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From the Headmistress

Thank you to everyone who was able to join our concert last week. It was a real ‘feel good’ concert and was refreshing to be back watching our children perform on stage once more, and to have a hall packed with parents, friends, and past pupils. In the words of one of our parents, “The costumes were beautiful and vibrant, the music was a diverse representation of our nation and the talent was authentic and heart warming.” It was indeed! Meanwhile our hockey and cricket teams have excelled with 8 Teams making it to finals. Not to be outdone our U12 netball girls were selected to play in the SA competition in the fast 5 format.

Academics

Congratulations to Grade 7s Eireann De Witte, Keagan De Witte and Nathan Kuit for going through
to the provincial round of the Science Olympiad! As well as Keagan de Witte (captain), Rebecca
McKelvey, Riley Glass and Caylum de Wet who are our Inter-Primary Quiz winners.

Tours

Thank you to staff for taking our Grade 5 and 6 students away on camp – a great time of fun and
learning has been had by all.

FPS Superstars!

Well done Grade 7’s; Eireann De Witte, Keagan De Witte and Nathan Kuit for going through to the provincial round of the Science Olympiad!

Well done Inter-Primary Quiz Team Winners Riley glass, Keagan de Witte (Captain) Rebecca McKelvey and Caylum de Wet.

Congratulations to the overall Grade winners and runner up grade winners from the Benoni Eisteddfod Prizegiving.

Alexi Dandoulakis Gr3E, recently participated in a Regional Maths Competition for A+ Students, where she received the “Champions of Champions” title, awarded to the top achiever in her category. She was then selected to participate in the National event and was awarded the “Champions” title, for the second achiever in her category!

Sports

At Farrarmere Primary, we try every day, to be better than the day before. One of the many things that keep us going on this journey of improving every day, is when someone we love, tells us that they feel proud of us when they see us growing. This is the strongest boost that we can get from our family and friends. So always remember to take pride in your growth and determination too, along with your successes. Always try to be the version of yourself that makes you and your people proud of you. Because holding a trophy in your hand is not the only moment of pride, after all, your journey is a proud journey too.

“Always work hard, be honest, and be proud of who you are.” – Patricia Velasquez

Cross Country

What a fantastic season we have had so far! Farrarmere Primary has made history once again in 2022! We are WINNERS OF THE CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE!
Over 350 athletes competed throughout the season. A record of 131 athletes made it through to Greater Benoni and a massive total of 61 athletes through to D17 and our lucky number – 12 athletes qualified for Gauteng Champs. We are extremely PROUD of every single athlete that took part this year and we cannot wait to see what our next season holds for us! Thank you to the coaches for their time and dedication, we appreciate you!!

General Sports

Term 3 has been an action-packed term full of sporting codes and matches!

From our mini sport side our numbers are looking so good, and we are very happy to see how fit and active our juniors are on the sports fields! Keep going!

We are very proud of our Tennis A and B teams, they have done remarkably well this term and have competed in several league matches with some great results, we are very proud of you ~ well done on your hard work!

Our Cricket is carrying the Farrarmere Primary flag HIGH! All our cricket teams from U/7 – U/13 are unbeaten so far this season! To all our cricketers, we raise our bats to you!!! Good luck for the rest of the season!

Our Girl Hockey teams are hard at work and have a few games left this term before play-offs, good luck to all the teams and we are very proud of every single girl on the development, courage and sportsmanship that has been seen on the fields this season, so far!
Best of luck to our U/11 and U/13 Boy’s Hockey teams as they prepare for their up-and-coming play-offs! Your early morning training is paying off! Thank you for the dedication boys!

Our U/12A netball team competed in the Fast Five Hoop play-off where we did extremely well, playing against U/13 sides. The girls enjoyed this thoroughly because the normal netball rules are a bit different and a lot more exciting. In this game the point differences come in shooting in a certain area in the circle, which can give you up to 3 points per goal. Our girls stepped up and we are going through to Gauteng play offs on the 10th of September!
INVICTUS ~ We will not be conquered by circumstances.

