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From the

Headmistress’ Desk

Newsletter 4 22 March 2018

Dear Parents

I am becoming more and more concerned that children seem to have access to smart devices (cellphones and tablets) without the essential, conscious parallel agreements which are necessary and without the express understanding as to when and how these devices will be used by children and monitored by parents. A critical part of the agreement MUST be that the monitoring of, and the coaching in, the use of these devices will take place on a regular basis to ensure their safe and proper use. This must be a condition of use for the children. Children in the preparatory school should NEVER have unrestricted and unsupervised access to the internet and they should not be using any of the social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (amongst others), as these are age-restricted for VERY good reason. When children are given smart devices, the responsibility for the children’s use of these devices lies, legally, with their parents. In the same way, a responsible adult would not hand a child a loaded gun. The bottom line is that the unsupervised use of smart devices can do every bit as much damage as a lethal weapon. Through the internet, children can access content and images which are wholly inappropriate and which can never be “unseen” once they have been viewed. Children do not have the emotional maturity to process such material and may be scarred for life because of it. We hear parents arguing that WhatsApp, for example, is harmless – just an enabler of free communication. Sadly, platforms like these are now the biggest enabler, in this age group, of body shaming, name-calling, emotional bullying, sexting and blackmail. And even worse, a screen grab of something which is said or done, on the spur of the moment and without thinking, can become viral and lead to prosecution, incarceration, a criminal record and grooming by sexual predators. There are far too many documented cases in which the misuse of these platforms has lead to assault, murder and suicide. Children need to be taught what is acceptable and what is not and they need their parents’ guidance in using these extremely powerful tools. Clear rules and boundaries need to be put in place

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and consequences must consistently apply when rules are broken and when boundaries are overstepped, so that children’s usage does not get out of control. We urge you to make it clear to your children that they may use these devices only on the condition that you, as the parent, can look at their interactions at anytime. It is necessary to have ongoing conversations with children around privacy and around values and around appropriate cyber interaction. Our school psychologist, Mrs Sami du Sautoy, has listed a few essential rules for your interest. Please see her suggestions on the final page of this newsletter. Staff news We congratulate Mrs Rosy van Wyk (Grade 2) and Mrs Glynnis Pinker (Grade 4) who are expecting babies in September. Condolences Our hearts go out to the Neilson family on the loss of their beloved Kerryn. Dr Kerryn Neilson fought bravely throughout her illness. She will be long remembered and sorely missed by all in the school community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this most sad and difficult time. Warm regards

Mrs N. Hillen Headmistress

Quiz

We started 2018 with a bang at St Johns who hosted the KidsLit Quiz, on Monday 12th of February. The internationally renowned quizmaster Wayne Mills delighted fifty school teams with questions from nursery rhymes to modern teen fiction, comic and mythological characters and anything literary. We came sixteenth in our endeavour and the eight pupils who represented BPS had loads of fun. A week later saw the first inter-school match of the year at St Peter’s Boys School. Our Grade Seven team did well to win third place out of the eleven teams participating. Timothy Maximov, Connor Bowden, Kitso Mojapelo and Michael Jennett did us proud. Our young team of Grade Five and Grade Six pupils surprised us all, on their debut quiz, by taking fourth place. We are confident that Lungani Mashele, Douglas Jennett, Miles Goeller and Nathan Baker will grow to be a formidable team in the time to come.

Mrs Summerley Teacher In Charge Of Quiz

Kyalami Schools Uniform Shop

The Kyalami Schools Uniform Shop will be closed from 30 March and will re-open on Tuesday 3 April.

They will be open on Saturday 24 March from 09h00 to 13h00.

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Montrose Night Series Challenge

The U11 and Open Netball Teams as well as the First XI Cricket Team have been involved in the Montrose Night Series, for the second year, over the last seven weeks. The level of competition at the tournament is of a very high standard and our boys are to be congratulated, on their excellent win against the Alex Schools XI. Our U11 Netball Team showed their true potential on the last evening by winning three of their four games. Congratulations go to Nhlalala Mabunda, who was selected as the Centre for the Open Netball Team of the Tournament, which is an excellent achievement. Nhlalala was the best Centre from the 13 teams participating this year. Congratulations, Nhlalala! A big thank you to Miss Webster, Mrs Fitzpatrick, Miss Hughes, Mr Simelane, Mr Brighton and Mrs Hillen who gave up their Friday evenings to support and coach the children. Other exciting Netball news is that Dayna Pot and Victoria Toussaint have gone through to the 3rd round of the Gauteng District Netball Trials. Well done girls!

Junior Softball

The Junior Softball girls have had a successful season. On Saturday, 10 March, they played in a festival at Saheti. They won 4 games, and drew 1 game and tied for 1st place in the festival. As a result the team has been invited to attend the Arnold Classic Sofball Tournament which will be held in May.

Pictured above, ready for action and showing off our bright neon banner, are some of our

energetic BPS representatives.

The Open Netball team U11 Netball team

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Musical Magic

Special Persons’ Tea

An unforgettable day at Beaulieu Prep is our annual Special Persons’ Tea. On Thursday, 1 March, the Grade 1, 2 and 3 pupils, entertained their Special Persons of the day. Each class recited poems and then all the children took to the stage to perform a mini-production called Goldilocks and the JAZZY Bears. The mini-production combined cute movements to music and ended with Goldilocks and Baby Bear singing an entertaining duet.

Musical Snakes and Ladders

The Grade Two pupils were enthralled during their Music Lesson this week. They played Musical Snakes and Ladders in combination with a Xylophone. Each time they climbed up a ladder or slid down a snake, they echoed their climb or slide on the Xylophone.

Junior Preparatory Concert

Our Music Department continues to grow and some of our pupils in Grade 0 – Grade 3 who play the Piano, Violin or Cello, had the opportunity to showcase their talent at the Junior Music concert on Tuesday, 20 March. The programme was opened by the Junior Jolly Jammers, who sang a wonderful rendition of, "Viva Espana". Well done to all the soloists who performed! Thank you to the music teaching staff for their encouragement and hard work.

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Setting Limits with iPads

(These rules apply to cell phones and other smart devices too)

The most effective way to ensure rules are respected is to lead by example!!

1. Rules, Reason and Consequences:

This is a joint process between parent and child.

Set the rules and limits. Be clear about:

When the child can and cannot use his/her iPad.

How much free time is allowed for playing games.

When the child is not allowed to have his/her iPad out. e.g. at the dinner table.

The device may not be in the child’s bedroom at night so from x time the device

must be plugged in to charge in a common area in the home.

Set an expectation around school results, but these must be reasonable.

Explain your reasoning. Discuss this with your child.

Agree on a fair consequence: What happens if you break the rules?

What happens if you do not achieve the goals set?

CONTRACT IT!! Write up the contract and both you and your child sign the contract.

2. Consistency is the key:

Follow through with the consequence, no matter what.

Wait until the child is calm and remind him/her of the choice made and the agreed

contract.

Stick to the contract.

3. Firmness is not cruelty: It is not about punishment but about teaching self-

discipline, resulting in a trusting relationship!

Discipline is not punishment.

You can be firm but kind at the same time.

Use the iPad as a tool to encourage positive behaviour.

Remember: Setting rules starts with you. Be calm, centered and confident and

set a positive example by limiting your own usage.

Samiramis du Sautoy

Educational Psychologist