2012 welcome letter from SGB Chairman

Dear Parents, Staff and Rustenburg Girls

The School Governing Body (SGB) trusts that 2012 will be an especially happy year for all learners, staff and their families. To all our learners, we hope that you will have a particularly rewarding time at Rustenburg and like those who have gone before, you too will look back on these few special years with a sense of fulfilment at your accomplishments, enriched by your friendships and enormously proud to be associated with this special school.

Congratulations

To our members of staff, thank you on behalf of all the parents and girls for delivering such an outstanding set of matric results for the class of 2011 and in so doing earning the distinction for RGHS of being the top school in the Western Cape (which was the top province in South Africa) – we are so very proud and delighted! Please be assured of our full support and commitment as you continue to strive to maintain these exceptional standards.

Welcome to our new staff, girls and parents

We wish to extend a special word of welcome to all our new staff, girls and their parents. You have made an excellent choice coming to RGHS.

To our new girls, not only will you receive one of the best opportunities to excel academically but you will also have an unusually privileged opportunity to excel in all spheres of life and therefore to grow as a ‘well-balanced’ individual. I say this because it is the mission of Rustenburg to provide a diverse, supportive and enquiring learning environment that equips its learners with the academic, service, sporting and cultural foundations required to excel in every sphere of life.

Development plans and progress

Those who are joining our school community are coming on board at a very exciting time in the life of the school. The SGB is currently guiding an integrated Development Plan which has been the result of an all-inclusive process with the school community to develop and pursue a vision that will ensure RGHS not only retains its status as one of the top public schools in the country, but also becomes the benchmark of excellence for girls’ high schooling in South Africa.
Organizationally, a number of new internal posts were created in order to provide adequate managerial capacity within the school. These new appointments came into effect in January 2012. In the position of a second Deputy Principal (Pastoral): Miss G Blackshaw. As Faculty Heads Mrs G Wallace (Languages); Ms J Chambers (Arts) Mrs B Cameron (Sciences and Mathematics); Mrs L Mallon (Business and Life Skills) and as the new School Business Manager, Mr G Broster. To each of these new appointees, we wish you everything of the best as you take on the responsibilities that come with these new roles.

Regarding the development of the campus, the following projects are in the planning and approval process and if all goes according to plan, with R2,5m already committed by the WCED for the new Mathematics and Physical Science Centre, construction will hopefully get underway on this centre later this year. The integrated Campus Development Plan provides for the following additions and enhancements:
• A new Mathematics and Physical Science Centre
• Extensions and improvements to the Kemp Hall
• A new swimming pool to replace our 60 year old pool that can accommodate swimming and waterpolo.
• A new leadership centre to accommodate our leadership development programme and serve as a hub on the campus for societies and Old Girl activities
• An entrance that will enhances the image of the school and provide greater security and access control
• New office facilities for our administrative staff and the newly appointed members of the leadership team
• A new ensemble room for the Music Department to provide additional rehearsal space

Involvement with the SGB

The SGB is eager to identify parents who are prepared to participate in the life of the school by giving of their skills and time through voluntary service in the various sub-committees. These sub-committees are involved with the schools finance, business development, marketing and communications, human resources, sport and extra-curricular activities, policies and campus maintenance and development so there is scope for the involvement of a wide range of skills. Ultimately, it is those parents who are actively involved in the school community who will be the greatest beneficiaries. Please will you complete the attached questionnaire and return it to the school office marked for my attention at your earliest convenience.

The National SGB elections will take place on 1 March 2012. We are privileged to have nominations for a number of outstanding parents who have availed themselves – some are currently serving on the SGB and have made themselves available for re-election as their daughters do not complete their schooling this year. I have every confidence that the elections will produce a team of dedicated governors who will be committed to serve as custodians of Rustenburg’s rich heritage and visionaries who will plan for the best to come.
I wish to use this opportunity to express my thanks to the members on the SGB (and I include our co-opted members) with whom I have had the privilege to serve. Thank you for making your skills and time available to assist with the governance of the school. It has been a particular pleasure working with a group of parents who are supportive, cooperative and who ultimately want to get the job done!

Team Rustenburg

It is the stated desire and intention of the SGB to build an even greater sense of community, belonging and common purpose amongst pupils, staff, parents, old girls and the junior school. After winning the cricket world cup under the guidance of Gary Kirsten, the captain of India, Sachin Tendulkar said the following: It is not just one or two individuals that are coming out and performing, it is about the whole team and that is how you can win a trophy. It has happened throughout the tournament and overall, we wanted to play for each other. We wanted to play for the country.
Taking from this, I urge every girl, member of staff and parent not to leave performance to just one or two individuals but to ensure that we all play for each other and the whole team – that is how we will win. Rustenburg can differentiate itself as a community of people who play for each other, for our school and for our country. The ultimate winner? Team Rustenburg!

To be a Rustybug!

On a personal note: At the end of this year my third daughter will complete her schooling at Rustenburg. It will conclude 15 years of involvement in the life of the junior and senior schools that my family and I have experienced. I can say without reservation that they have been some of the most memorable and rewarding years of our lives. Rustenburg is not just the school that our daughters attended, but the community of which we have become a part.
To those who are just beginning, we can heartily encourage you to become an active and involved member of this special community. To those we will leave behind, thank you for the privilege we have had of sharing these years with you. We will remember you and this school with much fondness and leave with the knowledge that we remain part of it and with the certainty that Rustenburg will grow from strength to strength!

Kind regards
CHARLES DE VILLIERS
Chairperson of the School Governing Body