Bulletin, Eco-Schools

Amazing Race

Union High School’s Eco-Amazing Race is exactly one month away! Remember to secure your entry to stand a chance of winning one of the amazing prizes that will be up for grabs. All teams will walk away with a prize!

We invite families of 4 to enter this fun-filled event (no more than 2 adults on a team).  The entry fee per team is R100. There are only 10 spots available, so first come, first serve.

For further information, or to request an entry form, please contact Mrs. Burger on 049 891 0262 or e-mail uhsmarketing@unionschools.co.za

Bulletin, Student Life

Innovative Learner

Behind every invention or new innovation is a person who saw a problem or an opportunity and invented a solution or a new device.

One such bright mind is Zack Botha, a Grade 6 learner at Union High School.  While sitting in Mathematics one day, inspiration hit him, and he proceeded to ‘upcycle’ two everyday stationery items, an empty Pritt glue stick and an old pencil sharpener.  From these two items, Zack created a pencil sharpener with a catchment.

“While it can be bought, this is an easy and cheap way to create a pencil sharpener that you can use at your desk without having to walk to the wastebasket every time you need to sharpen a pencil,” says Zack.

Maybe one day Zack will develop a world-changing new invention, who knows?

All we can say is that at Union, we’re big fans of innovation in all its forms, and we just love it when our learners think out of the box to create something inspired!

Academic, Bulletin

Maths Olympiad

Union’s maths whizzes participate in Olympiad

On Wednesday, 15 May, 23 Union learners will participate in the second round of the South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO).

The South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) is South Africa’s biggest Olympiad.  Approximately 86 000 high school learners across the country participate annually.

There are two divisions: a junior division for Grades 8 and 9 and a senior division for Grades 10 to 12. Learners who score at least 50% in the first round which was this year written on 12 March qualify for the second round in May.  The top (approximately) 100 junior and 100 senior learners from the second round qualify for the final round in July.

The senior learners who qualified for the second round are (top) James Rose-Innes, Elia Railton, Hannah Watermeyer, Megan Doyle, Sicelokuhle (SO) Sishuba (bottom) Sabrina Potgieter, Lungile Netnou, Laetitia Theron, Ezra Mangunda and Peter Watermeyer.

The juniors are (top) Matthew McNaughton, Hannah Bodenstein, AJ Victor, Matthew Basson, Chloe Koeberg, (middle) Caitrin Spence, Simone Prinsloo, Gemma Naudé, Tayla Kingwill, David Kinghorn, (bottom) Siphosethu Malotana, Trinity West and Cadee Arends.

Union wishes these learners the best of luck!

Bulletin, Hostels

HAH MasterChef

Boarders cook up a storm

On Election Day, Wednesday, 8 May, Union’s Herby Arnott House held a fun MasterChef competition to celebrate the mid-week public holiday.

All the boarders were divided into teams, after which they were all given the same set of ingredients with which to showcase their impressive food skills.  The dishes were judged on creativity, appearance and taste.

There are definitely some chefs in the making at Herby Arnott, as the judges were very impressed with the level of creativity the boarders displayed during this fun and engaging cook-off.

Bulletin, Student Life

Manners Matter!

At Union, we strive to encourage proper etiquette, good manners and courteous behaviour among our learners to nurture a culture where learners respect their peers and authority figures such as teachers and coaches.

Today we received these photos from Christo Pietersen accompanied by the comment, “Impressed with the well-behaved boys”.

As the most effective approach to instilling good manners in a child is by being an example of proper etiquette yourself, we’d like to thank the exceptional parents of the Union schools as well as the members of staff and, in fact, the Union community as a whole for setting the example and for showing our learners the value of proper etiquette.

Most importantly we’d like to thank the learners for being such splendid ambassadors for our school!

Cultivating good manners takes time, but the rewards of respectful, well-behaved learners are truly endless.

Bulletin, Cultural

Interact

Representatives of Union’s Interact Club recently paid a visit to the Khomanani White Door Centre of Hope (WDCOH) in Graaff-Reinet.

This local centre is one of only four White Door Centres in South Africa that serve as a victim reception centre that provides a short term safe space that victims can access if they need to wait for professional services, including the police.

The purpose of the Interact Club’s visit was to hand over a special donation of soft toys and journals which they hope will, in future, provide some comfort to the traumatised young children being aided by the centre.

Seen here is the Interact Club’s chairperson, Siphesihle Jali, and deputy-chairperson, Jada Smith, presenting the package to the centre’s representative Ms. Sweetness Langa.

 

Bulletin

Banquet Preparations In Full Swing

Preparations are well underway for Union’s much-anticipated Centenary Banquet being held this evening (Friday, 3 May) on the school’s beautiful sports grounds.

The Marquee has been pitched, the décor is being put up, the preparations in the kitchens are in full swing and the excitement has reached new heights.

This black-tie event, which promises to be a most memorable evening, will see close to 300 guests celebrate the school’s 100th birthday with top class catering, a cash bar, dancing and entertainment.

The banquet starts at 18:30 with guests being greeted upon arrival by the beautiful sounds of the school’s choirs and marimba bands.

Please note that entry to the banquet will be through the Bruce Maree Gates, with parking being available in Caledon Street and in the parking areas of the boarding house.

Bulletin, Student Life

Anti-Bullying Campaign

Anti-bullying campaign kicks into high gear

In 2017, Union High School’s Interact Club launched an anti-bullying campaign.  Over the past two years, their initial campaign has grown into a long-term project with a proactive, multi-faceted whole-school approach to the problem of bullying.

At first, a number of awareness campaigns were undertaken, including the introduction of a Bully-Bin to the school’s campus.  Since then -, supported by an effective anti-bullying policy – the focus has been on creating a safe and positive environment for the learners in the classrooms and on the school grounds with everyone working together to create a climate where bullying is not acceptable.

On Wednesday, 1 May, Old Unionite Ingrid Kingwill joined forces with Union in this initiative by training 13 peer counsellors to support the emotional and academic wellbeing of fellow learners.  This has been implemented as a support scheme to reduce bullying and as a means of reducing the psychological effects thereof on learners.

Union’s sincere gratitude is extended to Ingrid for her willingness to invest in the wellbeing of the school.

All peer counsellors who participated in the training found it an enriching experience and we have no doubt that this project will grow from strength to strength.

Bulletin, Hostels

HAH Doughnut Derby

The boarders at Union’s Herby Arnott House had a blast this past Wednesday, 1 May, celebrating the mid-week public holiday by competing amongst each other in some fun games.

Seen here are some of the girls participating in ‘Doughnuts on a String’ which is like “bobbing for apples” in reverse. Instead of dunking your head into water, you’re stretching as high as you can to nibble on dangling doughnuts. The doughnuts bob and sway, which is challenging enough, but then add the extra touch – no using your hands!

Bulletin, Media Team

Union News

Union News – 2 May 2019

The UHS Behind the Scenes media team’s latest edition  of ‘Union News’  features a segment on the Elevate Education group and their activities at Union. Watch it here:

https://www.facebook.com/unionhighschool/videos/2186069865025368/