Recent News Posts

Dear SAPA Members

Attached please find the registration form for the Lead Workshop at the Aquarium at the Waterfront on Thursday 15 March.  Closing date for the registration is Monday 5 March.

If you would like to go on a sunset cruise and supper after the workshop you can contact the following company for more details.

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/lead-15-march-2012.pdf

Dear SAPA Members

Reminder our brunch at the River Club on Thursday at 10:00.  

Enjoy this weeks smile!

RegardsCris

Dear SAPA Members

At our first Exec Meeting the following issues were tabled as "Burning Issues". These are issues we want to raise with Penny Vinjevold at our first meeting in February.  Can you have a look at them and add any comments or additional topics.

·         Changes to Section 38A:

How does the WCED plan to implement and police these changes?

·         New Schools

What is the model used when deciding where to build new schools. Some areas are under huge pressure from the community to enrol children when the school is just not big enough.

·         June and November school exams

How much flexibility is allowed around the dates for writing these exams?

·         Principal Competency Tests

Are these envisaged as part of the performance agreement?

·         Managing underperforming teachers

What support does the WCED plan to offer principals in managing chronic under-performing teachers?

·         Invigilators who are not teachers

We would like to revisit the National Policy of using teachers as invigilators. We believe that the WCED has best practise and to fall in line with national practise is a step backwards.

·         Review of the results of ANA and the WCED's systemic evaluation as well as the 2011 Matric exams.

What are these results telling us?

Thanks

David de Korte

SAPA Western Cape

Dear SAPA Members

Reminder to book for the breakfast (if you have not done so yet).  It is next week Thursday 2 February at 10:00 at River Club in Observatory.  Cost is R160 per member (your membership fee must be paid up) and R280 per non member.  Our guest speaker is Christo Spies.  If you have new principals in your circuit please invite them to our SAPA breakfast.  Closing date for the brunch will be Friday 27 January as I need to confirm numbers with them on Friday afternoon.  

Sapa banking details:

South African Principals Association

Standard Bank

Kromboom Branch: 026209

Account Number:  373983484

Reference: School name and Brunch.

On the SAPA bank statement a deposit was made on 16 January for membership fee with reference Lead June 2011 (No name of School).  Please check with your bursar and ensure she has faxed me the proof of payment with the name of school for my data base.

Some schools are still to pay their 2012 membership fee it is the same as last year R385 (bank details above. Reference: name of school)

Enjoy the rest of the week

Kind regards

Cris 

NOW THE TRUTH IS FINALLY OUT!!!!!!!!

SAPA MONDAY SMILE

Hi, for those of you who never gained weight last year and have started the
New Year without the Xmas plump please disregard the important information
below.    .

New information on shampoos:
I have just discovered this important information below. Please share with
all your friends.

I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner.
It's the shampoo I use in the shower!

When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body.
Printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning, "FOR EXTRA VOLUME
AND BODY."
No WONDER I have been gaining weight!

Well, I have got rid of that shampoo and I am going to start using Dish
Washing Liquid instead.
It's label reads, "DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE."
Problem solved!

If I don't answer the phone I'll be in the shower! 

Dear SAPA  Members

Dave Millar, the provincial Chairman of NAPTOSA has invited SAPA members to join his members in attending a presentation on Performance Contracts and remuneration of State staff by the Governing Body. The presenter is Wally Smith, Unions representative on the ELRC. I am sure that if Dave has recommended this speaker, he will be worth listening to.

This will be at Turfhall on the 28^th January from 10:00 to 12:15.

For further details see Dave's invite below.

Regards

David de Korte

SAPA Western Cape President

Dear Cris

In November & December two amazing groups of people met in Johannesburg and Cape Town to explore the roles that our "Elders" (People with wisdom & experience who care about the future of our country) could potentially play in our schools and in theEducation sector at large.

We were blown away by the wisdom in the room and have therefore decided to continue this conversation with other Elders - both to share the output of the previous sessions but also to move toward implementation of some of the amazing ideas.

This initiative is part of our commitment to make our Schools @ the Centre of Community and to mobilise citizens and communities to partner with educators to educate our children.

Our next conversation will be held next Wednesday:

• Date: Wednesday, 25^th January
• Time: 16:30 - 18:00 (registration and refreshments @ 16:00)
• Venue: Atlantic Imbizo Conference Centre, Clocktower Building, V&A Waterfront (Tel 021 419 4565)
• Please let Melissa know if you want to attend.  Her email address: schoolsadmin@symphonia.net

Please join us for this conversation (all ages welcome J) or forward this information to elders who care.

I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday!

Warm regards

Louise

Dear SAPA members

Welcome to the start of 2012. How did your first meeting with the staff go? I am sure there were some staff  who had happy events to share with everyone. I have one engagement to celebrate on my staff. By now you have probably held your opening assembly and shared some big plans for the year with the school. Also you have probably had words with pupils who should have had their haircut or planned the correct uniform for today. I have just past a queue of girls at the office using our nail polish remover. Well I hope you have a great start to the year, and having completed your first timetable cycle are pleasantly surprised to find that everything works and that there are no clashes.

DBE cuts back on allowances and Bonuses from Governing Bodies for state employed teachers

I am sure some of you were as shocked as I was to see that the DBE via the Sunday Times have slipped through changes to Section 38A in the school holidays. There was no consultation and no warning. So what does this mean for schools that have governors that pay allowances to WCED employed teachers? I have contacted the governing body foundation and they have said that they are looking into the legislation and will make a report available to schools very soon. What we do know is that:

·         Section 38A still exists and payments are still possible

·         It looks as if "overtime " can be paid up to 25% of salary. So a teacher earning R 200 000 a year can receive  R 50 000 in overtime from the governing body.

This legislation may clash with the governing bodies right to administer the finances of the school, and so there may also be some legal challenge in the future. While not all schools have the financial resources to pay out additional money and so not all SAPA schools will be interested in the developments around this, it does go to the issue of constant attempts by government to undermine the role and function of the governing body and their ability to do their job in our schools. You will remember that there was a time when the governing body appointed staff, now they merely recommend 3 suitable applicants and the Department make the choice based on we never know what.

SAPA  programme for the year starts with 2 big events which I would like you to make every effort to attend.

Motivational Speaker: Igno van Niekerk: Tuesday 17^th January at Bergvliet High Auditorium

We were inspired when we heard Igno at our  2011 National Conference and felt we had to invite him to launch the year in the Western Cape. Those who were there will recall he had a wonderful conversational way of presenting the life lessons he had learnt through overcoming personal setbacks to himself and his family. We know that he will inspire us for the year ahead. We wanted to share him with all our staff and so this talk is open to your entire staff. We are charging R 20 per person for catering . Refreshments will be served from 14:30 onwards and the presentation will begin at 15:30 and will be done by 17:00. Please email Cris the numbers from your school that will be attending. Don't miss out on this great opportunity for you and your staff to be motivated for the rest of the year.

EFT can be made to the SAPA account: 

South African Principals' Association Standard Bank 

Branch:  Kromboom Branch - 026209 

Account Number:  373983484

Or money can be paid at the door on the day (Please let Cris know).

Principals Breakfast: 2 February at the River Club at 10:00 ; Speaker Christo Spies

I am sure you have over the years appreciated the inspirational and motivational messages that Cris sends to you which are SAPA on Friday, SAPA Monday Smile and the Midweek Encouragement. Many of these thought pieces are written by Christo Spies. He lives and works in Bloemfontein and we are flying him down to be our guest speaker at this 2012 launch breakfast.  You will also remember that SAPA was one of the organisations associated with Christo that responded to an appeal from a close friend of his to support Christo financially as he had to replace his artificial leg with a new prosthetics that allowed him to run. I am sure this story and many others will form part of a very interesting morning talk. Again the costs for SAPA members is subsidised and is reduced to R160 per member and R280 per non member (make sure your 2012 membership fees are paid up to take advantage of the subsidised  price).  Should you wish to sponsor a Principal/New Principal from another school that is a non member please let Cris know.

Can you please RSVP to Cris as she needs to finalise numbers at the River Club for the brunch by 26 January 2012.  Please fax/email confirmation of payment to Cris by 27 January. (Account details above).

Message from Chriso Spies thanking us for the contribution towards his new prosthesis.

Joel 2:26  Now you will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied. You will praise the LORD your God, who has done wonderful things for you.

 I have a new life! I was born the first time when my mother gave birth to me (duh!), then at the age of 26 I was born again through Jesus Christ my Lord and that changed my life. Now it feels like I was born for third time because my whole life has changed again!

People on this list will know that my prosthesis broke, that Michael Bradfield took the initiative, Hannes Bosman did the groundwork and a number of people on this list contributed to a fund in order to get me a new leg. 

I went to Richards Bay to get a new one made by Lourens de Villiers and came back to Bloemfontein with more than I ever dreamed of. Lourens not only donated his time, but also got parts donated for more than one leg (prosthesis). I now have a leg for normal walking (new), one for high activity like squash or tennis (new), one for use in the sea/water (made from old parts), and the cherry on the cake: a leg that I can run with (a blade like Oscar Pistorius uses)! For the first time since I lost my leg when I was 18 years old, I can jog- and I do every evening! For the first time ever I jog with my sons and it's the most fantastic, amazing, greatest, awesome feeling in the world. I have a new life!

