Junior Preparatory Weekly Memo
14 January 2026
14 January 2026
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
Congratulations to the Matric Class of 2025 on their wonderful Final NSC Results. We celebrate another year of academic excellence!
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.
Summer Quarter: 20 January - 26 March
Autumn Quarter: 8 April - 24 June
Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 September
Spring Quarter: 14 October - 4 December
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Chantel Lamb
Principal
clamb@parklands.co.za
Emma Oxley-Simpson
Associate Principal
eoxleysimpson@parklands.co.za
Roché Buckle
Head of Culture
rbuckle@parklands.co.za
Elise Crouse
Head of Media Centres
ecrouse@parklands.co.za
Jared Margetts
Head of Sport
jmargetts@parklands.co.za
ADMINISTRATION
Sharon Louw
Learning Enrichment Centre
slouw@parklands.co.za
Khanya Mbikwana
isiXhosa
kmbikwana@parklands.co.za
Licia Hammond
Aftercare
lhammond@parklands.co.za
Desothini Naidoo
Aftercare
GRADE HEAD
Grade 1P
Siobhan Duke
sduke@parklands.co.za
Grade 1A
Andrea Martch
amartch@parklands.co.za
Grade 1R
Samantha Naidoo
samnaidoo@parklands.co.za
Grade 1K
Carmen Thyssen
cthyssen@parklands.co.za
Grade 2P
Tammy Labuschagne
tlabuschagne@parklands.co.za
GRADE HEAD
Grade 2A
Caressa Manickum
cmanickum@parklands.co.za
Grade 2R
Nadia Rabe
nrabe@parklands.co.za
GRADE HEAD
Grade 3P
Cara De Aguiar
cdeaguiar@parklands.co.za
Grade 3A
Sarah de Graeff
sdegraeff@parklands.co.za
Grade 3R
Anine de Lange
adelange@parklands.co.za
Grade 3K
Karen Hunt
khunt@parklands.co.za
Jared Margetts
jmargetts@parklands.co.za
Nadine Marais-Swart
nmaraisswart@parklands.co.za
Gary Gilder ggilder@parklands.co.za
Justine de Wet
jdewet@parklands.co.za
Nikki Niemand
nniemand@parklands.co.za
Khanya Mbikwana
kmbikwana@parklands.co.za
ART
Kirsten Hartley
khartley@parklands.co.za
MUSIC
Thurloe Ernstzen
ternstzen@parklands.co.za
MUSIC
Serena Domingo
sdomingo@parklands.co.za
DRAMA
Roché Buckle
rbuckle@parklands.co.za
DANCE
Sylvia Stander
sstander@parklands.co.za
DANCE
Candice Holder
cholder@parklands.co.za
DANCE
Amy Dean
adean@parklands.co.za
School Hours
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.
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.
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. 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.
Preparatory parents are reminded that the Pre-Primary Drive-through is reserved for Pre-Primary parents ONLY.
You are welcome to park in Wood Drive and walk your child to their classroom for the first few weeks of the quarter. Our Junior Preparatory parking area is a Drop and Go Zone and parents may pull into the yellow zone for learners to get out and walk into school on their own. Please do not park or leave your car in the Drop and Go Zone.
Aftercare is a combined group of Grade 1-3 learners. Parents, please inform the College via email should you wish to make use of our aftercare facility. Learners may wear their Parklands College sports uniform and in the interest of security, learners are signed out when collected. Learners attending Aftercare will be escorted to the venue. Parents who wish to make use of our aftercare facilities, must please inform us via e-mail. Learners must be collected before 17h00, as the College is locked at this time.
For safety reasons no learners are permitted to wait outside the College gates at any time.
Parents entering our campus are required to have a car identification sticker which can be collected from class teachers. By displaying the sticker on your car you will gain easy access to the College premises. Vehicles who do not have a sticker will be scanned. ‘At the Gate’ Access Solution is used by the College and involves drivers' and car license discs being scanned. This information is stored on a secure database off-site for future reference should the need arise. Pedestrians are also required to produce identification.
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.
Health
Learners require a packed lunch box and a bottle of water for an early morning snack and two break times.
Please note that Parklands College is a nut free zone and no nut butters i.e. peanut butter, Nutella or nuts may be sent to school.
Learners store their lunchbox and water bottles in the classroom. All items must be clearly marked with your child's name.
There are NO tuckshop facilities for the Junior Preparatory learners.
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.
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
Device Requirements
Please click on the link below to view the device requirements for next year.
