21 August 2026

Dear Parents,

We would like to warmly congratulate our newly elected 2027 Executive Prefects from the Secondary Faculty! We are so proud of this group of young leaders and fondly remember some of their faces from their Christopher Robin Pre-primary days. We look forward to seeing them embrace their new roles and wish them every success for their matric year ahead, as they lead and serve.

We have some wonderful school events coming up! Please see the invitations and details below, and be sure to save the dates.

Prefects 2027

BACK: Zacchary Rawat (Learner Affairs), Ashley Machine (Technology), Joshua Wenlock (Events), Alexander Petersen (Learner Integration), Aphelele Momoti (Houses), Luke Le Grange (Culture), Joshua Kalapac (Sport), Madison Coleman (Sport), Puneet Nagendrakumar (Academics), Ryan Arnaudov (Technology)

2ND ROW: Tristan Strümpher (Technology), Shihan Huang (Diversity and Inclusion), Sabina Angel (Events), Leigh Maharage (Houses), Nolwazi Ngcobo (Events), Rebekah Esterhuizen (Learner Integration), Emma Lilienfeld (Sport), Aden van Rhyn (Academics), Keren Mulamba-Kiasso (Diversity and Inclusion)

1ST ROW: Jenna Simpson (Service), Hannah Burke (Houses), Logan De Araujo (Service), Kaylee-Jade Mestre (Learner Affairs), Alecea Vieira (Culture), Joshua Crosson (Culture), Liat Demissew (Learner Integration)

FRONT: Sesona Mbovane (Deputy Head), Gerhard Vosloo (Head), Alexa-Rose Schreuder (Head), Chulumanco Mdudu (Deputy Head)

Executive Prefects 2027

Assembly

We came together for an assembly featuring some wonderful highlights. Parah shared how she created the illustrations for her book as well as how she brought her book to life with animation. Mrs Oxley-Simpson reminded us to come to school prepared each day with headphones and not to touch other friends' iPads. We also heard about our stationery drive, celebrated our sporting achievements with coach Liam, and recognised those who brought birthday books - what a treat!

CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS

Exploring the Solar System

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Blast off!! The Grade 3s have been having a blast exploring the solar system, learning about the planets and getting creative as they painted colourful planets.

Robotics This Week

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? It was the Grade 2 and 3 learners in Robotics! They designed a 'Cookie Snatcher Alarm' that would protect the freshly baked cookies in the kitchen. When motion was detected, an alarm sounded (one alarm was a dolphin cry!) and a lever or cage was dropped over the cookies to save them. It was a unanimous decision to have REAL cookies next time. 🍪

The Grade 1s were challenged with building a specific sized Duplo car and using coding cards, code it through a grid to start and end in specific locations. Groups swapped to check their unplugged coding and were able to debug the code, together.

Three Little Pigs and Secret of Stable Structures

Friday afternoons in JP Robotics have a way of turning an old story into a hands-on adventure. This week our youngest builders explored stable and unstable structures, taking inspiration from a familiar tale to build one of the three little pigs' houses using Soft Bricks, and testing what made it sturdy enough to withstand a huffing and puffing wolf.

Once their house was complete, the learners climbed inside their own creation and settled in to listen to a story, surrounded by the very structure they had designed and built themselves. These are the small moments where a love for engineering begins.

Parents Sharing Their Occupation

The Grade 1 parents popped into the classrooms to tell the children all about their exciting jobs and share a little bit about what they do!

Parklands Playground: You are Invited!

In the last week of this quarter, parents or a special guest are welcome to join each learner at Parklands Playground! This is a hands-on morning where the learners get to be the teachers and showcase a few iPad skills that they have learnt this year.

Our learners and teachers are excited to welcome you!

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Bring the family and pop in between 16:00 and 18:00 to see your child's art. The classrooms are also open for viewing and tea and coffee will be served in the foyer.

Library News

Thank you!

