Over 40 years of achieving excellence without yielding.
To remain competitive in the market place a school should never become complacent in its attitude.

MONTROSE IS CONTINUALLY RE-ASSESSING, learning and adopting new methods and techniques to ensure that it remains at the forefront of education. Each year we look back on our achievements and add them up to measure our success and 2011 has been a successful year on many fronts – depending on your own personal definition of success. The danger of insisting that every year is and always will be better than the previous one is that in so doing we risk losing touch with reality.
    How does one define a winning school? What criteria do you use when you decide whether or not Montrose is a successful school? Is it based on our academic standards, the wonderful facilities, and the fact that we offer a private school education for a third of the price of a private school facility, the wonderful sporting accomplishments or even the excellent, highly qualified staff? As impressive as these may be, surely these things are what create the illusion of a successful school, rather than a successful school.
    On the educational front Montrose has continued to provide an outstanding, stimulating and beneficial academic environment for all our learners. We are a school with a well-rounded personality, offering as wide a scope of activities as possible to our learners in an attempt to develop each child’s true potential in a holistic manner. This year has been no exception. Our learners have been extended into many areas beyond the scholastic realm, particularly in challenging sports events and representing our school in various regional and national language and mathematical challenges.
    Montrose’s spirit of hard work is synonymous with high achievement while at the same time generating a spirit of enjoyment and enthusiasm. As Vincent van Gogh said, ‘Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together”. These “little things” have been encapsulated in our 2011 magazine. All credit goes to our editorial team, Mrs N Ralph, Mr E Heine, Mrs T Hedding, Mrs G van Wyk and Mrs F Latilla for their sterling efforts in producing this excellent publication.
    In my humble opinion a successful school is one where every child is valued and encouraged to produce the best and be the best he or she can be with a determination and an attitude of never giving up, no matter what hurdle is encountered.
    Living up to our motto ‘Yield Not’, means knowing that the hurdle is simply a speed bump which may slow us down but certainly will not stop us from achieving our goal and destination.
    A successful school is a place where, both children and staff are happy and encouraged to use and share their gifts and abilities to the full. It is a place that produces well adjusted, caring people who see the bigger picture of life and not just about certificates, medals and trophies. A successful school teaches the children that they are unique and special and that it is all right to be different and to think for oneself, become self-aware and in touch with the world. Being self-aware is knowing what you want in your life, knowing both your strengths and weaknesses, knowing how to relate to others and knowing what you want to change about yourself and your life. It is about teaching the children the importance of their role in the future.
    A successful school teaches the children to be humble in their accomplishments. Perhaps this is the greatest gift anyone can give a child. Humility is truthfulness and the ability to acknowledge both our talents and our failings.
    A successful school teaches that the answer you seek “lies within”. As Dr Martha Friedman said, “success based on anything but internal fulfilment is bound to be empty”.
    At Montrose we teach the children to take responsibility instead of blaming others and making excuses. If we make poor choices we should accept the consequences of those choices. Finally our children are taught the importance of honouring every individual. No-one is better or more important than anyone else.
    I truly believe that these are the things that make Montrose the winning school it is, and I sincerely hope that all who are associated with Montrose will agree with me that the trophies, medals, certificates and all the achievements are all part of the success of Montrose, but their importance would be compromised severely without the qualities against which I measure our success.
    There is one aspect to our success that I have not as yet mentioned, that being the wonderful teaching staff. To teach at Montrose one needs to be versatile and masters of all, and this most certainly describes our teachers. Thank you for caring for our children and for providing a conducive learning environment.
    To the School Management Team who work long hours and spend a great deal of time away from their families, thank you. Your expertise, commitment and tireless energy make a real difference in the lives of the people you serve and a very big difference in my life.
    To my dedicated and supportive Deputy, there are no words to really express how very blessed I am to have you by my side. Thank you for your continual loyalty, support and for working tirelessly to help manage the smooth running of the school.
    A special word of thanks goes to Maureen Terblanche and the other members of the School Governing Body. These members work hard for the school with no reward other than seeing the difference they make in this community. Thank you for your commitment and service to the school, all of which is most appreciated.
    The commitment, hard work and often thankless work of the Administration and Maintenance teams must be acknowledged. Thank you for all the hours you spend beyond the call of duty to ensure that Montrose is always in peak condition, that the administration is always up to date and that the school is in a strong, sound financial position.
    Finally my message to our leaving grade sevens is to discover the inner you. By doing so you will be able to give more of yourself to others as well as become truer to yourself. Know what you value and what is non-negotiable in your world. You have left your footprints at Montrose and it will be sad to say good-bye to you, but go out now and be aware of your moral and ethical footprint and do not be afraid to make the difference that we know you can. As you move on to High School may the following words help you.

Take time to work, it is the price of success.
Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to play, it is the secret of youth
Take time to read it is the fountain of wisdom,
Take time to dream, it is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love, it is the highest joy of life
Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.

I wish you all everything of the best for High School, we will miss you.
Finally, thank you to all the parents who have supported the school this past year by becoming involved in one way or another. To those parents who take the time to write or phone and share when there is something good and encouraging and who want only what is best for the school, your commitment to Montrose is most appreciated.