During the past weeks I experienced grace, kindness, compassion and love from God and the people around me. I received money from friends, from people who wanted to stay anonymous and from people who I don't even know, enough to pay for the parts used in the manufacturing process! How blessed can one be? How fortunate and privilege am I? It is truly a humbling experience.

This is to say thank you. Thank you to my heavenly Father for favour, grace and mercy. Thank you for everyone who contributed in any way, thank you, thank you, thank you, I have a new life!

I pray that you will also be blessed!

Make it a great week

Christo Spies

PS I donated parts of my old prosthesis' to Lourens de Villiers to be used for people in need.

Otherwise all the best for the year ahead.

Regards

David

David de Korte

SAPA Western Cape: President

Dear SAPA Members
Reminder to pay your 2012 membership fees and to diarise the following dates for the first term of 2012.
17 January 2012 at 15:30  Igno van Niekerk will speak and motivate all educators at Bergvliet High School - R20 per person.2 February 2012 at 10:00 SAPA Brunch at the River Club - Christo Spies will motivate the Prinicpals and Deputies for 2012.
Enjoy the rest of your day.

Cris

THE STRANGER

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a
stranger
who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated
with
this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.
The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in
my
family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were
complementary instructors: Mum taught me good from evil, and Dad
taught
me
to obey. But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us
spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics,
history or science, he always knew the answers about the past,
understood
the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my
family
to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me
cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mum would get up quietly while the
rest
of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and
she
would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet.
(I wonder now if she ever prayed for the
stranger
to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral
convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.
Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not from us, our
friends or any visitors Our long time visitor, however, got away with
four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my
mother
blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the
stranger
encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look
cool,
cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too
freely!)
about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive,
and
generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about
relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after
time,
he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And
NEVER
asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the
stranger moved in with our family He has blended right in and is not
nearly
as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my
parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his
corner,
waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his
pictures.

His name?....

We just call him 'TV.'

He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.'

Their first child is "Cell Phone".

Second child "I Pod"

By the way, they now have a wonderful grand
child
she is a genius!
she is fondly called "Black Berry". BB for
short.
She is nearly more popular than her mom
her new baby cousin is " I pad"
This Stranger has decided to take up permanent
residence in our house. what can we do 

Dear SAPA Members
Here is a letter from Christo Spies friend, Hannes Bosman.  Thank you to all the schools who donated money towards his prostheses.  SAPA WC is fortunate enough to have Christo Spies speak at our SAPA Launch/Brunch on 2 February at the River Club and to motivate us for 2012.
RegardsCris

Hi all

As I'm writing to you, Christo Spies is in KZN, just finished RUNNING around a track with his new sports leg! Final touches are to be done. He is with the orthotist who has manufactured his prostheses for many years. I'm not sure who he is, but he and Christo has come a long way and he has a good understanding of the particular complexities of Christo's leg.  Some of the old prosthesis' parts could be used to construct the new one and it seems that it works!  Your contribution made it possible for Christo to start afresh with new quality of life he really missed for some time now.

I paid over to him contributions of nearly R26000 on 27^th October, and together with the contributions he received directly into his account, he's around the R50000 mark!  62 contributions came in from all over SA, as far as the UK, Australia and USA. It seems that he will manage to cover the costs of the sports leg!

For transparency reasons I promised to make my bank statements available during this period of contributions to those who made use of my account. If you won't mind l'll do it upon individual request.  Some of the amounts came in earlier than the initial suggested period and some are still coming in but directly into Christo's account. So I will make my statements of the approx 3 weeks available to those who ask. Thank you for entrusting me with your contribution. I managed to get hold of his account halfway during the whole exercise, and the majority of contributors could therefore make use of his account which made logtics a lot easier.

I was moved by the overwhelming positive reaction (and testimonies that some of you shared) and I realized once again that friendship is something very valuable. Who can survive without it! Thank you for showing your friendship with Christo in such a practical way. As he put it "they have given me a new life!"  You are one of the "they" and he is VERY grateful and besides himself with joy!  Thanks Mike Bradfield for becoming aware of Christo's dilemma and initiating it all.

Best regards

Hannes

0761204460

Dear SAPA-members

Yesterday we had the closing function for SAPA-WC members. We are sorry that for some of you the venue or the date was inconvenient. We nevertheless don't want you to miss out on some of the information received. Even though there was only a small group of members present, we had good opportunities to discuss various things.
*  Members spoke about how we can increase our membership (If you have any recommendations, please let me know)
* They also discussed what we can do to have the principals' 'voice' heard in various forums (If you have ideas, please pass them on)
*  The president, David de Korte, presented his report (find attached)
*  The WC-Committee members for the next two years were nominated and elected. They are..
Rob le Roux - Westerford High SchoolKeith Long - Rhodes High SchoolDavid de Korte - Camps Bay High SchoolShandre Otto - Norman Henshilwood High SchoolMarius Ehrenreich - Groote Schuur High SchoolPatiswa Qokweni - Isilimela Secondary SchoolCharmaine Murray - Sans Souci Girls High SchoolAlta van Heerden - Sunlands Primary SchoolClive Barham - Kirstenhof Primary SchoolMark Williams - Macassar Primary School

*  Attached please also find the dates of various activities (If you would like specific topics to be addressed, please let us know)
*  If you would like anything added to the programme to meet your needs, let's hear from you.
*  Early next year we will once again start calling for 'Burning issues' to be discussed with the WCED and the DBE. If you already have some issues, please forward them to me
*  I also attach a membership renewal form. Please complete and return with payment at your earliest convenience. I would also appreciate it if you can print or email membership forms and give them to principals and deputy principals in the area, who areNOT SAPA principals. The more members we have registered with SAPA the greater the impact in discussions with National and Provincial Departments.
* LAST but not least Almarie Mead, principal of Sea Point Primary, delighted us with some of the things that she does to bring FUN
(heart) into the school environment. She has put these ideas (134 of them) into her book 'Principal of FUN' that can be ordered at a cost
of R180 plus postage. Her email address is : principaloffun@gmail.com or mead@spps.wcape.school.za 

I wish you much strength for the last few weeks of term and trust that you'll have a good rest during the upcoming holiday.
Kind Regards
Cris

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/membership-form.pdf

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/sapa-programme-2012.pdf

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/sapa-wc-presidents-report-2011.pdf

Dear SAPA-members
As you know we are partners with Symphonia. I received the request below from Dr Louise van Rhyn. If you know of any 'elders' (people in this category who spring to mind is Dr Gibbon, Meryl Hewitt-Fourie, Alan Clarke, etc.), could you please pass this invitation on to them and send Cris their names and contact details so that we can follow up with them.
Kind regards 
Alta

Mobilising our "Elders" to help address the Education Crisis in South Africa.

We are sending this message to a handful of "movers and shakers" as we need your help to craft a mobilisation and engagement strategy for the elders in our society (ie those in the "Silent" & "Baby Boomers" generations). We also need your assistance to figure out who the other ‘movers & shakers' are as we think you may know some people J.

Many of us have been in conversations about how we can tap into the skills, knowledge and talents of the large group of people who are no longer in full time employment but who have so much to contribute to this challenge.

We are committed to Quality Education for All in South Africa by 2020. In order to achieve this goal we need "all hands on deck" and we envision that our elders will play a crucial role in achieving this goal.

The purpose of this message is to invite you to one of two "Strategy Crafting" conversations in December. The purpose of these conversations will be to craft a mobilisation and engagement strategy for "Elders for Quality Education for South Africa".

We are hoping to have +/- 30 "movers and shakers" at each of these conversations so that we have the best shot at crafting a powerful mobilisation and engagement strategy.

We hope that we will soon see 1000s of elders involved with:

-          Early Childhood Development;

-          After-school activities for our children;

-          Literacy and numeracy programmes for young learners;

-          Supporting leadership teams and school governing bodies at our schools;

-          Supporting and coaching teachers;

-          etc

We need your support to mobilise this group of people who have so much to offer to all of us.

Please let Melissa (schoolsadmin@symphonia.net) know if you are able to join us in December to help craft the strategy.

We would also appreciate it if you would be willing to forward this message to others who need to be at these conversations.

We look forward to seeing you in December.

Warm regards

Lynda Smith (Refirement Network) and Louise van Rhyn (Symphonia for South Africa)

Dear Sapa Members
Reminder Thursday 3 November is the SAPA end of year function at Camps Bay High School at 15:00. Almarie Mead will be speaking about her new book - The Principal of Fun - 134 ideas to help grow a school with heart.
If you have not as yet replied that you will be attending please do so for catering purposes.
Kind regardsCris

IT CAN BE HARD KEEPING A STRAIGHT FACE AS A COURT REPORTER 

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are 
things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and 
now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm 
while these exchanges were actually taking place. 

