Dear Parents
Last Saturday, 11 schools and 24 eager teams came together for this year’s Parklands College Mini Cricket Festival, creating a lively and action-packed atmosphere for our U8 and U9 cricketers. Many of our players were experiencing their very first big event.
Mini-Cricket is the starting point for every aspiring cricketer and is designed to ensure every participant is given an opportunity to bowl, bat, field and explore what they enjoy most about the game.
We are very proud of all the players for their enthusiasm and hard work and loved our parents' positive and wholehearted support. It was a wonderful opportunity to assess skills while building confidence, teamwork, and celebrating our young cricketers.
“A coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime.” Billy Graham
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our coaches and team managers for their dedication to not only developing our children's cricket skills but, more importantly, for nurturing their self-esteem and building their confidence. Your positive influence in our little people’s lives is very much appreciated!
As our U9 players look forward to joining the Senior Preparatory in 2025, and our U8s prepare to lead Junior Prep as the new "seniors," we know that these early experiences will play a key role in shaping their love of the game while developing their skills.
Blazers
In order to affirm our unique image, the College blazer from Grade 1 - 12 has changed. Current parents will have until the start of the Academic Year 2026, to replace the existing light blue blazer with the new royal blue, striped blazer. This fabric is unique to our College, and therefore distinguishes our learners from other schools who are wearing the same colour as our current blazer.
Every Grade One learner and all new learners joining the College are required to wear the striped blazer.
Parents are reminded that our blazers are an important part of the uniform which sets us apart from other schools. We therefore request that parents be particular about the condition of a blazer and if it is either faded or too small, it must be replaced.
2025 INFORMATION
DEVICE REQUIREMENTS
Please click on the link below to view the device requirements for next year.
Grade 1
Please note that stationery must be labelled and sent to school on the first day of the year. Books DO NOT need to be covered as this is done in class with the children.
Waltons Stationery Letter (how to order)
Grade 1 Waltons Stationery List
Grade 2
Please note that stationery must be labelled and sent to school on the first day of the year. Books DO NOT need to be covered as this is done in class with the children.
Grade 3
Please note that stationery must be labelled and sent to school on the first day of the year. Books DO NOT need to be covered as this is done in class with the children.
Waltons Stationery Letter (how to order)
Grade 4
Grade 4 Afrikaans FAL learners will be issued with an Afrikaans Made Simple workbook @ R200 which will be billed to their account at the beginning of the year.
Waltons Stationery Letter (how to order)
Gr 4 Waltons Stationery List (This list has been updated as all Grade 4 learners require a 50cm chair bag.)
IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS
Exciting News: Grade 3 Entrepreneurship Day!
All Grade 1-3 learners may wear civvies (clothes that are not too special to get a little spray, slime, nail polish, dirt on)
Mark your calendars!
On Friday, 22 November, our Grade 3 learners will host their much-anticipated Entrepreneurship Day! This is a fantastic opportunity for our young entrepreneurs to showcase their creativity and business skills, and they have some exciting services lined up for everyone.
The Grade 3s have put together a variety of fun stations for learners to enjoy, including:
- Funky Hairstyles to add a bit of flair to your look
- Nail Painting for colourful, cool nails
- Tenpin Bowling for some friendly competition
- Fake Tattoos to rock some creative designs
- Rubik’s Cube Competitions for the puzzlers
- … and much more!
Who’s Invited?
Grade 1 and 2 learners are invited to join us for this fun-filled morning and experience all the creative services that the Grade 3s have to offer.
Cost and Budgeting:
Each station will cost R5. Children are welcome to bring as many R5's as they want, depending on how many stations your child would like to visit.
To build the excitement, the Grade 3s will also be walking around, giving sneak peeks and advertising their stations in the days leading up to the event.
We can’t wait for a fantastic morning of creativity, fun, and budding business minds at work.
See you there!
The Grade 3 Team
Growing Minds Celebration
We are looking forward to our Growing Minds Celebration and seeing all our Parents there as every learner will receive a certificate. We are aiming for an hour but this event may be longer so please be aware of this. Learners may go home with their parents after the celebration should they wish to do so.
DATES FOR 2024
Spring Quarter: 02 October – 04 December
DATES FOR 2025
Please note that there has been a slight change to the 2025 dates indicated in blue below:
Summer Quarter: 20 January - 28 March
Autumn Quarter: 08 April - 25 June
*Mid-term break: 29 April - 2 May
Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 September
Spring Quarter: 14 October - 05 December
The Grade Twos designed their own healthy snacks and made them at school. Don't they look delicious!
Food 4️⃣ You, Made with ❤️ by Grade 2️⃣ 2024.MOV
and presented orals this week
The learners enjoyed some Fun Practical Maths activities this week. We are learning about Mass & Weight using a balance scale and non-standard measuring objects. They had to estimate how heavy the objects were and then actually add the unifix blocks to find the correct number. There was great excitement as they became more proficient in their estimations. They were then further challenged and had to estimate the same objects, but this time, using coins to measure. Lots of Critical Thinking!
They Grade Twos have also been learning about adjectives and made an Adjective Mystery Bag at home. Inside was a noun of their choice and 5 adjectives on the outside of the bag. Using the adjectives, the class had to guess what the object inside the bag was. The children thoroughly enjoyed this lesson whilst improving their communication skills.
The Grade Threes have also been very busy with FAL orals ....
SPORT AND CO-CURRICULARS
We invite all our parents to attend the Sport Meeting on Thursday 28 November in the Senior Preparatory Hall. We look forward to seeing you there and engaging with you directly about our sports programme!