Stationery Requirements
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Uniform Requirements
For free delivery to school, in the address block, please insert school name and address and add discount code before check-out.
Junior Preparatory - 91 Raats Drive, Parklands 7441
Senior Preparatory - 50 Wood Drive, Parklands 7441
Secondary Faculty - 1 College Avenue, Sandown 7441
Discount Code : PKLSCHOOL (both upper and lowercase works)
College blazers
Please be reminded that all learners are required to wear the new striped blazer with braiding from the start of 2026. To ensure timely delivery, we advise you to place your order with our uniform supplier, School and Leisure, as early as possible.
Please ensure that the uniform is the correct size for your child, in particular the blazer,
All new 2026 blazers with braiding are in stock at School and Leisure.
Second-hand school uniforms
Please contact Tania Fourie if you would like to buy or sell good-quality second-hand uniforms. She is also the supplier of Froggy School shoes.
Contact details: +27 83 631 7683 or tania@sportstudio.co.za
Library News
Birthday Books
We have a beautiful tradition at the College which adds a festive note to a learner’s birthday when they donate a book to the library on their birthday. These books are presented at an assembly and featured in the weekly blog. This is a voluntary contribution.
This week we are saying happy birthday to Tehil who turned 7 in December. He brought a lovely version of the famous Aesop’s fable of the Lion and the Mouse, which teaches us that you are never too small to help someone else, and that no act of kindness is ever wasted. Thank you so much for this valuable life lesson which you are sharing with the other readers.
Another December birthday was celebrated by Christiaan who brought us two delightful books, I Love You with all My Heart and In the Jungle-y, Jungle-y. What a fantastic treat! Thank you, Christiaan.
Book Donation
At the end of last year, we received gorgeous donations from the Sitole family. Thank you so much for this thoughtful gift to the library.
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.
Please read through the Parent and Learner Directory, which includes important information about Parklands College and the Junior Preparatory learners.
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.
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.
Design Society
In Design Society, our after school art co-curricular, learners had a blast creating their very own aprons. Using acrylic marker sets and bright fabric paints, they designed aprons that reflect their personalities. Some went all-in on a playful cooking theme, while others crafted the perfect apron for messy art adventures. Each apron is bursting with colour, creativity, and a whole lot of imagination!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Days (during the school day)
Grade 1: Tuesday and Thursday from 1-2 pm
Grade 2: Monday and Wednesday from 1-2 pm
Grade 3: Monday 2-3 pm, Friday 07:30-08:30
Sports Kit
All learners may wear their sports kit to school on their two Grade sport days as well as their PE Day.
Swimming during PE in Quarter 1 and 4
Please pack in Parklands Swimming costumes / Parklands Swimming Cap / Towel and sunblock.
Although coaches guide and support learners during swimming in Physical Education lessons, we are not a Learn to Swim School and for their own safety it is critical that learners are water safe and able to swim. Please liaise with the coaches if you need contact details for LEARN TO SWIM schools for your child to attend.
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.
If your little one has excelled in a sport outside of school, we would love to celebrate their achievements. Please use the link below to fill in the external achievements form to make us aware of their shining moment.
➡️ EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS ⬅️
Sport Quick Links
Summer Quarter: 20 Jan - 26 March
Autumn Quarter: 8 April - 24 June
Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 September
Spring Quarter: 14 October - 4 December
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.
Friday 13 February: Grade 3P and 3A Cake Sale
Friday 06 March: Grade 3R and 3K Cake Sale
Friday 20 March: Grade 2P & 2A Cake Sale
Friday 17 April: Grade 2R and LEC Cake Sale
Friday 04 September: Grade 1P & 1A Cake Sale
Friday 30 October: Grade 1R &1K Cake Sale
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
Parents are kindly reminded to be mindful of our neighbours when parking. Vehicles that block traffic or obstruct private driveways will be reported to the Traffic Department by our neighbours and will most likely be issued a fine/ticket. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that parking is done considerately and responsibly.
The new EdAdmin Multi Portal App (EdAdmin MP) is now available on the Google and Apple App stores. The features include access to your child’s reports, calendar activities and daily attendance records to mention a few.
1.) Download the EdAdmin 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.
College parents are able to list their businesses in our Parent Business Directory for free – www.parklands.co.za/parent-business-directory/.
Should you be interested in marketing your business to over 1000 families, email: marketing@parklands.co.za to get started.
All listings will be subject to the College’s final approval.
This week's feature business is...
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.