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that 
morning? 
WITNESS: He said , 'Where am I, Cathy?' 
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you? 
WITNESS: My name is Susan! 
____________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all? 
WITNESS: Yes. 
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory? 
WITNESS: I forget.. 
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you 
forgot? 
___________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: Now doctor , isn't it true that when a person dies in his 
sleep , he doesn't know about it until the next morning? 
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? 
____________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: The youngest son , the 20-year-old , how old is he? 
WITNESS: He's 20 , much like your IQ. 
___________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken? 
WITNESS: Are you shitting me? 
_________________________________________ 
(My Favorite) 
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th? 
WITNESS: Yes. 
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time? 
WITNESS: Getting laid 
____________________________________________ 
(Another favorite) 
ATTORNEY: She had three children , right? 
WITNESS: Yes. 
ATTORNEY: How many were boys? 
WITNESS: None. 
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? 
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a 
new attorney? 
____________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated? 
WITNESS: By death.. 
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated? 
WITNESS: Take a guess. 
____________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual? 
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard 
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female? 
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male. 
_____________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a 
deposition notice which I sent to your attorney? 
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work. 
______________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on 
dead people? 
WITNESS: All of them.. The live ones put up too much of a fight. 
_________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral , OK? What school did you 
go to? 
WITNESS: Oral.. 
_________________________________________ 
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? 
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM 
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time? 
WITNESS: If not , he was by the time I finished. 
____________________________________________ 
And last: 
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for 
a pulse? 
WITNESS: No. 
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? 
WITNESS: No. 
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? 
WITNESS: No.. 
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you 
began the autopsy? 
WITNESS: No. 
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor? 
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. 
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, 
nevertheless? 
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and 
practicing law. 

Dear SAPA Members

The fourth term seems to have started in a blur of activity for all schools. High schools have had their prize giving and valedictory ceremonies, the Matric exams have started. In the Primary schools its CAPS training left right and centre.

I am hoping  that next week a gap will develop in your busy schedule to come along to Camps Bay High School on Thursday the 3rd November at 15:00 for 15:30 to enjoy an end of the year function.  At this time we will be addressed by Almarie Mead, the principal of Seapoint Primary school, who will share some stories from her new book of great ideas for schools. We will also take a moment to elect a new Western Cape Executive.  Attached to this mail is a nomination form, and  a list of the current executive members who are willing to stand for another term of office (another 2 years).

List of current Executive Members willing to stand for re-election:

David de Korte

Alta van Heerden

Clive Barham

Mark Williams

Shandre Otto

Charmaine Murray

Marius Ehrenreich

Patiswa Qokweni

The proposed programme is:

3 to 3:30               Arrive and enjoy tea and biscuits

3:30 to 4               Presidents Report and elections

4 to 4:30               Almarie  Mead talks about her book

4:30 to 5:30         Refreshments

RSVP to Cris for catering purposes.

Just some comments on professional matters.

1.       Non-Teaching Staff Establishments:  We were unhappy to see that the WCED have cut back on Admin posts when we understood that the cuts were just going to be at the level of general workers. The fact that we are not allowed to renew contracts of temporary posts, and have to wait for the excess and re-deployment process to run its course is a problem. Those who remember the previous such process will recall they took years. This seems to mean that schools with temporary  secretaries and bursars will start the year with no one in the office. Who will do all the admin work? If you are in this position can you please e-mail Cris and let us know how your Team Leader expects you to manage.

2.       CAPS training : This seems to have gone well. Send comments to Cris on your experiences. We are going to start the year with High Schools implementing CAPS in Grade 10, and no training available for principals yet. In Primary schools it seems that they are being forced to follow  a work book that will only arrive after the start of school. This seems wrong. Can you let us know if we have this right.

3.       The WCED have put out a 2012  calendar which is very helpful for planning next year. Have you picked up any clashes?

4.       The Fourth term exams are supposed to start on the 18^th Nov. There has been an outcry from High Schools that offer large subject choices to be allowed to start earlier, like the   14^th or the 16^th. It seems that some circuits are allowing even earlier starts, what is happening in your circuit?

5.       Primary School Exams: We were relieved that the WCED have seen the sense in allowing the Primary schools to release their pupils at 13:00  during their exams.

See you at the end of year function.

Thanks

David de Korte

SAPA Western Cape: President

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/sapa-wc-nomination-form.pdf

Dear Colleagues

I am very proud to announce the launch of my new book - The Principal of Fun - 134 ideas to help grow a school with heart.
 
I have attached a information leaflet about the book, which includes a order form if you are interested in ordering a copy (or two).
 
I am also hoping to be able to run free workshops on the book in the near future.  If you are interested in attending then please let me know.
 
Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
Yours in education
 
Almarie Mead
Principal - Seapoint Primary School
The Principal of Fun 

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/the-principle-of-fun.pdf

Dear SAPA Members

"Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose." Andy Stanley 

Only two and a half months to the end of 2011! There are so many things that I wanted to do this year – I’ve done some, given up on others, and moved the rest to 2012. My failure to achieve all my goals makes me feel unsure of my abilities.
One of the reasons why we do not manage to do all we want is because we are so focused on the outcome of which we have little control. Instead, the outcome should be at the back of our minds, but our focus should be on the present. For example: during a sports game (e.g. Rugby) you cannot focus on winning because the result is only known at the end of the game. The focus should be on what to do with the ball that you are playing at that given moment. What you do in the present moment is one of the few things you have control over. 

If we want to make the rest of the year more productive than the first three quarters of 2011, we need to focus more on what we can do in the present. We do that by focusing on what needs to be done in order to get the desired results – to ‘get somewhere on purpose’!

Today I want you to focus on improving your skills to do what you want. What skill can you develop or improve to make a difference in your life? What can you do today in order to start developing that skill – maybe search on the internet to get information, make a phone call or book a course. 
I know you can do it, but will you?
Make it a great week
Christo Spies 

Dear SAPA-Principals

LETTER FOR CHRISTO SPIES FRIEND.

Dear SAPA Members

If you would like to send your Deputy or HOD to the Lead Workshop in Caledon next week please complete the attached registration form and fax it to me by tomorrow as I need to finalise rooms and catering.

Kind regards

Cris 

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/lead-workshop-1010.pdf

Dear SAPA Members

If you missed the National Conference in Durban last week, below are my notes of things that the speakers said that I wanted to remember. I think it was one of the best conferences we have had.  Some of the presentations have been placed on our website www.sapaonline.co.za

I hope you all enjoy a good break over the 1 week that is the holiday. Even this week has CAPS training for some teachers in it.

Till next term

Regards

David

SAPA WC President

SAPA National Conference in Durban.

September 22 - 24^th 2011

Report Back

What I learnt at the conference: David De Korte's notes.

John Gatherer shared with the conference his understanding of the current global reality this includes:

• a global skills shortage
• an on-going work force
• the generation gap
• need to retain key talent
• increased global mobility of talent
• economic crisis
• shifting power from the employer to the employee (increasedunion activity)

He went on to give us 5 factors that he believes will be the key to our extreme future: These are:

• speed
• complexity
• risk
• change
• surprise

Each of us needs to develop ourselves along the lines he called our personal brand: This was made up of our:

• character
• track record
• capability
• potential
• reliability
• Risk.

To grow we need the following people in our lives: Coach, Mentor, Specialist, Network, Colleges and managers.

He closed by listing the current agreed on qualities for success. These are: energy, drive, humility, resilience, decisiveness, courage, authenticity and awareness.

Rika Joubert was the legal expert on school safety. (From the University of Pretoria). She spelt out what we had to listen to and what not. A "regulation" we learnt is a binding document.

She defined negligence on conduct that fell short of the standard of the ‘reasonable person'.

We learnt that the principal is the person who is accountable for safety in the school.  We can be wrong in 2 ways, either by acting incorrectly, or failing to act when we should have.  She said that indemnity form is not worth anything, but we must get a letter (form of permission from the parent allowing us to take children on an outing).

Advocate Reyneke spoke on using discipline to restore the broken relationships in a school.

She reminded us that a host of factors around bullying come into the school ground with the pupils these are:

• Bullies
• Anti-social behaviour
• Rebellious children
• Power struggle
• Compulsive behaviour
• Promiscuity
• Gangs
• Undisciplined Children

Often the problems we have are merely the tip of the iceberg, with the root social problems lying hidden beneath the surface.

Igno encouraged all principals to plan on leaving a legacy he started by asking how many seeds in an apple, and we could actually get a number for this. Then he asked how many apples in a seed.  This was a challenging question.

We often say ‘When I see it I'll believe it'. We need to first believe it and then we will see it.

We were challenged to have ‘Big Dreams'. Igno told the story of rolling a tyre on the farm. Its hard work to get the ‘Big dream' going but once its rolling, it just needs some occasional energy input to keep it going.

Each staff room has 3 kinds of teachers, ostriches with their heads in the sand. Hadida's making all the complaining noises and eagles where they are soaring high above the ground. We need to be the eagles.

He left us with the following inspirational thought.

• There is no value you can put on making someone's day.
• Be thoroughly used up when you die.
• Take a break every day.
• Fly higher than an eagle, be an angel.

David William from King Edward IV, school gave us lots of facts and figures around the current state of our education in South Africa.

He informed us that R65 billion has been spent on education through school fees by the South African public over the last 20 years. He said that of the 28 000 schools in the country, 2000 were great, 6000 were ok (iffy) and 20 000 were dysfunctional.

He identified 4 aspects of a good school. These are:

• Finance
• Discipline
• Maintenance
• Administration

He ended with a list, characteristics of a good school principal.  These are:

• Working an 80 hour week.
• Regular contact with children
• The formal job description is only a start.
• Knows what needs to be done
• Engaging in projects
• Demonstrates passion.
• Networking into the community
• Has a mentor
• Knows how to ‘make a plan'.

