Dear Parents,

This week started off with a most memorable event on Monday evening, where many of our learners were able to meet an astonaut who has been to space! Astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger came to share her inspiring story and encouraged us all to launch our dreams and to:

🌟 Be curious on a daily basis.

🌟 Challenge ourselves and solve things together as a community.

🌟 Be courageous and be part of the action and solution.

🌟 Champion the things that you love and promote your dream. 

Dottie reminded us that our big dreams are worth working for. 

Rooibos is going to Space and Parklands College is at the centre of it.

In October, Rooibos seeds will launch from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, dock with the International Space Station, and spend about six weeks in orbit before returning to Earth. It is the first time an indigenous South African plant has flown as part of a space research programme.

Rooibos in Space is a project of the South African Rooibos Council and MaxIQ Space, backed by SANSA. Parklands is involved in three ways. The programme was launched on 16 July in our Innovation Centre. It drew national and international coverage, from News24 and SABC at home to France24 and RFI abroad.

When the seeds return, our Secondary learners will plant them alongside Earth-grown controls and track how the two compare. Three seed types fly: untreated, scarified, and scarified with a protective coating, each matched to a control on the ground. The question is whether time in space changes how they germinate and grow.

Our Senior Preparatory learners are coding the device that will monitor the environment they are exposed to. The seeds travel with a Springbot, a single-board computer built by MaxIQ Space in Cape Town. It records the conditions the seeds experience on the ISS: temperature, humidity, as well as gases including carbon dioxide, light, and microgravity. Its accelerometer is what will prove the seeds reached orbit. Our Grade 6 learners are doing the programming in SpringBlock, a drag-and-drop language built with the original Scratch team. It is the first time a single-board education computer will run in space using block coding. The data is saved to a micro SD card and read back here in Cape Town.

Parklands College is MaxIQ Space's Centre of Excellence, which is why our learners get first access to hardware like this.

The seeds fly in October. We will share updates as the mission progresses.

https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/stem-project-launches-rooibos-seeds-to-space-station/

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Although these items are labelled, they are not clear and we can not decipher the names. 

Library News

Outreach

IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

All Derby Day players were rewarded with a special certificate from Mrs Lamb and our Sports Department! Go Parkies!

The Week That Was: Match Results

Here is a breakdown of how our Junior Prep teams performed in their recent fixtures:

Netball vs Blouberg International & Rising Stars

Our U9 netballers were in scintillating form, putting on a clinical display of passing, movement, and shooting!

• U9A: Won 10–1

  • Player of the Match: Jasmine

• U9B: Won 7–0

  • Player of the Match: Ntokozo

Rugby vs Camps Bay

Our young ruggers put in a brave, hard-fought effort against a tough Camps Bay side. While the result didn't go our way, the determination shown on the field was outstanding.

• U9 Rugby: Lost 7–1

  • Player of the Match: Rocco

Looking Ahead

Rest up over the long weekend, keep those active feet moving, and get ready to bring the energy again next week. Let's keep this fantastic momentum rolling!

Go Parklands! 💙

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. 

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