“Success is a process for all of us, and as long as you are making consistent progress towards your goals – sincerely giving your best effort more often than not – then you are already successful and deserve to feel proud of yourself.” – Hal Elrod

From the Headmistress

‘Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your
life.’ Tracy Robbins.

With this in mind, we try and focus on creating as many positive opportunities as possible for our children, whether it be academic, sport, cultural or community. Awareness activities creating the future through positive thinking is the way forward. What a pleasure it is to work with children and parents who make use of all the opportunities we offer. It is a common fact that we will never all agree, but let’s always respect one another.

Sport

We’ve had a very successful sporting season so far in Cross country, cricket, hockey and netball where we are through to the Gauteng round in the tournament.

Community

Congratulations to all our ‘family’ who completed the comrades. Farrarmere Primary salutes you. Please continue to support community events as the sum of all parts makes up the whole.

Academics

Academically our Grade 7s went through to the next round in the Natural Science Olympiad and Keagan de Witte has been invited to go to the Technology Olympiad. Our learners finished second in the EMS Olympiad and Teeghan Sawyer has made it through to the Provincial Round in the Grade 4 Science Fair.

Concert

There are just a few tickets left for our concert – they can be bought from the Accounts office (next to Paganini) from 7:10 -7:45 in the morning. Please do come along and enjoy the return to the stage of our pupils.

IT

Mr Steenkamp from our IT department has been invited to be part of the IT exhibitions in the Cape and Johannesburg. We look forward to him leading the way, at Farrarmere Primary, growing our coding and Robotics fields. Let us forge ahead in a disciplined and respectful way to bring positivity and joy to all who come into contact with any person associated with Farrarmere Primary.

Dates to Remember:

Uniform & Pokemon Cards

Summer uniform is optional from Thursday, 1st September. Full summer uniform will be compulsory from Monday 12 September. With the weather getting warmer , we are going to be stricter about the wearing of the school caps. No cap, no play. Please ensure your child’s name is in the cap.

After much consideration, we are banning Pokémon cards from school. They are causing fights between the children and the focus is more on Pokémon swopping than school work. This ban applies to Checkers shopping toys, marbles and fidgets. As much as we want the children to have fun, our priority is learning and co-existing in peace. We hope you understand and support this decision

Demystifying technological trends in schools.

Farrarmere is undergoing major changes to their infrastructure, data, voice systems, ICT Syllabus and security. Our ICT is evolving to meet the 4IR head-on (Fourth Industrial Revolution) We are preparing our family of learners for future jobs which do not currently exist. In order to understand the reason this is so important it is necessary to have an understanding of previous revolutions and their impact on the world as we know it today.

Summary of Revolutions

1. Mechanization
   • Machines replace manual labour.
2. Mass Production
   • Mass Manufacturing, machines and processes.
3. Digital Revolution and Globalization
   • Analogue to digital technology. Internet.
4. Automation, Analytics and IoT
   • Cyber-physical devices, analytics, Internet of Things.

The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, is unlimited. Therefore it is so important for our learners at FPS to understand digital citizenship, digital responsibility and to learn to think in a critical and impactful way.

No one can be certain what professions and systems will be adopted in the future. Teaching our learners how to think and respond in logical and precise methods is vital regardless of what field they determine is best for their future endeavours.

Problem solving…

Buzzwords are plentiful and many organizations will attempt to fill their environments with tech to meet the “trends” At FPS we believe in only using tech where it benefits the learners! For this reason, the addition of robotics is not to “look fancy” but to persuade learners to work through complex logic problems and improve their crucial puzzle-solving skills.

We give them the ideal environment to learn how to manage making mistakes. Robotics is a good facilitator of STEM/STEAM/STREAM Learning.

