From the desk of the principal / Van die skoolhoof se lessenaar:
The first term of 2024 flew by, and we are now at a time of rest and recuperation. I enjoyed my first few months at Christiaan de Wet and am looking forward to the rest of the year. One observation that I made is the true acceptance of the diverse composition of the Christiaan de Wet Community. I would like to applaud my predecessors, as well as the staff, parents and learners who all played a major role in developing this exemplary school community.
Die eerste kwartaal van 2024 het verby gevlieg en nou staan ons voor ’n tyd van rus en hernuwing. My eerste paar maande by Christiaan de Wet was aangenaam en ek sien uit na die res van 2024. Een van my waarnemings is die ware aanvaarding wat ek beleef in die diversiteit van die Christiaan de Wet-gemeenskap. Ek salueer my voorgangers, asook die personeel, ouers en leerders wat ’n rol gespeel het in die ontwikkeling van die besondere skoolgemeenskap.
Reflecting on the term, we experienced highs with our learners’ achievements, academically and otherwise. Our high school athletes did extremely well, and I would like to thank all coaches and organisers for the hard work. We also experienced sadness and some difficult situations. May these experiences serve us well in our development.
In refleksie het ons hierdie kwartaal hoogtepunte beleef met ons leerders se prestasies, akademies en andersins. Veral ons hoërskool atlete het besonder goed gedoen en my opregte dank aan al die afrigters en ook organiseerders vir die harde werk. Ons het egter ook hartseer en moeilike situasies beleef. Mag hierdie ondervindinge ons help ontwikkel.
My prayer would further be that we uphold and strengthen this unity in diversity with all that we do and plan at Christiaan de Wet and that we use this time of rest to reflect on our humanity.
My gebed is voorts dat ons die eenheid in diversiteit sal onderhou en uitbou in alles wat ons doen en beplan as Christiaan de Wet-gemeenskap en dat ons hierdie tyd van rus sal gebruik vir refleksie oor ons menslikheid.
May peace be upon you/ Vrede vir u/ Kgotso e be le wena.
1 March 2024
So often we ignore time. We take time for granted. And then life has this mean way of shaking us awake…time is valuable. The second aspect that we often take for granted is people. Humans. Those around us. And again, life shake us in the most awful way sometimes to realise we only have each other.
Ons gaan soms so onverantwoordelik om met tyd. Tyd word as vanselfsprekend gesien. EN dan kom klap die lewe sin in ons in om weereens te besef hoe kosbaar tyd is. Tweedens neem ons ook mense as vanselfsprekend. Veral die wat om ons is. En weereens het die lewe ’n manier om ons te skud, soms op die aakligste manier, sodat ons moet besef ons het net mekaar.
The old Nguni proverb says: “Motho ke motho, ka batho” – I am only a person through other people. The philosopher / psychologist Victor Frankl wrote in his well-known work “Man’s search for Meaning”, which he wrote based on his experiences as an inmate of Auswitz during World War II, that the purpose of life is to serve others. He observed that those who gave from the little food that they received once a day to others actually were happier human beings, even submerged in the atrocities that were their daily existence.
Die ou Nguni-gesegde sê dat ons slegs mens is deur ander mense. Die bekende filosoof / psigiater Victor Frankl het in sy lewensveranderende werk, “Man’s search for meaning” wat hy geskryf het vanuit sy ervarings as krygsgevangen te Auswitz tydens die Tweede Wêreldoorlog tot die slotsom gekom dat die doel van die lewe is om ander te dien. Hy het gesien en ervaar dat die gevangenes wat die bietie kos wat hulle eenmaal per dag ontvang het deel met ander gelukkiger mense was, selfs temidde van die aakligste werklikheid van hul bestaan.
We celebrated the life of Muhammad Cassim Zakhura, one of our Gr.12 learners and a prefect that tragically lost his life on the 17th of February. I met Muhammed on 14 January, and he immediately made a positive impression on me as a person that live for those around him. My last meeting with Muhammed was on Friday 16 February. He and another prefect came to me to propose a project to improve the infrastructure of the school for future of all scholars, as well as the future of soccer at the school.
