Dear Parents

Compliments of the Season to all our Parklands College families!

We can't wait to welcome all our learners to school on Tuesday 20 January 2026. 

Please note that the first couple of blogs will be a little lengthy as all information regarding our school will be included to assist and support our new families in settling into our school.

The staff email addresses are all included below, and the general Preparatory email address is prep@parklands.co.za

Please sign your child up for co-curriculars. These will begin on Monday, 26 January. This form will no longer accept responses on Friday 23 January 2026.

Co-curricular Sign-Up Form for Quarter 1

Grade 3 Swimming Trials 💦

Grade 3s who would like to be part of the Grade 3 swimming squad need to please attend trials on Friday, 23 January from 08:00 - 09:00. 

Important to note:
Learners must be able to swim 25m unassisted and at least 2 recognisable competitive swimming strokes to be considered for the U9 Squad. 

If your child is not attending swimming trials, they will stay with their class teachers.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

ADMINISTRATION

EDUCATORS

SPORT

ROBOTICS

CULTURE

GRADE 1

START: 08:00
END OF DAY: 14h00.  (except for the first week of school, where Grade 1's are collected at 12pm)

Collection from outside the Grade 1 classrooms. Learners who are not collected at this time will be sent to aftercare and billed.

GRADE 2

START: 08:00
END OF DAY: 14:00. 

Collection is in the Grade Two and Three Quad. Learners who are not collected at this time will be sent to aftercare and billed.

GRADE 3

START: 08h00
END OF DAY: 14h30 (except for a Monday - the school day ends at 15h00)

Collection is in the Grade Two and Three Quad.  Learners who are not collected at this time will be sent to aftercare and billed.

Please note that school opens at 7:30 and there is no supervision for learners until 07h30. To ensure everyone's safety, please do not leave your child unattended before 07h30.

School is LOCKED promptly at 16h45 daily. Please assist us by ensuring that your child is collected on time, allowing our dedicated staff to return home to their own families.  A late collection fee of R250 per half-hour (or part thereof) will apply for children collected from aftercare after 16h45.

Please ensure that learners arrive on time for the start of the academic day.

Preparatory parents are reminded that the Pre-Primary Drive-through is reserved for Pre-Primary parents ONLY.  

Junior Preparatory parents are welcome to drop their children off between 07:30 and 07:55 and are requested to use the Drop and Go Zone at the back of the school in Wood Drive.

Sunblock & Sun Hats

Please apply sunblock 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.

Medications & Immunisations

Should your child have a medical condition/ allergy /require perscribed medication to be administered, please e-mail Sisanda Mvulana on smvulana@parklands.co.za.

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.

Department of Health recommended schedule: Childhood Immunisation Schedule

2026 REQUIREMENTS

Device Requirements

Please click on the link below to view the device requirements for next year.

iPad Requirements 2026

Discount Voucher

Textbooks (Caxtons)

Caxton Letter

Grade 3

Grade 3 2026 Caxton List

Stationery Requirements 

Waltons "How to Order" Letter

Grade 1

Grade 1 Stationery List

Grade 2

Grade 2 Stationery List

Grade 3 

Grade 3 Stationery List

Library News

NEWS FROM 2025

Grade 1 Outing: Giraffe House

The Grade One learners enjoyed a wonderful outing to Giraffe House on Friday, 28 November. They were delighted to see the animals up close, especially the giraffes, and loved learning interesting facts during the reptile show. The children explored the grounds with curiosity, asked thoughtful questions, and shared many exciting moments with their friends. The outing was a highlight of the term, leaving the children buzzing with stories and newfound wonder.

First Additional Language (FAL)

Our Grade 1 - 3 learners have a choice between Afrikaans FAL and isiXhosa FAL. Learners in Grade 1 will have the option to choose between Afrikaans FAL or isiXhosa FAL and learners in Grade 2 - 3 can either continue with Afrikaans FAL or change to isiXhosa FAL from 2026 onwards.

Please click on the link to complete the form: First Additional Language Choice 2026

If a selection has not been made, it will be assumed that the learner will attend Afrikaans as their First Additional Language.

CULTURE

We invite parents of all current individual music learners, as well as those wishing to commence individual lessons in 2026, to please complete the following enrolment form:

Current Grade 1 and 2 learners: 2026 JP Music Form

Current Grade 3 learners: 2026 SP Music Form

We require a new form to be completed annually. A form for Ensembles, including Choir and Orchestra, will be shared at the start of 2026.

January Cricket Clinic

2026 is off to a good pitch 🏏🔥! Our internal cricket clinic (12-14 January) was a blast with our U8-U12 learners! 😄 Skills were boosted, friendships were made, and it was just plain fun. A huge shout-out to our awesome coaches and a massive high-five to our young cricket stars for their energy and enthusiasm 🎉👏 Let the season begin.

ROBOTICS 2026

Dear Robotics Community,

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our first full Co-curricular Robotics Programme, running throughout the College—from Pre-Primary right up to Secondary. This programme has been carefully designed to provide a holistic robotics experience, ensuring that every learner has fun, is challenged and gains skills that are valuable for future studies and careers in engineering, mechanics, and technology.