All sport will continue until Friday 29th November.
SUNBLOCK AND SUN HATS
Please apply sun block on all exposed parts of your child’s body before they come to school in the morning. All learners must wear the Parklands College cap/hat for break time and sports. In order to protect your child’s skin from the harsh rays of the sun, we have a “no hat, no play” policy.
PE AND SWIMMING
Please pack in Parklands Swimming costumes / Parklands Swimming Cap / Towel and sunblock.
Although coaches guide and support learners during swimming in Physical Education lessons, we are not a Learn to Swim School.
For their own safety, it is critical that learners are water-safe and able to swim. Please liaise with the coaches if you need contact details for LEARN TO SWIM schools for your child to attend.
This week our U9s were introduced to hardball cricket to get them excited and ready for U10 hardball cricket next year...
Parklands College Preparatory Inter-schools Gala
What a fantastic way to wrap up our Q4 swimming programme! With Parklands College Prep as host, we welcomed four schools to a lively and memorable gala (Table View Primary, Elkanah House and Curro Durbanville). This gala was extra special, as we introduced our U9 girls to the event for the very first time. Each swimmer gave their all, competing with pride and determination - they should be incredibly proud of their achievements!
The event featured a full lineup of 48 races, including thrilling 4x25m relay events in backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and medley. The competition was fierce, making it an impressive showcase of skill and sportsmanship. It was an awesome send-off for our U12s and an exciting introduction for our U9s, who will soon be joining the Senior Preparatory family.
A heartfelt thank you goes to the parents, support staff, and organisers whose efforts made this event a huge success. We look forward to bringing this enthusiasm to the poolside again next year. We couldn’t have asked for a better celebration of our swimmers to end the season on a high note!
Gala Video.mp4Look at how awesome our U9s swam!
Quarter 4 Cocurricular Time Table.pdf
Our Grade 2 boys had fun in the nets this week!
EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Please find a link to the notification letter informing the College of a learner's external achievements at Area/Regional/Provincial level.
Congratulations
Well done to Lilly North who received a medal and performance award for ballet. Well done, Lilly!
Well done to Xander in Grade 2, who was recognised as Standout Player of the Year for his soccer club.
We are so proud of you!
CULTURE
MUSIC LESSONS
We invite parents of all current individual music learners as well as those wishing to commence individual lessons in 2025 to please complete the following enrolment form: JP Individual Music
We require a new form to be completed annually. A form for Ensembles, including Marimba, Choir, and Orchestra, will be shared at the start of 2025.
For Grade 3 learners who wish to receive individual music lessons in Grade 4, the following SP Individual Music form should be completed.
We will endeavour to ensure that your child is placed with the same teacher as in 2024, but we can only finalise a time slot at the start of 2025.
The Grade Threes made clay birds this quarter - aren't they absolutely beautiful!
LIBRARY NEWS
BOOK CLUB FUN
What would a graphic novel be without a talented illustrator to make the story and characters come to life? This week the Book Club spent time with Adam Stower, who is partnering with the prolific David Walliams to give us lots of books all the time. We joined in a draw-a-long with Adam and had loads of fun creating the character of Grannysaurus.
WORLD KINDNESS DAY
Kindness is a very important word in our school and every opportunity is utilised to teach this vital life skill. Wednesday was World Kindness Day and in Library lessons this week we enjoyed the vibrant Pumpkin Finds Her Kindness, by Bianca Flanders, who visited us recently.
When Pumpkin loses a competition and is feeling sad and envious, her Ouma teaches her the special trick of finding your kindness to chase the green monster away. The writing is brilliant and the story will leave a lasting legacy in everyone’s heart.
BIRTHDAY BOOKS
Mrs Oxley-Simpson is a great supporter of our libraries and often arrives with something interesting that she has come across in a bookshop.
Earlier this year she discovered the MAKE ART AN ADVENTURE series which not only brought joy in the library, but also in the Art room. And so it was a no brainer when it came to choosing her Birthday Books, as Katie and the Bathers and Katie and the Spanish Princess were added to our collection. Thank you so much for these brilliant books!
LOST PROPERTY
PARENT BUSINESS DIRECTORY
Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary parents who are in business are able to list their businesses in our Parent Business Directory – www.parklands.co.za/parent-business-directory/
LISTINGS ARE FREE and include contact information as well as the opportunity to include a business logo or advert. Listings are available 24/7 on the College website and will be updated each quarter.
Should you be interested in marketing your business to over 1000 families, email: marketing@parklands.co.za to get started.
All listings will be subject to the College’s final approval.
This week's feature business is...
Join us for a Full Moon Hike at Intaka Island on Friday, 15 November 2024, starting at 18:30!
The Centre for Astronomical Heritage (CfAH) has identified a concept for each Full Moon to celebrate South Africa’s rich heritage, and this month we experience the enchantment of the Milk Moon, celebrating a vital agricultural product with historical significance in our country.
What to bring: Please remember to bring a torch!
Pet policy: Due to the environmental impact caused by dogs, no dogs are permitted on Intaka Island's nature reserve.
Tickets are R110 per person and can be purchased via Quicket:http://www.quicket.co.za/events/287858-full-moon-hike/. For more information, please email info@intaka.co.za or call 021 552 6889.
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Have a lovely weekend!
Chantel Lamb
Junior Preparatory Principal
clamb@parklands.co.za
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Links to other faculty blogs:
Pre-Primary Faculty: https://ppblog.parklands.co.za
Senior Preparatory Faculty: https://spblog.parklands.co.za
Secondary Faculty: https://secblog.parklands.co.za