2 July 2016 -

Head’s Message
Junior School News
Senior School News
Leadership
House News
Day of Discovery
Counselling Center News
Sports News
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Dear St Mary’s DSG Community
I would love to tell you about my children.
But I won’t!
Don’t we love to boast about our offspring? Don’t we love it
when they are successful, first of all in small things and then
in big things. But aren’t we just a teeny bit competitive? “My
child walked at nine months, when did yours?” It is not just
about our child shining, but that they should shine brighter
than others.
I hear parents on the side of the sport field. Encouragement
resonates but so also does the need to win. Is winning
actually an important life skill? What is success?
Speak to those whose lives are waning and we all know that
what we will be told stands powerfully juxtaposed to how we
live. Love more, buy less. Find happiness, not possessions.
Build relationships. Be content with what you have. Live
simply. Help others.
What success would a school have which stands deliberately
apart from the driving need to be successful, the need to
compete and to win, and actually teaches sacrificial service,
humility, community and simplicity? I am sure that you and I
want St Mary’s DSG to be these latter things, but we also
want to be seen as the best, to win.
Marketing is essentially boasting about those things which
attract customers, and exercising practices which will keep
them. How does this fit in with humility? It is a difficult
question. You and I, like we are with our children, are not
really content that St Mary’s DSG is just successful. We want
to say that we are the best (and add hopefully that my
daughter makes it the best!)
As we reach the winter half-term, we are all aware of the
long 9 weeks to reach this point, and I thought I would share
these thoughts that I am wrestling with.
My other thoughts look back on the events of the half term:
a new bishop, all the sporting activities, all the concerts, all
the parent interaction, music Thursdays, assessments, marks
and comments, chapel services and assemblies, meetings of
the Governing Body and Sub Committees, pastoral concerns
and interventions, management meetings, budgets, laughs
and tears……it has been a rich half term, fully delivering the
holistic education for which we are known.
My thoughts also dwell on the recent Tshwane unrest, the
greed of tenderpreneurs, Brexit and economic uncertainty,
nationalism and mass immigration, ISIS and suicide bombers,
the homeless, poverty and corruption. It is not an easy world
to be in. The solutions to thoughts that I am grappling with
for the school must provide solutions in the future, and the
girls who leave our school must take the solution out.
That then is a school involved in true education.
The Revd Canon A W Paterson
Head of School
St Mary’s DSG firefighters!
The Grade 0 girls have had an exciting
term so far.
In the theme of “People Who Help Us”,
they had to earn their own money by
helping around the house. Then they got
to go shopping and interact with the
people who help in the shops.
We went out to a Fire Station where we
saw all the things the fire fighters need to
fight fires. They sprayed the hose, dressed up in the fire uniform
and rode in the fire engine.
During the theme of “Materials”, the girls learnt about different
properties of materials experimenting with what is waterproof
or not; which materials float or sink, and magnetic and nonmagnetic materials.
We had an outing to the Sci-Enza museum where the girls learnt
about how sound travels, and interacted with many different
displays the highlight being the walk through the mirror maze!
The girls have also been part of the exciting activities of WESSA
and have learnt about bees, being water wise and recycling.
They made and showed their classmates their recycled games
and objects.
A whole lot of wonderful learning!
Mrs Fiona Pienaar
Grade 0 Teacher
Junior School IT
Everyone learns at St Mary’s DSG Junior School. Our teachers
are working hard learning to use Seesaw and File Browser on
the iPads.
Mrs Andrea Hundermark
Head of Information Technology -Junior School
Music Appreciation
I have had the wonderful opportunity of initiating a new
cultural club, ‘Music Appreciation’, in the Junior School this
year. This new cultural club is offered to Grade 1-3 girls on a
Thursday afternoon. This unique session allows girls to
participate actively in a range of musical experiences,
regardless of their age or ability. The girls enjoy exploring
musical styles, playing melodic and percussion instruments,
gaining knowledge about various music styles and
composers.
The girls meaningfully involve themselves as listeners,
performers and creators of music through a variety of
composers: Peter Tchaikovsky, Camille Saint-Saëns, Leroy
Anderson to name just a few. In these interactive sessions,
the girls are exposed to an array of musical concepts and
elements and they develop a variety of different music skills
in a fun environment.
