Dear Parents

We have all survived an incredibly hot week! Our learners were treated to an ice lolly to help cool things down and we heard the sweetest things:

"My ice lolly is leaking!" Ivakele

Whilst licking his lolly Ncaba says, with a huge, happy face, "How can this day get any better?"

We extend our warmest congratulations to Lorraine Roth and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary on their 46th birthday, which we celebrated on Wednesday, the 11th of March! This milestone marks many years of exceptional early childhood education and is a special reminder of where Parklands College began.

Founder's Message

We celebrated our 46th birthday on Wednesday, 11 March and on this day in 1980, Lorraine Roth opened the doors of Christopher Robin Pre-Primary School to the residents of Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard. The quality of education provided brought about a well – patronised and respected establishment, which offered care and early learning to young children, aged from six months to six years.

The reputation and quality of the school continued to grow and numerous requests by parents, for the Pre-Primary to offer formal education, began. Encouraged by the staunch support of parents we were prompted to search for land to grow the school’s academic offering. As a result of a thorough research process, the Western Seaboard was identified as a potential major growth area. This was further supported by growth and population statistics from the City of Cape Town’s Planning Department. The construction of Parklands College commenced in 1998 in the new suburb of Parklands and in July of the same year, proudly opened the doors of the new Campus in Raats Drive, to 32 learners.

The College was built in phases, in order to accommodate the growth in learner numbers. The window period provided during the construction phases enabled the College to acquire additional land for sports and future developments. Parklands College currently operates from three sites, on approximately twenty-six and a half hectares of land. The growth of the College and Pre-Primary required careful strategic planning, and a decision to develop a new campus for the existing Secondary Faculty was formalised by the Board in February 2010. Parklands College, at 1 College Avenue, opened its doors in January 2012.

The College continues to grow as a result of the outstanding education and foundation our learners receive in our Pre-Primary and we are proud of what has been made available, in order to enrich their academic, cultural and sporting interests. We look forward to providing many more years of outstanding innovative education, beginning in the early years. The success could not have been achieved without the outstanding support we have received from our parents.

Lorraine Roth

‘First Photo' Day for Grade 1 -  Monday, 16 March

A special moment for our Grade 1 learners! Please ensure your child is dressed neatly in their school uniform (with their blazer) for their first official individual school photo.

Individual Photo Day for Grade 2 & 3: Tuesday, 17 March

Please make sure learners are dressed smartly in their uniforms and wearing their blazers. 

Grade 2A and 3P must come to school in their full summer uniform with their blazer and pack their swimming kit. 

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

SPCA DRESS-UP DAY

IMMUNISATION

Ed-admin Multi Portal App

Parents are encouraged to download the Ed-admin Multi Portal App. This platform will be used to send important notifications and updates, and it will also provide access to children’s reports when they are released.

To install the App please follow the instructions below:

1.) Download the Ed-admin Multi Portal App by using the relevant link below:

●  Apple App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ed-admin-multi-portal/id646910856
OR

●  Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edana.edadmin&hl=en&gl= US

2.) Enter 230034 (Parklands College Code) and your email address to log in. For your convenience, please refer to the image below:
 

3.) The next step will require you to enter the login code sent to you via email. For your convenience, please refer to the image below:

Please ensure that you keep this App updated otherwise you will be logged out and will have to repeat the above process to regain access.

Bees, Boards, and Balance: A Busy Week for our Junior Prep Innovators!

The Robotics lab has been a hive of activity this week as our Junior Prep learners explored the fascinating ways that machines can mimic nature and help us with everyday tasks. 

Our Grade 3s took a deep dive into the natural world by building and coding a pollination model using WeDo 2.0. This was a fantastic example of innovative learning, as they had to program a bee to fly around a flower and—here was the tricky part—use a motion sensor to make the bee stop exactly when it "sensed" it was hovering above the flower. It required a lot of patience to get the sensor placement and the code just right, but the "aha!" moments when the bees finally landed were worth it!

It was all about strength and stability for our Grade 2 learners. They were given a choice between building a balance scale or a heavy-duty trolley (the kind used for moving sandbags or heavy boxes). While the scale proved to be a very tough nut to crack, many of our learners excelled at constructing sturdy trolleys. They explored how a solid base and the right axle placement allow us to move heavy loads with ease—a great introduction to mechanical advantage!

Our Grade 1 learners have been exploring the "wheels" of the world! This week, the focus was on wheels, axles, and levers. They had the creative freedom to choose between building a skateboard or a land-surfboard. Through these builds, they started to understand how a lever (the board) works in tandem with wheels to create movement. There was plenty of "testing" in the classroom as they checked how smoothly their new rides could roll!

SPORT

Junior Prep Sport | Weekly Update

What a scorcher of a week it has been, with temperatures soaring into the high 30’s! Despite the heat, our learners made the most of it and thoroughly enjoyed their Swimming sessions during PE, making the pool the perfect place to stay cool while developing their confidence and skills in the water.

Before looking ahead, we would like to celebrate some fantastic performances from last week. Our U9 Gala swimmers were phenomenal, showing tremendous determination, confidence, and sportsmanship in the pool - a massive congratulations to all who represented the school so proudly.

We would also like to applaud our U9 Softball girls who took to the field at their Softball Festival on Saturday. The girls displayed fantastic teamwork, enthusiasm, and resilience throughout the morning. You were exceptional, and we are incredibly proud of the way you represented Parklands College.

Looking back, we turned our attention to another exciting highlight on the Junior Prep calendar — Splashtacular for Grade 3! 🏊‍♂️

Well done to all our learners who took part. It was a wave of fun, filled with energy, smiles, and plenty of splashing.

Grade 2 learners, don’t worry - your turn is coming soon! Your Splashtacular event has been moved to Wednesday from 13:00–14:00, and we can’t wait to see you showcasing your swimming skills in the pool.

A quick update for our Girls Cricket Clinic participants: the sessions will now take place on Friday, 20 March  ( 15:30-16:30) and Thursday, 26 March (13:00-14:00). We’re excited to see our young cricketers continuing to grow and develop their skills.

As we move into the final weeks of Quarter 1, sport continues right up until the last day of the term. There are still plenty of opportunities for our learners to participate, improve, and most importantly - have fun through sport.

Thank you to our families for the continued support as our learners proudly represent Parklands College in all their sporting activities. Let’s finish the quarter strong!

SOFTBALL FESTIVAL

GALA

GRADE 3 SPLASHTACULAR FUN

GRADE 2 SPLASHTACULAR WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH

Quarter 2 and 3 Reminders

This is an early reminder to check that your child has the correct items for hockey and rugby that will take place in quarters 2 and 3. 

QUICK LINKS

Contact information:

All the staff and their email addresses are included in the tab called staffing and on the link below:

STAFFING

The general Preparatory email address is prep@parklands.co.za

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

Looking ahead, school closes on Thursday 26 March at 13:00. Please make arrangements for learners to be collected from school promptly at 13:00, as there will be no aftercare provided. 

We are looking forward to our Autumn Awakenings Choir Festival on 24 March. Please book your tickets here:  Link to Quicket Bookings 

We would like to wish Mrs. Rabe a very happy birthday for tomorrow. We hope she has a lovely day and a very blessed year ahead.

A reminder that all learners need to wear their blazers for photographs next week (Grade 1: Monday; Grade 2 and 3: Tuesday).

Wishing all our Parklands families a happy and restful weekend!