GIRLS HIGH TWITTER

Edition 7: August 2013

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Dear Parents A very wise man once said, Nothing will work unless you do, and I must say, we at Girls High have adopted that attitude and moulded it to perfection. This term has been an extremely busy one, with our main focus being on how to improve the academic results of ALL our learners not only those who are in danger of failing or those who need only a few extra marks to get a distinction. Tutor Heads have had numerous interviews with learners and the length of the list of learners who are attending extra classes in the afternoon has surprised even us. Those parents who attended the parents meeting will know now how important it is for a learner to make the right subject choices that choosing Maths and Science is not necessarily a free pass into a university of your choice; that getting good marks in the right subjects is imperative if a child wants to further her studies at a university after school. If there are any parents who were unable to discuss their childs subject choices or academic performance with the educators on parents day, they must please make an appointment to discuss the matter with those educators as soon as possible. The test series for Grade 8-11 ended today and the feedback from our learners is that they prefer tests to be written now. It seems that most of the Grade 12 prelim papers thus far have been reasonable. Thank you to those parents who constantly and lovingly support their daughters in everything they do. Girls High Greetings Parents Meeting I would like to thank all the parents who attended parents day on 24 August. It was encouraging to see the large number of parents supporting their daughters. Cyber bullying is presently a national concern as discussed at my meeting. Herewith more information on how parents and learners can be pro-active in preventing issues like this occurring amongst our girls. What is Cyber Bullying? Cyber bullying is using the Internet or other digital devices to send or post negative messages, images, or video clips about others. Posting/ sending nasty or embarrassing comments and or images on chat rooms, message boards, websites, social networking sites, online gaming sites, cell phones, instant messaging or e-mail are all examples of Cyber bullying. Criminal implications to unlawful and intentional acts Some acts of cyber bullying and sexting may fall within the boundaries of either or both of the civil or criminal law responses available in South African law. Crimen injuria: Violation of dignity or privacy of another person. Example: Posting indecent photos. Criminal defamation: Publication of a matter concerning another, which tends to injure his or her reputation. Example: Defamatory remarks to a third person about another. Extortion: Obtaining advantage by subjecting a person to pressure / threatening to electronically distribute information / sending compromising images about another person. Assault: Threat of personal violence which creates fear or a belief that the perpetrator is able to or intends to carry out the threat.

EF Meyer (Mrs) Headmistress 2014 Budget Approval Meeting The proposed school and hostel budgets for 2014 will be presented to parents by the SGB Finance Committee on Monday 30 September at 16:00 The day on which boarders return for the fourth term. Parents should make use of this opportunity to raise their concerns to the Governing Body. It is imperative that all day girl and boarder parents attend this meeting. The finance office will be closed during the meeting. Parents must please note that the 4 Term starts on Tuesday 1 October 2013. Boarders have to return on Monday 30 September this may be inconvenient to the parents but returning on the Monday is, unfortunately, the only option. Re-Admission for Daygirls & Boarders 2013 Parents are urgently requested to inform the school if they intend moving their daughter to another school in 2014. Attached is a form to be completed to help us with our planning. The form must please be returned on Monday 2 September 2013.
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Prevention of Cyber Bullying: Please emphasise to your daughter that using the Internet or cellular phones to embarrass or hurt others feelings is not part of your family values. Discuss bystander behaviour as well because bystanders are regarded as accomplices. . Warning signs of Cyber Bullying: Child is visibly upset or angry during or after internet use or cell phone use. Withdrawal from friends or activities Drop in academic performance Avoids going to school Child is a target of traditional bullying at school Child appears depressed or sad It is clear that Cyber Bullying has severe emotional implications for the victims, bystanders and bullies. Intervention tips for responding to Cyber Bullying: Save the evidence First offence ignore, delete or block the sender Report the cyber bullying to police or cyber crime unit Should your child express emotional distress or thoughts of self-harm, seek help immediately. Be aware of what your child is doing online. Dont ignore cyber bullying.

After all is said and done, let us focus on our theme: Gifted for greatness.