Your daughter
to sign up for
she is keen to
her Thursday
with a splash
colour!
is welcome
this club, if
brighten up
afternoon
of musical
Miss Kirsty Frigyik
Teacher: Foundation Phase
Culture Performances in the Junior
School
May and June have been extremely busy months for the
Junior School Cultural department. Our Junior and Senior
Choirs have performed at various functions at St Mary’s DSG
and other schools.
The Junior Choir had a wonderful choir morning performing
at Woodhill College with Junior choirs from WHPS and Tyger
Valley College. They also stole the show at the Friends in
Concert and our Mothers’ Day Assembly, with their beautiful
singing and dancing.
The Senior Choir started the term off with a bang, as they
had a wonderful camp over the first weekend of term. This
was in preparation for the Choir Eisteddfod that took place at
Tygerpoort Primary School. The camp was hard work, but
also lots of fun for the girls. The sacrifice was definitely worth
it, as the choir achieved an A+ for their performance. The
choir also serenaded audiences at the Friends in Concert,
Southdowns College Choir Festival and the Mothers’ Day
Assembly.
The Junior School Orchestra and Marimba Group have grown
tremendously this year. The girls have shown true
commitment to their rehearsals, and performed beautifully
at the Friends in Concert and our Fathers’ Day Assembly. The
highlight of our term was when these two groups performed
‘Chariots of Fire’ as a collaboration.
There are many performances lined up for the rest of the
year, and I am looking forward to see our girls continue to
share their love for music with all of us.
Mrs Hildegard Joseph
HOD: Music and Culture
Culture
“Culture is the intersection of people and life itself. It’s how
we deal with life, love, death, birth, disappointment…
All of that is expressed in culture.”
By Rebecca Pillay
This term has been an exhilarating and eventful term for the
cultural portfolio. From the lively music Thursdays, to the
sensational events, members of the Cultural Portfolio worked
tirelessly to expose the St Mary’s DSG community to all
facets of culture in entertaining and exciting ways. The Elite
Music Concert, which was held on 14 June, was a truly
unforgettable event, as it showcased the talents of
distinguished individuals in the musical arena of St Mary’s
DSG. Auditions were held in order to compile a programme
of the true crème-de-la-crème of St Mary’s DSG music,
allowing the audience to be completely captivated. The
inclusion of the Inter-House Instrumental ensembles in the
programme, added further flare and House spirit to the
event, and truly displayed the talents of St Mary’s DSG
musicians in their individual capacity and in groups. This
week was packed with culture, as the following day, 15 June,
was Cultural Day. This long-awaited event did not fail to
deliver on its promise to surprise, captivate and mesmerize
the St Mary’s DSG community. The theme of cultural day
placed an emphasis on the importance of youth in society
and the expression of the ideas of the youth, through various
forms of culture. This was executed excellently and was an
early tribute to the June 16th Youth Day. An inspirational
video was played at the commencement of the programme
that portrayed the history behind Youth Day and the role of
the Youth in society. This impacted the ladies positively and
re-enforced their knowledge about South African history,
while challenging them to take up their role as the future of
South Africa, embracing their own culture and the variety of
different cultures in the process. The programme included
acts from all different areas of St Mary’s DSG culture. From a
powerful “spoken word” item to freestyle rapping, this year
provided an extensive view of culture, with new perspectives
and voices, which have previously gone unnoticed.
Exceptional dramatic monologues were performed by the
talented St Mary’s DSG ladies, as well as unbelievable
Physical Theatre items, by the matric Drama students. The
audience was also treated to a remarkable physical theatre
performance by Oakfield College. It is no secret that the
cultural portfolio has given a new definition to culture at St
Mary’s DSG. Through the various cultural events, the St
Mary’s DSG ladies could experience the intersection of
culture with life and embrace the culture within them in a
new and profound way.
Ms Rebecca Pillay
Student: Grade 12
Wine, Whisky and Cheese Tasting
‘There was no whining to be had’
On Friday 24 June, the monoXrepublic debutante’s group
held a wine, whisky and cheese tasting event. The Lobolla
and Taillard family wine makers were the show stoppers,
everyone who attended had to sip the delicate white notes
and sample the round, deeper red ones of the wines. A pair
of whiskys were available to test to the great satisfaction of
the connoisseurs and amateurs.
