Missed the latest newsletter and news from the Principal? Catch up on our latest news below.
ISCT News 23 February
I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and that you had chance to rest or have some family fun. It has been a busy week with some extra events such as our High School students attending A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Maynardville on Tuesday night, and our KS2 students enjoying a Breaktime Concert. Well done to the students who performed for their classmates! Time is flying and it is hard to believe that we are already half way through the term. Please take note that there is another long weekend coming up from the 18th to the 21st of March when we recognise Human Rights Day. Read more
Kascha Reed, Principal
ISCT News 9 February
I had the pleasure this week of popping into a Year 13 Biology class. As I sat quietly at the back of the room, I watched a Y13 student teach the class a very complicated biological process with diagrams, complex explanations and technical terminology, and I was reminded of the value of excellent teachers. In an age in which Chat GPT is the latest disruptor in education, the need for critical thinking, communication skills and supportive feedback is highlighted. . Read more
Kascha Reed, Principal
ISCT News 2 February
It has been a busy week with all of our ECAs well under way, and our Year 7 and Year 8 students enjoying their camps in Betty’s Bay and Stellenbosch. Next week our Year 1 students will be visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium, our Year 7 students will have a workshop on time management with Elevate Education, and some of our Year 12 Physics students will be going to Sutherland. This is all part of our continued efforts to enhance the learning opportunities that our students have and we trust that they will all enjoy these events. Read more
Kascha Reed, Principal
ISCT News 26 January
It has been a busy start to the school year and we appreciate all our parents who took the time to attend the various information sessions that have taken place in the last few days. Read more
Kascha Reed, Principal
ISCT News 2 December
Today is 1 December and we commemorate World Aids Day. Please spare a thought and even some time for those who continue to suffer under this syndrome.
On a more mundane note, it is the last day of exams for High School students who I am sure will breathe a collective sigh of relief. Teaching staff are currently busy wrapping up marking and preparing end of year reports. Struben House are having a civvies day today and any funds raised from this will be put towards gifts for the Housekeeping and Grounds staff. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 24 November
We are deep into exam season in the High School, while KS1 and KS2 are getting into end-of-term Awards and Concert mode! After today there are only 11 more school days until the end of yet another academic year! It’s been a good year in many respects and I thank you all for the contributions you have made to ensure its success. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 17 November
Today is the last day of Cambridge exams for 2022. We trust that our candidates have done as well as they can and we look forward to seeing their results in early January 2023. The rest of the high school students start in the next few days and we wish them all well for the exams that lie in wait! Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 10 November
As we wind up the year (There are only 19 school days left!) it seems appropriate to reflect on how far we have come this year and how much has been achieved by the combination of student, staff and parent efforts. Thank you for the support you have provided to the school and your children this year and we trust that this steady progress will continue into 2023. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 27 October
Our Founders’ Day picnic is tomorrow! Please remember to bring or wear your ISCT orange entry sticker and present this to Security on arrival. No Sticker, No Entry.Remember, it is a picnic so bring your blankets / chairs and other necessary picnic items. We look forward to sharing some time with you all tomorrow afternoon / early evening.
As part of the celebration we have decided to allow all students to wear civvies to school tomorrow. We encourage them to dress in colours or a costume relating to their country or nationality. Read moreDavid Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 20 October
Founders’ Day is next week Friday and there is a lot of excitement in the air. Much planning has gone into having this event this year.
As part of our security measures we are sending you an entry sticker in an envelope on Friday 21st, via your class teacher. The envelope will have your child’s name on it. Please present this sticker to Security on arrival. No Sticker, No Entry. Read moreDavid Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 13 October
Founders’ Day is just over two weeks away and there is a lot of planning that has gone into having this event this year. It will be an opportunity for Teachers and Students to share their work online, but it will also be a time to meet (again!) parents in a relaxed environment and enjoy a picnic. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 6 October
Welcome to the final Term of 2022. I hope everyone had a chance to rest and regroup for the final push of 2022.