STREAM 

Science Technology Reading Engineering Art Maths|

Marrying old with new

In the solutions presented we continue to show children that regardless of your environment you are able to solve various problems using logical methods. Reverse engineering and puzzle solving go hand-in-hand. The teacher is learning along with the children and facilitating their personal growth. At FPS we believe children are at the epicenter of the future of mankind, now more than ever.

We are in dire need of analytical people for some very real and urgent problems facing the planets future. Using strategy and engineering to allow learners to grow in the most practical and beneficial ways is of the utmost importance to Farrarmere Primary. We need community support to make this happen. Support our school as we make transitions into the 4IR.

Sports

What A GREAT START TO THE BOYS HOLIDAY! Camp Discovery hosted us for their annual cricket tournament. More than 24 schools attended over a 4-day period.

An early start to the tournament proved very productive as both our U/11 and U/13 teams started with a very convincing win. With all the boys in high spirits this setup a great first night, filled with fun and entertainment for all.

An overcast cold Saturday morning greeted our boys, but not even the bad weather could dampen their spirits. As you can imagine playing cricket in these conditions can be very challenging, however, our boys were up for the challenge, producing another great winning result across both teams.

The rest of the day was broken up into game drives, indoor net sessions, fielding sessions and loads more fun and creative activities for all – this definitely ensured our boys had a good night’s rest that evening.

By Day 3 it was clear to see that Farrarmere Primary School had made their mark at Camp Discovery. With an unbeaten run of matches, day 3’s challenges, tiredness and exhaustion kicked in for our boys. However, they were still able to produce 2 great winning results.

As the tournament wrapped up on Day 4. All coaches and organisers certainly knew that Farrarmere Primary School had distinguished themselves from the rest. We would just like to thank all Coaches and Facilitators for hosting our boys and we look forward to returning in 2023.

Badminton

The Following children were selected to represent eastern Gauteng at the U13 National Badminton Championships in Durban – the week of the 10-16 July 2022

Chelsey Orr, Jordan Van Tonder, Xaviahn da Silva, Oliver Adams.

Jordan and Xaviahn were further selected for the U13 national squad.

Boys Hockey

Tylor Kruger was selected to represent and Captain the Eastern Gauteng Boys Hockey U12B in the IPT tournament in Pietermaritzburg over the school holidays and has been selected for the Eastside Mavericks U12 Boys team that will be playing in the JHL “Johannesburg Hockey League” tournament in August 2022. Congratulations Tylor!!

From the Headmistress

I trust that the holidays were restful. We return to the last four academic months of the year. The upcoming months promise to be exciting, with a full extra mural programme. This week we will be transporting over 350 children to various sporting venues whilst our stage will be filled with children involved in the Eisteddfod and later in the term we have the concert to look forward to.

Farewell Mr Grobler

On a bittersweet note, we wish Mr Grobler much success on his promotion to Principal of Ashton College. Farrarmere prides itself in having staff who are regularly sought after due to their high calibre, passion and curriculum expertise. Mr Grobler leaves us at the end of August. His position will be advertised in the Government Gazette and we hope that it will be filled sooner rather than later. School will close at 12:00 on the 26th August to hold his farewell.

General

We continue to hold our children accountable in keeping a clean world and to show responsibility and empathy towards others. We will be participating in a #Runforchange race on 4 September. More details to follow. Today, we had Prof. Fuller and 2 researchers come to the school to speak to the children on climate change and the effect it has on animals. We also had a very interactive science show recently which was thoroughly enjoyed by our pupils.

Certificates were handed to the children involved in the Homestead Cleanup and Prof. Fuller received our donation for further wildlife research with gratitude.

Mandela Day Community Cleanup

Homestead Dam’s park area is looking cleaner and greener thanks to two clean-ups that took place in honour of Mandela Day on Friday 22 July and Saturday 23 July.

