LADDSWORTH 5-A-SIDE SOCCER TOURNAMENT
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LADDSWORTH 120th BIRTHDAY
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On Wednesday 1 March 2023, Laddsworth celebrated its 120th Birthday.
It was a day filled with lots of celebration and fun for everyone involved. We were overwhelmed by the amount of support shown by pupils, staff, parents, and the Hilton community.
The morning started with a massive cake made by My SPAR - Hilton Quarry, so big it had to be brought to the field by truck.
The entire School dressed in blue, gold, and white 120 t-shirts, were led by Mr. G Lambooy and bagpiper, Mr. I Turnbull, down to the field where they surrounded a 16x10m 120 badge on Stride Field.
We said a prayer, then sang the School song and Happy Birthday. Mr. Lambooy shared some words on the history of Laddsworth before cutting and handing out the cake to each class.
Each grade then split up to do a range of different fun activities, kite building, mini Olympics, the amazing race, treasure hunts, and even a clown, just to name a few.
The day ended with Mr. Lambooy handing out a number of Laddsworth 120 gifts and memorabilia to all the pupils and staff.
We say thank you to My SPAR - Hilton Quarry and all the members of the Laddsworth staff and community that made the 120th Birthday of Laddsworth Primary School so special and memorable.
LADDSWORTH SWIMMING DOES IT AGAIN
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OUR GIRLS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN
Our Laddsworth Girls A Swimming Team have won the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Girls Inter-School A-Gala and retained their historic title from 2022. In addition to completing "the double," they also brought home the U12 and U13 Relay Trophies, making it a clean sweep.
Our Boys A Swimming Team also had a fantastic result, narrowly coming 3rd overall in the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Boys Inter-School A-Gala.
Proud is an understatement, and Laddsworth would like to thank all the pupils, coaches, staff, and families for their commitment and hard work put into the Aquatics program this season.
120 Years of Laddsworth Primary School
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In 1903, 20-year-old Miss Daisy Ladds welcomed 20 pupils to a new school at the Hilton Hall. “The Hilton Road School” opened its doors to pupils arriving on horse trap and donkey, with a group being taken to and from the Cedara station by mule cart. All 20 pupils worked around one large round table, on slates with slate pencils.
The number of pupils at Miss Ladds’ school increased steadily and an assistant later joined her. The school became Government-aided and on 1 August 1918, it was taken over by the Natal Educational Department under the Free Education Act, becoming the Hilton Road Government Primary School, with Miss Daisy Ladds as Headmistress.
With the number of pupils still increasing, Miss Daisy Ladds moved to a newly built school ground above Voortrekker Road in 1937. 3 classes and an administration office quickly became inadequate for the 71 pupils enrolled that year, and more classrooms had to be built the following year. The Laddsworth Lodge townhouse complex now occupies this property.
Following her retirement in 1949, the school was renamed after Miss Ladds in 1958, in honour of her life’s work, years of service and vision. Nicknamed “Laddie”, she is still remembered by past pupils for her discipline and always being firm, but kind.
In October 1988 the School moved again, to its current site in Winstead Road. The new 21 classroom school facility, boasting modern buildings and extensive grounds, was officially opened by the Director of Education Mr A.B. Olmesdahl on 1 March 1989.
Laddsworth has been very fortunate in having had only 10 Principals in its 120-year history. In the last decade since Mr Gavin Lambooy took up the post of Headmaster in 2013, the school has grown tremendously from 510 pupils to the current enrolment of 660.
Major developments in infrastructure, the building of new facilities and significant increases in personnel have been achieved by the School Governing Body in the last decade. The school enjoys a uniquely designed and extensive complex of buildings, gardens and fields, which blends with, and encapsulates the country atmosphere of Hilton.
Laddsworth Primary School continues to enrich the school environment with some of its latest developments including a modern newly built Hall, extended Media Centre Complex, Advanced Computer Centre facility, 9 additional classrooms, together with a new Tuck-shop and first-class sporting facilities.
The school is well positioned to fulfil the previous Headmaster, Mr Stride’s wish for “the school still having to grow, to meet the needs of the community” which he had expressed at the School’s 75th anniversary 45 years ago.