It is my 168th school term and when I started teaching in January 1980, things were very different from what we have today! It’s been a wonderful 19 years here at ISCT and I am confident that 2023 will see the school continue to flourish… Read moreDavid Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 22 September
Although the coming holiday is very short (School resumes on Tuesday, 4 October) I appeal to parents to support the school by using the opportunity to ensure that their children’s hair and appearance complies with the school’s Code of Conduct (linked here) We are trying hard to restore the appearance of the students and I trust that parents will ensure compliance with the rules which they have undertaken to support. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 15 September
The end of Term 3 is upon us! This time next week we will have completed this year’s Valedictory service and Year 11/12 prize giving. Although the term has rushed passed us I am very glad at the return of warmer weather and the continued increase in school extra mural activities. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 8 September
The last two years have taken their toll on us all in different ways and part of the current challenge is to try to restore a semblance of the structure that we relaxed during COVID times. You have read about trying to get students to wear the uniform properly and getting to school on time. We would not like to become a school where petty rules are the order of the day and I have spoken to the High School students in this regard. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 25 August
Thank you so much to the staff and students in KS1 & KS2 for their preparation and enthusiasm for last week’s Book Week. Struben House was transformed into a wonderland of books and stories, and the KS2 classrooms all had a story to tell too! Many thanks to those involved.It has been very encouraging to see the return of sport, and we are especially proud of all our inter-school results. See our Awesomeness section for a summary of recent fixtures and results. Well done to all our teams and thanks to the coaches for their encouragement and parents for their support. Read moreDavid Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 18 August
This morning we received the Cambridge IGCSE results from the May / June sitting of these exams. Again, we have been blown away by the stellar performances from a number of our students. Four students obtained a full house of only A* and A symbols, and one of these had only A*s! An A* symbol is equivalent to 90% and over and an A equivalent to 80% and over. Overall, 94% of our subject results were between an A* and C grades and 51% of our subject results were A* and A grades. There are a number of stand-out subject results where no student achieved below a C symbol. Congratulations to all the teachers involved. A full analysis of results will be on the social media feeds shortly… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 11 August
I trust you enjoyed the extended weekend, and we wish the ladies a belated happy Women’s day for 9 August.Last week the Year 12s celebrated 40 days until the start of their final exams in October. While it was a good day to celebrate, it was also a stark reminder of how fast the year is running away from us. Read moreDavid Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 4 August
Extra curricular activities have started this week and we hope that students will approach these with the same enthusiasm as the coaching staff. Please encourage your children to get involved as the exercise and activities are hugely beneficial. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 9 June
As this will be the final Newsletter for the term, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a safe and relaxing break with your children. School closes at the usual time next Wednesday, 15 June and reopens for students on Wednesday 20 July. Read moreDavid Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 2 June
I am sure that you will join with me in celebrating the announcement of Mrs. Kascha Reed as the new Principal from January 2023. I believe it to be an excellent choice as she has shown herself to be an innovative leader and a major contributor to the management team. I will try to use the time in the next two terms to hand over as much as I can so that the move into 2023 can be seamless. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 27 May
We had an excellent Art and Music event last week which was well supported by parents and students. In all, over 80 people joined the event. Ms. Lisa Sutton, the senior Art teacher writes as follows… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 20 May
We are pleased to be hosting an Art and Music exhibition this evening between 19:00 and 20:00 at our Woodland Heights campus. If you booked for this event, please remember to join us for a fantastic evening of showcasing our finest artists and their work against the background of excellent music provided by our students. Entrance is R20 (cash at the door). Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 13 May