The local Litter Bugs group, led by Farrarmere Primary parent Samantha Choles, hosted a double clean-up this year. “Some people prefer Fridays, others prefer Saturdays, so we thought we would double-up this year,” says Samantha.

The clean-up was supported by Litter Bug members, 1st Benoni sea scouts, 9th Benoni scouts, Rotary Club of Benoni Aurora, Farrarmere Primary School, Ashton International College, St Dunstans, Benoni Lakes Lions Club as well as local businesses Tau Energy and Union Swiss. Adults and children alike got stuck into clearing litter from the banks and gullies, as well as parking area and pathways.

“We also invited people to bring along their bottle tops and bread tags to support Tops and Tags for Wheelchairs, as well as clean polystyrene which is used by a brick-making company in Edenvale. We encourage schools to start collection programmes that provide a means for recyclables used at school and brought from home can be amassed for recycling.

Most of the litter at the dam includes cigarette butts, beer bottle lids, take-away packaging, and food and beverage packaging, as well as clothing and fishing litter. “The area definitely needs more bins,” says Samantha, citing that research done in Canada recommends that bins and recycling receptacles should be placed within 30 steps of busy areas.

From the Headmistress

This seems to have been the longest term in years. Looking back on the last twelve weeks, it has been gratifying to have had a busy, vibrant term filled with sport, cultural activities and the start of our concert rehearsals ~ the school is alive with dancing feet! Not forgetting our formal common assessments to see where we are academically in terms of all schools in the district. We are very happy to report that our standards remain very high, causing some inconsistency between the marks in the first and second terms. We will return to setting our own papers again for the rest of the year. The Farrarmere brand is as strong as ever. Reports will go out in the first week of next term on the 21st July from 17:00 to 18:00 (school hall) and 22nd July from 7:00 to 8:00. An ‘invitation only’ parents evening will take place in the second week of the term.

We have noticed that some of our learners are still struggling to adjust to ‘normal’ school procedures like work deadlines, social media ethics, punctuality, and attendance accountability. Parents, please keep pushing your children to set acceptable standards of social and work behaviour.

Warm & Toasty on Pajama Day

Extra murals

We will be opening sports practices again to parents and grandparents only. No Au pairs. Please note that parents will only be allowed to sit on the pavilion stairs to watch practice sessions.

Communication

Please remember that our official mode of communication is via email and the D6 Communicator.

Recycling

Reminder that we are awarding our children this year at Prize Giving for their interest and participation in recycling, climate change and sustainability. Please remind your children to inform their register teachers when they participate in Eco friendly events or if they initiate any activity.

School Fees

Our school is an official fee-paying school, and we are thankful to the parents/guardians who consistently pay their school fees. Seventy percent of our staff are paid by the Governing Body and your support is much appreciated.

To those parents who do have financial concerns, in order to maintain facilities and standards, please contact Mrs Williams (debtors@fpschool.co.za) to set up a meeting on the way forward.

Lastly, enjoy the holiday break, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the cross country league runs, as well as the hockey and cricket games. Remember, when ticket sales for the school concert open next term, to book tickets early to avoid disappointment. Rumour has it that the teachers will be putting on their very own ‘Teacher’s Act’.

Sports

“A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.” —Mary Lou Retton

Well done to all our Soccer and Netball team from Gr 1-7, we are super proud of what was accomplished over the term and your hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed.

Michael Phelps once said “You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.”

Congratulations to Caylum De Wet and Tatum White from Farrarmere Primary on their selection to represent South Africa in the upcoming WBSC U12 Baseball World Cup to be held in Tainan, Taiwan from the 28th of July to the 7th of August 2022.

We wish them all the best in the tournament and know that the months of preparation will see them do well on this global stage.
Give it your best and know we are all behind you and cheering you on from home.

We are excited to announce that four of our boys will be competing in the Ernie Els Qualifier on Friday 27 May.

Putt away boys, good luck!

Our FPS family were spoilt rotten for Teacher Appreciation Day by our Grade 5 learners and parents. We are so thankful!

