Eco Representatives Tessa James, Kaitlin Kenmuir and Erin Gedult with Union’s magnificent Cape Ash.
As our matrics start their trial exams with CAT Paper 1 (Practical) today, we’d like to wish them all the best for the next few weeks ahead.
โThe women in our community need to be reassured during these difficult times. We need to provide support and comfort to all those women in the Graaff-Reinet area who are struggling to let them know they are not alone.โ
This is the belief of Laetitia Theron, a Grade 12 learner at Union who was inspired by the recent Womenโs Month celebrations to reach out to the less fortunate in the community.
Laetitia, who serves as Deputy Headgirl and president of Union High Schoolโs RCL, has commandeered her fellow RCL members to help her drive a CARE-kit collection aimed at providing women in need with small boxes containing basic necessities.
โA small gift can be a powerful reminder for a woman that she has not been forgotten and that she remains a valued and respected member of her community,โ said Laetitia.
I want these boxes to be a source of comfort and hope for women in the midst of their battle. Our hope is that these boxes will brighten someoneโs day, put a smile on the lips of a woman who is struggling or just provide a much-needed pick-me-up.โ
The CARE-kits (which will be about the size of a shoebox) will consist of:
โข Facecloth
โข Bar of soap
โข Feminine hygiene product
โข Deodorant
โข Lotion
โข Toothbrush
โข Toothpaste
โข Chocolate
Each box will be accompanied by a small card, which will read: โ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐ธ๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ด๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ.โ
Unionโs RCL kindly request that the community considers donating towards this drive. Donations can be big or small, an individual item or an entire CARE-kit.
If you are unable to purchase these items you are welcome to make a donation and the RCL will purchase items that are needed for the CARE-kits.
Donations can be dropped off at Union High School’s front gate in Donkin Street with Mrs Moos.
Those wishing to contribute, are asked to please do so before September 30th.
Those who would like to make a monetary donation, can EFT their contribution into the following bank account:
Account Name: UHS Clearing Account
Standard Bank
Account Number: 082528330
Branch Code: 050116
Please make sure to use โRCL – CAREโ accompanied by your surname as a reference.
Today, Monday, 31 August, the staff and learners of Union High School bid farewell to Ms Lindzey Munnik.
Ms Munnik, who taught Afrikaans FAL to Union’s Grade 8s, 9s and 10s, recently accepted a position at Narsingstraat Primary School.
Ms Munnik’s friendliness, enthusiasm for teaching and commitment to her learners’ well-being made her a wonderful addition to the school.
Everyone at Union will miss her dearly and wish her all the best for the journey ahead!
Today, Friday, 17 July, Union High School will have successfully completed our 6th week of on-site education since the reopening of schools. To date, Union High School has, fortunately, not been directly impacted by a confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19). As the pandemic spreads, planning for the possibility of such a situation has, however, been a top priority and Union would like to take this opportunity to assure our community that in the event that this should happen, strict protocols will be followed, as per the guidelines provided to us by the Department of Education, to ensure the safety of the learners and educators.
Although the school has had no confirmed cases, we have noticed an increase in โclose contactโ cases within the local community, i.e. people who have been in close contact with individuals who have tested positive for the virus.
The school has protocols in place for โclose contactโ cases as well and parents are asked to please familiarise themselves with the following information to limit the risk to our school community:
What does being a โclose contactโ mean?
A โclose contactโ is defined as someone who has been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, but does not have any symptoms themselves.
โClose contactโ means that you had face-to-face contact within 1 metre or were in a closed space for more than 15 minutes with a person with COVID-19. This contact happened while the person with COVID-19 was still โinfectiousโ, i.e. from 2 days before to 14 days after their symptoms began. You are not a โclose contactโ if youโve had contact with someone considered to be a โclose contactโ, only if you yourself have been in contact with a person with COVID-19.
For example, you may be someone who:
1. Lives in the same household as a person with COVID-19.
2. Works closely in the same environment as a person with COVID-19.
3. Sat in the same classroom as a person with COVID-19.
4. Attended the same gathering as a person with COVID-19.
5. Provided direct care for a person with COVID-19 in a healthcare setting without using the proper personal protective equipment.
6. Sat within two seats (1 metre) in any direction of a person with COVID-19 case in any kind of vehicle including buses, minibus taxis, etc.
If a learner has been identified as being a โclose contactโ of a confirmed case of COVID-19, they are required to self-isolate at home for 14 days while being monitored for symptoms. They may not attend school. No tests are needed. Just 14 days of self-isolation from last contact if you do not show any symptoms. If you do develop symptoms, youโll be required to start another 14-days of isolation from start of symptoms.
If you have been around someone who was identified as a โclose contactโ to a person with COVID-19, you should closely monitor yourself for any symptoms of COVID-19. You do not need to self-isolate. Parents must please notify the Headmaster immediately should their child be identified as a โclose contactโ. The Headmaster can be contacted directly on either 049 891 0262 or headmaster@unionschools.co.za
The learners will still be provided with at-home online-based educational support during their time of self-isolation to ensure continuity of education.
Parents are welcome to contact the school if they have any questions in this regard. In closing, we once again want to assure our parents of Unionโs continued commitment to the well-being of our learners. We take every precautionary measure possible to ensure that our classrooms, venues and grounds are safe environments for our kids at all times.
Dear Mr Pringle and staff,
The current circumstances we live in are unknown to us all and they bringย a lot of uncertainties and new challenges with them.
For this reason, we would like to express our gratitude to you on behalf of all the learners at Union High School for all that you and your team have done so far for us on and off-campus as well as for the kind and supportive messages you have sent to us all.
Even though some of us are still at home, life on campus has continued as much as possible given the circumstances. We think that it has created an even bigger feeling of community-building. That one feelingย that the Union campus is known for.
We realise how much extra work it must have been for the academic staff to change the curriculum to an online format during lockdown and how much extra effort it is now, to have to do on-site teaching while offering online educational support.
To all organisational staff, we know that a big part of the schoolโs success is your efforts with coordination and support. For that reason, we would like to thank you and everyone else who have been involved in the preparation and continuation of the academic programme and for getting the school ready to receive learners.
Finally, we hope that this crisis will somehow be resolved in the near future and that those who have returned home will be able to return to Union soon to finish the year all together. And that if anything, we will all be able to learn something from this crisis.
Thanks again for everything, and if there is anything that we can do to help, please let us know.
With kind regards and best wishes,
UNION HIGH SCHOOL Head Prefects,
Sakhe Booi โ Headgirl
Bowen Langmead – Headboy
Brett Amsterdam โ Deputy Headboy
Laetitia Theron โ Deputy Headgirl