We continue to “Aim High”, strive to honour our traditions, fiercely guard our values and serve our mission to provide a value-driven, quality education to the Midlands Community.
Laddsworth 5-A-Side Soccer Tournament 2022
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Laddsworth 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament
Laddsworth Primary School, 23 July 2022
A fantastic day as Laddsworth Primary School held their annual Girls 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament. U9, U10, U11, and Open girls from 10 different Schools took to the fields on Saturday morning.
The Tournament comprised of 8min, round-robin pool games, with points being awarded for wins, draws and goalless draws. From there, semi-finals were played between 1st and 2nd of both pools A and B, with the winners progressing to the Final.
The winners and runners-up were as follows.
U9- Winners- Cowan House
Runners up- Laddsworth
U10- Winners- Athlone
Runners up- Cowan House
U11- Winners- Athlone
Runners up- Laddsworth
OPEN- Winners- Laddsworth
Runners up- Bisley
Congratulations to all the girls that participated, as everyone in attendance was treated to some fantastic and often nail-biting soccer, with a number of playoff games being decided by penalty shootouts.
Thank you to The Hilton Quarry Spar for once again supporting and sponsoring the Laddsworth 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament.
It was also great to have “WhatEvent” cover the event, as fixtures, results, and log standings were all readily available to supporters and teams online by link or QR Code.
Overall a great day and way to open the Laddsworth Term 3 sporting calendar #AimHigh
Laddsworth Primary School Pupils selected for KZN Schools Hockey Teams
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Laddsworth has always had a proud tradition of hockey at the School but 2022 has been especially successful. 20 Laddsworth pupils were selected to represent the Umgungundlovu Districts Primary Schools’ Teams. From those, an impressive 16 pupils were selected to represent the Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland Primary Schools Hockey teams, making Laddsworth one of the most representing Schools in the area.
Congratulations to all the pupils selected, as well as all the coaches and Laddsworth Sports Department for this fantastic achievement.
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT FROM 2 – 6 JULY 2022 - STELLENBOSCH
KZN INLAND U13 A BOYS Luthando Shelembe
KZN INLAND U13 A GIRLS Jemma Pitman
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT FROM 25 – 28 JUNE 2022 - HILTON
KZN INLAND U13 B BOYS Blake Francis
KZN INLAND U13 C BOYS William Riley
KZN INLAND U13 B GIRLS Anna May
KZN INLAND U13 C GIRLS Sophie Hobden
Tessa Moreno
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT FROM 26 – 30 JUNE 2022 - PIETERMARITZBURG
KZN Inland U12 A Boys William Johnson
KZN Inland U12 B Boys Nsika Msimang
Sam Wessels
KZN Inland U12 A Girls Paige Williams
Amile Nxumalo
Payton Nero
KZN Inland U12 B Girls Deborah Lock
Amanda Mchunu
Lily Strydom
Laddsworth Pupils selected for Midlands Rugby Squad
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Laddsworth would like to congratulate Matt Bisset from Grade 7, on being selected for the Midlands U13 Rugby Squad.
Laddsworth Swimmers Make History at Inter-Schools Gala
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On 8 March, 2022 The Laddsworth Swimming Girls made History by winning the most important Gala in the Junior School Swimming Program, the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Inter-School “A” Gala. This is the first time Laddsworth Primary School has won the event, since its inception in 1930, 92 years ago.
The Boys team also produced a fantastic result, being placed 3rd overall, and also for the first time won the U12 Relay Trophy.
Huge congratulations to the Laddsworth pupils, staff and all involved in the Swimming Program.
They all embraced the School’s Motto of “AIM HIGH” and were able to turn the hours of hard work and the early morning training into something truly special.
The fruits of their efforts have created such positivity throughout the entire Laddsworth Community.
Laddsworths Young Golf Star Starts the Year Swinging
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Christelle van Tonder (Grade 5) took part in an SA kids Golf Tournament at Umhlali Country Club on 23 January 2022. She won her age group of 9 – 10. The year is shaping up to be yet another great one for Christelle on the Golf Course.
Laddsworth Pupils Smash It at Jnr T100
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During the Holiday, 9 Laddsworth boys participated in the Junior T100 cricket festival hosted by the Hollywoodbets Tuskers at the PMB oval. The festival took part over 3 days, comprised of around 80 kids across 6 teams, each having an owner, coach and sponsor.
