La Rochelle Yearbook 2022

a moving target and will be continuously assessed and improved.

Staff

S C H O O L G O V E R N I N G B O D Y

• Electricity: We invested in a back-up battery system to counter loadshedding. This ensures no interruptions to the wi-fi throughout the school, whilst keeping the CAT class, the Admin Block and some lights on. We hope to expand this in the future. • Sustainable energy: The En Avant now boasts 108 solar panels to generate our own supply of electricity at school and the extra power generated is exported to the municipal grid. • Du Toit Street facilities: This has been a massive project, upgrading the old sports grounds and incorporating them into the school as modern tennis and netball facilities, with new fencing and an entrance, as well as improved clubhouse. • Swimming Pool: A complete overhaul of the pool should put La Rochelle in a very good position to support this sport effectively from next year. • New Classrooms: The discussions of the past few years have been ongoing, and we have focused on getting this project off the ground and into the actual professional planning stage. I would like to thank all the hardworking members of the School Governing Body, parents who give so generously of their time, energy and expertise (without any compensation) in an effort to support the education of our daughters and the future daughters of this community. En Avant ! Mr s L e s l e e Du r r ( C h a i r p e r s o n )

Wha t an i nc red i b l e year 2022 has been! As a school community we have not only re-discovered a sense of “normality” after Covid, but also developed a new resilience characterised by enthusiasm and compassion. The year got off to a running start in January, with our incredible new principal, Elsabé Conradie, the 8th principal in the illustrious 162-year history of the school, at the helm. From the outset, she has embodied the school values of Love , Acceptance and Respect through her engaging and empathetic style of leadership. We are proud of have her and wish her well as she embarks on a new phase in the history of La Rochelle. Furthermore, we are fortunate to have an excellent School Management Team, teachers and other personnel who serve this educational institution wholeheartedly. S U B - C OMM I T T E E S The Governing Body re-organised itself into sub committees, in order to streamline governance of and improve support for the school. The sub-committees are constituted by members of the SGB, various experts, teachers, personnel, and learners. This has proven an effective strategy to tackle some of the challenges directly. The sub-committees have been functioning well and are constituted around the following focus areas: 1. Finances; 2. IT – Digital Education; 3. Academics 4. Facilities & Maintenance; 5. Culture 6. Marketing; 7. Sport; 8. Wellness; 9. Hostel S T R A T E G I C S E S S I O N A successful strategic session was held to develop a framework for growth over the next five years – focusing on what it means to educate young women for the 21st Century. It was well attended by the SGB, teachers and former Larries, which elevated the discussions, as we could look towards the future, from all the stakeholder perspectives in our school community. An undisputed fact during the course of the session was that La Rochelle’s identity through balanced diversity and inclusivity ( one flower many ways ) will continue to be our bedrock, while the importance of wellness and a holistic support of both learners and teachers were emphasised. Acknowledging the full humanity of individuals within the group, needs to continue to be a guiding light. The need to strengthen both culture and sport within the school was identified, with the aim of involving as many learners as possible. It was a privilege to be part of this session, not only to experience all the interesting perspectives, but to feel the love in the room and the LAR community of leaders focusing on what it means to prepare learners for global responsible citizenship. Some of the bigger projects tackled this past year: • Roll-out of Chromebooks (Grades 8 – 10) as the start of a new digital era in education at La Rochelle – to equip our learners for the future. This is, of course,

B E H E E R L I G G A A M VOOR: Milan Horn (Deputy Head Girl), Shamira Titus (RCL Chairlady), Jeanne du Toit (Hoofmeisie) 2DE RY: Michelle Horn (Ondervoorsitter), Leslee Durr (Voorsitter), Elsabé Conradie (Skoolhoof ), Riel Malan 3DE RY: Nita Volschenk, Karin Leibbrandt, Ewen Abrahams 4DE RY: Nadene van Aswegen (Adjunkhoof ), Stiaan van der Merwe, Sonnet Vorster AGTER: Lizanne Pelham, Adriano Bertoncello, Francois Pieterse

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