Prize giving Aberdeen primary

A slick and well-organised function marked the end of the year for Aberdeen Primary School last Thursday. The stage was set with beautiful floral arrangements, and little dishes of floating tealights sparkled on the front of the stage.

Master of Ceremonies Daniel Pieterse once again was fully in control, and his confident and commanding personality ensured that the evening flowed smoothly. Guests of honour were two local councillors, Samantha Jankovich and Desmond Coetzee, who handled the presentation of certificates with aplomb. A special honoured guest was Helene Polley, a long-serving teacher at the school who is retiring at the end of the year.

The first event of the evening was the presentation of diplomas for school readiness to the grade R learners, all of whom will be starting “big school” in grade one next year. The children walked confidently across the stage under the guidance of teacher Janaine Saaiman.

Throughout the proceedings, the children in the hall behaved very well, with only occasional reminders needed. The teachers sat with the children, and this helped enormously to keep the youngsters focused.

The certificates for the foundation phase learners were presented by Cllr Jankovich, who patiently shook each child’s hand and congratulated them.

The principal’s address then followed. Johan Minnaar emphasized the importance of literacy as the key to eradicating poverty. According to the South African Schools Act, it is compulsory for every child to attend school until the age of fifteen, or the ninth grade. He urged the parents to ensure that their children attend school regularly, in order to benefit from the quality education available. He acknowledged several highlights of the school year, including the successful grade 2 drama group, those who excelled in the inter-school poetry and reading competitions and Maths Olympiad, and the sports stars.

Cllr Desmond Coetzee than presented the prizes to the top learners from grades four to seven. Ingrades four and five, the top learners (Devoline Williams and Kaylie Malai) received awards in no less than nine subjects!

Kaylani Kombani was the top grade seven learner, and she received a magnificent trophy donated by Absa Bank.

The grade sevens joined in song with a powerful rendition of the Josh Groban hit “You Raise Me Up”, and tears were seen in the eyes of several of the girls (and mothers!) This was followed by a graceful dance performed by a group of grade seven girls.

In the sporting awards, the whole under 13 netball team received an award for being the top team in the Cacadu district. In addition, Jenny Damons was recognized for reaching Eastern Province netball trials. Stephan Jansen excelled in rugby, being selected for both the Karoo primary schools and Eastern Province under 12 teams. Eight girls represented Cacadu for soccer, as well as one boy. Overall, a very successful sporting year for the school, and a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the coaches.

Helene Polley gave a short but heartfelt thanks to the guests, and congratulated all the learners on their achievement.

The climax of the evening was the announcement of the school prefects for 2012, and in a moving ceremony the outgoing head prefects handed over their badges of office to the delighted and proud new heads. Head boy for next year is Renaldo Kekana, with the new head girl being Deoline Green.

top reading awards

 the successful grade 2 drama group

 Deoline Green and Saskia Klaasen who received awards for maths Olympiad

Learners who received awards at the poetry competition

The sports starts

Kaylani Kombani receives the Absa trophy for top learner in G7 from Helen Polley

Prefects

Head Prefects