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Deidre Lindeque as replacement teacher for Mr. Peter Greenwood who will leave at the end of the term. Initially, Mr. Rob Tait has agreed to cover Year 6 until the end of the year and Mrs. Lindeque will teach his classes in Year 7. Mrs. Lindeque is a very well qualified teacher; (BSc (Med) Hons, PG Dip Diabetes (UK), PGCE) and is a fully-qualified intermediate phase educator who describes herself as a wife, mother, Scouter, passionate global traveler and aspiring urban farmer. She has a 15 year long career in multidisciplinary health care and completed her PGCE with Distinction in Maths and Natural Science & Technology. She has been most recently employed as a Learning Designer for the UCT Online High School. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 28 April
I am sure we are all finding these shortened weeks a little disruptive even though they are refreshing under the circumstances. A reminder that school will be closed on Monday 2 May and that next week will be the last shortened week for awhile.I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Muslim families a Blessed Eid for early next week and we trust that you will be able to celebrate the end of Ramadan in style. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 21 April
I trust you all had a restful Easter weekend. We are in the middle of a series of disrupted weeks as next Wednesday, 27th is Freedom Day, a Public holiday as well as the following Monday, 2nd May being taken as Worker’s Day. The school will be closed on those days.Next Tuesday will be the last day for the Year 11 class who start Cambridge exams the following week. We wish them every success in the weeks ahead. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 14 April
We wish all our Christian families a blessed Easter and our Jewish families a happy Pesach for the coming festivals. In addition, we wish all those participating in the 2 Oceans 21km and 56 km races this weekend “tailwinds and downhills” all the way! Further to this, if you are traveling this weekend, we trust you will get there and back safely.It has been challenging to gradually return to “normal” and re-establish the routines that are a part of school life. Part of this has been to try to get students to wear their uniforms as required and we expect students at Woodland Heights to wear sports uniforms only on the days they have Physical Education (PE) or an afternoon sport and not every day as many have become accustomed to. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 7 April
Welcome to Term 2. We hope you and your family had a restful holiday. It promises to be a busy term with a number of significant events in the next ten weeks or so. Some of those events are: CIE exams, a blood donation drive, Reach For A Dream slipper day, parent-teacher meetings, mathematics competitions, music concerts, high school exams, science expos and more. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 17 March
The end of Term 1 has arrived and we will close at the usual time tomorrow. I hope the ISCT community enjoys the two week break. The school office will close tomorrow afternoon and reopen on Friday 1 April. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 10 March
In case you needed reminding, next week sees the end of Term 1 and we will close at the usual time on Friday 18th March for a two week holiday. High School reports will be available at the end of next week and there are parent/teacher meetings for Key Stages 1 and 2 during the course of next week, after school. The school offices will close on Friday, 18 March and reopen on Friday, 1 April. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 3 March
I am sad to report that our Business Manager, Gregg Murray will be leaving at the end of May 2022. Gregg has been with us since March 2020 and has guided the school’s finances through the troubled waters of the last two years. We will miss his input and we greatly appreciate his service to the school. We have already advertised for a replacement and we hope to have that finalized by the start of Term 2. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 24 February
I have been away in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) this week attending the conference for the South African Heads of Independent Schools Association (SAHISA). It has been wonderful to be able to attend a conference like this for the first time since 2019 and I have been encouraged by a number of old friends and colleagues from around the country who have been able to share their experiences over the last two years. In short, it has been a challenging time for all communities during lock-down. Schools around the world have faced very similar issues during this time and have learned and adapted to a changing environment. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 17 February
Cambridge Examinations announced their Outstanding Learner Awards for 2021 last week and I am thrilled to report that we’ve done it again! 13 awards in total! Congratulations to the particular students and also, of course, to the staff who taught them all through the years. You all played a part in their success. Of all the schools offering Cambridge exams in South Africa, we received the most awards. Click here to read the results table or click here to see the names and full details of the award winners and their subjects’. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 10 February
We had two pop-up concerts with a student line-up during break times this week which were a real treat for the rest of the school. Thank you to our Music department for “thinking out of the box”.
