Our new look LEBONE II NEWSLETTER!
We are excited to launch our new Lebone II newsletter which will be coming to your mailbox directly each month! We look forward to bringing you snippets of news from all corners of our school as well as informative articles about children and education in this fast-paced world.
Our newsletter will be sent to all our Lebone parents and guardians. Friends and family who wish to receive the newsletter may also subscribe to receive the letter via the link below.
Dear Parents/Guardians
A warm welcome back to all our Lebone families for the 3rd term; we are looking forward to an enriching term together. I would like to thank all our parents who attended the parents' meetings - we enjoyed engaging with you and appreciate our parents who colloborate with our teachers in their children's education.
The following statement is taken from our Lower School Code of Conduct:
"Cell phones must be switched off during school hours, including breaks and aftercare. If the student brings a cell phone to school, the school must have written consent on the indemnity form, which provides for indemnification against loss of or damage to the cell phone."
It is strongly recommended that no Lower School child should be given a cell phone. If your child has a cell phone please be aware of engagement in inappropriate conversations and interactions via social media platforms such as WhatsApp. We urge all parents to closely monitor your children’s conversations and the social media platforms that they frequent.
Below are a few important suggestions in ensuring your child’s safety while on social media and in their conversations with others:
· Do not allow your child to take his or her cell phone, tablet or an alternative electronic device such as a laptop to bed at night – all devices should be kept in public spaces where privacy and secrecy is kept to a minimum;
'All devices should be kept in public spaces where privacy and secrecy is kept to a minimum.'
· Do not allow your child to watch any kind of television, You tube or multimedia clip in their room or behind closed doors – all videos or multimedia should be watched in a public space within the home where privacy and secrecy is limited;
· Frequently screen your child’s conversations and media shared on various social media platforms, SMS and WhatsApp – be aware that children often delete inappropriate content before it can be viewed by others:
o Android offers data recovery software that can be used to recover deleted content from a device;
o Apple products have a ‘Deleted Items’ folder where deleted content can often be found – Apple also offers data recovery software that can be used to access deleted content from a device;
· Significantly limit or prohibit ‘streaming’ to ensure that your child and those around are not inadvertently exposed to dangerous and suggestive media clips featuring explicit, implicit or subliminal messaging.
As a Lower School, we request that you prohibit your child from bringing their devices to school. Teachers are available throughout the day should your child need to contact you. Devices are provided by the school for class work which may need to be completed electronically.
We invite you to LEARN MORE - the below link takes you to a blog which can be consulted in learning more about the technological habits of pre-adolescent and adolescent children.
Sincerely,
DIANE ROBERTS
Our Grade 4 students have been exploring the question “What influence do leaders have in communities and how does it impact on your life?” Their exploration has included their consideration of what we can learn from our leaders and the identification of good leadership traits. At the same time they have explored the history of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, where they were tasked to collect and research objects and materials of cultural, religious and historical importance for the Nation. The students displayed all their findings at their wonderful ‘Bafokeng Museum’, where they took turns to present their findings and insights to visiting staff and students.
Dear Parents/Guardians
As the long weekend approaches we all look forward to an escape from the routine of school. The start of the term has been a busy one for both the children and the teachers. However, it’s important that we do not lose sight of the impact that our parents have on the growth and maturity of our children. I came across a few encouraging quotes that I would like to share:
· “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.”
· “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”
· “A parent's love is whole, no matter how many times divided.”
· “If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders."
· “Your children need your presence more than your presents.”
· “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.”
· “Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.”
Enjoy the break from school and enjoy this time with your children. Have a fantastic long weekend.
Warm regards,
MIKE EISEN
“Your children need your presence more than your presents.”