A special thank you to Linda Retief for her fabulous energy
that she brought to the event, as well as all the moms, dads,
friends and a dog who supported the it too. Every bit makes
it more successful.
Miss Ashleigh Watson
Teacher: English
Grade 9 Time Capsule Project
‘It’s only a matter of time’
The Grade 9 girls reminisced about their past, revelled in
their present and peered into their future with their digital
time capsule project this term. The inspiration behind this
project stems from the film Into the Storm which highlights
the importance of appreciating the gift of the present as well
as the ability to reflect on how the past has shaped who they
are. In a world where so often everything is in flux, it’s truly a
skill to be able to stop and reflect.
The English Department challenged the Grade 9 girls to
create a short film in which they briefly look at their past and
how it’s shaped them, explore their current reality and
describe their hopes and dreams not only for St Mary’s DSG
but the rest of their lives. This capsule will be screened to the
girls in their matric year of 2019. We hope this will show
them how far they have come, their joys and privileges and
remind them of where they are headed.
Miss Carinne Downard
Teacher: English
Geography
On 8 June 2016, the St Mary’s DSG Grade 10 Geography
girls went on an outing to the South African Weather Service
(Irene) with Geography teacher Miss Jacqui Brown.
The experience was one to remember. The reason for this
spontaneous trip was because the girls have been studying
Climatology and the focus has been on weather.
The journey to the South African Weather Service (Irene) was
bumpy and full of joyful laughter with the occasional loss of a
jelly baby because with these trips it’s “once in the bus, out
with the food”.
At the South African Weather Service (Irene) we met a
meteorologist and she showed the girls how they measure
the atmosphere, using a Hydrogen Balloon.
The balloon travels to great heights and as it travels up the
box attached to the bottom of the balloon collects the data
from the Ozone and sends it to the main computer where the
data is put into graphs and charts.
The Meteorologist after releasing the Ozone Balloon then
took us into an auditorium where he proceeded to tell us
more about the careers and the ways in which we collect
data.
We learnt a lot and definitely will consider the careers due
to the fact that no science is needed! The facility has been
around for many years even before people had invades
Irene.
The whole day from 09:00 – 13:30 was full of knowledge and
joyful laughter, it was a
memorable experience.
On the way back the girls
made a quick stop at
MacDonald’s and ended
the day with some icecream and a less bumpy
drive home.
Ms Aneesa Motseki
Student: Grade 10
Head Girl
Together We Rise
We are halfway through 2016, and I could not have wished
for a better year. It has been nothing but a privilege to serve
as the Head Girl for St Mary’s DSG so far this year. Along with
the best team of task leaders, we have reached great heights.
From the Grade 8 orientation to the Prefects’ Ball (as
pictured below), and from exciting tasks to taking assemblies,
we are reaching our goal of uplifting others. We can
accomplish so much more by working together. Together we
rise - this is our legacy.
Katherine de Groot
Head Girl 2016
The Boarding House
One would think that 200 teenage girls of different ages
living together, sharing a space is a chaotic and potentially
unpleasant situation. Chaotic? Yes indeed, but far from
unpleasant. Our parents sent us to an all girls school to build
our sense of community and sisterhood, and what better way
to enhance one’s experience of sisterhood, than to live with
199 of your sisters.
“A never ending sleepover” is one of the phrases used to
describe the St Marys DSG Boarding House. We are
Khomanani Mohlaba and Tsetsa Gabasiane, the Head and
Deputy Head of Boarding for 2016. Our job is to liaise with
Mrs Shields, the matrons, and our 7 boarder leaders, in order
to make the boarding house as enjoyable and memorable as
possible for those who come home to it. The past year has
been very busy, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. After
six months of our duties, we can confidently say that it has
been a pleasure to serve the boarders.
“Don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or
brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of
parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people
have to work at.” – Maya Angelou. The essence of sisterhood
one experiences in the Boarding House, is something that we
are truly grateful for.
Khomanani Mohlaba
Head of Boarding
Public Relations Portfolio
The Public Relations Committee consists of girls in Grade 11
and 12 who are all very passionate about the school. This
year’s aim for the committee is to market and showcase the
school in the best new innovative ways which would involve
the girls of the school more when possible to create a
passion for school within the school and to maintain and
enhance the school’s excellent reputation. Under the
guidance of Mrs Broughton, it is a great pleasure to say that
the goals for the year have been met. The committee had a
jam-packed first term filled with school expos almost every
weekend all leading up to the schools successful Open Day.
