Outline
For our girls to take their place as decent citizens in a challenging world, it is essential for them to develop a real and deep concern for others. Throughout St Mary’s history, we have tried to make a difference in the community and to add value to the lives of our girls. We believe in sharing our privilege, as that is the very essence of an Anglican school.
St Mary’s Community Affairs department has been active since 1990, and the Ikusasa Lethu Programme (formally the Alexandra High Schools’ Programme) currently assists more than 300 pupils from Alexandra and surrounds. These young people are offered extensive tuition in Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Geography, English, Economics and Business Studies, and Accountancy to supplement their education. They are offered IT skills and are taught how to run micro-businesses.
Ikusasa Lethu Programme
The Ikusasa Lethu Programme makes a contribution to the broader education system to redress educational disadvantages in the South African context. We believe it is essential to engender an awareness of those in need in our country.
The programme aims to provide supplementary academic and entrepreneurial support for high-ability learners from Alexandra, a disadvantaged area in Johannesburg. The aim is to develop the personal, social and academic skills necessary for success in higher education, which will allow them to contribute to their communities in the future.
St Mary’s School has been involved in this programme since 1990. We provide lessons, book bags, textbooks and stationery to about 300 pupils from five different schools in Alexandra and surrounding communities. Our success rate is exceptional, with the class of 2018 achieving a 98.6% pass rate, with 81% of the learners passing with sufficient marks to be accepted for Bachelor’s degree studies. Sixty distinctions were achieved.
Pupils on the programme are bused from Alexandra to St Mary’s School each Saturday, where they are taught Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Accountancy, Geography, Economics and Business Studies and English by highly qualified, experienced teachers. This programme has supported about 8 000 learners over the years.
JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Maths Prodigies)
Grade 5 and 7 learners from HA Jack School attend JUMP Maths classes at St Mary’s on Tuesdays. St Mary’s Senior School girls tutor these learners.
Alma School, Limpopo
Service trips to this disadvantaged and under-resourced school are undertaken annually by Senior School girls. They paint classrooms, teach art and crafts, and upgrade equipment at the school. This provides an opportunity for St Mary’s girls to give to the community, and for Alma School to benefit from this.
Partnership with Waverley Girls’ High School
St Mary’s has a mutually beneficial partnership with Waverley Girls’ High School. Girls from Waverley attend desktop publishing, rhythmic gymnastics, modern dance, marimba, keyboard and swimming lessons. Waverley girls also attend the annual St Mary’s Careers Expo.
Partnership with HA Jack Primary School
The Grade 6 and 7 St Mary’s girls assist the reading programme for Grade 3 pupils every week, by helping to cultivate a love of reading. Learners from HA Jack Primary School also enjoy the annual Junior School concert.