Sam Wessels and William Johnson’s team made the semi-finals while Josh Vurovecz's team ended up winning the final.
All three boys were drafted into the Tuskers Rising Stars Academy and will be trained by the Tuskers coaches and players. A fantastic opportunity for all three boys.
Congratulations to all the Laddsworth boys that took part in the festival.
Laddsworth Dux 2021
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L-R: Mrs Shannon Lang (Guest Speaker), Mr Neil Greyling, Olivia Greyling (Grade 7), Mrs Melanie Greyling, Mr Gavin Lambooy (Headmaster)
Laddsworth Primary School held the annual Grade 7 Prize Giving and Bell Ringing Ceremony on Friday, 10 December 2021. Guest Speaker, Mrs Shannon Lang, Counselling Psychologist, shared a special message encouraging our Grade 7s to finding their own ‘Super Powers’ and to use them wisely.
Olivia Greyling was named Dux for 2021 and received the Trust Cup - Dux of the School, Olivia also won the following eight trophies:
The Gould Cup for English,
The van der Linde Trophy for Afrikaans,
The Collin's Cup for Mathematics,
The Laddsworth Natural Sciences Trophy,
The Gordjin Cup for Social Sciences,
The Life Orientation Cup,
The Technology Cup and
The Creative Arts Cup.
Congratulations to Olivia and all the Laddsworth Grade 7s. The Headmaster and Staff of Laddsworth school are extremely proud of each and every one of you. We wish you all the best for your high school careers and cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.
Laddsworth Golfing Star
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Congratulations Christelle, Laddsworth is very proud of you!
Ballet award
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Laddsworth Grade 1 pupil, Hannah Kitching, received a trophy for The Most Promising Dancer at the Dance Warehouse in Pietermaritzburg at the end of November 2021. Hannah dances with Grade 2s, one year ahead of her age.
Congratulations Hannah, Laddsworth is very proud of you.
Trinity College London Music Performance Examinations
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Laddsworth Grade 7 pupils Kayleigh Henderson and Anna Hind took part in the graded examinations in Music performance through Trinity College London Music Exams, during November 2021.
Kayleigh achieved a level 2 certificate in graded examination in Music performance for Grade 4 Flute. Anna achieved a level 1 certificate for Grade 2 Piano.
Congratulations to our musicians!
Laddsworth pupils receive Gymnastics Badges
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Top Row L-R: Julia Rossouw (Grade 4) Sarah Day (Grade 3), Hannah Kitching (Grade 1), Maria Askew (Grade 4)
Bottom Row L-R: Rebecca Lusso (Grade 2), Kayla Morrison (Grade 4), Nomcebo Mkhize (Grade 2)
Laddsworth gymnasts, Julia Rossouw, Kayla Morrison, Maria Askew, Sarah Day, Hannah Kitching, Rebecca Lusso and Nomcebo Mkhize had their badge testing and year-end display on Saturday 27 November 2021.
Laddsworth spreads Christmas cheer to Siyabonga
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Laddsworth Pupils excel at the Capital K
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Laddsworth swimmers participated in the Greendale Capital K swim at Midmar Dam on Sunday 21 November 2021. Some of the swimmers participated in their first open water swim. The Laddsworth swimmers excelled at the event: Hannah van der Merwe, Grade 4, finished 1st in the 1km Girls Under 10 category and Carter Bloxham, Grade 4, finished 3rd place in the Boys Under 10 category.
Laddsworth is very proud of all our open water swimmers!
American Academy of Ballet Awards
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Laddsworth pupils Camilla Conway (Grade 5) and Jemma Pitman (Grade 6) performed at the American Academy of Ballet Awards, which was held in Pietermaritzburg on 20 November 2021.
Camilla Conway achieved Silver with Distinction for Level 5
Jemma Pitman achieved Gold with Distinction for Level 8. Jemma also received the
Mignon Furman Award, which is a 20% scholarship reduction of the fee to attend the AAB Summer School in New York in 2022.
Laddsworth is very proud of our Ballet Dancers.