This term the committee has helped with Day of Discovery
and looks forward to the future events coming up which
included the PA’s ‘Concert in the Park’.
Ms Segomotso Modisenyane
Head of PR
Chapel Portfolio
When God finds people willing to serve as he leads them, the
possibilities are limitless. I have helped others spread their
wings and fly with the aid of God serving as their foundation.
It has been a privilege to work alongside Father Leonard and
my fellow Sacristans in regards to continuously building the
school’s spiritual affairs.
At the beginning of the year I set a goal which is to encourage
the growth of the members of St Mary’s DSG community
through initiating platforms for foundations to be built upon.
An example of a newly-formed platform is the ‘Prayer
Warriors Group” catering for the Senior School Boarders. The
goal is to develop a sisterhood through Christ by being
accountable for one another.
In the bible it is written in Mark 10:45 -45 for even the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many.” Similar to Jesus, I hope to
continuously give back to the St Mary’s DSG community in
my elected role.
Ms Bokani Mbulai
Head of Chapel
Sports Portfolio
My Name is Demi O’Connor and I am the head of sport for
2016. This year has been an eventful year and just as busy as
any other especially in the second term. The various winter
sports experienced up to two matches per week as well as
having their normal training times. This left the girls
exhausted and made the school very proud. The first teams
received new uniforms and the ladies look exceptional. This
year my main vision was to improve the sport of the school
mainly by improving the support from the other ladies. This
has proved to be successful as the girls who are playing, play
better as if a switch has been turned on in their subconscience and they play to impresses their friends in the
supporting crowds. I am extremely proud of all the girls who
gave their hearts’ to their teams especially this term. Sport is
not about the end score. It is about the joy of the girls
playing, the improvement of their skills daily, the bond
between their teammates and mainly the love for the sport. I
hope to see sport continue to be seen on such a bright note.
Amanda Beard once said: “Sometimes success is simply
willing to give it your all.”
Demi O’connor
Head of Sports
St David House
This term has held many wonderful things for the girls in St
David House.

Our girls amazed us with their musical talents during
the Inter-House Instrumental competition and
walked away with second place.
Back: Tanya Togo, Nancy
Karangwa, Kgauhelo Thebe,
Unoma Okonkwo, Taonga Saidi
Front: Eryquin-Mor Ferguson,
Lydia Karigani, Christelle van
der Merwe, Bahale Mehale

Our young ladies braved the open stage during InterHouse Public Speaking and kicked dust in their
competitors’ eyes by earning themselves a welldeserved first place. Results were as follows:
Grade 8:
Grade 9:
Grade 10:
Jeza Nqoma
Second place
Kerryn Moore
First place
Kamdi Okonjo
Third place
Grade 11:
Grade 12:
Unoma Okonkwo
Fourth place Prepared Speech
First place Unprepared Speech
Rebecca Pillay
Second place Prepared Speech
First place Unprepared Speech
Well done, girls!
A special thank you to the English Department who helped in
shaping these talented young girls into the great orators they
have become.

We also took part in Inter-House Netball, Basketball
and Hockey. Thank you to all the supporters and
players, as well as the Sports Department for
organising this event.
St Andrew House gives all on the
courts!
The term’s Inter-House activities ended with the trio of InterHouse Netball,
Basketball and Hockey.
The Grade 12 ladies
had a blast… where
skill was lacking,
enthusiasm and
determination took
control. A massive thank you all the girls who supported and
participated.
St George House
By Talitha Rubin
The turning of the weather this month may have chilled our
hands and classrooms yet our spirits and talents warmed
with the approaching Inter-House events.
Our first opportunity to showcase what St George is capable
of was the Inter-House instrumental. With double bass,
violins, marimbas, drums and saxophones, we definitely
portrayed a wonderful spectrum of varying musical talent
that evening. The red stage lights and costumes brought the
performance together and the audience thoroughly enjoyed
and appreciated the music. A very special thank you to all the
Georgesses who made us very proud that evening!
Our next event was Cultural Day, where the Houses were to
compete in Inter-House Public Speaking. In each Grade , one
St George girl was chosen to read her speech and I am
thrilled to say that we were impressed by everyone’s.