1️⃣ FIRST Robotics Sessions

Every learner will attend one session per week, known as the FIRST Robotics session.
This is a billable co-curricular, with costs per faculty available on the College fee structure.

• Prep Faculty: Fridays (afternoon)

• Secondary Faculty: Wednesdays during the utility period (GET & FET)

During these sessions, learners will:

• Develop a progressive set of robotics skills, from introductory basics to advanced engineering concepts.

• Learn practical and transferable skills that can be applied in competitions, further studies, and the workplace.

2️⃣ Selection for Robotics Teams & Competitions

Learners who show interest, commitment, and skill during these sessions will be invited to join our robotics teams to participate in various competitions.

• Participation in these competitive teams will involve additional sessions (e.g., Saturdays / holidays), but there is no extra cost for those selected.

• Learners already in the Hyperion Bots Team can continue in the team, but attendance at the Wednesday utility session is still required.

3️⃣ Important Notes

• The Wednesday Secondary and Friday Preparatory sessions are our current schedule. Any changes will be communicated promptly.

• Participation in FIRST Robotics sessions are mandatory for all learners who wish to be considered for competition teams, as these sessions form the foundation for team selections.

💡 Information Online Meeting
We will be hosting an online meeting on 21 January from 17:30 PM to 18:30 PM to explain everything in detail and answer any questions.

Link to Meeting: Google Meet

We are incredibly excited about this new programme and the opportunities it opens for every learner. This is just the beginning of a year filled with creativity, innovation, teamwork, and robotics fun!

Let’s make 2026 a year of building, learning, and competing together!

Warm regards,
The Robotics Team

Sport Quick Links

Summer Quarter

Sunday 11 January:

Happy Birthday Lauren Drawbridge

Monday 12 January:

Cricket Clinic 9-1pm

Tuesday 13 January:

Cricket Clinic 9-1pm

Wednesday 14 January:

Cricket Clinic 9-1pm

Friday 16 January:

8:30-9:30 Grade 1 Orientation and Grade 2 and 3 Pop in 

Monday 19 January:

14:00-15:00 Grade 2 and 3 Parent Meeting

Tuesday 20 January: 

First Day of the Quarter

Grade 1’s leave at 12:00

Wednesday 21 January: 

Grade 1’s leave at 12:00

Thursday 22 January: 

Grade 1’s leave at 12:00

Friday 23 January: 

Grade 1’s leave at 12:00

Monday 26 January: 

Grade 1’s stay a full day

Sports and Culture co-curriculars starts

17:00 Grade 1-6 Sports Meeting for Parents

Monday 02 February: 

Happy birthday Annastacia Mvulana

Thursday 05 February: 

World Read Aloud Day

JP Picnic with Parents

Happy birthday Sarah de Graeff

Thursday 12 February: 

Happy birthday Andrea Martch

Friday 13 February: 

Friendship Day (Dress in Red, Pink and White)

Grade 3P + 3A Cake Sale 

Saturday 14 February: 

Open Day

Tuesday 17 February: 

Happy Birthday Nikki Niemand

Ramadan

Chinese New Year

Wednesday 18 February: 

Happy birthday Kirsten Hartley 

Friday 06 March: 

Grade 3R + 3K Cake Sale

Saturday 07 March

Softball Festival

Tuesday 10 March: 

Grade 3 Outing to the Fire Station (TBC)

Wednesday 11 March: 

Happy birthday Christopher Robin Pre-Primary

Thursday 12 March:

Grade 2 Splashtacular (1-2pm)

Friday 13 March

Grade 3 Splashtacular (8:15-9am)

Saturday 14 March: 

Happy birthday Nadia Rabe

Monday 16 March: 

Grade 1s Individual Photos

Tuesday 17 March: 

Grade 2 & 3 Individual Photos 

Wednesday 18 March: 

SPCA Dress Up Day

Thursday 19 March: 

Grade 3 Outing to the Fire Station 

Friday 20 March: 

Eid al-Fitr

Grade 2P + 2A Cake Sale

Saturday 21 March:

Public Holiday: Human Rights Day

Monday 23 March: 

Reports Released

Report Meetings

Tuesday 24 March

Report Meetings

Autumn Awakennings Concert (6pm)

Wedesday 25 March

Report Meetings

Fallen Angels Drop Off

Thursday 26 March: 

Last Day of the Quarter ( school closes at 1pm)

Friday 27 March: 

Sunday 29 March: 

Happy Birthday Sisanda Mvulana

Friday 03 April: 

Public Holiday - Good Friday

Monday 06 April: 

Public Holiday - Family Day

Cake sales

Classes will all have an opportunity to host a cake sale and there is much excitement as the children eagerly look forward to this treat.  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!

Parents are welcome to send the year's money in advance to be kept safely locked away (i.e. 6  cake sales x R10=R60.00) or send in R10 on cake sale days.

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

QUICK LINKS

EdAdmin Portal

Enjoy the last few days of holidays. We look forward to seeing our Grade ones and their parents at the orientation and parent meeting on Friday 16 January at 08h30 and our Grade 2 and 3 parents on Monday 19 January at14h00.

Of course we can't wait to welcome everyone back to school on Tuesday 20 January. Our next blog will be published on Friday 23 January.

Wishing everyone a wonderful start to the new school year.