Junior Preparatory Weekly Memo
28 November 2025
28 November 2025
Dear Parents
I would like to thank our amazing staff for all their hard work and commitment to our children's development throughout the year.
Growing Minds Celebration
Our Growing Minds Celebration marked a joyful end to the school year as learners were called onto the stage to receive certificates honouring their outstanding work and growth. Smiles filled the hall as parents watched proudly, celebrating not only achievements but the dedication behind them. It was a heart-warming morning that highlighted just how much our young learners have blossomed this year.
The growth of Christopher Robin Pre-Primary and Parklands College has been strengthened by staff who have supported us since our early days in Green Point. Yesterday we honoured three incredible ladies, namely Jane Majweta, who has been with us for 36 years, Annastacia Mvulana for 28 years, and Ethel Nkata 25 years. We thank and acknowledge them for their remarkable commitment and dedication to our educational environment.
STAFFING 2026
Farewell & Welcome
It is with sadness but immense gratitude that we bid farewell to Cindy Mey at the end of the year. Cindy came out of retirement to assist us this year and we absolutely loved having her back as part of our team. She taught our Grade 1s with passion, heart and a great deal of love.
Cindy, you are one of a kind and an absolute gem!
We wish Cindy everything of the best as she continues on her retirement adventures.
We welcome Sarah de Graeff back to the Junior Preparatory. Sarah has spent many years in the Pre-Primary and Junior Preparatory and for the past two years has been in the Senior Preparatory. Sarah has a wealth of experience across three campuses as well as in Grade 3 and we are delighted to welcome her to our Grade 3 team next year.
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
EDUCATORS
Sharon Louw
Learning Enrichment Centre: Gr 3
slouw@parklands.co.za
Khanya Mbikwana
isiXhosa
kmbikwana@parklands.co.za
Licia Hammond
Aftercare
lhammond@parklands.co.za
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
SPORT
Jared Margetts
jmargetts@parklands.co.za
Nadine Marais-Swart
nmaraisswart@parklands.co.za
Gary Gilder ggilder@parklands.co.za
ROBOTICS
Justine de Wet
jdewet@parklands.co.za
Nikki Niemand
nniemand@parklands.co.za
Khanya Mbikwana
kmbikwana@parklands.co.za
CULTURE
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
Uniforms
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.
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
Parklands College Grey striped socks for boys
Parklands College white striped anklet socks in summer for girls.
Grade 2: Acts of Kindness
Grade 2P have been sharing acts of kindness with each other and made "Kindness Posters" in their Technology lesson.
Grade 2 Animal Tales
The Grade 2s also wrote Animal Tales, explaining how an animal came to be. Some learners even made them into read-aloud stories using Book Creator.
AI in Grade 1P
Learners were curious to see how ChatGPT would interpret their drawings of a house, so Mrs Duke experimented with a few AI tools —including ChatGPT for prompting and image generation. Together, the class discussed how AI works, how to use it safely, and why it’s important to be responsible by always acknowledging when AI tools are used. It was a wonderful blend of creativity, curiosity, and digital citizenship in Grade 1P! Discussions will continue next week as we deepen our understanding of AI.
Three Parklands College World Robot Olympiad teams are currently representing South Africa at the 2025 WRO International final in Singapore.
After the second day our two Robomission Junior teams, Technoblade and HighTechDragonRiders, are placed 9th and 56th respectively. This is out of a total number of 7332 teams globally. Technoblade managed two full scores with their fastest being 84 seconds. This is the first time a South African RoboMission team has placed in the Top 10 teams at this stage.
Our Robomission Elementary team, HyperTech 2.0, is currently placed 64th out of 7641 teams globally.
We wish them the best of luck for the final day of the competition today.
Book Donation
We are so grateful to Mrs Karen Hunt for a generous donation of beautiful books for our library. They will be treasured and enjoyed by all our readers. Thank you.
Please remember that all JP learners may come to school in civvies on Entrepreneurship Day on Monday!
With exciting stalls offering colour hairspray and face paint, things are sure to get a little messy. To keep uniforms clean, we kindly ask that learners wear civvies for the day.
Bring those R2 coins!
2026 Music Enrolments:
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.
What a year it has been for Junior Prep sport at Parklands College! From our smallest Grade 1s pulling on their kit for the first time, to our confident Grade 3s leading their teams with pride, the growth across every code has been extraordinary.
Our sports calendar has been full and vibrant, stretching from the bright summer months through the chilly winter mornings. Learners braved cold starts, busy afternoons, and action-packed weekends - and their commitment has shown in every match, gala, and festival throughout the year.