Well done to Angelica Sibanda in Grade 8, Nicole Jooste in
Grade 9, Robin Retief in Grade 10, Hannah Newman in
Grade 11 and Khomonani Mohlaba in Grade 12 for being
chosen to represent St George. Also, special congratulations
to Hannah and Khomonani for winning; St George came
second overall!
In contrast to the music soirees and cultural events, InterHouse basketball and netball were also upon us. It was great
fun to see our Georgesses darting back and forth like red
bullets, scoring goal after goal! Many laughs, points and
blisters were formed during those two days and our spirits
were soaring long after the final whistle was blown. The
results are as yet unknown but one thing is certain; we
played our hearts out and feel proud already.
Next there will be Inter-House hockey on Tuesday 28 June
and I know we will bring our morale, passion, talent and good
sports-womanship onto the astro as we did onto the courts.
We can’t wait to compete again and enjoy another InterHouse event!
Day of Discovery
On 9 June, the school held its annual Day of Discovery.
Needless to say the day (like previous years) was an absolute
success. For many young girls the thought of choosing a
specific career is petrifying but an afternoon dedicated to
learning about careers and job opportunities from those in
the specific career fields made it less overwhelming. The girls
were given the opportunity to see three guest speakers of
their choice. The guest speakers were very diverse as they all
specialised in different fields: girls were given the option to
choose from advocates, pilots, chefs, human resource
managers to chartered accounts. Not only was the day truly
insightful as girls learnt about the various careers first-hand
but also learning life lessons from the speakers which
included perseverance, passion and hard work to prosper in
everything. The time and effort put into planning and
executing such an empowering event was much appreciated
by the girls as many of them left school that evening feeling
relieved and inspired.
Ms Segomotso Modisanyane
Task Leader: PR
Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that
her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was
going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all
the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another
one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three
pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the
three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs
in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his
daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited,
wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the
potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled
the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning
to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.
“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg
and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the
hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its
rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee
beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in
boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its
liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the
inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they
were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water
and created something new.
“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity
knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato,
an egg, or a coffee bean? “
The moral of the story is: In life, things happen around us,
things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is
what happens within us.
(Adapted from Inspirational Stories that touch your heart)
Mrs Monica van Niekerk
Educational Psychologist
Junior Netball
In June, Junior netball is in full swing! Our netball in the
Junior School is improving each season and our girls are
having loads of fun.
2 June 2016 we played against Pretoria Chinese School. U10
– 13 played excellent netball and the scores were as follow:
Date:
02 June 2016
vs Pretoria Chinese- Home
Age group
B
U10
U11
17 - 2 W
C
D
9-0W
7-1W
8-2W
U12
9-9D
U13
7-8L
4-3L
Our little ones, the U7 – U9 Mini netballers, played in our
annual Mini Netball Festival on 4 June 2016. We hosted many
schools and even though it was
all friendly matches, our girls’
netball improved so much! They
had great fun and many friends
were made. We are so proud of
our Mini Netball girls.
On 21 June 2016 we played Inter-House Netball. The U10 –
U13 girls played against each other and in true
sportsmanship! Well done to all the Houses for their good
effort on the court!
Senior Netball
We have had an outstanding but, challenging season of
netball as the St Mary’s DSG players put their heart and
determination into every match. Upon conclusion of our
season we enjoyed a fun-filled day of Inter-House Netball as
the Houses battled it out to take the winning title. The final
results were so close it required further detailed scoring of
the goal points to determine a winner. The results are as
follows:
St Patrick 4th place with 3 points
St David 3rd place with 9 points
St Andrew 2nd place with 12 points and 27 goals
St George 1st place with 12 points and 33 goals
Our First Team had a heart racing ISSF festival hosted at St
Stithians and played well. The festival is one of the highlights
the girls’ encounter during the year and puts them up against
the best of the Independent schools from Gauteng and KZN.
As usual our girls never fail to accept a good challenge by
providing strong opposition to the two best Independent
School’s Netball teams.
St Mary’s DSG has continued to show dominance this season
with the U19B and U19A teams remaining undefeated. As
pool C winners these two teams participated at playoffs to
compete against their toughest competition to be crowned
overall league winners. With luck not on our side, our first
team lost their first round against pool A and overall league
winners, St Andrew’s, and our Second Team lost against
overall league winners, St Peter’s.