Lebone II – College of the Royal Bafokeng students excelled in the recent ABSA ‘Ready to Work’ Debating Challenge, winning the Provincial Challenge and placing amongst the top 4 schools in South Africa in the National Challenge. Tlotliso Taoana, Oretshwanetse Masebelanga, Atlegang Dikgang, Khumo Moloto, Munhuwamambo Chapanduka, Pulo Rampete and Lesedi Mabale travelled to Johannesburg for the 4-day final event, where they impressed the judges with their rational deliberations, and intelligent consideration of the motions presented.
The members of the Lebone II Debating team proved to be skilled presenters as they proceeded through the round robin stages and the finals of Provincial Challenge. At the National Challenge the team won the majority of their debates, including motions such as ‘this house would prioritise Skills Development over Enterprise Development’, ‘this house would incentive major corporations to open branches in the rural areas’, ‘this house believes that access to data should be a basic human right’ and in the final debate ‘this house would give full human rights to robots with strong Artificial Intelligence.’ The strength of their arguments was a testament to Lebone II College, which aims to foster intellectual curiosity, critical problem-solving, ethical decision-making and creativity amongst all its students.
The Debating Challenge is one of the flagship projects of ABSA’s ReadtoWork programme – an initiative aimed at equipping young South Africans with the skills needed to transition from the world of school to the world of work. The Challenge provides students with an opportunity to develop their research, critical thinking, and information literacy skills, as well as their ability to work as a team to present logical arguments. Amongst the objectives of the competition is to build communication ambassadors out of students through the researching and debating of high-level topics.Congratulations Lebone II Debating Team!
Two Lebone II – College of the Royal Bafokeng Alumni have been featured in the 2019 News24 100 Young Mandelas of the Future list, flying the flag high for the school. Sewagodimo Matlapeng, Class of 2013, and Thapelo Nthite, Class of 2014, were chosen from hundreds of nominations, to join the list of 100 outstanding young people who are intent on leaving the world a better place than they found it.
News 24 launched the 100 Young Mandelas list in 2018, to coincide with the centenary of Mandela’s birth. According to Adriaan Basson, News24ʼs editor-in-chief, these 100 young people, chosen from hundreds more nominations, remind South Africans that the characteristics which former president Nelson Mandela embodied – compassion, creativity, leadership, vision and resilience – are still thriving today. Their readers nominated inspiring South Africans from all walks of life, all 35 years and younger. Then, from a shortlist, News24 journalists choose the top 100 inspiring young people, categorising them under one of the five “Mandela characteristics”.
“These are just some of this year’s stories and they are the reason why we dare not lose hope in South Africa,” wrote Basson. “They should inspire us to be brave and courageous as we take the road ahead.”
Lebone II College celebrates Sewagodimo and Thapelo for their recognition in this prestigious list and the way in which they are continuing to ‘shine their light’ towards a great South Africa. It is the school’s belief that every young person should learn from the legacy of Mandela and can help to change the image of South Africa and the rest of the African continent. Lebone II is intent on developing young and passionate change-makers who can lead well, be intentional, be bold, be innovative and, most importantly, contribute positively to our society.
Sewagodimo Matlapeng’s interest in computer science started when she was still in high school when she opted to take up IT as a subject even though she knew nothing about computers. After getting the feel of the subject, she began teaching underprivileged children in the community of Phokeng how to code as well. When she moved to the University of Cape Town to study a BSc Honours in computer science, she simultaneously ran community projects focused on teaching coding to young people, particularly young, black women and girls. |
Thapelo Nthite describes himself as someone who has a deep passion for social justice and figuring out ways in which technology can be used to reduce inequalities on the continent. He is currently completing his degree in mechatronics engineering at the University of Cape Town. He is the co-founder of Botlhale-AI Solutions, a company which aims to produce software that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to better the lives of South Africans, for which the company has won a number of competitions and awards. |
August & September
Friday, 9 August - Women's Day (Long Weekend)
17 August - 19 September - Grade 12 Preliminary Exams
Monday, 2 September - Students change to summer uniform
Friday, 13 September - 2020 SLC Induction Ceremony
Friday, 20 September - Close of 3rd Term
