ELIZABETH CONRADIE SCHOOL

NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL

 

By the grace of God it is my privilege to present my 3* annual report as Principal of EICON.

 

Once again the dedication and commitment of educators, the consistent hard work of learners and supportive parents ensured academic success. The matric group of 2012, their educators and parents are congratulated on their fine results.We are anxiously waiting on the results of the matric class of 2013. The results of the rest of our learners (Gr. R -GR. 11) exceeded all our expectations. Parents will once again receive two report cards. One reflects the results of the Annual National Assessment (Language and Mathematics), and the other determine the progress of your child.

 

Turning to sport, not only did our learners enjoy their participation to the fullest in the various sport codes on offer, but once again registered impressing results. Special mention must be made of young Johan van Heerden, who swam in the Senior National Open Championships in Port Elizabeth. He is a strong contender for the next Paralympic Games in Brazil. In the Power lifting our athletes also exceled. Two members of the ELCON Power lifting club, Piet Booysen ( RCL Chairperson) and Bonolo Lizwe, are currently in New Zealand where they are representing our Country in the Commonwealth/ Oceania Power lifting Championship 2013. Our cyclists, Jukskei and our Table tennis players also proved their worth in the different competitions they took part in. Other sporting codes show signs of progress and we know it will go from strength to strength. We are also looking forward to taking up the challenge (different events) against Martie Du Plessis School in 2014.

 

Once again cultural highlights were plentiful. Apart from several other performances our school drama group's exceptional performance in Bloemfontein was once again one of the highlights.

 

The maintenance of strict, fair and consistent discipline in ELCON has become a big challenge and will become an even bigger challenge in future. In a multi-cultural school environment the necessity to maintain sound discipline is of even greater importance. In this regard parental support is of paramount importance. If the young child is brought up to respect his or her parents, grandparents, older people in general and educators in particular, and if they are taught to respect key values, disciplinary challenges at schools would be easy to handle. The more educators are forced into battle mode to maintain classroom discipline, the less time and the less emphasis there will be on the teaching and learning process to proceed to the academic detriment of all concerned. The joy of teaching vanishes when educators constantly have to combat learner disrespectfulness, arrogance and lack of integrity and when the system does not allow for appropriate punishment. Such a situation has the potential to get out of hand which could do great damage to the school.

 

The high standard and success of any school is determined by the people who are directly involved with it. If everybody involved with this school accepts full ownership and full partnership and shared responsibility to achieve our motto "Lux Orta Est" which translates into "The light has gone up for them", ELCON's future is secure.

 

As it happens every year, I take this opportunity to thank every member of the school management team, every educator, every non-educator associated with either the school or the hostels, the Head Prefects and the prefects, the Chairman of the Governing Body, Mr. Laurence van Heerden, and every member of this body responsible for school governance, every parent and all our positive learners, for the outstanding way all of you have served education at ELCON in 2013.

 

A special word of thanks to Oom Ben, A4J students and other's who render their services to the school on a voluntarily basis during this year.

 

The following people are leaving us at the end of this year: Mrs. A. Schmidt, Mrs. A. Massou, Sr. L. van der Byl and Mrs. M. Simons. We thank them for the immense contributions they have made to ELCON over numbers of years. We want to wish them well and we pray that God's blessings will surround them each day.

 

I also take this opportunity every year to thank my family for their support and understanding, especially when the going gets tough!!!!. Finally, we fall on our knees and openly proclaim that our Father has again blessed our school and He still showers upon us his grace and peace.

 

The glory goes to him.

 

Mr. E.G. MALOULY PRINCIPAL