Our season definitly reached its climax with the final League
results announcing that St Mary’s DSG will be challenging
Dainfern at promotion/relegation on 13 June 2016. This is
what the players and coaches have been working for since
they entered the Johannesburg League. The hard work and
determination paid off as this season was the best to date
but we keep ourselves humble as we know the victory cannot
be celebrated yet.
The resilience and love that the netball players have shown
throughout the year are truly inspiring. I am honoured and
blessed to be working with a generation of young leaders and
kind, hard-working girls who set an example of excellence to
others. A message from my heart, to those I have seen
practising long after dark, the ones that always have a smile
and a positive attitude and those who always stay to the very
end just to help pack up, I SALUTE YOU. It is you who makes
St Mary’s DSG a family.
Basketball:
INTER-HOUSE RESULTS
Juniors
1st St David
2nd St Patrick
3rd St George
4th St Andrew
Over standings:
Points
9
6
3
0
Seniors
1st St Andrew
2nd St Patrick
3rd St George
4th St David
Points
9
6
3
0
1. St Patrick 12 points | 2. St David 9 points |
3. St Andrew 9 points | 4. St George 6 points
Hockey
MINI-HOCKEY
On 4 June 2016, we hosted the St
Mary’s DSG Mini-Hockey Festival.
With 54 teams entered, it was a
busy and exciting morning of Minihockey.
Our girls thoroughly
enjoyed their hockey and played well. Thank you to all the
parents who came to support their daughters!
On the 11 June 2016, we attended the Southdowns MiniHockey Festival. The girls had a fun-filled and great morning
of hockey. The girls played with skill and determination and
showed how much their skills and match play have improved
throughout the season.
Well done to all our St Mary’s DSG Stars, Strikers and
Diamonds!
Junior Hockey
On 3 June 2016, the U10 – U13 girls participated in their final
league games for the season.
The U12 and U13 teams travelled to Holy Rosary School,
while the U10 and U11 teams played at home.
Results:
U10A
U10B
U10C
U11A
U11B
U12A
U12B
U13A
U13B
U13C
won 9-0
won 6-0
won 14-0
lost 0-1
won 1-0
won 6-0
won 2-0
lost 0-3
won 2-0
won 1-0
U10 – U13 Inter-House Hockey
On 22 June 2016 the U10 – U13 Inter-House Hockey took
place. The games were closely contended with our House
teams showing great skill as well as house spirit.
Final results will be calculated after the U7 – U9 Inter-House
Hockey, which will be taking place on Wednesday 29 June
2016.
On Friday 24 June 2016, we started our second St Mary’s DSG
Hockey Festival, with 16 teams participating from Pretoria
and Johannesburg schools.
St Mary’s DSG Hockey Festival
From Friday 24 – 26 June 2016, we hosted our second St
Mary’s DSG Hockey Festival, with 16 teams participating from
Pretoria and Johannesburg. Each team played between 7 and
8 matches over the weekend with night games also taking
place. The hockey played was of a high standard and the
teams also enjoyed taking time to make new friends and
enjoy the spirit of the festival.
SENIOR HOCKEY
There is no doubt that Term 2 is a hockey term at St Mary’s
DSG. Hundreds of girls flock to our fields two to three times a
week and their hard work has delivered impressive results,
although hard work is still needed in order to develop our
players further
On 10 May 2016, the hockey league officially kicked off with
St Mary’s DSG hosting Hoërskool Zwartkop. The so-called
Zwarries had a point to prove, as they had been relegated
from the G1 league in 2015.
On 13 May 2016, we travelled to Hoërskool Oos-Moot, our
girls rose to the occasion and fought on with respectful
resilience.
Hoërskool Centurion was met with a full force of St Mary’s
DSG supporters next to our hockey fields on 20 May 2016. St
Mary’s DSG braved the cold to walk away with four victories
from a total of eight games. An incredible feat and proof of
hard work and dedication!
Sutherland High and Hoërskool Pretoria-North were not
ready for what they were met with on 24 and 26 May 2016 –
a resilient and confident St Mary’s DSG onslaught. Nine
victories, two draws and five defeats later, our girls walked
off their home turf with their heads held high.