In closing he quoted from the movie the ‘Karate Kid'

... ‘No try, only do and not do'.

Dear SAPA Members.

Enjoy today's midweek encouragement and your short break next week.
RegardsCris

"Just do what you do best." Red Auerbach

There is no one like you, you are unique! When you speak to someone, you do it in a way that no one else in the whole world does. Everything you do is done in a way that only you can do. You contribute to this world in a very special way, whether you think so or not, whether you believe it or not. 
I believe the key to a happy life is to play to your strengths. Focus on your strengths and the things you love doing, those things that energise you. Unfortunately we get so caught up in life and often end up doing only the ‘important' daily stuff that ‘needs to be done'. We therefore neglect our hobbies and those things that energise us. We are so busy that we never get to use our strengths and do the things we love to do. 

Take time today and identify what you love doing or what you would like to do more of. The challenge is to find time to do it. Start with 10 or 15 minutes every day - surely you can find 10-15 minutes every day if it's important to you. Book out this time in your busy schedule and treat it like any other appointment. Perhaps you can use the first 15 minutes just to plan the next day or to set things up. Now keep at it every day until a habit is formed. It will make a huge difference if you just do it! I know you can, but will you?
Make it a great week
Christo Spies 

Dear SAPA Members
Last SAPA on Friday was an article written by Denise Erasmus on the ICP Conference. This weeks ICP Conference article is from Clive Barham.
Reminder to book for the two day Lead Workshop in Caledon on The Neuroscience of Motivation. How to Motivate students, teachers, parents and leaders.Attached is the registration form.
Enjoy your weekend.
RegardsCris

SAPA ON FRIDAY

DOUG KEELEY: THE MARK OF A LEADER - Clive Barham

One of the many highlights of the Toronto Conference, was the five minute chat each morning and afternoon prior to the key note speakers address. The usual role of an anchor-man is to inform the audience of the route to the nearest toilets, what time the buses arrive, school visits etc. Not in this case though. Doug Keeley each day enthralled us with powerful and thought-provoking lessons on Leadership. He focussed on the levels of Leadership:

Lead with Spirit, lead with Imagination, lead with Heart, lead with Hands and lead with Passion

1.       Getting the best out of people. The Antarctic explorer, Shackleton by example manifest the finer qualities of leadership under extreme conditions. When you are tested as a leader and experience difficult conditions, leaders true qualities emerge. Shackleton had an unshakable faith in his decisions because they were made for the right reasons. He had the well-being of his stranded party as the cornerstone of each decision. All survived due to Shackleton's tenacious commitment to follow through for his men.

2.       The voices in your head. Doug used the illustration of the Roger Bannister and the successful feat of running a sub four minute mile. Bannister was successful because two other runners sacrificed their personal aspirations to achieve the goal. While running, Bannister kept shouting at the pace setter to increase the pace. The pace setter refused to and thus allowed Bannister the opportunity to conserve energy for the final lap.

3.       The leader's personal touch. Doug, a professional jazz guitarist, played 12 notes on his guitar that forms the structure of all jazz. He let the audience listen to the same notes played by Carlos Santana. What a difference! So many musicians needed the right management in order to show their brilliance. Many staff members need the encouragement of their Principal to show their abilities.

4.       Sacrificial leadership has benefits. Doug used the Hogt family as an illustration. This father-son relationship resonated deeply with the audience. The son was a paraplegic but so enjoyed being part of a race. Dad decided to run in races with his son in a modified three wheeler that he pushed. Dad faced down many opinions that ridiculed his commitment to allow his son to taste success. They eventually ran the iron-man race and completed this marathon. Let others taste success....Dad had a massive heart attack a few months later and survived because of his training with his son for the iron-man race.

5.       Caring leadership hold a team together. It's the relationship glue that holds a team together when there are difficulties and successes. The Mary Kay (cosmetics) story epitomised those fine qualities of leadership. She started her cosmetics company after suffering great hardship personally. Her trade mark was creating a caring and encouraging environment at work. Her staff felt appreciated by the CEO. She knew them personally; she made time for them and listened attentively to their stories.

Why not google:       Doug Keeley, the mark of a leader and view the clips yourself. They are powerful.

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/lead-workshop-registration-form.pdf

"You can't keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair." Martin Luther

We cannot control the weather, economy, politicians, bosses or workers, but we can control what we are thinking and how we respond to anything that happens to us. Your response is your choice! There will always be external circumstances influencing our lives and sometimes we have little or no control over them. We do however have full control over how we deal with them. 

What is occupying your mind (the 'birds' flying around you), in other words, what is affecting you negatively? How can you prevent it from nesting in your hair?

Decide what you will think when you become aware of any 'bird'. Is there something you can do? Now focus on it to make life easier for yourself and follow it through. Do it! This may seem simple, but many people cannot decide and commit themselves, they simply keep 'thinking' about it. Become aware of the ‘birds' and keep them from nesting in your hair! 
I know you can do it, but will you?
Make it a great week! 
Christo Spies  

Dear SAPA Members

One of our members attended the ICP conference in Toronto in August and has shared the highlights of the conference for our members to read.

Enjoy and if you have anything to share please forward an article to me to distribute amongst the members.

Regards

Cris

For SAPA FRIDAY

Toronto 2011  - Denise Erasmus -  Llandudno, Cape Town

 It was both a great privilege and an exciting opportunity to be present at ICP, 2011

An overwhelming sense of anticipation pervaded the auditorium each morning as 2000 passionate school leaders from around the world gathered to be part of the discussion in changing educational dynamics and sharing our beliefs on the direction of the path ahead for the common benefit of all our children.

The State of our World:

Stephen Lewis, a highly acclaimed author, articulate speaker and co founder of AIDS Free World, UNICEF Deputy Director and UN secretary general special Envoy 2001 -2006 visiting Asian and African nations in a state of conflict, addressed us as the first keynote speaker. He is the holder of 32 Honorary degrees and amongst many other accolades, the winner of the Pearson Peace Medal in 2004

In his work and investigation of human suffering, violent atrocities and illness amongst war torn nations across the world, no stronger message prevails than the need to stop the cycle of poverty and gender violence in the world that we continue to allow. In moving accounts of the desperate suffering, human on human cruelty and untold deprivation, he exhorted all school leaders to help stop the cycle of violence by prioritising one value in their teaching : Teach Our boys to Respect Our Girls  

Lay your hands on his eye opening best selling book - Race against Time - Stephen Lewis

 Breakaway session : Pathways to Building Leadership Capacity in Schools - by Dr Lorraine Slater

Dr Lorraine Slater is a highly acclaimed lecturer and published leader in the field of building and growing staff through communication and collaboration in educational Leadership.

Some powerful observations she shared:

Leadership as a collaborative effort,  challenges principals to give up some of the power of position while it invites others to become empowered.

A Principal's inability to move beyond self interest may be a barrier to developing capacity in others.

For leaders, letting go of power and ego involves:

• Emotional Labour
• Discomfort Risk
• Fear of loss of Control            ( Leadership for Collaboration - L Slater, 2005)

As Principals:

• Our role is to help staff find their talents and support them in their use.
• Be unflaggingly enthusiastic
• Principals spend ¾ of their time communicating - work on it.
• 70% of communication is non verbal. 30% is verbal : Non verbal is instrumental in conveying attitudes and emotional meaning.

Consider ? Is there a Gap between your vision and expectations, and that of your staff ?

 Why is effective personal communication important to principals in building leadership capacity?

• Trust develops when a principal uses effective communication to engage others in personal interaction
• Trust decreases organisational fear and encourages risk taking that provides opportunities for others to be leaders.

 Some food for thought.....

Dear SAPA Members

RE: Report back on meeting with Penny Vinjevold and WCED Chief Directors:

There seem to have been a lot of meetings recently. Well I guess as principals that is the story of our lives.

Attached please find the minutes of our meeting of the 1/09/2011.  These are the minutes kept by Paul Rockman, WCED secretariat. I will just add some comments below to supplement this record.

·         The WCED gave us their 2012 planning calendar which we will circulate

·         Penny noted that she felt the appointment of good principals this year had resulted in schools improving.

·         CTI Courses for 2012 are apparently on the web site already and members are encouraged to have a look and make some choices.

·         Those schools who applied to the WCED for a subsidy for fee exemption (683) will have their money paid by end of Nov 2012.

·         Cluster Moderation is not the WCED policy at present and this message should be out there

·         SAPA have been invited to submit a programme for mentoring new and struggling principals.

·         SAPA Members were asked to start talking to parents now about the governing body elections that will take place in March 2012

·         WCED seems to be slowing down on their plans to move ahead of National on implementing the performance agreements. They are now not wanting to act apart from national, and so implementation this year in the western cape will be as a pilot.

Otherwise I trust all is well at your school.

