End of Term 2 Message from the Head (copy)
26 June 2026
End of Term 2 Message from the Head
Dear Newberry parents,
What an eventful term it has been! As we head into the mid-year break, I would like to share a few highlights from this past term.
As a school serving children from 18 months to 18 years, there is a lot that happens on a daily basis, however, the common thread across every developmental plane has been our focus on the three basic pillars of our Newberry offering: an authentic Montessori and Cambridge education, a healthy prepared environment and learning through real-life experiences.
Education
We are delighted that four Newberry learners were invited to the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards at the V&A Waterfront last month.
Bella Pistorius (AS Environmental Management), Lila Viljoen (AS Art & Design), Anna-Rose Cocks (IGCSE Sociology) and Famke Strauss (IGCSE Environmental Management) achieved the highest results in the country for their respective Cambridge subjects.
Very well done to our learners and everyone who has supported them over the years; it is very encouraging to see the solid foundations that have been laid from a young age.
Lifelong learning is a core value that applies to both learners and adults at Newberry, and many in our team have been engaged in training over the past term.
Dewald Pretorius, Brenda Collins, Nicole Meyer and Kevin Fuller are currently completing the AMI 6-12 Diploma. MaryAnne Maasman and Jason Nel have completed the AMI Adolescent Orientation, with Marcelle Armstrong and Amy Maasdorp who will be completing the AMI 3-6 and 0-3 Orientations respectively. Kayleigh Holmes, Daniel Pretorius and Rani van Wyk have also completed courses with Cambridge International.
This past term, we also launched our Elementary Intern pathway to create additional capacity in our Elementary team, with Nicole Meyer and Kevin Fuller joining the team.
Dewald Pretorius has also been appointed as the Academic Head of Department for the Elementary team.
Environment
Despite the severe storm at the beginning of the term, continual improvements have been made to both our indoor and outdoor environments.
As part of their Productions subject, our Middle Schoolers have been improving areas across the campus, including building a chicken coop, creating an amphitheatre in the cork forest and beautifying our entrance areas.
Over the coming holidays, we will be adding toilets to the Pre-primary aftercare facilities, as well as improving functional hard landscaping across different areas of the campus.
One of our focus areas for next term will be to enhance our Earth Stewardship programme across the various planes.
Experience
We are very excited to be launching our Newberry cricket programme in collaboration with FP Elite Cricket Academy. Our new indoor cricket facility was completed last month, with practices already underway. The majority of our Elementary to High School learners have had the opportunity to use the facility over the past few weeks.
We also officially launched our mini netball astro earlier this term with a fun netball tournament between learners, parents and staff. The astro has already seen increased use during breaks, lessons and after-school activities.
Newberry also hosted a Helderberg Cross Country league event, where we welcomed 37 schools onto our trails, including some sections that have been built by our learners.
There were a number of other experiences throughout the term, including the Pre-primary Father’s Day picnic, Elementary Careers Day featuring Newberry parents and a High School excursion to Babylonstoren.
Then there were the many experiences organised by our learners, including Elementary Going Outs and Middle School Productions.
Focusing on the Core
At the start of the year, I wrote about our theme for 2026: focusing on the core, and the idea that “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast”.
Looking back on the term, I am grateful that this has not just remained a slogan. Much of the work this term has been about strengthening the basics: investing in staff training, improving our prepared environments and giving children real opportunities to take responsibility, contribute and grow.
There is still plenty to keep working on, as there always is in a living school, but I am encouraged by the direction we have seen. When the core is strengthened, the rest begins to follow.
Thank you for your support over this past term; we are grateful to walk this road with your children.
We wish you and your family a restful mid-year break, and safe travels to those who will be journeying.
Warm regards,
 | Alistair Green Head of School |