The Blue Note | Edition 8 | Sept – Oct 2026

Dear Family and Friends of St Anne’s

There are moments in the life of a school when the usual rhythm of lessons, sport, cultural activities, deadlines and daily routines is interrupted by something that reminds us, very profoundly, of what really matters.

The tragic loss of Reneiloe Monkhi has left our community deeply saddened. There are no easy words to make sense of such a loss. Our thoughts and love remain with her family, friends and all those who knew and loved her. We hold them in our hearts as they navigate a pain that is difficult for any of us to comprehend.

A loss such as this inevitably causes us to reflect. It reminds us of the fragility of life and of how precious our time together really is. Amidst the busyness of school and life beyond our gates, the expectations we place on ourselves and others, and the hurly burly we get caught up in at times, can sometimes make us lose sight of the simple things that make life meaningful.

The conversations in the corridors, the laughter with friends, the family dinners, the shared jokes, the unexpected kindness and the ordinary moments spent together are often the things we will remember most. We should never underestimate the value of these seemingly insignificant moments. They are, in fact, the fabric of our lives.

This loss also brings into sharp focus the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing. Mental health challenges are complex, and we cannot always know what another person is experiencing, even when they are surrounded by people who love and care for them. It is important that we continue to create an environment in which conversations about emotional wellbeing are welcomed, and seeking help is encouraged.

As a school, we want to continue nurturing a culture of kindness, compassion and belonging. Not because we can always fix things for one another, or know exactly what someone else needs, but because being part of a community means that we walk alongside one another through both the joyful and the difficult times.

To our girls, I encourage you to embrace your time at school. Enjoy the friendships, the opportunities, the laughter and silliness, the traditions, and even some of the wonderfully ordinary moments that make up each day.

To our parents and staff, let us continue to remind our young people and ourselves that life is complicated and no one really has it all figured out, and a little bit of slowing down may be helpful, and a little more emphasis on the ordinary. We cannot make sense of every sadness or prevent every tragedy. But we can choose how we comfort one another and of how we live together.

Through this very tough time, we have been so touched by the outpouring of support and care from our parents, Old Girls, fellow schools throughout our country, and even strangers. It has been so evident just how many genuinely kind, caring and good people there are in our midst.  So through it all, as a school we also feel an enormous sense of gratitude for our people, and for the strength which God has given us.

Warm regards 

Debbie Martin

COLLEGE HEAD

INTRODUCING OUR HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT

BY MRS DEBBIE MARTIN, COLLEGE HEAD

Traditionally girls’ schools have been overly polite and reticent in seeking investments, or strategising about future developments and sustainability. With the approach of St Anne’s 150th, and with a new dawn evident with our supporters showing an appetite for investment into St Anne’s and her future, we believe we need to step forward boldly. The establishment of this new role, and Emily’s appointment to it, is part of St Anne’s inviting investors to join the vision of providing the ideal environment now, and in the future, for the holistic education of young women in a superbly resourced, beautiful environment where they can thrive.

Emily will be delighted to hear from those of you in our community who love St Anne’s, and who want to see our iconic college step into the future with confidence in driving capital projects, securing top staff, providing financial assistance for deserving young women, funding social responsibility projects such as STEPP, and investing in exciting initiatives, including the acquisition of neighbouring properties. Please contact Emily on [email protected] if you are interested in helping to power St Anne’s forward.

Emily lives in Nottingham Road and has been exposed to what a passionate Old Girl is like through her mother in law! Emily has slipped into St Anne’s seamlessly and we look forward to working alongside her.

BRUCE PIPER MONOLOGUE COMPETITION

BY MS lynn chemaly, HEAD OF THEATRE

The Speech and Drama Association of South Africa affords students the opportunity to present their practical performance work to an external adjudicator. This wonderful initiative allows Dramatic Arts students to receive feedback on their performances from experienced professionals in both the industry and academic environments. This year, our Grade 10 Dramatic Arts students presented scenes, while our Grade 11 students presented monologues as part of the festival.