Regards

David de Korte

SAPA Western Cape: President

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/sapa-meeting-minutes-of-1-sep.docx

http://www.sapaonline.co.za/datastore/web/files/letter-to-sapa.docx

Dear SAPA Members
Please wish your Secretaries a happy day on behalf of SAPA

You Are . . . . . .by Dorothy Arnzen You are:The smiling fact that greetsWhoever comes to callAnd your hands type the lettersThat go to one and all. You are:The one who answers the callsThat come throughout the dayAnd no matter what the problemYou know just what to say. You are:The one who brews the coffeeThat makes the day go wellAnd what your kindness meansWords alone can't tell. You are:The one who is always busyMaking things go rightThough it seems we do not noticeAs often as we might. You are:The spirit of the officeAnd well the load you carryYou are that extra special personThat we call Secretary! Have a very happy Administrative Professionals Day, everyone! 

Cris John

Dear SAPA Members

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination." Tommy Lasorda

Many things we use on a daily basis (e.g. computers and cell phones) were deemed impossible a couple of years ago. This came about because someone had an idea and followed through with action and determination. 
Good ideas, dreams and goals will remain 'the impossible' unless you do something. Any action, however small, will get you going, and will create energy which will activate momentum. You just have to get going! 

Is there something that you have been postponing? What great ideas, dreams or goals have you not started even though you know it can take your life forward? Write down and clarify exactly what you want and why you want this. If you find a strong enough 'why', it will be easier to find the 'how' it could be done. Identify what steps could be taken to get you going and find one thing that you can do today. Perhaps you could call someone to get information, or make an appointment to see someone - you will know best. Now for the most important step - follow through and DO IT!
I know you can, but will you?
Make it a great week
Christo Spies 

Dear SAPA Members

Dear SAPA Members

"The more I practice, the luckier I get." (Gary Player)
Now and again I hear people say: "He/she is so lucky to get an opportunity" or "they just had a lucky break". Normally the thinking behind this is that one needs a lucky break in order to succeed. 
My experience is that success comes to those who work hard and smart, those who develop their potential and learn to deal with any interference. Of course there may be times that you have a lucky break, but unless you are fully prepared to take advantage of that situation, it will just be a missed opportunity. You need to be ready to take advantage of every opportunity and hard work prepares you for that. 
Is there an area in your life where you are procrastinating or waiting for a lucky break? Maybe today is the day you should start preparing for situations that others will call ‘lucky'? Commit yourself to do something in order to grow. Decide on how you can work hard and smart and move towards what you want. Prepare properly and you'll be amazed by how lucky you get!
I know you can do it, but will you?
Make it a great week, Christo Spies

Dear SAPA Members
Reminder Two day LEAD Workshop will be held at the Caledon Spa  20 - 21 October.  The Topic will be Neuro Learning, Leading and Teaching presented by Gavin Keller. The Neuroscience of Motivation. How to Motivate students, teachers, parents and leaders. Explore the work of Daniel Pink and Dr David Rock on how the brain reads motivation, rewards and threats.  Discuss the new learning with colleagues during the two day retreat. The 21st Century requires highly motivated education leaders and teachers who posses this leadership advantage.
If you would like a registration form please let me know and I will email it to you.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
RegardsCris 

Dear SAPA Members

The Executive will be meeting Penny Vinjevold on Thursday 1 September.  Below is a list of burning issues which they will be presenting to the department.  If you have any other issue you would like addressed at the Department please let me have it by Monday 29 August.

Enjoy the weekend.

Regards

Cris

SAPA MEETING WITH WCED            1^ST SEPTEMBER 2011

BURNING ISSUES

1.         No fee schools in different quintiles receive different funding? Surely all no-fee schools should receive the same funding.

2.         Fee exemption rebate: concern on the process and how this is communicated to schools..  Different areas seem to be following different processes.  What is the WCED policy?

3.         Khanya support for existing labs.  What is the maintenance plan?  Are there plans to upgrade equipment in the future?

4.         Proficiency tests for matric markers, what are the results like?

5.         Vacancy lists - (Comments from SAPA)

6.         Moderation:  Peer (cluster) moderation is happening again, school teachers are moderating other teachers work.  This was agreed to be the curriculum advisors job.

7.         Grade R

By 2014, all public schools will have a Grade R, but how will these pupils impact on the staff establishment?  They add work, but with no additional support staff allocation.

8.         Principal Support and Development;  Update and request.

            ACE programme is going well

Principals for possibilities is also a success. 

Mentoring.  Request for WCED to officially recognize our role in this?

9.         New school in Hout Bay

Why is this not following the Claremont model of being linked to a functioning successful school?

10.       Primary schools are unhappy because:

• They need to write formal exams to prepare for systematic evaluation
• They need to be able to go home at 13h00 after writing
• Planning time is needed.Request to close school at the end of the term at 1pm to allow for this.

Sapa Members

Dear SAPA Members

WHY WOMEN SHOULDN'T TAKE MEN SHOPPING*

*After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on
her trips to Woolworths. Unfortunately, like most men, I found
shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally
unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to
browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter
from the local Woolworths.

Dear Mrs. Jacobs,

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a
commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and
have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our
complaints against your husband, Mr. Samuel, are listed
below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

**1. **June 15**:**Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put
them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.

**2. **July 2**:**Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to
go off at 5-minute intervals.

**3. **July 7**:**He made a trail of tomato juice on the
floor leading to the women's restroom..

**4. **July 19**:**Walked up to an employee and told her in
an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right
away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned
station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in
turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to
lose time and costing the company money.

5. August**4:**Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a
box of SMARTIES on lay-buy.

6. August 14**:**Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a
carpeted area.

7. August 15**:**Set up a tent in the camping department and
told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would
bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to
which twenty children obliged.

8. August 23**:**When a clerk asked if they could help him
he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just
leave me alone?' Paramedics were called.

**9. September 4:**Looked right into the security camera and
used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

**10. September 10:**While handling knifes in the kitchen
department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

**11. October 3:**Darted around the store suspiciously while
loudly humming the ' Mission Impossible' theme.

**12. October 6:**In the auto department, he practiced his
'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.

**13. October 18:**Hid in a clothing rack and when people
browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

**14. October 21:**When an announcement came over the loud
speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO!
IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'*

*
*And last, but not least:*

**15. October 23:**Went into a fitting room, shut the door,
waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no
toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out.*

Dear SAPA Members

 RE: Draft Performance Agreement

We met with the DG and WCED Reps yesterday afternoon as part of their consultation process. We shared the meeting with Governing Body Association and the Provincial Principal's Forum reps. Thanks to our meeting on Monday with members and your mails, we were well prepared and I believe able to make a very valuable and helpful contribution to the process. We were able to raise all the points listed in the document circulated to members yesterday morning.

Some comments from the meeting that may be of interest.

• Some pre amble will be included that sets out the intention of this agreement regarding raising the standard of education  and providing a quality educational experience to each child.
• Point 5 : This heading will be rewritten as the feeling that reporting was not the essence of this relationship.
• Point 5.2 : the actual details of how this will happen will be the topic of the next meeting.
• The deputies and Principal's will have their KRA's reviewed and a greater distinction will be considered.

There will be two further meetings planned, which will cover discussion on: 

1.Discussion on the details of the KRA's and CMC's.

2. Discussion on the nature of the supervision and support the WCED has to offer as part of this contract.

We were assured that this is a consultation process and that this will not be forced through before the consultation has been completed.

Regards

David de Korte

SAPA WC PRESIDENT

The New High School principal

We watched Dennis Prager of Colorado , along with Sara Palin and Tom Brokaw on TV a couple of weeks ago....what a dynamic, down to earth speaker. Even though Palin and Brokaw were also guest speakers they did little but nod and agree with him. This is the guy that should be running for President in 2012!

A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give.... By (you have to guess)

To the students and faculty of our high school:

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our
school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of
the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked
against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity.? I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white.? I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.? The only identity I care about, the only one this
school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character,
your scholarship, your humanity.? And the only national identity this school will care about is American.

This is an American public school, and American public schools were
created to make better Americans. ?If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere.? We will end all ethnicity, race and non-American
nationality-based celebrations.? They undermine the motto of America,
one of its three central values -- e pluribus Unum, "from many, one."
And this school will be guided by America 's values.? This includes all
after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities.? This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic,
racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism -- an unhealthy preoccupation with the self -- while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more.? If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language.? My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible.? The English language has united America 's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school.??It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here -- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English --but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status.? This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly.? Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. ?These people have their priorities backward.? Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's
property -- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. ?If
you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak.? By obscene
language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications
Commission, plus epithets such as "Nigger," even when used by one black student to address another black, or "bitch," even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend.? It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish
between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs.? In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it.? One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away
from politics and propaganda.? No more time will be devoted to scaring
you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual
harassment or global warming.? No more semesters will be devoted to
condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or
primarily a health issue.? There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian.? We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself
inordinately lucky -- to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. ?As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

Dear Sapa Members

Dear SAPA Members

Dear SAPA Members

Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind – Rudyard Kipling

I do performance enhancement with some of our top athletes. One of the ways I help them reach their full potential is to change the way they talk to themselves. 

Everyone talks to themselves and the quality of this “self-talk”, to a large extent, determines your self belief, your confidence and your attitude. There is probably nobody that degrades yourself like you do when talking to yourself. When you struggle with something, you put yourself down and are very hard on yourself. This normally leads to one being negative and having self doubt, and in the end, a poor self-belief which leads to a bad attitude. Hence you don't do what you have to, or you do it half-heartily. Correcting your “self-talk” is one of the surest ways you can change your attitude and self-belief, and getting things done.

