Dear Parents

A new school: Claremont High School

The WCED, through the Superintendent-General of the Western Cape, Ms Penny Vinjevold, has approached the management of Westerford High School to assist in the establishment of a brand-new high school in Claremont. The school, which will open on 1 January 2011 on the current Barkly House site in Molteno Road, will be called Claremont High School. It will be a new WCED school as a distinctly separate legal entity. The governance of the school will, initially vest in the SG, with appropriate delegation to the Governing Body of Westerford High School who will manage the school for at least three years. The recruitment of the relevant staff and pupils will begin immediately and will be the responsibility of Westerford, with the assistance of the WCED. A sub-committee of our SGB will be established to oversee the governance of the new school. For this we will need to co-opt a number of new parents on to our Board with immediate effect.

Any parents interested in offering their services are please to contact me by email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) as soon as possible. This is a very exciting project and we at Westerford feel very honoured to have been approached by Ms Vinjevold to manage the initiative. For more information or clarification, please feel free to contact me personally. Prof. David Gammon, our Board Chairman, is also available to be contacted by email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) if necessary.

Yours sincerely

Rob le Roux
HEADMASTER
30 August 2010

The construction of the Astro Turf at the Imhoff Sports Grounds recently went underway, with the site being handed over to construction workers shortly before the start of this term.

It has been a goal long in coming, with various fundraising endeavours all contributing towards the very large sum necessary for the construction of such a ground, finally culminating in a loan recently taken out by the school to cover the remainder of the costs.

Construction is already well underway, with the chosen field already having been sealed off by the construction company and the grass removed from the field to make way for the incoming artificial turf. It should be noted that not a square inch of this grass is going to waste, all of it being placed in various grass-deprived areas around the school.

‘One Goal’ is an initiative linked to the World Cup “to achieve a school place for the 75-million children out of school globally." On October 6th 2009, the 1GOAL campaign was officially launched in a glittering, satellite-linked ceremony led by the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, South Africa President Jacob Zuma and Her Majesty Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen of Jordan and many other heads of state and dignitaries.

The main aims of the campaign are:

• To push governments to give more aid to education – an extra US$7-billion is needed – and to stand by their current pledges.

• For greater investment for more teachers, textbooks and schools in developing countries.

• To help the millions of people in the developing world to understand the importance of sending their children to school.

President Zuma speaks about ‘One Goal’: “We are signing up to the One Goal campaign today because we believe that it is a responsibility for every government to make a commitment to tackle this difficult situation,"

A majority of the Westerford teaching staff decided to take part in the Public Servants Strike on Tuesday 10 August. Students were made aware of this decision on Friday, by means of an assembly announcement made by Mr Bissett, whereby he explained that the teachers were not striking merely for better pay for themselves; rather they elected to stand with their colleagues teaching in areas and schools not nearly so fortunate as Westerford. It was emphasised to us as the student body that it was a decision not made lightly – it was rather one that the staff would not make at all.

Despite this, it is an unfortunate state of affairs that the educational situation in our country warrants such action, but unfortunate or not, action must be taken, and this is the perception I have of the view the majority government employed staff have taken.

Dear Parents and Old Westerfordians

Every second year, Westerford High School produces a “Classical Pops” in the City Hall, for one evening.  The evening is like a Proms Concert, where the audience participates in some of the music making.  Classical Pops, which takes place on 21 September at 19:15, includes performances by the School’s Orchestra, Concert Band, Big Band and the Westerford Voices.

In addition to the audience singing, we would like to invite any parents, friends and Old Westerfordians to sing with the Westerford Voices (Choir) for some special items.  As about 60 pupils have already been preparing most of this repertoire since the start of the year, we encourage parents who have some music reading skills, to join us.   We need Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses! 

The rehearsals will be at the following times in the Noel Taylor Hall:
 
Mon 16 Aug    5:45 - 7:15pm
Mon 23 Aug    5:45 - 7:15pm
Mon 30 Aug    5:45 - 7:15pm
Mon 6 Sept     5:45 - 7:15pm
Sat 11 Sept    1 - 3:30pm
Mon 13 Sept   5:45 - 7:15pm
Sat 18 Sept    1 - 5pm    Full Run Through
Mon 20 Sept   5:45 - 7:15pm
Tues 21 Sept  10am - 15:00 City Hall

If you are unable to attend all of these rehearsals, please send a note to Mrs Shelley Ainsworth as to which ones you will be able to attend.  It is very important that everyone attends the highlighted rehearsals.  Please indicate by way of a call to 021 689 9154 or an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are able to participate.

Thank you
regards,

Mrs S Ainsworth