TRINITYHOUSE PALM LAKES HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Newsletter 5
2 October 2015
From the Principal’s Desk
Dear parents
We are now coming to the end of the third term. I am writing this Principal’s message
whilst sitting in the Fairview Hotel in Nairobi, after spending a very pleasing day
together with the General Manager of Trinityhouse, Mr. Andries van Renssen,
promoting our wonderful school to various Principals of Independent Schools here in
Kenya.
What an honour it was to share all the wonderful things that we do at our school, and
the responses from like-minded peers, was that of genuine impression. To see a small
snippet of what I am talking about view the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOVnalMT9Rc
Once again, we have experienced numerous highlights this term and this is down to the
commitment and enthusiasm of your children, the dedication of our staff and the
support of our parents and Trinityhouse family. Thank you. Many of these ‘highlights’
are detailed in this newsletter.
Our community is recognising what is being offered at Trinityhouse Palm Lakes and
they have begun to enroll their children into our school for next year and our confirmed
and projected growth numbers are very pleasing. If you have family and friends who
feel that their children would love to enjoy the experience that your children are getting
then please make sure that they get ‘linked’ to our school.
Lastly, I thank God for a very peaceful and successful term, and I wish you and your
children a restful break.
God Bless
Mr. D.J. de Gouviea-Smith
Preparatory and High School Principal
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TRINITYHOUSE PALM LAKES HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
High School News
Creative Arts Festival
The Creative Arts Festival took place from 24 - 26 August 2015 at Crawford Preparatory
North Coast. This festival aims at preparing learners to be brave and effective public
speakers.
Thirteen Grade 8 and 9 girls represented Trinityhouse Palm Lakes at this event. Eight
learners recited individual poems and a group of 5 Grade 9 learners recited a quintet.
Many of the girls were shy and uncertain at first, but they soon warmed up to the idea
of speaking in front of a panel of adjudicators.
On the 26th August 2015, the girls were accompanied by Mrs Arthur and the boarding
house Matron to Crawford North Coast. It is pleasing to note that all 13 learners gave a
very good account of themselves. Despite a few last minute nerve issues, Trinityhouse
learners walked away with 10 Prestige Awards (the highest honour) and 3 Honours
Awards. The adjudicators were pleasantly surprised with the talented learners at our
school and paid them many well-deserved compliments.
The entire event proved to be a fun learning experience and an excellent confidence
booster for the girls. The girls are congratulated on their achievement. This will
feature as an annual event on our school calendar and we encourage the boys to join
next year.
Cultural Achievements
In light of the Creative Arts Festival and the outstanding performance of our girls, they
have been awarded with the following Cultural Achievements:
Prestige Awards
Honours Awards
Ciaran Seeley, Grade 8
Fundiswa Sibisi, Grade 8
Mandisa Manyoni, Grade 8
Sinothile Ngema, Grade 8
Nokulunga Ngobese, Grade 8
Varthika Pillay, Grade 9
Chrisstel Viljoen, Grade 9
Sasha Woodman, Grade 9
Courtney Theessen, Grade 9
Britney Theessen, Grade 9
Taniel Dhaver, Grade 8
Nikita Sukhu, Grade 8
Nqobakha Shange, Grade 8
TRINITYHOUSE PALM LAKES HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Page 3
Grade 8 Poetry
English — Freak the Mighty
The Grade 8 learners have been reading the book, Freak the Mighty, during the English
lessons. Part of their assessments this term was to write a poem on Freak the Mighty.
These are a few of the learners’ poems.
Kevin is Freak,
Max is Mighty,
Together, they are Freak the Mighty.
Freak is small,
Max is tall
Together they will not fall.
Freak the Mighty go on quests,
Such as finding treasures,
Slaying dragons and exploring the land.
They form a unit, a two man band.
Unshaken they stand.
Together they are stronger,
Growing as one, even fonder,
Freak the Mighty,
Always up and about so spritely.
Brian Lee
Grade 8
I’m Max
Together, Kevin and I are: Freak the Mighty,
the indestructible duo.
We slay dragons and
Rescue maidens in distress.
We go on quests,
And journeys far and wide,
Like Whoa! Boy does Freak have requests!
He sits on my shoulders
And kicks on my leg,
To indicate where we are going next.
Every day is a new adventure.
And at the end I think back to these times,
Now that I no longer have the little guy
On my shoulder anymore.
Taniel Dhaver
Grade 8
A lot of things can happen when two wandering souls collide.
Against all odds and reason, a friendship moulded when differences should divide.
The strong one small trapped in a body frail, taking charge with courage to make
this strange union a remarkable tale.
The other a boy big but small, scarred by a father that should have been his all.
Combined together, their weaknesses blended and with Freak lifted high the big one
became mended.
And Freak the Mighty emerged out of a mutual desire for acceptance and friendship,
Where imagination met knowledge and set their worlds on fire.
The tale is a sad one as all good tales are:
Freak left the Mighty to finish off their story as he travelled on far…….
Nokulunga Ngobese
Grade 8
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TRINITYHOUSE PALM LAKES HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Entrepreneurial Day
The Grade 8’s took possession of the Trinityhouse corridors to portray their
entrepreneurial skills. Various businesses were in operation with a selection of goods
available for everyone to buy and enjoy.
Our young entrepreneurs did very well. We made a total profit of R1908.06, which will
go towards our outreach programme.
The Entrepreneur of the Day was Sinothile Ngema,
owner of Wonder World Store.
She made a total profit of R250.00
School Concert
A very successful school concert was held on 19 September 2015. It was truly amazing
to watch a concert that integrated learners from Grade 000 up to Grade 9 in a single
production. Singing, dancing, acting and directing were the order of the day. All the
learners put in 100% effort and we were rewarded with a fantastic performance. The
learners were able to capture the essence of the characters they were portraying and
also add a few touches of their own too.
Well done to all our budding entertainers!
TRINITYHOUSE PALM LAKES HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Page 5
Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation—Water Safety
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation visited the school on 23 September 2015.
The learners were addressed by Ross and James, two lifeguards from Umhlanga
Lifeguards. The learners were able to interactively demonstrate the various skills they
had learned during this presentation. Various learners got up close and personal with
the mannequins to demonstrate the CPR procedure.
The younger learners were also shown how they can rescue someone experiencing
difficulty in the water using a towel or a long object like a broom handle. I am sure that
no learner will attempt approaching a panicked swimmer from the front, since they now
know that the correct procedure is to approach from behind in order to avoid any
further mishaps from taking place.
Thank you to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and the lifeguards for
presenting this important information in such an entertaining manner.
TRINITYHOUSE PALM LAKES HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Page 6
High School Important Dates
12 October — School Opens at 07:00 / Art Exhibition Starts
14 October — Term 3 Reports Issued
15 October — Vision 153 Outreach Starts
16 October — Art Exhibition Ends
24 October — Fishing Picnic
9 November — Exam Starts
25 November — Extra-murals and P.E. ends
27 November — Exams End
27 November — Make a Difference Summer Party
27 November — End of Year Picnic/Class Party
28 November — Coach Jaco’s Sport Day/Prize Giving
2 December — Gr. 8&9 Excursion
3 December — Interhouse
4 December — Prize Giving Assembly
4 December — Final Reports Issued
4 December — Break-up Day, school closes at 11:00
Good luck for the last term of 2015!