If your 'self talk' is negative (even if only in a certain field or relationship), those negative pictures control your mind. Your subconscious mind always moves you towards the most dominant picture and you create those pictures through your words. 

If you are using negative or degrading words in certain situations, write them down. Now decide what you want, and how you want to react in the future. Write it down in the present tense and use words that reflects a positive and uplifting vibe. Every time you catch yourself in negative or degrading ‘self-talk’, change it into positive and uplifting words. You’ll create uplifting pictures and automatically start moving towards a positive attitude. You’ll be amazed by the results. I know you can do it, but will you?

Make it a great week,
Christo Spies

Cris John
Sunlands Primary School
P O Box 36037
Glosderry
7702

Dear SAPA Members

Dear SAPA Members

Lipstick in School !!!!! (You've got to love this Principal)

According to a news report, a certain private school in Brisbane was
recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls
were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom.
That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press
their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the
girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She
called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the
maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing
a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every
night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses). To
demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked
the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and
cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints
on the mirror.

There are teachers.... and then there are educators...

"The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your ATTITUDE!" Dennis S. Brown 

Many people blame circumstances or other people for a “bad day”. Neither circumstances nor other people actually determine the quality of your day, only you do that. How your day will turn out is determined by your choices and your choices are driven greatly by your attitudes. The fact is that you choose your attitude in every situation! 
What is your attitude like right now? Are you so focused on your own problems, choosing to see the world as a bad place where bad things happen and everyone is against you? Or are you choosing to focus on what you can do, on how you can serve others and to see the good around you? 

Make a conscious decision now to have a good attitude despite the circumstances. Focus on what you want to do in order to improve your life, and how to serve the people around you. You will feel better about yourself and others will like it too! I know you can do it, but will you?
Make it a great day,
Christo Spies

“Always set an extra place at the dinner table, so when destiny comes
knocking at your door you invite him in as though you have been
expecting him.” Dr David Cook

People say: “Appoint me in the job, then I’ll start working hard”, or
“pick me for the team, then I’ll start training”. Most of the time you
will not get the job or promotion or get picked for the team unless
you have prepared for it. You should be ready when the opportunity
knocks. You need to prepare and train and grow so that when
opportunity arises, you are ready to open the door and invite destiny
to the table.
Are you preparing for your future? Are you reading books that can help
you grow and get better equipped? Are you talking to people who’ve
‘been there and done that’? Have you got a mentor to guide you? Are
you listening to MP3’s or watching video clips (available on the
internet) that will inspire you and give you tools to help you grow?

Will you be ready when the opportunity of a lifetime knocks on your
door? Take a few minutes to identify ways you can prepare, grow and
live – and as usual – commit to it, and take the first step now. I
know you can, but will you?
Make it a great week
Christo Spies

“Always set an extra place at the dinner table, so when destiny comes knocking at your door you invite him in as though you have been expecting him.” Dr David Cook

People say: “Appoint me in the job, then I’ll start working hard”, or “pick me for the team, then I’ll start training”. Most of the time you will not get the job or promotion or get picked for the team unless you have prepared for it. You should be ready when the opportunity knocks. You need to prepare and train and grow so that when opportunity arises, you are ready to open the door and invite destiny to the table. 
Are you preparing for your future? Are you reading books that can help you grow and get better equipped? Are you talking to people who’ve ‘been there and done that’? Have you got a mentor to guide you? Are you listening to MP3’s or watching video clips (available on the internet) that will inspire you and give you tools to help you grow? 

Will you be ready when the opportunity of a lifetime knocks on your door? Take a few minutes to identify ways you can prepare, grow and live – and as usual – commit to it, and take the first step now. I know you can, but will you?
Make it a great week
Christo Spies

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Wayne Gretzky

The fear of failure keeps too many people from realizing their dreams. It prevents people from doing something or chasing after a dream. The problem is, if you don’t do anything, you won't achieve anything. In sport you need to play in order to win, you need take the shot in order to score. Of course there is a chance that you might miss, but what if you make it, and things work out the way you want? If you want to win you need to take the shots.

What have you been putting off because you are not sure whether you will succeed? Clarify what you want, commit, and then ‘take the shot’. Get in the game and play. In other words start doing something about it, that’s the only way you’ll succeed! I know you can do it, but will you?

Make it a great week,

Christo Spies

The Deaf Bookeeper

A Mafia Godfather finds out that his bookkeeper, Enzo, has cheated him out of 10 million bucks. 

His bookkeeper is deaf. That was the reason he got the job in the first place. 

It was assumed that Enzo would hear nothing that he might have to testify about in court. 

When the Godfather goes to confront Enzo about his missing $10 million, he takes along his lawyer who knows sign language.

The Godfather tells the lawyer, "Ask him where the 10 million bucks is that he embezzled from me."

The lawyer, using sign language, asks Enzo where the money is..

Enzo signs back, "I don't know what you are talking about."

The lawyer tells the Godfather, "He says he doesn't know what you are talking about."

The Godfather pulls out a pistol, puts it to Enzo's temple and says, "Ask him again!"

The lawyer signs to Enzo, "He'll kill you if you don't tell him."

Enzo signs back, "OK. You win! 

The money is in a brown briefcase, buried behind the shed in my cousin Bruno's backyard in Woodbridge !"

The Godfather asks the lawyer, "What did he say?"

The lawyer replies, " He says you don't have the balls to pull the trigger."

Don't you just LOVE lawyers?! Brings tears to your eyes!

Dear SAPA Members
Enjoy this weeks SAPA smile.

Regards Cris

REMINDER SAPA PITSTOP

SAPA PITSTOP 
Date:    Thursday 24 February
Time:    15:00 
Venue:  Norman Henshilwood High School. 
Title:     Getting in the mind of a Teenager
Presenter:  Cathy Mcevoy


SAPA SMILE

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate.

DEAR DESPERATE

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program.

These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.

You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.

We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Supporter

Dear SAPA Members

I have just read the article below written by Helen Zille about the remarkable achievements of two matric pupils from a local school catering for the poorest of the poor. I commend it to you and hope that you too are encouraged through it to keep at the good work you are engaged to. You can and do make a difference each and every day in the lives of all the children in your school.

Stay with the mission.

Yours in Education.

David de Korte

PRESIDENT

SAPA WC

SAPA :President Western Cape

  24 January 2011

 A Weekly Newsletter from the Leader of the Democratic Alliance:

OUTLIERS - The story of Masibambane High School

 In his best-selling book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell seeks to unravel “the story of success” - exceptional success, not just great achievement.

He defines an outlier as a “statistical observation that is markedly different from the

norm” and asks: why do some people achieve so much more than

others? How come they lie so far outside the ordinary? What is the

secret of their success? He tries to find the answers by examining the

lives, times and circumstances of legendary figures like Bill Gates, the

Beatles and various sports stars.

 In each case, he finds the fortuitous

combination of three key factors:

                               ● Opportunity;

                               ● Natural ability combined with

enormous personal effort; and

                               ● The proverbial “hand of fate”

- a confluence of circumstances that make exceptional

things possible.

I decided to test Gladwell’s thesis after the recent release of matric results. It is appropriate to use the

term “Outlier” to describe a 17-year old boy, who lives in a

backyard shack with his single mother and three siblings, and achieves 7

distinctions in matric, including 97% for higher grade mathematics and

the top award in the Western Cape for life sciences.

A shy, finely-built young man, Asavela Rawe arrived at the annual “matric achievers” 

ceremony in the school uniform of Masibambane high school. As I handed him his award (in my

capacity as Premier), I resolved to find out what lay behind his

exceptional achievement. When his classmate Monde Simbosini (three

distinctions and 98% for higher grade mathematics) was also honoured, I

was even more determined to find out more about the school that serves

the poverty-stricken community of Bloekombos and achieved a 95% pass

rate with 24 subject distinctions.

The purpose of my investigation was to address this simple question: what is the government’s role in

creating the circumstances that offer children the opportunity to excel?

If this can happen in Masibambane, what must we do to enable it to

happen elsewhere? How much of Asavela and Monde’s academic success can

be attributed to opportunity, intelligence, personal effort, and plain

good luck?

 During my investigation, I concluded that all these factors played a role, each a tributary flowing into a

river, reinforcing one another to create the momentum for exceptional

achievement.

Having sourced the cell number of the school’s principal, Mr Rajan Naidoo, I gave him a call. I apologized

for phoning him on a Friday evening during the school holidays.

“No, no”, he replied. “I am at school. We always start the matrics a week early, so that they settle

into the learning programme before the other pupils arrive.”

That said a lot about the ethos of Masibambane.

I asked Mr Naidoo if I could visit the school, and possibly meet the key matric teachers and the chair of the

governing body. I also enquired whether it would be possible to speak to

Asavela and Monde as well. “Come tomorrow morning at 11,” he replied

without hesitation. The ne xt day, Mr Naidoo welcomed me to the school

accompanied by his daughter, Vinolia, a second year law student. She

reminded me that we had met before at the opening of the

state-of-the-art operating theatres at Red Cross Children’s hospital.

I then recalled the lovely, petite young woman who had given a moving

speech about the doctors and staff that had saved her life through a

combined liver and kidney transplant.

