La Rochelle Yearbook 2023

School Governing Body

Dr. Bradley Greenhalgh

Me. Nadene van Aswegen

Mev. Elsabé Conradie

Mev. Karin Leibbrandt

Mev. Leslee Durr

Mev. Nita Volschenk

Mev. Sonett Vorster

Mnr. Francois Pieters

Mnr. Stiaan van der Merwe

Mr Cristiano Sassoli

Mr Ewen Abrahams

Johrè Blommetjies

Jessica Eckhardt

Rizia Seria

Mnr. Adriano Bertoncello

Mnr. Riel Malan

Mnr. Sarel Rossouw

organisation of offices and the staffroom; creation of a new position: Head of Culture; upgrade to fibre high speed internet; touch-screen Chrome Books; paving and finishes at Du Toit Street Sports Grounds and the swimming pool paving. Two new committees were formed around critical expansion projects: Electrical Infrastructure A complete overhaul of the electrical infrastructure of the school was done, to keep both the lights on during the challenging load-shedding times, as well as future-proof our institution. The consolidation of all the electrical supply to the whole campus was instituted – including the school, hostel, En Avant Centre, Navarre and Clubhouse buildings, as well as the Du Toit Street Sports Grounds. These are now fed from a new main bulk supply point, supported by both a new generator and the existing solar panel system, with a new underground cable network, which enables us to use electricity most effectively where needed. Planning Expansion The planning, design and procurement of permission for the very exciting new classroom project – building nine state-of the-art classrooms on top of the existing music block – have begun in earnest. A dedicated planning project manager was appointed and the architectural firm, AD3 Architects , won the submission. Engineers have been appointed for all the aspects and the complete proposal has been submitted to Council. We are ready to get this project off the ground! The SGB has also been monitoring developments around the BELA Bill , which affects the responsibilities of SGBs. We support the concept of a truly public school and will be collaborating closely with other schools to safeguard our independence, where necessary. I would like to thank all the hard-working members of the School Governing Body, parents and teachers who give so willingly of their time and energy, to support a world-class education for our daughters and future generations of young women. En Avant for the next 163 years!

La Rochelle’s 163rd year has been another excellent one! Our school has done our whole community proud on so many levels in 2023. From a governance perspective, the focus this year has been on planning, consolidation and strengthening the foundations of LAR. To this end the SGB has worked on building a solid framework for the future, to enable our school to give the learners the best quality education possible and to empower them to become responsible citizens on the international stage. This includes academic excellence, enhanced mental health through wellness programmes and the best possible infrastructure to facilitate sport and culture, supported by reliable services such as Wi-Fi and electricity. Governance Review The SGB reviewed governance by re-working and evaluating all the important policies underpinning the work of ‘educating for the future’. The policies which were reviewed included the Code of Conduct and Constitution of both the school and the SGB, Academic support, Admissions, IT, Wellness, Language, Financial as well as Religious Observance policies. Financial Governance was overhauled with the appointment of new auditors, the expansion of the financial policy and the development of reformed management procedures to the exacting standards of the WCED. A legal and operational review and re-organisation of the LAR and En Avant Trusts have been undertaken, for both these structures to better serve the school. SGB Committees The nine SGB Sub-Committees are Finance, IT, Academics, Facilities & Maintenance, Culture, Sport, Hostel, Marketing and Wellness. These focussed committees, comprising parents, teachers, support staff and learners once again proved very successful. Not only could effective strategies be developed, but various projects were actioned. Some of the highlights include the upgrade and re

12 LAR

Mrs Leslee Durr

Chairperson

La Rochelle Hoër Meisieskool | Girls’ High School