Glenmore
Primary School
2001
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2001
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Mr Duffield's Report
It's always tempting when I have a captive audience as I do tonight to speak of communication problems - the struggle to get parents to read notices and gazettes. Fees being slow in coming and no explanation. Children not fetched after school and being taken home only to be fetched at 7pm with no explanation or apologies. Children sent to school sick - they can stay in the sick room all day or infect others! Children taken out of school for the most ridiculous reasons. But I won't speak of those things. Glenmore School is 40 years old. I have been involved for 20 of them - I kept in touch during the 3 years I was a Principal down the South Coast. As many of you know, I was a student teacher at Glenmore in 1965. I was impressed then and wanted to come back. I did in 1981 as H.O.D. Have things changed? Yes! but this is still basically the same school. Look around - change is the only thing in the world which is constant. If Glenmore had not changed there would be something wrong. PHYSICAL CHANGES: buildings, security, computers - our new library. RACIAL CHANGES: Started in 1990 - now I believe Glenmore is a good cross-section of S.A. society - racially, culturally and spiritually. BEHAVIOUR: Yes! This was traditionally a school with a Christian ethos. Today we have learners and staff of the Christian, Hindu and Moslem faiths among others. All of us still feel the same about good manners and good morals. We push these things as much as we can. Why are we struggling so? I believe that T.V. and movies have given us an amoral world. Lying, stealing, swearing, fighting and cheating all form an important part of almost every sitcom, soapie or movie on T.V. Bart Simpson, Orson Powers and Bad Brad are heroes as are the characters in the soapies. Seldom, if ever, are the heroes gentle, honest and good living people. It's rubbing off on our children. I don't have the answers but I have a great concern - as do the teachers on my staff. Parents, do you monitor your child's viewing? And are you also worried about the influence of others on your child? To cope with all this we try at Glenmore to be positive by promoting the "This-is-our-school-and-we-are-proud-of-it" approach. We will behave accordingly, treating fellow learners, teachers and other adults with respect and look after our building and equipment as well. Once again there are the exceptions - the 10% who take up 80% of our time. Most people feel that 2001 has flown by. Yes, it has but the day to day busyness of the school was still evident with some staff and children arriving at school before 7 each morning and leaving after 5pm. To keep a school running many people are involved. A team of teachers, pupils, parents, cleaners and a few outsiders work in harmony and the days run smoothly. To mention each person by name would take a long time. The teachers in this school are among the best, using innovative ideas to get the job done well, giving up many extra hours to make every function at the school a success. I thank them for the support which they have given me in helping make this school the community it is. Mrs. Heathman and Mr. Hartslief (H.O.D.s) thank you for all that you do to support me. To the Governing Body so ably chaired by Mike Smith. Thank you for the many hours sacrificed (without pay) to discuss and decide on the many issues, particularly financial, which has helped us develop as a school. To the fundraising committee.... thank you for planning, and helping, with the fundraising efforts this year. Ms Ferguson has led this team for a few years and is stepping down. Thank you Jennifer; any volunteers for 2002? A special fundraiser in the form of a Golf Day was arranged this year. The idea was suggested and driven by Mr. Gary Walker (husband of Mrs. Walker, Gr 7 teacher). Thank you Gary for all of the hard work put in to raise R15 000 towards our new library (media centre). Work on the new Media Centre has started and will continue during the holidays. I am sure that our builder, Graham Chapman, will see to it that we have only the best in the end. Graham is a past pupil of Glenmore and so is his assistant, Iain Parsons. Early next year we should move into a state-of-the-art media centre with a computerised library system and 5 computers linked to the Internet for research purpose. We believe that we have the right person in Mrs. Diane McColl running the centre and we look forward to this exciting project coming to fruition under her watchful eye. A special thank you to Sue Young who has been helping with the capture of information for the new system for some weeks. Tonight belongs to the learners especially those who have excelled in the classroom and elsewhere in the school community. We have enjoyed a year with a wonderful group of Grade 7 learners. Of course in every group there are exceptions but they too have made their contributions in various ways. You will hear more of them later as we continue with our new policy of letting the learners tell it like it is. You will be privileged to hear 3 of our speechmakers, products of yet another course in public speaking. The topics they have chosen are entirely theirs and so are the thoughts and challenges they bring. To the Grade 7's. You leave us on Friday for a different world from the shelter of Glenmore. The Bible reading tonight is my favourite and one I believe you ought to read again and take into your lives as a permanent guide. However I have asked our Head Girl to recite a poem which I believe you ought also to listen to and remember as you face the hard times in life. Michelle surprised me by reciting this poem off by heart at an Assembly recently and I have asked her to say it tonight for all of us to appreciate and remember. With this message I end my thoughts, which have been far too long.
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