We were proud to host and compete in a variety of events that showcased the spirit of Parklands Prep. Some highlights included:
Friday Night Lights, where our young athletes played under the stars with unmatched energy.
The Hockey Extravaganza, a celebration of skill, teamwork, and plenty of goals.
A memorable Somerset College Derby, filled with spirited competition and excellent sportsmanship.
The exciting Bridge House & Parklands College Mini Cricket Festival brought schools together in the true spirit of fun and development.
Our competitive galas, where our swimmers shone brightly - finishing 2nd overall at the Parklands Interschools Gala.
And of course, the much-loved Splashtacular, always a highlight for our Junior Prep families.
To our parents - thank you. Thank you for the early mornings, the rushed afternoon lifts, the weekend sideline support, and even the occasional late evening finishes. Your enthusiasm and encouragement are a massive part of what makes Parklands Prep sport so special.
As we look ahead, please remember to sign up for our January 2026 Cricket Clinic, and for those learners who received invitations to the SA20 MICT vs ECSR event on 16 January, please confirm your attendance. The deadline for both is Monday, 1 December 2025.
Here’s to a wonderful year of growth, teamwork, and unforgettable sporting moments. We look forward to even more in 2026!
ATTENTION: U9 Cricket Lovers (Grade 4 2026)
Keep your eyes peeled for an email. We are going to the SA20 on 16 January 2026 at Newlands. 2026 Grade 4s to 6s are invited to watch the mighty MI Cape Town next year!
Book your spot for the upcoming December Holiday Cricket Clinic! It will be three days of fun, team spirit, and fine-tuning some cricket skills.
Email: westcoastcricketacademy@gmail.com to book your child's spot!
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
🧥 Lost Property – Last Week of School! 🎒
As we wrap up an exciting school year, all Lost Property will be out during the last week of school. Families are encouraged to pop in and check for any missing items - from jackets and jerseys to lunchboxes and water bottles.
Please note: All unclaimed clothing will be donated at the end of the week.
Make sure to have a look and reclaim any lost belongings before the December holidays!
Date : 1st - 4th December 2025, outside of Mrs Oxley-Simpson's Office
Dates for 2025
Spring Quarter: 14 October - 05 December
Summer Quarter: 20 January - 26 March
Autumn Quarter: 8 April - 24 June
Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 September
Spring Quarter: 14 October - 4 December
Device Requirements
Please click on the link below to view the device requirements for next year.
Textbooks (Caxtons)
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 4 2026 Caxton list
Learners are required to take either Afrikaans FAL or isiXhosa FAL. Please ensure that you only order either Afrikaans or isiXhosa FAL books.
NOTE: Grade 4 - 6 Afrikaans FAL learners will be issued with an Afrikaans Made Simple workbook @ R230 which will be billed to their account at the beginning of the year.
Stationery Requirements
Please note that stationery must be labelled and sent to school on the first day of the year. Books DO NOT need to be covered as this is done in class with the children.
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
Our Grade 1 - 3 learners have a choice between Afrikaans FAL and isiXhosa FAL. 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.
Please read through the Parent and Learner Directory, which includes important information about Parklands College and the Junior Preparatory learners.
Event Details
Date: Thursday, 4 December
Time: 18:30 to 21:30
Place: Intaka Island, Century City
Price: R130 per person, which includes a warm drink and sweet treat
Step into the magic of twilight and join us for a Full Moon Hike that celebrates the beauty and importance of wildlife conservation. As the sun dips below the horizon and the moonlight spills across the wetlands, this guided walk offers a rare opportunity to experience nature after dark, when Intaka Island comes alive in a whole new way.
Led by our knowledgeable rangers, the hike will explore the island’s nocturnal wonders and the vital role each species plays in maintaining the balance of our ecosystem.
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...
This will be the last blog of the year and reports will be released on Friday 5 December.
A reminder that school will close on Friday 5 December at 11:00, and there will be no Aftercare. Please make arrangements to collect your child by 11:00.
We would like to wish Mrs Oxley-Simpson and Mrs Thyssen a very happy birthday for Sunday 14 December and Mrs Manickum for Wednesday 24 December. We hope they all get to relax and enjoy their special days.
School starts on Tuesday, 20 January 2025. Our Grade 1 Orientation and Parent meeting is on Friday 16 January at 8:30 and our Grade 2 and 3 Parent Meeting is on Monday 19 January from 14:00-15:00.
We wish all our families a very happy and restful holiday and a blessed Festive Season.
Contact Details
Staff email addresses: Staffing
General Preparatory email address: prep@parklands.co.za
IT queries: Christian Oertel, Network Manager - choertel@parklands.co.za