Ons het hierdie week die lewe van Muhammad Cassim Zakhura, een van ons Gr. 12 leerders en prefek wat tragies oorlede is op 17 Februarie, gevier. Ek het Muhammad op 14 Januarie vanjaar ontmoet en was onmiddelik onder die indruk van sy positiewe lewensingeseldheid wat spruit uit sy lewe vir die mense rondom hom. My laaste vergadering met hom was op 16 Februarie. Hy en ’n mede-prefek het my kom sien met die idee van ’n projek om die infrastruktuur van die skool te verbeter vir toekomstige leerders, asook die toekoms van sokker by die skool.
As we spoke, I noticed his beautiful watch and wondered what make it was and how he got it. But I will ask him later. Later never came.
Terwyl ons gesels het was sy pragtige horlosie vir my opvallend. My gedagtes was rondom die maak en geskiedenis van die horlosie. Maar ek sal hom later daaroor uitvra. Later het nie gekom nie.
What did I learn? Every moment we have to serve and interact with those who are with us on this earth is immeasurably valuable, thus cherish it.
Die les wat ek hieruit geleer het: elke moment wat ons het om ander te dien en met hulle te wees is van onskatbare, onmeetbare waarde.
The Y Cap-project will be launched shortly, it will be renamed the Muhammad Zakhura-project. The 2024 steering committee has been established this week. This will also not be a once off project but will be an annual project of the prefects.
Die “Y-cap” projek word binnekort van stapel gestuur. Die projek sal voortaan as die Muhammad Zakhura-projek bekend staan. Hierdie sal ’n jaarlikse projek word van die prefekte van Christiaan de Wet Gekombineerde Skool.
I would like to leave you with the following blessing, may we all live this in honour of the life of Muhammed /
Ek laat u met die volgende seënbede, mag ons elkeen so leef ter nagedagtenis aan Muhammad:
May you be blessed with discomfort,
at easy answers, half-truths,
and superficial relationships
so that you may live
deep within your heart.
May you be blessed with anger
at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for
justice, freedom and peace.
May you be blessed with tears,
to shed for those who suffer pain,
rejection, hunger, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and
to turn their pain to joy.
And may you be blessed
with enough foolishness
to believe that you can
make a difference in the world,
so that you can do
what others claim cannot be done,
to bring justice and kindness
to all our children and the poor.
Assalaam alaikum / May peace be upon you/ Vrede vir u.
26 January 2024
I am pleased to have started my tenure at Christiaan de Wet CS and am looking forward to a journey with each learner, staff member and parent. During my interactions with the staff and learners I have used Romans 13: 8 as foundation of what I expect from all of us, and that is that in all our actions, thoughts and discussions we will be govern by love and thus respect towards each other. In this manner we can build an even stronger Christiaan de Wet team and community.
Dit is vir my aangenaam om my tydperk by Christiaan de Wet GS te kon begin en ek sien baie uit na die reis saam met elke leerder, personeellid en ouer. In my interaksie met die personeel en leerders het ek Romeine 13:8 as uitgangspunt gebruik van wat my verwagtinge van ons almal is en dat ons optrede, gedagtes en gesprekke bestuur sal word deur liefde en respek vir mekaar. Op hierdie wyse kan ons ’n nog sterker Christiaan de Wet span en gemeenskap bou.
Be blessed.
Mooi loop.
SCHOOL SONG
Hier waar die Vrystaat sy heuwels versprei het
Hier in ‘n landskap so wyd en so vry.
Staan ons skool wat ons toekoms berei het.
Kennis en liefde van oral verkry.
Give me the best of your knowledge so wide.
You are the fountain of wisdom and pride.
Open my mind so clearly to see what
All the future is holding for me
Shoulder to shoulder we cherish our school’s name.
Christiaan de Wet you’re the key to our light.
Werk en volhard is ons leuse en strewe.
Trou met die blik op die toekoms gerig.
WORK AND PERSEVERE
WORK AND PERSEVERE