Dear Parents and Guardians
It has been an interesting term as we experienced the force of the virus at school that continues to play havoc with our lives.
Yet despite this, with your support and understanding, we were able to navigate our way through the term successfully with little or no interruption to our academic program. It has taken a good deal of creativity and flexibility from everyone concerned, not least of all from you as parents and for that you have my sincere thanks and gratitude.
Amongst the challenges however we have managed to employ two highly experienced teachers who will be starting in the new year. Mrs Veronica Ellis arrives from St David’s Marist College Inanda in Johannesburg and will join the Afrikaans Department. Veronica is also a great advocate and champion of social justice and community involvement and will add huge value in this important imperative.
Mrs Kim Baisley will add her experience to the Life Sciences Department and is currently Head of Department Science at CBC Mount Edmund in Pretoria. Kim has a wealth of life experience being a fully trained paramedic where she spent a part of her working career.
I am also pleased to inform you that as we reimagine the schools sports offering in line with the tremendous developments at the OSC and the school campus, Mr Luke Crawford has been appointed to a new position at Oakhill and that is Director of Whole School Sport.
Luke will remain Director of Sport in the Prep School and Brendan Keevey Director of Sport in the College. However, Luke will be responsible for the strategic vision and future direction of sport across the entire school.
These appointments will add strength to our offering at Oakhill as we continue to assess and refine all avenues of school life.
In spite of the restrictions our extra curricular program continued albeit in the amended format to which we have become accustomed. It is always encouraging to see our children competing outside the classroom and being physically active. The boys U15 and senior water polo teams are involved during the break in tournaments at Wynberg Boys in Cape Town and Kingswood College in Makhanda respectively. My hope is that this is the beginning of a return to a semblance of normality.
An absolute highlight for me was the premier of the Prep School production of The Thirty Three Little Pigs. This is a triumph on many levels and my congratulations are extended to Mrs Hardick, the cast and crew and the parents who helped make this a reality. For those of you who have not seen the Production it is available on the schools website for your viewing pleasure. The ‘blooper’ video had me in stitches.
I am particularly pleased to inform you that our numbers have grown over the past few months as we welcomed new families to Oakhill. A total of 17 students began across the school during the third term and 7 students will be starting next term. I extend our best wishes to these families as they join our community.
On a less exciting note but equally important is that the school was inspected by the Department of Health and Safety last week and despite a few minor issues received a favourable audit. This is an organizational imperative that the school takes very seriously and so it is comforting to experience a positive outcome.
The Matric Class successfully completed their preliminary examinations this week in spite of the Covid-19 gymnastics that they had to perform. The final examinations are just around the corner for which we wish them every success and most important good health.
Speaking of Covid matters we have tried to remain consistent in our application of the protocols especially when students, parents and/or teachers succumbed to the virus. Our decisions are duly informed by the health authorities to whom we owe a deep debt of gratitude. Life has become a balancing act in which the first priority is always the good health of the school community and yet at the same time trying to live as normal a life as possible. I urge everyone to continue practicing the now very familiar health and safety protocols that have become a way of life, as it is in these disciplines, that this threat will be defeated.
Onwards and upwards, one vaccination at a time, together in good health.
