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School Video

Governing Body

Parel Vallei’s newly elected Governing Body

Congratulations to the newly elected Governing Body. May you be blessed with the necessary wisdom and insight to guide our parents, learners and pupils to excellence in the changing world we are living in.

You have our full support and we know that you will acquit yourselves of your duties with responsibility and enthusiasm.

Back, from left: Richard McNally (non-educator), Darryl Spijkers (educator), Paul Botha, Dawie Malan, Werner Kleinschmidt (treasurer), Rev. Greg Blair (deputy chairman), Megan Mol (head girl).
Front: Lindie Strydom, Linda van der Merwe (educator), David Schenck (headmaster), Johan van der Spuy (chairman), Nicola de Jager.
Absent: Dylan Janse van Rensburg (head boy).

Message from our chairman: Johan van der Spuy

‘Excellence in a changing world’

In the time it took me to write the above line, the world would have devoured 250 cups of coffee and 70 cups of tea (yes, I Googled it!). More concerning is that by now about 10 tons of waste has been thrown into the world’s oceans and by the time I have finished writing this message it would probably have risen to more than 1000 tons. So, the solution is to write faster!

The fact is that the world is changing, and it is changing fast. We are seeing the rapid introduction of new technologies into our everyday lives. Cellphones have become a necessity and it is assumed that all homes have access to the internet. But where does this leave us as the Governing Body of Parel Vallei? For one, we are now able to have our monthly meetings online (although it is not preferred).

Over the past 35 years, Parel Vallei High School (our school) has built up an impressive track record. With this build-up has come an elite echelon of teachers and staff who serve not only our learners, but eventually also our community. How does our school proceed into this changing world? For one, 35 years do not bring a lot of baggage, so our school can travel fast and light.

The challenge for our school is to use what our predecessors have built up and to continue feeding the Mind, Body and Spirit, not just of our learners, but also our parents and the community in which we live. Our school needs to find innovative ways in which it can ensure that our learners are not left behind by this changing world. Not all our learners may achieve a distinction in the matric exams, but what about being the next South African to sing in the Vienna State Opera, or winning the Dakar Rally, or being the first Parel Valleier on Mars?

The next three years will be but a moment in the greater expanse of the universe, but as a Governing Body, we would be proud if one day, we can look back and say that we also made a (even if only a teeny-weeny small) contribution to building our school, to the benefit of each one of our learners, to building our community.     

So, where does the Blue Thread stop? The answer is quite simple: It does not!

 

  • Message from our previous chairman

  • It is a privilege and honour to be part of The Blue Thread family and to experience the tangible vibe in our school as the Parel Vallei brand grows from strength to strength – a brand which is indeed becoming a formidable one and the envy of many!

    One of the remarkable aspects of our school is the number of diverse opportunities available on all fronts –Service, Culture, Academics, Sport & Spirit. There really is a place for every learner to be involved. However, It would be impossible for these opportunities to be presented without exceptional teachers (Parel Vallei’s core of excellence), who continue to raise the bar in everything they do and in everything they expect from their classes.

    The learners are the reason and motivation for the cogs of this big PV machine to keep on turning, continuously producing opportunities of excellence which, if taken, produce skills, memories and confidence which money can’t buy!

    Another great asset of PV is our involved and passionate parent body. Your support and commitment (from the tough, sacrificial job of just being a parent to providing for and encouraging your child to be the best they can be), enables Parel Vallei to give the best back to your children. We salute you!

    ‘Excellence in a changing world’… Excellence is earned in the moment to moment decisions that appear insignificant, but over time the compounded (or exponential) effect becomes profound.

    This truth encourages us to continue making those small, smart choices on a daily basis which one day will equip us to contribute to and positively influence the changing and challenging world in which we live.

    As we look back, we are also mindful that we are all beneficiaries of the wise, smart choices and actions of men and women who, over the years, have slowly but surely been building our school of excellence.

    To our previous Parel Vallei headmasters, management teams, teachers and governing body members: we are where we are today because of you. Thank you!

    As the current governing body, we will continue to nurture and build on this environment of excellence – always doing so with the best interests of Parel Vallei and all her learners in mind. For me, it is an absolute privilege to work with such a professional and dedicated team and to be afforded the opportunity to serve one of the best schools in South Africa.

    Proud PV regards

    Bruce van Rensburg



In 1997 we had a very important strategic session during which the staff, management and Governing Body plotted the future of our school.

After very meaningful discussions and deliberation, we came to the conclusion that we were entering a time of huge change. We were on the threshold of introducing OBE (Outcome Based Education) and realised that the one constant going into the future would be change!

We were very proud of our academic excellence and were working hard at bringing sport and culture up to the same level as the academics. Around the table we penned our Vision for the future: "EXCELLENCE IN A CHANGING WORLD"

Since those very important discussions we are very proud to be able to say that we really do achieve excellence in our ever changing environment.

Some 10 years ago my wife and I attended a stage production of the musical ‘Evita’ which depicted the life of Evita Peron, wife of the Past President of Argentina.
During the show, Evita says, in a very defiant moment: "I’m proud to be and Argentinian."

At school at the time, I was thinking about ways in which I could spark off some pride in the school. Although many of our pupils had tremendous talent, they were often lacking in confidence and were almost scared to show pride in themselves or their school. I took Evita’s words and entered our own name and got: "Proud to be a Parel Valleier". I motivated and encouraged pupils to buy into the concept of having pride in themselves and in what they do but without being arrogant.

We also started to use this slogan on the foot of all our outgoing mail and on our letterheads. Interestingly, some of the grade 8’s, when they answer the question in their little test about the motto of the school, say that, “Proud to be a Parel Valleier” is the school’s motto instead of the real motto "Sapientia et intellegentia."

Long may this slogan live in the hearts and minds of our learners and may they always be "Proud to be a Parel Valleier".

Ettienne Gouws
2013