David Hunter, Principal
We welcomed our newly appointed Librarian and Media Centre Manager, Ms Daphne Gengayan who started this week. She has moved to Cape Town from Durban and we trust her stay at ISCT will be a long and happy one. Read more
ISCT News 3 February
It was so good to see so many parents last Friday at the picnic. Clearly there is a need for people to be able to see one another and socialize again. The revised lockdown regulations will enable us to try to do more open air events in the time ahead. There are two big High School sports events this term in the form of interhouse athletics and the interhouse gala. Both will be held at Wynberg Boys High, with athletics taking place on 11 February and the gala two weeks later on the 25th. In addition, we have the annual production scheduled for March 10 and 11. We hope to see as many parents at these events as possible. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 27 January
Key Stage 1 and 2 parents, please join us for a picnic tomorrow evening, Friday, from 16:30 until 19:00. Further details are in the Key Stage newsletters below. We hope to see you there. The Year 12s will set up a tuck shop for sweets, chips and cool drinks. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 20 January
As we continue to get into the rhythm of a new year there are signs of things beginning slowly to settle down. One of these has been the resumption of ECAs and we will return to a slightly earlier closing time for the high school from next week. High school classes will end at 14:50 Monday to Thursday, to allow high school students to prepare for ECA’s and leave when required on the transport arranged. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 13 January 2022
Welcome back to the start of term 1, 2022. It was wonderful to see all the students back at the start of Wednesday 12 January. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 2 December 2021
This will be the last newsletter for 2021, so let me start by thanking you all for your varying and valued contributions to 2021, and I wish you all a wonderful December break. The much predicted Fourth wave has arrived and we hope that the impact will not be too devastating on us. I encourage all those who are eligible for vaccination and who have not yet had this done to do so as soon as they are able. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 15 November 2021
The year has passed in a blur of activity and it is a month to Christmas! Happy Thanksgiving to our US parents and I wish all the bargain-hunters a happy Black Friday tomorrow! Tomorrow is also the final day of internal exams for the High school students and I am sure there will be a collective sigh of relief that these are over. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 18 November 2021
The year has passed in a blur of activity and it is a month to Christmas! Happy Thanksgiving to our US parents and I wish all the bargain-hunters a happy Black Friday tomorrow! Tomorrow is also the final day of internal exams for the High school students and I am sure there will be a collective sigh of relief that these are over. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 18 November 2021
We are re-evaluating our 2022 protocols for managing COVID in consultation with experts in this field. We hope to resume more sports activities, bus services and excursions next year as long as the vaunted Fourth Wave does not overwhelm us. Part of this process is to ensure that we continue to operate in as safe an environment as possible and to do this we need more data from among our student community. We plan a completely anonymous survey to gather data from our students between the ages of 12 and 18 to see what proportion have already been vaccinated or intend to be vaccinated by the start of Term 1 2022. We will issue the survey after exams and publish the results at the end of the term. Although vaccination is not mandatory please try to have your children vaccinated if they are eligible as it will make us all safer. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 11 November 2021
Our Year 10 students started their end of year exams on Wednesday and the rest of the High School students will start on Monday. Our best wishes to all the students writing. May I remind you to have a look at the Upcoming Events section of our newsletter. The year has all but finished but there is still much to do before we can close. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 4 November 2021
ISCT has applied to be one of the 250 Climate Action Schools of Excellence in the world. The announcement of the winners are being announced today at 19h40 in a high profile event including Prince William, Nandi Bushell and Dan Russell. Follow this link to the event. Thank you to Ms Fahrenfort for coordinating our application, with input from a number of teachers and KS2 and High School students. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 28 October 2021
Tomorrow is ISCT’s Founders’ Day! While we are not a traditional school in many ways, we do believe it is important to celebrate our school’s birthday annually, even in COVID times! Typically we celebrate all together after school, and some of you may remember the PTA led fun fairs and markets we’ve had in the past. Unfortunately we still cannot gather together but we can share our student achievements, progress, work and awesomeness electronically as we celebrate student learning in 2021. Please check your inboxes tomorrow for a Founder’s Day email from us. The staff and students will celebrate with some treats at school tomorrow. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 21 October 2021