We have received two crates of wonderful books from the Herbert family for our libraries. Unpacking the crates is an ongoing feast as we discover treasures like the first Tintin book - did you know it was in black and white and in a different format as the later books? Our favourite book characters are all represented: Alex Rider, Thea Stilton, Tom Gates, Scarlett & Ivy, Greg Heffley. We are thrilled with the lovely Sasol series that we wrote about recently, all about snakes, creepy crawlies and seashore life. There are also more fiction books and a variety of inspiring and informative nonfiction that our readers will devour.

We are so grateful for this wonderful donation. Thank you to Anna and Callum who are now in our high school, and their parents, for this generous gift to our libraries.

A Special Treat Ahead!

Two years ago we met three salty seadogs who spend most of their days on a boat, while their humans are researching sea animals on our coast. Now we are looking forward to another visit from the dogs and a new book: Lucy and the Great White Sharks. Monique Fallows will be visiting us on the 4th of September and share information with the Grade 1 - 4 classes about the great white sharks in our ocean, while introducing us to this exciting new adventure. Please see the information below with details about the books, pre-ordering and sales on the day.

visiting author.pdf

Apple Parents Saving.pdf

iStore Education has parent savings discounts on their products. Be sure to take a look.

Immunisation_schedule.pdf

Immunisation Schedule

Please ensure that your child’s immunisations are up to date and forward a copy of the updated immunisation record to the secretary once your child has received the vaccine.

The HPV virus immunisation is available for teenagers at most clinics.

Outreach

At Parklands College Preparatory, we believe that even the smallest act of kindness can make a meaningful impact. As part of our ongoing commitment to serving our wider community, we are launching a Stationery Outreach Drive to support a school in need.

We invite our families to donate new or gently used stationery that is still in good condition. Items such as pencils, pens, rulers, erasers, sharpeners, glue sticks, crayons, colouring pencils, and other school essentials can make a real difference in a learner's educational journey.

By giving unused stationery a new purpose, we can help equip young learners with the resources they need to thrive in the classroom while encouraging our own children to experience the joy of giving.

Donations can be sent to school until Friday, 4 September.

Thank you for supporting this initiative and for helping us make a positive difference, one stationery item at a time.

🧦 Funky Socks Day! 🌈

Get ready to brighten up our school with a splash of colour, creativity and fun! On Friday 11 September it is Funky Socks Day. Learners are invited to wear their funkiest, brightest and silliest socks with their PE uniform.

This special day is an opportunity to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and show our support for the important work being done to assist children and families affected by FASD. 💛

As part of our initiative, we will be supporting Home of Hope, helping contribute towards the incredible work they do in providing care, support and opportunities for children affected by FASD.

So, dig out those crazy stripes, colourful patterns, mismatched pairs and favourite funky socks, the funkier, the better! 🧦✨

Let’s have some fun, spread awareness and make a difference, one funky sock at a time! 💛🌈

For those wearing funky socks, R10 will be billed to your account.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL AND LEISURE

If parents opt for free delivery to the school, the correct campus must be specified in the address block. Please insert the school name and address and add PKLSCHOOL as the discount code before check-out.

Junior Preparatory Faculty (Grade 1-3) - 91 Raats Drive, Parklands 7441

Senior Preparatory Faculty (Grade 4-6) - 50 Wood Drive, Parklands 7441

Secondary Faculty (Grade 7-12) - 1 College Avenue, Sandown 7441

IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

2026 Dates

Summer Quarter: 20 Jan - 26 March

Autumn Quarter: 8 April - 24 June

Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 September

Spring Quarter: 14 October - 4 December

2027 Provisional Dates

Summer Quarter: 19 January - 18 March

Autumn Quarter: 7 April - 23 June

Winter Quarter: 21 July - 22 September

Spring Quarter: 6 October - 3 December

Public Holidays
Thursday 24 September: Heritage Day

CAKE SALES

Cake sale money is used to support various outreach projects.