Golf News

We are excited to announce that four of our boys will be competing in the Ernie Els Qualifier on Friday 27 May.

Putt away boys, good luck!

Netball

Kristen Curry in Gr 5 was selected to play for Gauteng East U/12A Jaguars Indoor Action Netball Team in the Inter Provincial Tournament.

Her team placed 5th in SA.

The following 5 learners were selected for the Easterns Provincial Cricket club side where they are playing the winter league programme, a huge congratulations to the following learners;

1. Rebecca McKelvey
2. Luke Bromley
3. Calvin Knight
4. Mornè Labuschagne
5. Zander Labuschagne

Baseball Stars!

The following baseball players from the U12 Gauteng Baseball team, who recently took part in the National Baseball Championships in Cape town, have been selected as part of the National U12 ETS squad. Two players form the Gauteng U12 side, Caylum De Wet and Tatum White will be eligible for this year’s National Tour. Tatum White impressed by being selected as the top Short Stop of the Tournament.

Two players from the U10 Gauteng side, Matthew Pietroiusti and Luke De Lange have been earmarked as potential candidates for the World Cup squad in 2023 and have entered the long term ETS training squad. Congratulations to all the players on their inclusion and wish them well in their preparation for potential SA selection.

Swimming

Mackenzie Raffle (Grade 3A) was invited to the EGA (Eastern Gauteng Aquatics) awards. She received the age group (8 & 9) winner for the season as well as being recognized for breaking the age group record for the 100m breast stroke.

From the Deputy

With the many public holidays behind us, our sporting and cultural activities have got back into the full swing of things this month. Our learners have been busy practicing for Eisteddfod which they will be taking part in next month. Our academics are on track in preparation for the Final Assessments for the term which start on the 2nd June for the Grade 7s and 6th June for Gr 4 – 6.

Admission enquiries for Grade 2 – 7 are a constant stream of emails requesting the opportunity for children to gain access to “your prestigious school”, “your school with an excellent reputation”, “your highly esteemed school”. I am proud when I read these quotes and extremely proud of our learners for the good example they set in our community and for their hard work and commitment to all that the school offers.

I am honoured to work with staff who remain enthusiastic and passionate, and I am grateful to our parents who speak positively and promote Farrarmere Primary. A reminder to Grade 7 parents that the Department of Education’s online admissions for Grade 8 open on the 22 July 2022.

~Mr H Grobler~

Past Pupils Success

Congratulations to Kyle Goddard who achieved his Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Matthew Inglis who received a Merit award and second place for Electronic Engineering.

Sports

Our girls did extremely well at the St Dominic’s Netball Tournament and our teams all placed in the
final Top 2.

U10A-1st, U10B- 2nd, U/11A-1st,U11B-1st, U12A-1st and U12B-1st

Our U/13 Netball teams represented our school at the St Andrews tournament and had great results
and game time.

Well done to all the girls!

Our Soccer and Netball Teams are participating in the Woodhill Tournament this weekend, good luck
to all the teams, go out and enjoy the day! We are finishing off with our last league games for this week. As we move forward into Term 3 we are excited to see our athletes competing in the following sporting codes, cross country, tennis, hockey and cricket. We know this is going to be a bumper packed term. Our expectations are high, and we cannot wait to see our learners compete out on the sporting field.

Netball vs Southdowns College

• U/10 Won 5-1
• U/11 Won 11-2
• U/12 Won 17-4
• U/13 Won 13-2

Soccer vs Southdowns College

• U/10 Won
• U/11 Won
• U/12 Won
• U/13 Won

Netball vs Rynfield Primary

• U/10 A Won 5-2
• U/10B Won 14-4
• U/11 A Won 16-5
• U/11 B Won 14-1
• U/12 A Won 23-5
• U/12 B Won 19-5
• U/13 A Lost 8-10
• U/13 B Won 20-0