no cost to their parents. And this help has not failed to yield a harvest. A certain child comes to mind. In a normal school, this child would have recieved a label ("learning-impaired due to prenatal trauma") and would have sat silently in the back of the class, being condoned every year and watching his self-worth crumble to dust. But not in Mrs Botes' class. With the necessary extra effort, this child achieved a platinum award in the "Conquesta Maths" exam, which is an externally set and marked test. This is no small achievement.

I have watched Mrs Botes this last year and been amazed at her work ethic; her humilty; and her wisdom. When I grow up, I want to be like her.

Another Set of Comings and Goings

2010-11-25T14:34:00.006+02:00

At the end of every year, we have to say goodbye to some learners and some staff, in order to make room for new ones. This is probably a good thing. Young teachers get married and start feeling broody. More 'mature' professionals have to pass on their expertize and take some time out for themselves.

While we have a few staff leaving this year I want to focus now on one young lady in particular. As well as being a dedicated teacher in the preschool phase for the last two years, she is also a product of the school itself, having returned to her 'Alma Mater' for some in-service experience.

This morning, in the teachers' weekly devotions, she mentioned to another staff member (Mrs. Culre) that it was because of her efforts as an English teacher that she now loves reading. Ah, the circle of life!

And so we say farewell to Miss Lauren Day, and pray that she will be blessed in every way.

Letter From the Editor 2010

2010-11-25T14:30:00.002+02:00

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting photos and articles about the year's activities. Please be patient, as it takes time to get them uploaded.

Blessings,
Michael Curle

Bakers Cricket Fun

2009-08-14T08:18:00.003+02:00

On Thursday, 13th August, the bakers (u8 and u9) cricket team played their first match. Playing against a Morgonzon team consisting of mainly girls, our boys had a lot of testosterone at stake! After an exciting match, Maranatha came out victorious. Our strong bowlers took many wickets and this was the key to the win. Well done boys!

Maranatha Senior Cricket Team Take on ECS...

2009-08-06T08:36:00.002+02:00

In our first league game of the season, the boys from Maranatha travelled to Ermelo to play against Ermelo Christian School. Last year we had a narrow victory over our friends from ECS, and we had hoped to repeat the feat again this year. Unfortunately it was not to be.

Star batsman Dawie rocket to a quick 123 before finally being run out on the bowling of Freedom Mphilela. To add insult to injury, our boys dropped this dangerous player on only 34 runs! ECS went on to put up a virtually insurmountable 236 runs. Although our boys batted admirably, they all succumbed to the pressure and we were eventually all out in the 26th over for 104 runs. We left Ermelo haunted by that great cricket truth: "catches win matches".

Our man of the match went to Bryson Mansoor, whose quicker, aggressive batting (19 off 30 balls, including 3 fours) gave us some hope in the middle of our innings. Gerhard Scheepers also batted well, and Peter Venter lead by example in the field. The pick of the bowlers was Rudi, whose accurate spin attack kept the ECS run-rate down for short periods.

Congradulations to ECS on their victory, and thank you to all our boys for the way they went about playing the game.

Cricket Fun For Everyone!

2009-08-06T08:33:00.001+02:00

The finals of the Maranatha Mixed Team Cricket Challenge was held on Wednesday, 29th July. The Mighty Mice faced off against the Furious Frogs. Teams were made up of learners from grade 4 - 7, both girls and boys. Each team bowled 10 overs and at the end of the nailbiting Mighty Mice innings, the teams ended on a tie! The match had to be decided by each team facing an eleventh over, in which Peter Venter's furious frogs finally triumphed by a single run! It was however a day in which the girl's talent really shone, with Kagiso and Nontsikelelo scoring most of the runs for their teams! Well done to everyone who participated!

Cricket Fun for Everyone!

2009-07-31T11:19:00.005+02:00

Term 2

2009-07-24T08:30:00.004+02:00

Here are some more photos from term 2!

Netball News

2009-06-05T08:50:00.005+02:00

Congratulations to all our teams on the winning season. The U/10 and U/11 teams were especially impressive, winning almost all their games well. The U/13 team also deserves a mention for overcoming a nagging attitude problem in the first half of the season with a decisive win in their final game against Ermelo Christian School. We knew you could do it!

Check out these photos!

