FROM THE OFFICE

A very blessed New Year to all our Midstream families. May 2022 be an incredible year for all of us. I hope that you enjoyed your festive season and are feeling revitalised to unlock the 2022 school year, to unlock potential, to unlock success, to unlock happiness, to unlock significance, to unlock …
 
The poem Unity by Cleo V. Swarat provides us, as partners in education, with some insight…

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child’s mind
And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher:
the tools she used were books and music and art;
One was a parent
With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.

And when at last their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had worked into the child
Could never be sold or bought!

 And each agreed she would have failed
if she had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school,
and behind the teacher stood the home!

IMPORTANT DATES

Click on the link below for important dates.

PARENTS’ INFORMATION EVENING

The Parents’ Information Evening takes place on Wednesday 19 January at 18:30. Parents must go directly to learners’ register classes, where the necessary information will be shared with you.

SCHOOL HOURS

School hours are as follows:
Grade 1 and 2: 07:45 – 13:15
Grade 3 – 7: 07:45 – 13:45.

CALENDAR 2022

The calendar is available on the Parent Portal.
Log into the Parent Portal
Click on the Students tab
Click on your child’s photo
Click on Event Calendar

INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS 2022

The Inter-house athletics meeting for 2022 will take place on Friday,14 January 2022 from 08:30. Should you have missed the deadline for registering your child to participate, he/she is still welcome to participate in the different events.

All learners must please wear a hat and must have sunscreen with them so to be able to apply this throughout the day.

Parents are welcome to attend as spectators, as it is an organised meeting. Please complete the google form, should you wish to attend. Entrance to the school will be via gate 3 until 8:30, after that time, please enter at gate 4 (at the office), your hands will be sanitised, temperature will be taken and please sign the register.

ATHLETICS INFORMATION

Please click on the link below for more information regarding athletics practice and other athletics information.

With the athletics season fast approaching, we would like to bring to your attention a few arrangements which we have put into place to make the communication more effective between the school and you as parents.

We will be creating three WhatsApp groups that parents can join where all the information will be shared with you. These groups are created for specific grades and we ask that you only join the group that is relevant to your child. This year, we shall not be handing out any hard copy letters to the athletes who have made the team.

Instead, the following procedure will be followed:
• The information regarding the week’s meeting will be posted on the WhatsApp group.
• The team list for the meeting will be posted on the WhatsApp group.
• The programme for the meeting will be placed on the WhatsApp group.

Each parent will then be able to see which items their child will participate in and at what time the items will take place. We hope that these steps will help improve the communication between the school and you as parents.

Please follow the relevant link:

LOCKERS

Grade 4 to 7 learners wishing to make use of a locker this year, must reserve a locker by following the link below. Once all the lockers have been allocated to the Grade 4 to 7 learners, Grade 3 learners will then also be given the opportunity to reserve a locker. The application for lockers will close on Friday, 21 January 2022. Lockers will then be allocated to the respective learners on Monday, 24 January 2022.
Use the following links in order to apply:

JUNIOR REVUE

The Junior Revue auditions take place from 14:00 to 16:00 on Tuesday, 18 January for Grade 2 learners; and from 14:00 to 16:00 on Thursday, 20 January, for Grade 3 learners.
 
Your child will need to learn a dance before attending the audition. Please follow the link below to see the dance tutorial. This will be the dance they will have to be able to do at the audition.

Unfortunately, no parents will be allowed on the school premises during these times.

SENIOR REVUE

The Senior Revue auditions take place on Monday, 17 January for Grade 6 and 7 learners and Wednesday, 19 January for Grade 4 and 5 learners.

ALL learners wanting to attend the auditions must book a timeslot for their audition. Please click on the link below to book a timeslot.

Bookings must be made by 14:00 on Monday, 17 January. Your child will need to learn a dance before attending the audition. Please follow the link below to see the dance tutorial. This will be the dance they will have to be able to do at the audition. 

Unfortunately, no parents will be allowed on the school premises during these times.

COVID

According to indications, the Omicron variant is dying down here in Gauteng and this also seems to be the case in the rest of the country. Everyone had hoped that the SARS-CoV-2 virus would be a thing of the past in the new year, but unfortunately that is not the case. I am sure you are well aware of all the characteristics of the variant, but I would like to highlight one of the most important features because it affects the school directly. The virus is highly contagious and people become infected by others very easily. It is therefore important that wearing of masks should still be strictly applied. All other steps such as washing and sanitising hands, the adequate ventilation in classrooms, houses and cars and physical distancing (especially during breaks when learners are eating) remain important steps to try to prevent people from contracting the virus. Classes will still be sanitised daily and partitions will be used between learners on the desks.