Laddsworth received a visit from 1948 Old Boy
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Mini Cricket Festival at Laddsworth
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Laddsworth Grade 2 Science week
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Distinction for International Clarinet Exam
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Third Place at the Great Schools Bake-Off
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Laddsworth Grade 7 pupils took part in the Great Schools’ Bake-Off at the Hilton Quarry Centre on Saturday, 16 October 2021. The Grade 7 pupils and their parents sold delicious home baked goods to shoppers at the Hilton Quarry Centre, the funds raised from the cake sale will be used for their Grade 7 leavers dinner.
The pupils, together with parent, Mrs Pollard, created a ‘Showstopper’ cake, based on the theme, ‘What makes you happy’. The Grade 7 pupils decided that friendship is what makes them happy and created a beautiful cake to showcase that.
The Showstopper cakes were judged by a panel of judges, as well by the public. The Grade 7 cake was placed third, after Grace College and Seedlings Montessori.
Seaguls Winter Short Course Inter-Club Gala
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20 swimming clubs from across South Africa took part in the Gala.
Cody achieved a 1st place in 50m Backstroke, 3rd in 50m Freestyle and 3rd in the 100m Individual Medley.
Aphelele achieved a 3rd in 50m Breaststroke
Well done Cody & Aphelele!
Silver at South African Gym Games
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Congratulations Lily, Laddsworth is very proud of your achievements!
First at National Dance Competition
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Well done Jemma, Laddsworth is very proud of you!
Success at National Irish Dance Championship
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Alison Rennie, a Grade 3 pupil at Laddsworth Primary School, competed in the South African Irish Dance Championship held in La Lucia, Durban from 1 - 3 October 2021. Alison dances for the Davidson Dance Studio in KwaZulu-Natal.
The championship included dancers from around the country and was adjudicated by three judges from the USA. Alison won gold medals in both the Slip, Jig and Treble Jig, as well as silver medals in the Reel and Hornpipe dances. Alison also competed in the Preliminary Championship Level 3 and was awarded silver and bronze in the two rounds of dancing, giving her an overall 3rd place in the South African Championship Priomh Comórtas Level 3.
Alison has worked incredibly hard to achieve these results and Laddsworth is extremely proud of her achievements.
Northern Park Inter-Schools Athletics Meeting
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Top Row L-R: Aphelele Mhlongo (Grade 4), Lily Strydom (Grade 5), Abby Julius (Grade 6)
Bottom Row L-R: Troy Godley (Grade 7), Caden Francis (Grade 7), Thabiso Maduna (Grade 7), William Riley (Grade 6)
The Laddsworth Primary School’s Athletics Team participated in the Northern Park Inter-Schools Athletics Meeting on Saturday, 18 September 2021. The Laddsworth athletes excelled. Laddsworth came first with 167 points, second Athlone with 124 points, third Northern Park with 111 points and fourth Eston with 75 points.
Athletes awarded Victor or Victrix Ludorum:
Under 10 Victrix Ludorum: Aphelele Mhlongo
Under 11 Victrix Ludorum: Lily Strydom
Under 12 Victrix Ludorum: Abby Julius
Under 13 Victor Ludorum: Caden Francis
Athletes awarded Medals for Track:
Under 10 100M Girls: Aphelele Mhlongo
Under 11 100M Girls: Lily Strydom
Under12 100M Girls: Abby Julius
Open 100M Boys: Thabiso Maduna
Open 4 X 100M Boys: Troy Godley, Caden Francis, Thabiso Maduna, William Riley
Athletes who broke records in Field Events:
Under 12 Shot Put Boys - William Riley
Open Shot Put Boys - Caden Francis
Mountain Bike Cross Country Championships
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Laddsworth pupils excel at Howick Tennis Tournament
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Ava van der Merwe won the Under 10 Girls Singles category.
Alexia Smith played in an older age group and won the Under 12 Singles and Doubles categories.
Laddsworth is very proud of our rising tennis stars!