While doctors were battling to save his daughter’s life, her father, then a deputy school principal in Durban,

had applied for teaching posts in Cape Town, so that he could be near

his desperately ill child. He was appointed principal at Masibambane in

2003, at that time one of the weakest schools in the Western Cape.

“The hand of fate”, I thought to myself as I applied Gladwell’s thesis.

On the final weekend of the holidays, the school property was a hive of activity - a gardener weeding, a

cleaner sweeping and a handyman painting a classroom. “We are

preparing for the opening of school next week” he said as he showed me

the stacks of text books and stationery ready for distribution on day

one.

He proudly walked me around his school, formerly a derelict provincial building which was converted into a

school in 2001. He explained how he had driven each improvement,

including a sports field with an embankment where pupils can sit and

cheer their teams. There is a computer laboratory, a science laboratory,

a small library (with a rack for daily newspapers), a kitchen for the

feeding scheme, a new hall and toilets. The absence of any sign of

vandalism was striking.

“Opportunity,” I thought to myself. Decent basic facilities are necessary to create opportunity, but

entirely insufficient on their own. What Mr Naidoo said next, delivered

in his characteristic matter-of-fact way, demonstrated why Masibambane

is a school capable of producing “outliers”.

“When Vinolia came out of hospital, I wanted her to be near me, so I enrolled her here, at Masibambane,” he

said. “I believe principals should be prepared to enrol their own

children in their schools, to show they have confidence in the quality

of the education they are providing for other children”.

He paused and added: “Vinolia was probably the first Indian child to attend a township school.”

We entered the new administration building, where a small gathering was waiting at a table laid with

refreshments.

There I was introduced to Mr Yusif Sium, the school’s mathematics teacher; Mr Andre Kleinschmidt, who

teaches physics and life sciences; Mr Shimeless Zeleke the maths

literacy teacher; Mr Phumzile Dosi, the English teacher and grade 12

co-ordinator; Mr Thabiso Motsana the life orientation teacher; and Mr

Michael Vena, the chair of the school governing body. There were also

the star pupils, Asavela and Monde, together with Asavela’s mother,

Lungiswa, who works at the “fruit and veg” section of Checkers in

Kraaifontein. She told me she had not seen Asavela’s father since her

baby was one month old. “That is why I say he died,” she said.

Monde’s parents were visiting family in the Eastern Cape.

Mr Naidoo told me he and the governing body applied a strict “merit selection” policy when recommending

teachers for positions at the school.

It was not always that way.

“When I came to this school, I confronted a governing body that had a different approach. Some were

even prepared to accept bribes from applicants to be nominated for

positions. Everything was politicised. It was difficult to change that

approach. We had some conflict about it. But I knew the school would

only succeed if we applied merit selection”. He recalls the backing

and support he received from an outstanding senior circuit manager, Mrs

Ntombi Dwane, who helped him implement the new policy.

“Today I follow a strict policy of keeping party politics out of this school. We take decisions on their

merits. We employ our staff on the basis of their ability to teach our pupils,” Mr Naidoo emphasized.

This was immediately apparent as I spoke to the teachers. Their own stories show an astounding confluence

of excellence and effort, influenced by the inevitable “hand of

fate”. Mr Sium, for example, is an Eritrean studying actuarial

science part-time at the University of Cape Town. He earns his living as

Masibambane’s maths teacher.

The team ethos and mutual support were tangible. But the greatest insights came from the pupils themselves.

Asavela and Monde told me how they were able to stay at school until 9 o’clock at night, so that they could

study in an environment conducive to learning. They negotiated the

after-hours use of their classrooms with teachers, and worked in groups

to assist others with their homework. Prefects were given the

responsibility of locking up when they left. They were accountable for

the state of the premises the next day.

Then Asavela made the following observation: “Monde and I would not have done so well if we were not

competing with one another. We are good friends, but also competitors.

That helped a lot. We will carry on as friendly competitors when we go

to University.” Both will study actuarial science at UCT next year,

and Mr Sium has made a commitment to continue teaching and supporting

them.

I asked Mrs Rawe whether we could visit her home - two shacks in the backyard of an RDP house in Bloekombos.

Her baby was asleep on her bed. She told me the tiny premature boy had

spent 5 months in Tygerberg hospital, where she had remained with him.

With his mother away, Asavela had spent most of his matric year taking

personal responsibility for his younger siblings as well as himself. All

of his belongings, including the computer he had won as a prize for his

matric results, were neatly stacked in a small pile at the bottom of his

narrow bed. I realised that he had come to the matric achievers function

in his school uniform because it was probably the only suitable outfit

he had.

Above his pillow, he had written on the shack wall in red koki: “A true gentleman is a true genius in

calculation. A true legend lives on”. Those words gave him

inspiration, he told me.

 We then went on to visit Monde’s house. He lives with his siblings in a backyard shack of his parents’

RDP house, where he shares a bed with his brother.

The rest of the space in the shack is taken up by a rickety home-made table on which stands an ancient Dell

computer.

“You must never get rid of that computer,” Asavela said to Monde. “That computer helped us to

succeed”.

Monde told me that his uncle had been given the computer by his employers when they upgraded their systems.

Together Monde and Asavela set it up - and through their own efforts

turned this stroke of luck into yet another opportunity. At school,

during the day, they downloaded matric papers and worked on them late

into the night, on the old computer in the shack. “The computer kept

freezing, but we kept starting it again,” said Monde.

That comment captured it all.

We often talk about the “opportunity” society. On that Saturday I saw what this idea

can mean when opportunity meets singular human effort. The key priority

of any government is to create real opportunities for all, so that

people can use them.

It is true that “Outliers” like Asavela and Monde cannot be used as the yardstick for the rest of

society. But the story of Masibambane as a school is a demonstration

that many young people, of average ability, can become part of the

“story of success”. There is no reason why this cannot become

South Africa’s story too.

Yours Sincerely,

Dear SAPA Members

I require the following by the end of today:

1.  Survey for Weekend Argus. How many of our SAPA co-ed schools have single sex classes.  We need this info by this mornng.  Please just respond with YES they don't want schools' names.

2.  Burning Issues for meeting with Penny.  I will need that by Tuesday latest as we need to send her an Agenda.

3.  TODAY IS THE DEADLINE TO BOOK FOR NEXT WEEKS SAPA BRUNCH AT THE LAGOON BEACH HOTEL IN MILNERTON. (I need to confirm numbers by the end of today).
Cost is R160 per member  R280 per non member.  SAPA is once again subsidising the brunch.  Our guest speaker is Professor Wayne Derman.  Remember I cannot take any late bookings and no "walk ins" on the day will be allowed.  Please check the list of schools that have booked with me if you are coming and your school is not on the list please let me know asap.
Schools that have booked for the brunch:  Abbotts x2 / Barkley House Molteno Rd /  Bergvliet Primary / Camps Bay Primary x 2 / Camps Bay High x 2 / Gordon High / Greenfield Girls / Groote Schuur High School x 2 /  Grove Primary x3 / John Graham Primary / Kirstenhof Primary x2 / La Gratitude Pre-Primary / Llandudno Primary / Muizenburg Junior  / NHHS x2 / Macassar Primary /Oakhurst Girls / Pinelands North Primary / Rondebosch Boys Prep / Rustenburg Girls Junior x 2 / Rustenburg Girls High / Rhenish Girls High x 2 / Sans Souci Girls High / Simonstown High x 2 / St Josephs Marist College x3 / St Marys Primary / Sunlands Primary x 2 / Sweet Valley Primary / Turfhall Primary / Wynberg Boys High x 2 /  / Zandvliet High / 

SAPA ON FRIDAY


LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM STRAWBERRY PICKING (Steve Benjamin 1987)

*  LOOK FORWARD AND BACKWARD.  You need to know what has been completed and what remains to be picked in the strawberry field.  Leaders need to be forward looking and also be able to learn from the past, while maintaining their focus on the present.  All three "looks" are necessary.

*  STAND UP OCCASIONALLY AND STRETCH.  The strawberry picker must avoid exhaustion and draw encouragement from what has been achieved.  Leaders need the rejuvenation and inspiration that can come from standing back and reflecting from time to time.

*  BUGS AND SLUGS.  The strawberry crop can be ruined by forces in the environment, such as "bugs and slugs", and these must be guarded against. So, too, wise leaders are aware of the forces and factors that endanger success and need to be dealt with.  Good leaders have their feet on the ground and are realistic.

*  PICK THE BERRIES.  Talking about the work will not get the task done.  Bending down and picking is essential. Leaders need to be action-orientated.  Planning can be overdone.  Rather plan, do, learn from mistakes, and make improvements.

*  BE ALERT FOR MISSED BERRIES.  Be on the lookout for under-utilized human and material resources.  Be open to new ideas.

*  NO ONE IS PERFECT.  No Strawberry patch, no picker.  In the real world mistakes will always be made, but the good leader ensures that these are learned from and that they form the basis for progress.

Dear SAPA Members

Reminder Friday is the deadline to book for the Brunch at Lagoon Beach Hotel.  No late bookings or "walk ins" on the day allowed.  Price is R160 per member.  Don't miss out sharing and hearing the latest from your colleagues.  Professor Derman is the guest preenter and will be speaking will be speaking on: " In the Zone".
If you are attending and have not as yet informed me please do so by Friday.  I need the name of school and the names of the delegates attending the brunch.  Come and have some fun.