Hoërskool Montana welcomed us to their brand new
AstroTurf for the first of our June fixtures. They proved why
they should eventually be crowned champions of our league,
by securing five wins out of our eight games.
The second week of June saw our matrics run onto the field
for their last league matches against Hoërskool
Wonderboom. Our girls were textbook examples of what
teamwork can accomplish – delivering entertaining hockey
and winning five out of our eight fixtures.
Our 2016 league results were as follows:
Zwartkop
Result
Oos-Moot
Result
Centurion
Result
Sutherland
Result
Pta North
Result
Montana
Result
Wboom
Result
U14
A
U14 B
0-5
1-2
4-0
1-0
3-0
1-3
4-0
0-11
1-1
1-0
0-1
0-1
0-3
3-0
U15
A
U15 B
U16
A
U16 B
2ND
2-1
0-0
1-0
5-0
0-0
0-1
3-0
0-1
3-1
0-0
1-2
2-2
5-1
2-0
6-0
5-0
3-0
1-2
5-1
2-1
5-0
1-2
0-5
0-3
0-1
0-4
0-1
0-1
0-1
3-0
0-5
0-1
0-3
0-1
0-1
ST
0-6
0-8
0-3
0-0
4-1
0-3
1-3
Team
1
On Friday 10 and Saturday 11 June 2016, our so-called “best
of the best” took part in the ISSF festival held at St Stithian’s
College in Johannesburg. Here we met opponents such as
Durban Girls College, St Mary’s DSG Kloof and Our Lady of
Fatima – all schools that had a noticeable upper hand on us
at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival in March this year.
However, our girls rose to the occasion and surprised many a
hockey school with determination, commitment and sheer
heart. What a privilege to watch St Mary’s DSG truly fly!
We bid the hockey season of 2016 farewell with our annual
Inter-House competition on Tuesday 28 June 2016 – shortly
before ten of our girls will represent St Mary’s DSG as part of
their respective Northern Gauteng hockey teams.
Congratulations to the following girls for being selected:

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Kgolagano Ndebele
Makhaba Honwana
Reitumetse Nyakale
Reneiloe Moima
Angel Nkosi
Bernice Coetser
Neha Pillay
Zibusiso Mabaso
Ntwanano Honwana
Ujamaa Chabikuli
St Mary’s DSG First Hockey Team in their new kits, along with coach, Miss
Kelly-Ann Kaulback, and assistant coach, Mr Ephraim Chiloane.
SQUASH
IPT’s (25-29 June 2016)
Good luck to the following girls competing at IPT’s!!!
U13 B
U13 A
Ashton Weir
Deneil Beukes
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth
U14 A
U16 A
U16 B
U19 A
Senior League:
Danica Capazorio
Sascha Steyn
Ilana Jacobs
Tino Takawira
1st League team:
2nd League Team:
Sascha Steyn no. 3
Tinotenda Takawira no. 4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Results:
1 June DSG 1 vs CBCTUT
lost 16-0
Johannesburg
Pretoria
Pretoria
Paarl
Melissa Cunningham
Tsetsa Gabasiane
Segomotso Modisanyane
Tamara Ricci
st
1 Reserve: Ilana Jacobs
nd
2 Reserve: Kayla Alfonso
Results:
1 June DSG 2 vs Centurion lost 16-2
8 June DSG 2 vs Harlequins lost 16-0
ISSF
Tino Takawira played number 2 and Danica Capazorio played
number 1. The competition was very tough and the girls
needed to up their game.
This was indeed a great challenge where the girls had to
adjust where necessary and they definitely learned a lot.
They played so well and were great ambassadors for the
school!
TENNIS
As mentioned before the girls are preparing for the annual
Sun City Schools’ Tournament which will place during the last
week of August followed by the annual Hilton / St Anne’s
Independent School Mixed doubles invitational tournament
in September.
The Senior girls showed tremendous character during the
2016 ISSF while competing against their rivals that they face
when participating in the Independent Schools’ Tennis
Festival as well as the Hilton / St Anne’s event.
We are looking forward to the annual Mini Tennis Festival
taking place in July when all the youngsters return after
participating in winter sport.
I would like to commend all the girls involved in the school
programme. We have come a long way and your effort is
starting to bear fruits! Thank you for your commitment and
hard work during the past year. It has not gone unnoticed.
Mr JO Spies
Tennis Coach