An Ode to His First Goal

2009-05-22T08:12:00.003+02:00

Like a little eagle Sweeping the pitch with his eyes
Planning his approach
Swooping down at the critical moment
Finding his prey-
The back of the net
And gliding off in rapture
With the cries of his teamates
Ringing in his ears forever

This little poem is written in honour of Louis Musoke who scored his first goal in a competitive soccer match on Thursday, 21st May. Anyone who watched his victory lap will, I think, agree that the feat will become the stuff of fireside stories in years to come. Well done Louis, and well done to all the boys who participated in the match with such a good spirit.

Seeking God in Week 1

2009-04-17T08:31:00.005+02:00

At the end of Term 1, the staff felt strongly that the senior phase should spend the first half-week of the second term completely focussed on seeking God and sowing into the spiritual lives of the children. Several guest speakers were arranged and the learners have really enjoyed and benefitted from this special time.

In one of the sessions, Allison du Pont gave the learners an opportunity to worship God from the heart by writing their own Psalm. Several of the learners shared their creative worship with the group.

Annette Rabe, a grade 5 learner (pictured here) agreed to post her Psalm on the blog:

Praise God forever!

Praise Him for the earth!

Praise Him for He is mighty!

Praise Him for my family!

Praise Him for saving us out of evil!

Praise Him for the skies!

Praise Him for the air you breath!

Praise Him for healing the sick!

Praise Him is you win or lose!

Praise Him for me and you!

Praise Him for this day!

Praise Him for your teachers!

Praise Him for the trees!

Praise Him for the clouds!

Praise Him for this year!

Praise Him for all you have!

Praise Him, for He is here!

Praise Him, for He is God!

Praise Him, for He rose from the dead!

Praise Him, for evil cannot harm you!

Praise Him, for He is God Almighty!

"Annette"

We all want to praise God this way for what He has done in the lives of the children this week. We trust Him to continue the work that He has begun.

Technology is Fun!

2009-03-20T08:27:00.005+02:00

In this first term, the grade 4 and 5 classes had a chance to put what they had learned about the process of "doing technology" into practice.

Following a set of steps that are designed to help learners approach problems and find solutions, the learners:

1) Investigated the problem / need.
2) Investigated available materials (with an emphasis on re-using and re-purposing).
3) Designed three possible solutions.
4) Evaluated each solution according to a set of criteria arrived at by the learners themselves.
5) Communicated their chosen design using well-labeled sketches and instructions.
6) Built their design.

Following this procedure, the grade 4 class designed and built bird-feeders to attract birds to their gardens, and the grade 5 class designed and made puppets for underprivileged children.

Some of the best designs are pictured here:

Grade 5 Creative Writing Feature

2009-03-13T07:52:00.007+02:00

Neike Wentzel writes about her life as a secret agent:

Then there was a loud explosion. I said, "No! Leave me alone! I will not give you the code". I ran away as fast as I could and I heard another loud "boom!"

I called headquarters to give them the code. "The code is GSV TLOWVM VTT". I ran before anybody saw me.

When I got home I took my suite off. I called headquarters again to make sure that they had the right code. I drove to headquarters to hand in an old clipp I found. Once I got up the stairs I pushed the doors open. "Oh no!" I said. They pushed me out of the three story building, but I used my rope watch to help me.

I drove home, looked in my closet and found headquarters tied up! I untied them as fast as I could. We got the code back before they read it and we threw it away.

The End.

Mongezi Mncube writes about Robin Hood:

One day, in the middle ages, there was a king named George. He wasn't a man of God. He used to go to the evil witch to see what's going to happen in his life. The witch told him that Robin Hood would kill him! He sent an army to kill Robin Hood and take his land.

Robin Hood was a man of God. He liked praising the Lord. When Robin found out that there was an army ahead, he gathered an army too. They were ready for anything.

They started fighting for their country's and George had to run away to his castle. Robin Hood heard and followed George. Robin wasn't that fast so he rode a horse.

When George saw Robin he got a fright! A servant came and told George that Robin Hood's people had won the war. Robin Hood was so happy that he danced!

Robin took George to his country and let him be hanged by the undertaker. Finally he was killed! Everyone was happy ever after!

The End.

Inter-Primary Athletics Photos

2009-03-12T10:45:00.003+02:00

As promised in my last post, here are a few photos of the interprimary!

Maranatha Athletes Make Us Proud

2009-03-06T08:25:00.004+02:00

Congratulations to all the athletes who attended the Inter-primary athletics meeting at Luneburg on the 28th of February. Just to be selected to represent your school is already an honor. Well done!

Maranatha have a lot to be grateful for this year with regards to the athletics season. There were no major injuries. None of the meetings we were scheduled to attend got rained out- in spite of what the weather man predicted! And for the third year running we improved our overall results. Congratulations!