The basic principles still apply:
- Please do not send your child to school if they are coughing and sneezing and feeling sick.

- If a learner was in high-risk contact with a person who tested positive for the virus, he/she must still be quarantined for nine (9) days and can return to school on the tenth (10th) day if no symptoms are experienced.

- On 23 December 2021, the Department of Health discontinued the contact tracing system and adjusted the periods involving isolation and quarantine. However, on the 28 December 2021, this statement was withdrawn and currently the periods as instituted by the NICD (National Institute of Communicable Diseases) still apply. The government is currently in consultation with medical professionals and other parties involved and in all likelihood an adjustment will soon be made to these regulations and protocols.

- If a learner tests positive, you must notify the school immediately and please send an e-mail to yvonnem@midstreamcollege.co.za (the nurse at the school) with proof of the positive test result. All cases of learners testing positive must be reported to the Department of Education. The learner must isolate from the first day of showing symptoms for ten (10) days. Please consult your GP if you are unsure. It is not necessary to produce a negative test result before a learner may return to school.

- You can also contact the relevant register teacher and Ms Marita Havenga at maritah@midstreamcollege.co.za about the online classes that are available.

- Here are a few guidelines about masks: Masks that meet the prescribed requirements and are worn correctly are one of the critical steps to reducing the spread of the Corona virus. Note the following guidelines.

Material masks must:
- have multiple layers (3).
- have ties/strings that are comfortable, but tight enough around the ears or behind the ears and neck.
- BE WASHED EVERY DAY.

Medical/surgical disposable masks must:
- have multiple layers (3).
- have elastics that fit comfortably but tightly enough around the ears.
- BE REPLACED EVERY DAY.
All masks must:
- be large enough to cover the nose and mouth completely.
- fit the face well and not hang loosely across the cheeks.
- be handled/adjusted using mainly the elastics and not the surface of the mask.
- always be worn at school.

PLEASE SEND AN EXTRA MASK ALONG TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY. RESPECT ONE ANOTHER. “YOU KEEP ME HEALTHY – I KEEP YOU HEALTHY.”

JUNIOR CHOIR (OPELA)

Does your Grade 1, 2 or 3 child love to sing? Everyone is welcome to join the Junior Choir (Opela) as there are NO AUDITIONS.

Starting date: 26 January
Practice day: Wednesday
Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Venue: Auditorium

CHESS

We invite all chess players to join our chess practices every Tuesday, starting on Tuesday, 18 January. Everyone is welcome to join no matter their skill level.

The practice times for the different grades are as follows:
Grade 1 + 2: 13:30 – 14:00
Grade 3 + 4: 14:00 – 15:00
Grade 5, 6 + 7: 15:00 – 16:00.

TENNIS 2022

School tennis lessons for Grade 2 to 7 learners will resume on Friday, 14 January. Interested Grade 1 learners are welcome to join from Monday, 24 January.

The full practice schedule can be found on the school’s website.

For more information, please contact Nicoline Wildenboer: nicolinew@midstreamcollege.co.za.

MIDSTREAM COLLEGE MUSIC STUDIO

Talented, professional musicians offer music lessons in singing, guitar, drums and classical instruments at Midstream College Music Studio. Each student receives 30 lessons per year, on weekdays during school terms. The lessons are 30 minutes each and students receive one lesson per week. Music lessons take place during school hours during the following non-academic periods: LO, music and art. Arrangements for afternoon lessons must be made with the specific teacher.

Music studio lessons are in high demand and a limited amount of space is available. If you are interested in enrolling your child for lessons for 2022, please contact Wendy Nieuwoudt wendyn@midstreamcollege.co.za

KLUB CRICKET

The Nico Martin Cricket Academy provides private cricket coaching during P.E. periods and after school. Group and individual coaching options are available.

For more information, please contact Nico Martin on 082 978 2786.

Club Practice Times:
Mondays: 14:00 to 15:30 U9s
Tuesdays 16:30 to 17:30  Grade R, 1 and 2, new players
Wednesdays: 14:00 to 15:30 U11s
Fridays: 14:00 to 15:30 U13s

Matches start on Saturday 29 January and the last matches take place on Saturday 19 March.