The 2025 Chronicle

MATHEMATICS

this year, is a valued member of our Support Maths team and is also actively involved in Debating at Michaelhouse. At the end of 2025 we bid farewell to Ms Glynnis Owen. Ms Owen has made a significant contribution to Mathematics at Michaelhouse over the past four years. We wish her well in her retirement. CLASSROOMS The Mathematics classrooms were renovated alongside the Farfield renovation this year. We are very grateful to have moved into three new and three renovated classrooms at the start of the third quarter this year. Renovations of the Mathematical Literacy classrooms will be completed during 2026. The clean, bright and engaging learning spaces are welcom ing, and it is a pleasure to see boys regularly spending their afternoons attending Support Maths in the new upstairs Mathematics wing. MATHEMATICS SUPPORT This year we have made an effort to make our Support Mathe matics programme more accessible for all boys. Mathematics Support is available to all Blocks every Monday to Thursday afternoon, 2-4pm. In addition, many of our interns offer indi vidual or small group extra lessons during prep sessions, and many of our teachers can be found in their classrooms in the evenings or at weekends, particularly during exam season, of fering additional support. We have identified that the abstract concepts introduced in the algebra section can be challenging for our E and D Block boys.

Head of Department: Mrs Amanda Emmott Head of Department (Mathematical Literacy): Mr Conrad Bubb Staff: Ms Lisa Abbott, Ms Karin Moffat, Mr Mxolisi Ncane, Mr Steven Ngwenya, Mr Graeme Lucas-Bull Part-time Staff: Mr Paul de Wet, Ms Glynnis Owen, Mr Peter Stevens, Mrs Paula Meyer Interns: Mr Dominic Leslie, Mr Thokozani Ngcobo, Mr Xavier Saunderson, Mr Vuyo Mkhize At the end of 2024 we bade farewell to Ms Aldi Smith, who returned to Beaulieu Col lege in Gauteng. We welcomed three new Ms Lisa Abbott joined us from Clifton, Nottingham Road. She is a familiar, welcome face to many of her past pupils and is an asset to the department. She brings a wealth of expertise in teaching foundational Maths concepts to our D and E Block classes. What is less well known is that Lisa also taught GCSE and A levels in the UK, and she has seamlessly transferred this experience into teaching her senior classes. Mr Mxolisi Ncane joined us from Clifton College, Durban, where he was a senior Mathematics teacher and an assistant house master. He and his family have embraced life at Michaelhouse, and when not busy in the Maths Department, Mr Ncane can be found coaching rugby, soccer or basketball. Mrs Paula Meyer (a familiar face as the chaplain’s wife and mum to William, James and Benjamin), joined us in a part-time capacity teaching three classes. Mrs Meyer taught E to C Block staff members in 2025.