Following the announcement by Government of vaccines being available for 12 to 17 year olds, I encourage parents with children of the appropriate age to get their children vaccinated. We have succeeded in getting all the staff vaccinated and as a result absence for COVID related causes has dropped to almost nil… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 14 October 2021
We were buoyed this week by stunning results from our students who had been selected to participate in the International Science Expo. There were a number of medals won by our students: Samora (Y9) and Matida (Y8) received Bronze medals. Matida also won the the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Environmental Engineering Division Award. SeoEun (Y9) won a Silver medal, and Retaya, Ruby and Jemma (all Y9) won Gold medals. Congratulations to all staff and students involved, ably led by Dr Doyle. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 7 October 2021
The Year 12 and 13 students are in their first full week of final exams and we trust these are going well. Thank you to those of you who supported the Premiere of “When the Party’s over” last week. Those who missed out on this should make an effort to view it when we share it via our media platforms. This was a students driven project that involved all the complexity and difficulties with making a movie from scratch. The students and the staff who were involved in the background deserve the highest accolades… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 30 September 2021
Welcome back to the start of Term 4. I cannot believe that three quarters of the year is done already! I hope everyone had a good break. Welcome to the new 2022 parents, who have been included in the database so that they can get a feel of the school.
We are straight into the business of the term with Cambridge Exams starting tomorrow (1 October) and ending on 18 November. We wish all candidates every success… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 16 September 2021
As this will be the last newsletter for Term 3 I would like to wish you all a good break and if you are traveling, please do so with care. Thank you to the whole ISCT community for your support this term. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 9 September 2021
We seem to be approaching the end of the third wave and we are all hoping that there will be some relaxation on current restrictions. We have come this far with relatively little disruption and although the Year 11 class is currently learning online, we anticipate they should be back in class on Monday 13 September. However, there is also concern at the possibility of a fourth wave towards the end of November. Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 2 September 2021
We are pleased to share with all of our ISCT community a parent workshop. We are very excited about the video content we have purchased for all of our school community from the Digital Law Company for the month of September. This video was created by world-renowned expert, Emma Sadleir, an authority on the impact and legalities of social media use in teens. Her work as a lawyer in this field allows her to share the dangers of social media use and how parents and teens can protect themselves. Read more
ISCT News 26 August 2021
We had hoped to be out of the third wave of COVID by now, but the Western Cape continues to battle with this. Although we seem to have avoided serious outbreaks at ISCT, COVID is becoming increasingly common in schools amongst students. Please keep up your adherence to the prescribed protocols…Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 19 August 2021
The end of the year is barrelling down on us. The Year 12 and 13 students start their trial exams tomorrow and we are three weeks away from Valedictory for 2021. Please keep up the Covid protocols with your children as your efforts, combined with those of the school, have kept us going this year… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 12 August 2021
We received our most recent Cambridge results this morning and I am pleased to say that our students have done extremely well. They obtained a 91.7% pass rate with 48.7% of their results being A* and A symbols. Well done! Congratulations to the staff for their efforts and many thanks to the parents for their support through the tough times of the last year… Read more
David Hunter, Principal
ISCT News 5 August 2021
We welcomed the Year 11 students back at the start of this week and it was good to see them after an extended break following their IGCSE exams. We look forward to their exam results next week. A question around safety protocols of mask wearing and mask breaks for children was raised earlier this week. This had arisen from a concern that prolonged mask-wearing could lead to a build-up of carbon dioxide that could be harmful. We again approached the medical professionals in our parent body who have advised that if the child feels very overwhelmed then a mask break outside the classroom is perfectly acceptable, something we already have in place. However, our classrooms are well ventilated with good air circulation as our teachers have been instructed to keep windows open and fans on. The regular protocols of social distancing, hand washing / sanitising are still strictly enforced and we continue to monitor temperatures... Read more
David Hunter, Principal