Some stand-out athletes at the inter-primary athletics (our largest event, with seven schools participating) deserve a mention here:

Kagiso Nkaota (gold in shot-put and relay, silver in 80m and 100m sprints, and bronze in long jump).
Nicole Gerber (gold in relay, silver in high jump, and bronze in shot-put).
Lorraine Venter (bronze in 1200m).
Natashia Mashigo (gold in relay).
Vuyisa Malie (gold in 1500m).
Sinegugu Mdletshe (gold in long jump, relay, and 80m sprint, silver in 100m sprint, and bronze in high jump).
Nontokozo Ngwenya (gold in 200m, silver in 1500m and 100m sprint, and the trophy for "Best Senior Track Athlete - Girls").
Ziphozonke Madonsela (bronze in 100m sprint)

We would also like to congratulate two outstanding home-scholar athletes who participated under our banner:

Lizanne Scheepers (gold in shot-put, high jump, long jump, and 100m, and the trophy for "Best Field Athlete - Girls")
Gerhard Scheepers (gold in high jump, silver in 1200m, and the trophy for "Best Field Athlete - Boys")

Well done to all these outstanding athletes!

As a school, we were able to win 26 medals (14 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze). As mentioned above, this medal count constitutes an overall improvement for the third year in a row! Well done kids!

It also indicates an improvement in the overall fitness of the children at Maranatha, which bodes well for the health of the children. Well done parents, for encouraging your children to be active and engaged in physical activity. An active body allows for an active mind and a bright future!

A few thank you's are called for. The success of the athletics season is due to a team effort from parent body, learners, staff, and community. I would like to thank especially:

Mr Anthony Yiollaris for offering his time to coach shot-put this year.
Mr Barry Bouwer and his staff at Piet Retief High School for allowing us to use his facilities for our inter-house meeting.
Mr Paul and his staff at Luneburg for facilitating a fantastic inter-primary event.
Mr Enoch Dlamini for allowing us to use his bus to transport our learers to events.
Three grade 7 girls who offered up their Saturday to come and support their friends: Siphelele Nzimande, Angelica Musoke, and Nontsikelelo Nzimande.

Above all, we thank the Lord for keeping us safe on the road and giving us wonderful memories! We love You!

(PICTURES TO BE POSTED SOON!!!)

The Student Has Become the Teacher

2009-02-27T08:32:00.003+02:00

Maranatha are proud to welcome Miss Lauren Day onto staff. Lauren is a former learner at Maranatha! She has joined us as a student teacher and will be taking charge of the grade 000's. Welcome Lauren! We pray you will be blessed in everything you do here.

2009-02-20T08:15:00.004+02:00

Romans rule the track and field again! Interhouse athletics was held on the 7th of February this year. The teams were very nearly equal in strength, but in the end, the pain of last year's loss was too much for the Romans to repeat. The Ephesians were also not able to claim the Spirit Trophy, dispite a strong comeback towards the end of the day. The Ephesians did not however walk away completely empty handed - Sinegugu Mdletshe claimed Victrix Ludorum and Best Female Track Athlete, Freedom Mphilela claimed Best Male Track Athlete and Brendan Mbuli claimed Victor Ludorum. The Romans had Salim Sofinia with Best Male Field Athlete and Kagiso Nkaota with Best Female Field Athlete. Both teams performed exceptionally well - of the 66 events, 25 had records broken on the day!

However, athletics is not really about trophies. All the sport done at Maranatha is done for two reasons: building friendship and teaching teamwork, and challenging us to put that little bit of extra effort to reap the rewards. I enjoyed the day because of the way the kids strived to improve their previous efforts and the way everyone was encouraged and cheered on. Now if only we can learn to do in life what we do on the sports-fields!

A Message for Mrs De Waal

2008-11-28T15:22:00.002+02:00

Grade 5 Charity Carwash

2008-11-28T14:45:00.003+02:00

Easter Egg Clips

2008-11-28T11:31:00.003+02:00

Photo's of "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"

2008-11-27T15:00:00.003+02:00

Photo's of Sport

2008-11-27T14:02:00.006+02:00

Photo's of Grade 7 Tour

2008-11-27T12:09:00.003+02:00

Photo's from the Intermediate and Senior Phase

2008-11-27T11:08:00.005+02:00

Photo's from the Foundation Phase

2008-11-27T10:30:00.003+02:00

Photo's from the Pre-School

2008-11-27T10:10:00.002+02:00