We request that items such as cupcakes, popcorn, crisps, muffins, etc. are sent in by the classes that are hosting the cake sale. Please ensure that items donated for cake sales do not contain nuts. We love healthy goodies, especially popcorn!

Please send R10 to school for your child to enjoy two treats from the cake sale.

If you are able to assist at your class cake sale from 09h40, please notify your child’s class teacher.

Friday 11 September: Grade 1P & 1A Cake Sale (This date has changed due to our author visit.)

Friday 30 October: Grade 1R & 1K Cake Sale

Quarter Three Dates: There has been an update

Q3 Blog Dates-Updated 19/08.pdf

Save the Date! Here are our dates and events for Quarter Three.

This has been updated with the new date for the Grade 1P and 1A Cake Sale:

11 September

PARENT AND LEARNER DIRECTORY

Please read through the Parent and Learner Directory, which includes important information about Parklands College and the Junior Preparatory learners.

2026 Parent and Learner Directory

SPORT

Junior Prep Sport | The Countdown Is On!

Just like that, we’re heading into the back end of August! The sun is starting to rise a little earlier, the mornings are getting brighter, and dare we say it… winter is slowly becoming a distant memory!

This week saw our Rugby and Hockey stars back in action, putting their skills, teamwork and determination to the test. It’s fantastic to see our learners continuing to grow as the Winter Sports season starts to head towards its final stretch.

But now… our eyes turn to the lights!

Hockey Under Lights – 28 August

Our Junior Prep Hockey Under Lights Evening is coming up at the Secondary Astro on Thursday, 28 August, and we are already getting excited!

This promises to be an evening to remember for some of our U8 and U9 learners, with Hockey, lights, energy, music and plenty of Parkie spirit.

There is something pretty special about seeing our young hockey players take to the Astro under the lights, and we cannot wait to see them embrace the occasion and enjoy every minute of it.

Notifications have been sent to selected U8 and U9 boys and girls. Please keep an eye on your emails for all the relevant information.

We’ll see you under the lights!

Parkies, get ready… this is going to be special!

BOK FRIDAY: 28th AUGUST

Let's back the Springboks and come to school dressed in green and gold on Friday, 28th August, before they take on New Zealand. 💚 💛

UNDER LIGHTS: Hockey Astro Evening

Pencil in the date: 28 Aug 2026
We are back with our annual Junior U8 and U9 Hockey evening at Parklands College Secondary Astro. Notifications have been sent out to the U8 and U9 learners who have been selected to participate.

Junior Prep Sport | Week That Was 🏉🏑

Another busy week of Junior Prep Sport is in the books, with our Rugby and Hockey learners taking to the field and Astro and giving it their all!

🏉 Rugby

U9 vs Table View Primary
A fantastic performance from our U9s saw them come away with a 4–2 victory in a closely fought match.

🏑 Hockey

Our Hockey teams faced Rallim and Seamount, with some excellent match exposure across our U9 teams.

A huge well done to all our learners who represented Parklands this week. The results are one part of the journey — the effort, courage, teamwork and willingness to keep learning are what we love seeing most.

Another week, another opportunity to get better. Let's keep going, Junior Prep!

U9A hockey girls played Rallim: Lost 2–0
Player of the Match: Amelia

U9 A boys played against Rallim: lost 2-0
Player of the match: Micah

U9 Rugby played Table View Primary: 4 -2 victory to Parklands
Player of the match: Savio

U9 B hockey boys played Rallim: 5-0 victory to Parklands
Player of the match: Ndalo

➡️ EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS ⬅️

If your little one has excelled in a sport outside of school, we would love to celebrate their achievements. Please use the link above to fill in the external achievements form to make us aware of their shining moment.

A very special milestone for Marais at the CLA Winter Mist 2026 gala in Langebaan!

Marais took home 🥉 Bronze in the 50m Freestyle, made even more exciting by the fact that this was one of his first official Level 1 galas!

What a way to start his competitive swimming journey

Congratulations, Marais! We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to watch you grow, learn and chase those next PBs👏

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.