Dear Parents,

We started Derby Day week with a lively Assembly! Mitch Matyana, a Parkie Alumni and previous Deputy Head Boy, came to share his Derby Day experiences with us, helping to create a lot of "gees" and making everyone feel excited to support our school.

Mitch is currently a KFM presenter on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon and you can also catch him on SuperSport! A few of our learners were over the moon to get high fives from this local celebrity. 

Mrs Lamb took the opportunity to thank everyone again for the overwhelming and generous donations for Nelson Mandela Day. Collectively, we made over 3000 sandwiches in just 67 minutes! WOW! Once again, thank you to every Parkie parent and learner for their kind act of service.

We saw so many of our Junior Prep learners at the Secondary's production of High School Musical 2. Thank you to everyone for supporting what was a fun and memorable event. As one parent declared: "I felt like we were on Broadway!"

Congratulations to each and every cast member as well as everyone who worked on stage and off stage. 

Library News

1st Robotics

Every playground has its secret engineers, and last Friday afternoon our Junior Prep learners stepped into this role. The theme was "the ultimate playground", and the lesson was all about levers: the simple machine behind every seesaw tip and swing push.

Armed with that idea, our learners set to building their own miniature playgrounds. Seesaws balanced and wobbled, climbing frames took shape brick by brick, and two builds stood out from the rest: a swing that actually swung, and a zip line that sent its rider sailing across the table. There was plenty of trial and error along the way, which is exactly where the real learning happens.

Well done to our excellent playground engineers, we cannot wait to see what you build next.

Outreach

NASA Astronaut Dorothy “Dottie” Metcalf-Lindenburger

Coming to Parklands College

Cape Town Highlight of the National Space Tour 2026

Cape Town, South Africa - Former NASA astronaut, educator, and STEAM advocate Dorothy “Dottie” Metcalf-Lindenburger will visit South Africa for the Space Tour 2026, running from 22 July to 4 August 2026 across Cape Town, Gauteng, Durban, and selected remote communities.

Presented in partnership with Living Maths, the tour will bring world-class STEM inspiration to schools, universities, science centres, and communities nationwide, including underserved and remote areas where learners often lack access to global role models.

Metcalf-Lindenburger flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on the historic STS-131 mission to the International Space Station in 2010, serving as Mission Specialist 2 and robotic arm operator. The mission delivered over 27,000 pounds of equipment to the ISS and travelled 6.2 million miles during 238 Earth orbits. She was also part of the first occasion on which four women were simultaneously in space. A former earth science and astronomy teacher, she was selected by NASA in 2004 through the Educator Astronaut Program and was the first Space Camp alumna to join the Astronaut Corps. She later commanded the NEEMO 16 underwater exploration mission and today champions STEAM education globally through Dottie ML, LLC.

Steve Sherman, Chief Imagination Officer of Living Maths, said the tour is about possibility. “When young people in South Africa meet someone who has travelled beyond Earth, it changes the way they think about their futures. Curiosity and talent are universal, opportunity is not. This tour is designed to help bridge that gap.”

Metcalf-Lindenburger added: “Science and exploration thrive when young people are encouraged to ask questions, solve problems, and imagine boldly. I’m honoured to share experiences from space exploration, teamwork, and discovery with audiences across South Africa.”

Tour Dates: 22 July – 4 August 2026

Public Event: Parklands College, Cape Town, 3 August 2026, 18h00–20h30

Tickets: quicket.co.za

Media & booking enquiries:

Steve Sherman, Living Maths

steve@livingmaths.com  |  +27 83 308 3883

Our student teacher, Miss Sutton, sharing a maths activity with the Grade 3 learners. 

IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

Junior Prep Sport | It's Derby Day! 🏉🏑🏐

The wait is over... it's Derby Day!

Tomorrow we head to Blouberg Ridge Primary for the biggest sporting event of the year, and we couldn't be more excited. Selected u8 (Grade 2)  and u9 (Grade 3) netball, rugby and hockey players will be participating.

We encourage all our Parklands families to come through from 07:30 to experience the incredible Blouberg Ridge welcome before a full day of Rugby, Hockey and Netball. Derby Day is about so much more than the results - it's about school spirit, community, and proudly representing Parklands College.

If your child is taking part, please arrive in your Parkie colours, bring your loudest cheers, and help us create an unforgettable atmosphere for our learners. Your support from the sidelines means the world to our teams!

🏆 Week That Was

🏉 Rugby
Our Junior Prep rugby team took on Table View Primary School in a competitive fixture. The team showed great determination throughout the match but unfortunately lost 5-2.
Player of the Match: Micah

🏐 Netball
A fantastic performance from our netball girls, who recorded a convincing 6–0 victory over Woodridge. The team worked brilliantly together and played with confidence from start to finish.
Player of the Match: Feranmi

Good luck to every learner representing Parklands College tomorrow.

Let's paint Blouberg Ridge blue and white, bring the gees, and make this our biggest and best Derby Day yet! 💙 🤍

Derby Day programme

REMINDERS:

Hockey Quarter 3

Grade 3 parents: A reminder that if you have signed your child up for hockey,  learners must be dropped at the Astro at the Secondary Faculty by 07:30 every Friday where teachers and coaches will be to welcome them. Learners who have not signed up for hockey may not arrive at the Astro, as coaches and buses are booked according to the sign-up sheet.  

Here are a few important reminders specifically for hockey:

• Clothing: As the weather can be unpredictable, please pack a change of PE clothes and white socks for after practice.

• Transport & School Day: Learners’ school bags will be kept safe and dry. School buses will transport them back to the Junior Preparatory, where they will begin their school day at 09:00. 

• Matches: Boys' and girls' hockey matches take place on Thursday afternoons on either grass or AstroTurf. You will receive an email if your child has been selected to play.

• Required Equipment for all practices and matches: All hockey players must have a gum guard, shinpads, and a hockey stick. If learners do not have their kit for practice, they will not be selected for matches. 

If your Grade 3 child has been signed up for rugby or netball ONLY, these practices are at 07:30 on the Junior Preparatory campus. Rugby boys must have gum guards for every session. 

This is a reminder to check that your child has the correct items for hockey and rugby that will take place this quarter. 

QUICK LINKS

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

The Grade 1s are looking forward to their outing to Rosen Castle next week.  Please remember to fill in the consent form. Gr 1 Consent for Rosen Castle Outing

We hope to see lots of our learners and parents on Monday from 18h00 to 20h30 at our Secondary Faculty  to hear directly from a NASA astronaut about life in space and the future of exploration. Book your tickets: Book here on Quicket (Discount Codes for Parklands children only: Parkchild - R70.00

We look forward to Derby Day tomorrow at Blouberg Ridge Primary. #OurBloodRunsBlue