Eisteddfod 2021
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Cayley Hemming (Grade 2)
Classical Piano - Pre-Grade 1: Silver
Owen Clover (Grade 3)
Classical Piano - Pre-Grade 1: Silver
Emlyn May (Grade 4)
Classical Piano - Grade 1: 1 Gold, 1 Silver
Jenna Casey (Grade 7)
Classical Piano - Grade 1: 1 Gold, 2 Silver
James-Quinn Bailey (Grade 3)
Strings - Violin - Pre-Grade 1: 3 Gold
Anna Hind (Grade 7)
Classical Piano - Grade 2: 2 Gold
Anna May (Grade 6)
Classical Piano - Grade 3: 1 Gold & 2 Silver
Emily Thorpe (Grade 7)
Classical Voice - Grade 3: 1 Gold, 3 Silver
Angus Edkins (Grade 7)
Classical Voice - Grade 3: 2 Gold
Sarah Thorpe (Grade 4)
Classical Voice - Grade 3: 4 Gold
Top 20 in SA Cross Country
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Well done Tessa, Laddsworth is very proud of you.
KZN Artistic Gymnastics Team
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KZN Rhythmic Gymnastics Team
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Laddsworth Inter-House Athletics
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Laddsworth Primary School held their Senior Primary Inter-House Athletics on Thursday 19 August and Friday 20 August 2021. On Thursday the Field events were held and 3 records were broken:
Under 9 Girls High Jump, 1.07m by Sarah Day (Grade 3)
Under 11 Girls Long Jump, 4.04m by Lily Strydom (Grade 5)
Under 11 Boys Shot Put, 8.62m by Samuel Wessels (Grade 5)
The track events were held on Friday. The winning house was Duiker with 322 points, 2nd Kudu, with 318 points, 3rd Nyala with 307 points and 4th Oribi with 292 points.
Congratulations to all our Athletes!
Laddsworth Grade Threes get creative with Recycling
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Rhythmic Gymnastics
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Lily Smit, a Grade 6 pupil at Laddsworth Primary School, took part in the Ocean Invitational Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition in Durban on Saturday, 7 August 2021. This competition was a qualifier for the KwaZulu-Natal Trials at the end of August. Lily performed her free-dance, rope and clubs routines and was placed first in the under 13 category. She also achieved the highest score overall for Level 4.
Laddsworth Grade 4 Taste Tour
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Laddsworth Grade Fours held the annual Taste Tour on Tuesday 3 August 2021. Every year the Grade Four pupils choose a country to study. They complete a project on their country of choice, including an informative poster, making a puppet and performing a puppet show to the class. On the day of the Taste Tour, pupils prepare a special dish and dress up in a traditional outfit. The Grade Fours had great fun showing and teaching their friends about their chosen country.
SPCA 1000 Paws ‘Donations-in-a Tin’ Collection
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Laddsworth Primary School collected money for the SPCA 1000 Paws ‘Donations-in-a Tin’ drive. The School raised an amount of R17 309.34. Laddsworth would like to thank our parents and community for their generocity towards animals in need.
There was a class competition to see which class collected the most money. Grade 4 Jackson collected R2 282.91 and Grade 4 Rogers collected R1 854.82. These classes were given treats on Friday, 30 July 2021 by the SPCA team as a reward for their efforts.
Laddsworth Trust Fund Golf Day 2021
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Laddsworth Primary School invites you to take part in the Laddsworth Trust Fund Golf Day on Friday, 27 August 2021 at Victoria Country Club. The funds raised at the Golf Day will be used to grow the Laddsworth Trust Fund, which forms an integral part in securing the school’s future.
The format will be a 4-Ball Alliance – 2 scores to count, 3 tee-shots minimum per player to be utilised. Shot-gun start with Tee Off at 10h00. Each player will receive a voucher for lunch at the Halfway House. There will be lots of prizes to be won, including nearest to the pin, longest drive and many more. Prize-Giving will take place at approximately 17h00, as soon as all the players have finished and the results calculated. The golfers’ safety is our utmost concern and strict COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed. Should gatherings not be allowed, the prize giving will simply entail players collecting their winnings from the prize table.
The cost per team/4-Ball is R1 600 (R400 per player), which includes your green fees, competition fees and a voucher for lunch at the Halfway House. The closing date for entries is Friday, 13 August 2021. Please book your own golf carts, directly with Victoria Country Club, as early as possible, to avoid disappointment.
Please follow the Laddsworth Trust Fund Golf Day events page: https://www.facebook.com/events/521087969168483
Download the entry form here.