Regards
Cris

MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT


"Sow a thought and you reap an act; Sow an act and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny." Samuel Smiles

Sowing and reaping are basic life principles even used frequently in the Bible. 
What you receive (reap) is directly linked to what you planted (sowed). 
That is also true for your thoughts. What you think about(sow) determines your destiny. Your thoughts create emotions and actions, and your repeated actions become habits. Your habits will shape your character and your character will determine how you live your life. So watch what you think about because it is shaping your destiny! 
Decide to control your thoughts today to think good and uplifting thoughts. When you catch yourself having a negative or degrading thought, change it by focusing on something positive that will build you up. In doing so, you set off a chain reaction that will shape your life for years to come! 
I know you can do it, but will you?
Make it a great week,
Christo Spies

Dear SAPA Members

Below is an invitation to the launch of South Africa - Alive with Possibility.  To confirm your attendance please contact Johleen at 021-913 3507 or send an e-mail to Johleen@symphonia.net to request a registration form. 

Regards

Cris

Dear SAPA Members

Please find attached the SAPA Membership 2011 application form.  Please complete by printing clearly and fax it with proof of payment to 021-7978010. 
Please also pass on to neighbouring schools and any new principals in your circuit.

Kind regards
Cris

MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT

I have never met a man who has given me as much trouble as myself - DL Moody

I know that is 100% true of my life, most of my problems are caused by me. But when any problem arises, I tend to look for the cause outside myself and when you seek, you will find. So I start thinking that certain people or groups or happenings had something to do with my feelings.

When you look for a common denominator in all your problems, you’ll find that it’s you. That means that you if want to do something about your problems or the way you deal with them, you have to start with you.

Is there something you can do in the next week that would make your life worse?
Is there something you can do to make your life better within the next week?
Most of you will agree that there’s something you can do right now to make your life either better or worse, and that means the choice is yours. Therefore you’re not a victim.

My challenge this week is for you to take full responsibility for your own life. See in what way you are contributing towards your problems. Decide to change it and start looking for ways to do something about it. I know you can, but will you?
Make it a great week,

Christo Spies

Dear SAPA Members

Reminder our end of year function will be at Groote Schuur High School in the Nassau building at 15:00.  Penny Vinjevold will be our guest speaker.  If you have not yet sent in your name for the event please do so today as I need to confirm catering.

Many thanks
Cris


MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT

If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." Maya Angelou

When people don’t like something in their lives, they start complaining and tell everybody about it. What they are then actually doing, is just focusing more on it. Inevitably, they become depressed and negative.

Instead of moaning and groaning, adjust your focus and change your attitude regarding the situation. Identify something uplifting that you can focus on. Deal with it more effectively by: 1) Identifying the problem; 2) spending time thinking of solutions, and 3) most importantly – apply them.

If you have issues like that in your life, decide now not to complain or tell others about it. The moment you start thinking about the problem, adjust your focus to something uplifting. Change your attitude and it will change your life. I know you can, but will you?

Make it a great day
Christo Spies

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope
for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it
from a distance but live right in it, under its roof." Barbara
Kingsolver

Most people use the word ‘hope’ very lightly. They hope for this and
that, they hope certain things will or will not happen and they hope
that they will get a lucky break somewhere.
Hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Hope empowers
you, gives you direction and make you aware of opportunities and
possibilities. The wonderful thing is that hope for you can be created
by you.
Hope can be created in two steps:
1. by identifying exactly what you want for that particular area of
your life, and
2. by preparing mentally to deal with any good or bad along the way.

Most people are very vague about what they want and often only know
what they don’t want. Once they start pursuing it, they give up at the
first sign of adversity.

If you know what you want, it will give you clarity of mind and
purpose. When you are mentally prepared to deal with anything, that
makes you mentally tough and it changes the pursuit of what you want
into a very strong 'hope' in that area. Therefore, when you set clear
cut goals and you know how to deal with it mentally, you create hope.
My challenge to you this week is to write down two goals and how you
will pursue them. Clarify exactly what you want. Now jot down a couple
of predictable and unforeseen scenarios that can happen along the way.
For each of these, decide what you are going to think when it occurs,
and what would be the best way to deal with it. Realise that you are
busy creating hope, and where there is hope there is life and power.
I know you can do it, but will you?
Make it a great week full of hope!
Christo Spies

Dear SAPA Members

Reminder to book your place as the SPA for the upcoming LEAD Workshop
21 and 22 October.
The topic is on Revising Discipline, we have decided to give
Principals an opportunity to dig their teeth into the recent research
on behaviour management and discipline.

Spend two days at the Caledon Spa with colleague and debate, think,
share and agonise over the best way to reach, teach and lead the Y
Generation. Review your discipline policy and share best practice
against recent research.  A couple of days with colleagues will not
only energise the school leader, but provide you with a better
perspective on how to touch lives.  If you are battling with
discipline – and we all are – then this LEAD Seminar is designed just
for you.  And as the sun sets – slip into the warm waters at the Spa
and ponder the good things in life!

The Ten R's of this Seminar on Discipline:

1. Rewrite neural Roadways in the brains of educators and parents.

2. Rapidly wRite neural Roadways from Grade R to matRic. (Fire neurons
often to make pathways)

3. Recognise the Role of Role-models in discipline (ie educators and parents)

4. Read the Research on why our current discipline is based on FAST
and DIRTY Reactions instead of SLOW AND ACCURATE Responses.

5. Redesign our school Regulations (Regulate human behaviour in order
to improve responses)

6. Revamp Punishment into Consequences (Punishment is a reaction to a
state of mind - Consequence is accountability for the behaviour and
creates new roadways in the brain.)

7. Discover how the brain loves Routine. (Schools that change the
routine often battle with discipline issues)

8. Value Relationships with the Y Generation. (This Generation is
socially connected everywhere - except at school with their
educators!)

9.  Re-ignite a passion for teaching, leading and learning.

10. Get Rejuvenated as a School Leaders.

SAPA Principals lead better – because they lead TOGETHER!

Hope to see you at the SPA.

Kind regards
Cris


MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT


"Habits are to the soul what the veins and arteries are to the blood,
the courses in which it moves." Horace Bushnell
‘Believe it or not, they used to build bridges by first flying a kite
from one side of the river or gorge to the other. Someone on the
opposite side caught the kite and tied a little thicker, stronger
string to the end of the kite string, and the men who had sent the
kite over pulled the new, thicker string back across. The teams on
each side kept repeating the process, next with an even stronger
string, then a cord, then a thin rope, then a thicker rope, and so on.
Eventually they could pull a small steel cable across, then a heavier
one, until finally they had a cable across the expanse that was strong
enough to support them and their tools and materials. And it all
started with one tiny kite string!
That’s how habits are formed, both good and bad. Add a thread every
day, and before long you can’t break it. Start developing a good habit
by taking the first step, however small, in the right direction. Then
keep at it until you’ve built up a routine that can’t easily be
broken.’ (taken from: Building Habits by Peter Amsterdam,
co-administrative head of The Family International)
Now sit back, and think what habit you would like to have as part of
your life in order to improve your life. Decide on at least one step
you can take today to get it going. You know what it is, now just do
it! I know you can, but will you?
Make it a great week,
Christo Spies

--
Cris John
Sunlands Primary School
P O Box 36037
Glosderry
7702

Office:   +27-21-797 8010
Fax:      +27-21-762 2697
Mobile:   073 220 7067

Dear Colleagues

The SAPA National Conference arrangements are going well and we are very excited about the wonderful programme we have been able to put together, as well as all the little 'extras' that we have sourced. Our list of dignitaries is growing and we are particularly pleased that the president of the International Confederation of Principals, Mr Andrew Blair, will now also be joining us at the conference.
The exhibitors will be offering many lucky draw prizes at the stands. Some of the big items mentioned are data projectors, a training course for a whole staff, ipods, etc. etc.
We have had a great response from principals from other provinces but we still need WC-principals to boost our numbers to reflect that we are the organising province! Come on, Western Cape, let's show them that we are a 'force' to be reckoned with!
If you haven't yet booked for this wonderful conference right on your doorstep, please do so immediately. The cost to yourself or your school will be minimal because you don't have to pay for accommodation or long distance travel. If you can afford it, please also sponsor a non-SAPA principal with the idea of him/her becoming a member of our organisation!
If you wish to still pay the 'early bird' fee, contact Cris at the SAPA-WC office!

Hope to hear from you soon!
Alta van Heerden

Office:   +27-21-797 8010
Fax:      +27-21-762 2697

MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT

"Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing." --Zig Ziglar

People in general want more and more out of life, mostly more stuff. More money, more time, more love, more everything. The problem is that more is never enough. People are never satisfied and then live unfulfilled lives. A change in attitude can remedy this. One needs to be grateful for what we have. We will then be amazed by the contentment that we will experience in our lives.

My challenge to you today is to name ten things that you can be grateful for. As you name them, count them down on your fingers. Do this before you even get up, and then at night just before you go to sleep. Keep up this challenge for the next seven days and see how it changes your attitude towards life. Try and name different things every time you do it. Create an attitude of gratitude and it will change your life!

I know you can do it, but will you?

Make it a great week,

Christo Spies