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Saints Term Calendar 2024
Saints Term Calendar 2025

Updates from the Principal

18 June 2024 - Principal's Weekly Update

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Campus News

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Comrades Volunteers - Our Team of the Week

On Sunday, we had the privilege to volunteer at the Ultimate Human Race, the Comrades Marathon. Teaming up with a local NGO and another PMB School, our St Charles College boys raised their hands to be stretcher bearers at the finish line and be at one of the Elite Tables on the route.

The boys had to dig deep and work hard! Many described the day as easy in the beginning, but when the 9-hour mark hit, it wasn’t easy anymore. Onele Masinga describes the day as, “It was harder than I expected and it was a real test of strength, especially in the last few hours, but sharing the burden of being responsible for someone’s safety with my friends made it much more bearable and rewarding in the end.”

Carlo van den Berg summarised the day as, “Despite the long and strenuous hours taking a physical and mental toll on me, the opportunity to serve hundreds of people is tremendously fulfilling. Even though you work hard, carrying the physically fatigued, taking hundreds of photos for complete strangers and assembling the stretchers beforehand, the occasional “thank you” or quick smile that you receive reminds you that you have made a difference in someone’s Comrades experience, and highlights the impact that an act of service can have in someone’s day, ultimately making all the hard work worthwhile.”

The Comrades Medical Facility has been described as the largest medical, temporary facility outside of a conflict or disaster zone, anywhere in the world. What a privilege to have been a small piece of a great day! - Mrs Bianca Croeser

Prep Cross Country

To end off the season, our kitchen and coaches gave the boys the best surprise - being able to stop their run early with a warm cup of Hot Chocolate.

The boys were extremely happy and enjoyed time socialising, congratulating each other on the season, thanking their coaches, reminiscing on all the positive memories and all in all ending off on a very positive note. Thank you to our awesome coaches for this treat and for their hard work. - Mr Gregg Cole-Edwardes (Head of Prep Sport)

Technical Project

For our Grade 8 Technical project this term, we embarked on an exciting challenge: to construct a hydraulic lifting mechanism using a minimum of two syringes. This task was designed to test our research, design and construction skills.

Louis Koch demonstrated remarkable creativity and technical know-how and led the team in this endeavour. His LEGO model not only met, but exceeded expectations, showcasing his exceptional design ideas. Louis's enthusiasm and dedication played a vital role in the success of our project, highlighting his talent and leadership within our group. – Mr Murray Cole-Edwardes (Head of Middle School)

Grade 10 History Excursion

Last week Thursday, the Grade 10 history students travelled to the Durban Holocaust and Genocide Museum. This was so that they could understand their Nazi Germany Depth Study. The experience was great, as we learnt a lot about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.

One of the exhibits seen was dedicated to Anne Frank. It detailed her early life in Nazi Germany, to
her moving to the Netherlands due to her father becoming more concerned with the Nazi Government removing the rights of the Jewish people. After Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1941, the family decided that they would hide in the attic of the business Anne Frank’s father owned. Despite their efforts, the family were caught and arrested, with the father being the only one in the family to survive. The exhibit contained a bookshelf that was a secret door, leading into a replica of Anne Frank’s bedroom showing how little space she and her family lived in.

Afterwards we went to an exhibition that displayed discrimination against the Jews, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah witnesses and others. The exhibition had items that were looted during Kristallnacht and propaganda posters spread across the museum, depicting Aryan Germans as superior while falsely depicting the ‘undesirables’ (in the eyes of the Nazis) as unhuman and a waste of space. Following that, there was an exhibition dedicated to the Einsatzgruppe, who would execute any known ‘undesirables’ in settlements behind German front lines. They initially kill Jewish and other ‘undesirables’ by shooting them, however, they would then force people into the back of trucks and fill the chamber with exhaust fumes. Nazi officials felt like the use of Einsatzgruppe was too ineffective due to how long it would take to get rid of ‘undesirables’ and the mental toll it took on the men in these groups. So, the Nazis eventually decided that they would use death camps instead. The exhibition dedicated to the Holocaust showed how many were taken to death camps in trains with very little space and some would be found dead. It also depicted the terrible conditions of the camps and how they would disguise the gas chambers as showers.

It was honestly harrowing to look around the exhibit and imagine the suffering that many people faced at the death camps or the forced labour camps. After an activity where we designed posters about Holocaust survivors, we were treated to a short film called ‘Pigeon’. The main theme of the film was about how people should protect persecuted groups during genocides and act against injustice instead of standing idly by. The museum was very immersive, and it is highly recommended that you visit. Many of the photos on the walls depicting streets and events are life sized. The exhibition depicting the concentration camps have barbed wire. And as the name suggests, the Museum isn’t just dedicated to the holocaust, but other genocides as well. The other genocides in question include the Rwandan Genocide (1994), Bosnian Genocide (1992 - 1995) and the Cambodian Genocide (1975 - 1979).

The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of these cruel atrocities so that people can ultimately remember how hatred and ignorance can cause the death and destruction of a culture and people. The museum is free of charge and has a nice café which makes it a perfect stop for anyone who wants to learn about this vital piece of history. – Lethokuhle Sibiya (Grade 10)

Grade 1 Outing

Our Grade 1 boys had a fun day out at Umgeni Valley this week.

A hike and scavenger hunt through the grassland proved most exciting when zebra were spotted grazing. We ventured further into the valley to the river where the boys were able to discover the tiny creatures that lived under rocks and in the water. The boys had great fun dipping their feet into the chilly water, balancing along rocks and enjoying their time in nature. A short walk to view the beautiful cascading waterfall was a wonderful way to end off our trip.

Taking boys on school excursions offers numerous benefits when it comes to learning
about the natural world. Boys develop a sense of curiosity and respect for nature leading to a greater appreciation for the environment. – Mrs Meg Hutton

Wild Animals There in Scrummies

There is nothing more exciting than being part of a group of 5 and 6-year-olds yearning to know more about a topic! When our theme about wild animals came along and we decided to talk about different habitats, our boys were fascinated and led us all to discovering more about wild animals and the environments they live in. The boys formed groups, chose a habitat and an animal, and so the adventure began!

We learned about different ways to research a topic, like asking mom and dad to help, using the library’s non-fiction section to look for books and making use of technology.
The boys paged through their books, resulting in much enthusiastic discussion! They asked their teachers to read some facts to them and then made their own drawings to
go with what grabbed their interest. The next step was to research the habitats of the animals on the internet. Then the hunt was on! Off they went with devices to take
pictures of habitat elements that they could find on our playground. The groups then worked together to use some of these elements to create a background collage for their animals. After this followed the most precious drawings of their chosen animals to live in the environments they created.

This is without a doubt the best way to allow children to learn – giving them the opportunity to research, make choices, and unlock a whole new world for themselves! - Mrs Liesl Meter (Head of Pre-Primary)

Dads and Lads Obstacle Course

On Friday evening our Scrummies boys hosted the “Main Manne” in their little lives for an evening of adventure! With headlamps and torches, the little sidekicks gathered at the starting line next to their heroes to set off on an Amazing Race around the St Charles College campus. Competition was rife and there was much banter as the pairs chomped away at donuts, built catapults, completed an obstacle course and tried their hand at problem solving.

Some of the early leaders faced a roadblock or two and had to settle for a spot lower down in the ranks. There was much jubilation every time a team made the finish line. Dads and their lads could then relax and spend time together around the braai fires. Thanks to all our AMAZING dads for joining us and for making the evening such a great one! – Mrs Liesl Meter (Head of Pre-Primary)