Schools from around KZN participate in the festival, and those students who achieve an A+ for their monologues are invited to take part in the Bruce Piper Monologue Competition. This prestigious event brings together the top-performing students to present their monologues on a shared platform to experience each other’s work and gain another opportunity to perform before two adjudicators, friends, and parents.

Four of our St Anne’s girls performed in the Bruce Piper Monologue Competition, hosted here at St Anne’s this past weekend. They all did exceptionally well, showing subtlety, depth, and confidence in their performances. We are extremely proud of our Dramatic Arts students and all they have achieved in this provincial competition.

GRADE 10 SCULPTURAL DOGS

BY Mr matthew ovendale, visual art teacher

At its heart, this project was an exercise in observation, exploration and resilience. Students were set the subject of dogs and sent off to source their own reference imagery, some found online, others drawn from photographs of their own dogs at home. That hunt for the right image was itself the first lesson: learning to really look at a photograph before trying to draw from it.

Those references were then reinterpreted through a series of line drawings, often single continuous lines, rushed and rough in the earliest attempts, growing steadily more considered and detailed as students worked through the project. Each student was required to produce a body of work rather than a single piece, several sculptures each, some finished quickly, others becoming genuine labours of love.

Wire is a beautiful but idiosyncratic medium. Students worked across aluminium, copper, oil coated, galvanised and steel wire, and each behaved differently in the hand. Some bent obligingly and held whatever shape they were given, while others were stubborn, frustrating and seemed to have a will of their own. Working across this range of materials, and reworking the same subject again and again, produced sculptures that are wonderfully idiosyncratic; imperfect, occasionally perfectly wrong, and entirely each student’s own.

Presentation mattered too. A collection of beautiful hardwood offcuts, sourced from a local furniture factory, gave students raw material to shape into bases of their own choosing. Deciding how to mount a sculpture, and adapting a block of wood to suit it, turned out to be as much a part of the creative process as the sculpting itself.

What emerged is a genuinely remarkable array of work, and every student should be proud of what they made.

GEOGRAPHY COMES TO LIFE AT TREASURE BEACH

BY MrS JULIA FORREST, GEOGRAPHY TEACHER

Our Grade 9 Geography students recently packed their picnics and headed to Treasure Beach in Durban for a day of learning and adventure!

Having studied coastal features in the classroom, the girls had the wonderful opportunity to bring their theory to life by seeing these geographical features firsthand. The day was filled with shell collecting, rock hopping and plenty of laughter, with some exciting discoveries along the way, including an octopus and a cowrie shell!

Beyond the Geography lesson, it was simply wonderful to see our girls being kids – exploring, discovering and enjoying the beauty of nature. A fantastic day of learning beyond the classroom!

NORMAL LIFE IN LO

BY MrS MEG MEEDING, HEAD OF LIFE ORIENTATION

In Term 3 the Grade 10s worked through a six week course entitled Normal Life, based on the book by David Leslie. As a young white South African man, he went to live in a township with his friend Zac, for a month. Together they wrote a book and made a short film about their experiences. The course tackles some tough subjects including privilege, prejudice, empathy and admiration. At the end of the series, the girls were asked to make a short film of their own, about our country and their place in it. Here are some examples of what they came up with

CHANGING A TYRE IN LO

BY MrS MEG MEEDING, HEAD OF LIFE ORIENTATION

At the end of Term 3, the Grade 11 girls were given the opportunity to learn how to change a tyre, an important life skill as many begin their journey towards becoming safe and responsible drivers. A sincere thank you to Mr Siya Ngidi for sharing his expertise and for his patience in guiding the girls through this practical and valuable experience.

GRADE 11 WORLD OF WORK DAY

BY MrS MEG MEEDING, HEAD OF LIFE ORIENTATION

During Trips week, the Grade 11s participated in our annual “World of Work” Programme: a  collaboration between the Life Orientation and Counselling Departments.

Ms Selby and Ms Maurer launched the World of Work programme with a series of psychometric tests assessing personality, values and interests. The results of those assessments and individual reports will assist the students to make informed career and study choices.

The World of Work programme continued with an engaging and insightful talk by psychologist Dr Paul Bushell, who spoke on careers in an ever-changing world. Following this, the girls participated in four breakaway sessions featuring speakers from a diverse range of professional fields. These sessions offered valuable exposure to real-world career paths and personal journeys. The day concluded with a meaningful address by Sandra B. Zaca who continued the theme of resilience.

Below is feedback from three of the Grade 11 girls:

Tori Pearson

World of Work Day was truly eye opening and left me in awe of the amazing woman who spoke with GRIT and empowerment. One of the most impactful lessons I took away from the day was the realization that your career is not set in stone. It is simply a foundation. It does not define who you are or who you will become – I think as a grade 11 student I often forget that. I also learned that to be extraordinary in your career means more than just taking opportunities, you have to create them for yourself. The story that inspired me the most was Sandra B. Zaca’s because she never gave up. I believe she could have stopped after reaching South Africa, or even teaching herself English and her story would still have been remarkable; however, she continued to shatter every glass ceiling and continues to do so. She taught me that life can challenge you with very difficult circumstances; however, you decide if you choose to be the victim of the circumstance or to rise above it. This resonated with me because no matter what situation I am dealt in my future workplace or even in life, if I have the right attitude towards the situation as well as resilience I will always be able to get through it.

Ijeamaka Nwankwo

I really enjoyed World of Work Day as it helped me understand the expectations as well as the many ways to enter different fields of work. The speakers were realistic and spoke on how challenging the journey could be. Not only did they teach us that jobs are not linear and to accept change but they also taught us the importance of resilience and a good personal character. They showed us practical tools to assist in career choices and overall it was an extremely enjoyable day.  

Ryan-Emily Kent

World of Work Day gave me the opportunity to learn more about different careers and think about my future. I have always been interested in engineering because of my love for maths, science and problem-solving, but the day showed me that there are many careers that combine these interests in different ways. The architect’s passion for her career particularly stood out to me and introduced me to the creative side of architecture, which I found very interesting. The experience encouraged me to research different career paths and reminded me to remain open-minded, adaptable and willing to explore new opportunities. Most importantly, I valued learning that it is okay not to have everything figured out yet, as exploring different possibilities is an important part of discovering what is right for me.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT DAY

BY DR NICKI KIRBY, HEAD OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

By all accounts, the Grade 11 STEPP Community Day at Jabulani Primary was a great success, with an impact that will be felt long after the day itself.

Thanks to the proceeds raised by the Grade 11s on Fete Day in June, together with generous donations from a number of parents, we were able to establish a 60m² vegetable garden to enhance food security, complete with all the necessary gardening equipment and a JoJo tank to ensure a reliable water supply. We also provided the school with a comprehensive set of graded readers, an essential resource for developing literacy. With the assistance of the St Anne’s Estates team, we undertook several minor infrastructural improvements, including ensuring that all classrooms were properly lit, furnishing one classroom with desks and chairs in good condition, and plastering and painting the Grade 3 classroom walls, which were in urgent need of restoration.

The Grade 11 girls threw themselves into the day’s activities with great enthusiasm. They painted an attractive mural, played educational games and completed puzzles with the children, ran reading corners, helped Grade 7 learners make items to sell at their Market Day the following week, and organised a variety of sporting and dance activities. A sports starter kit, comprising netballs, soccer balls, an entry-level cricket kit, hurdles and other sporting essentials, was also handed over to the enormous delight of the learners, who had previously had little more than a couple of our old water polo balls to play with! All puzzles and other teaching and learning resources will be inventoried by the school to help ensure their careful management and continued use.

The 260 learners were also treated to a special pizza lunch, generously subsidised by Debonairs Pizza, accompanied by juice and milkshakes very kindly donated by Mark Davies of Spring Meadow. It was a memorable treat for the children, who will no doubt be talking about it for some time to come.

The day was a wonderful example of what can be achieved when enthusiastic girls and learners, generous donors and the committed Grade 11 cluster work together to make a tangible difference in our broader College community.

Christmas Star Collection

As the festive season approaches, we invite our St Anne’s community to share in the spirit of giving through our traditional, annual STEPP Christmas Collection. This year, our beneficiary school is Julukandoda Primary, and we hope to gift every child in Grades 3 and 4 school-readiness pack to start the new year well equipped. Julukandoda learners in Grades 3 and 4 have been coming to St Anne’s every Tuesday afternoon through the school year for STEPP literacy support lessons.

Each pack will include a pencil bag filled with essential stationery – 3 HB pencils, 2 blue pens, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, a set of 12 wind-up pencil crayons, a glue stick, a pair of paper scissors, a pack of A4 plastic book covers, and a small fun toy – a simple yet meaningful collection of items that can make the world of difference to a young learner.

To take part, girls are invited to choose a star from the African Christmas Tree (the baobab) in the Dining Room. Each star lists the items needed to fill a learner’s pack. Families can then purchase these items as their special gift to one of the children we support.

We kindly ask that all contributions be returned by the last week of term, ensuring that the gifts are delivered to Julukandoda Primary before the Christmas holidays.

Your generosity will brighten a child’s day, inspire their learning, and help us share the true spirit of Christmas — joy, hope, and kindness through education.

WATER POLO – MORE THAN JUST A RANKING

We are incredibly proud to celebrate our 1st Water Polo team being ranked top in South Africa. While we celebrate this wonderful achievement, at St Anne’s, rankings are not our primary focus. Our true goal for sport is to nurture enthusiastic, committed players who understand the joy of belonging, the power of motivation and the value of hard work, passion, and grit.

This ranking is simply a beautiful byproduct of a group of girls experiencing the pure fun and commitment of playing together. Under the exceptional leadership of Coach Cameron Wiid, Captain Inez Letschert, Vice-Captain Hannah Savage, and our senior players, Farrann Elliot, Kate Sardi and Keira Sim, this team has built an enviable culture that exemplifies the true value of sport.

They have shown that when you focus on passion, character and culture, excellence follows.

Congratulations, girls and staff! Thank you for representing St Anne’s with such heart and pride.

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

BY DR NICKI KIRBY, EXCHANGE COORDINATOR

St Anne’s girls participating in the 2026 International Exchange Programme have spent the greater part of the second, third or fourth term at one of our four partner schools around the world:

1. St. Margaret’s Anglican School, Brisbane, Australia
2. Kinross Wolaroi School, Orange, New South Wales, Australia
3. Rugby School, Rugby, England
4. Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

In return, St Anne’s has warmly hosted visiting students from these schools over the course of the year.

Our girls thoroughly enjoy their exchange experiences and return to St Anne’s more confident, mature, and independent, having embraced new cultures and perspectives. These exchanges provide opportunities to discover new strengths and interests, foster adaptability and resilience, and build lasting international friendships. The experience profoundly shapes how they engage with the world and adds immeasurable value to their holistic education.

Exchanges between St Anne’s and our four partner schools will continue in 2027, and applications are now open to girls currently in Grade 9.

A letter has been sent to the Grade 9 parents outlining the conditions of the St Anne’s International Exchange Programme. Families interested in applying for the 2027 programme are requested to email Dr Nicki Kirby, Exchange Programme Co-ordinator, on [email protected], by no later than Monday 9^th November, giving permission for their daughters to apply. Successful applicants will be informed before the end of the current school year.

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