Dear Parents

Reading is something that is very near and dear to teacher's hearts.

Some parents may wonder, “If this is a preschool, what does reading really have to do with us?”
The answer is simple: a great deal.

As Dr. Seuss so wisely said:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Phonics vs Sight Words

To become effective readers, children need to recognise approximately 3 000 words out of the roughly 170 000 words in the English language. While this number may sound reasonable, how children learn these words makes all the difference.

🧠 Sight words encourage children to recognise whole words through repetition and visual memory. This can support a small number of common words and may help children feel successful early on. However, when relied on too heavily, this approach can limit a child’s ability to work out unfamiliar or longer words.

😩 Memorising large numbers of words places a heavy demand on young children. It can be tiring, frustrating, and often lacks meaning. Even adults would struggle to memorise 3 000 unrelated words — yet this is sometimes expected of developing readers.

🔊 Phonics provides a far more supportive foundation. There are just 44 sounds in English that children need to learn. Once children understand these sounds and how they work together, they are able to decode many words independently — including words they have never seen before.

When children are presented with pages of sight words without strong phonemic awareness, they often resort to guessing based on word shape or length. To them, the page can feel confusing and overwhelming. This guessing habit is at the root of many later reading difficulties, which can affect confidence and learning across all areas of school.

Reading is not about memorising words — it is about understanding how sounds, letters, and meaning work together.

✨ Next week is Read Aloud Day. Reading with children, rather than expecting them to read on their own, plays a powerful role in building language, comprehension, and a lasting love of books. 

Thank you for being part of this journey. A strong reading foundation begins long before formal schooling and grows best when home and school work together.

Aftercare Reminder

Please note that the school is locked promptly at 16:45 each day. We kindly ask that children are 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 17:00. Late collection can be distressing for children and may lead to feelings of anxiety or uncertainty.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Shows 

We enrich our curriculum with carefully selected, tailor-made shows that reinforce learning in an interactive, enjoyable way. If you have not yet done so, please take a moment to complete the consent forms for your child.

Grade 0000 Shows Consent Form

Grade 000 Shows Consent Form

Grade 00 Shows Consent Form

Grade R Shows Consent Form  

Extra Murals 

The start of this year’s extra-murals has been truly delightful, with a variety of activities captivating the children’s interest and sparking their enthusiasm. It’s heartwarming to see their joy as they actively engage in the diverse offerings available, and we’ve captured a few photos of their first experiences, which we’ll continue to share throughout the quarter. 

This week served as the start for the compulsory Grade R programme and a trial for the selected extra-murals for Grade 000 to Grade R. As we move forward, please ensure your child comes prepared with the required items, such as a lycra swimming cap, goggles, towel, or tennis racket for those continuing with sport, ballet attire for the ballerinas, and most importantly, a sun hat! 

For Grade R swimming classes at 08:00, kindly ensure your child arrives dressed in their swimming attire and packs a change of clothes for afterwards.

Link to the weekly Summer Quarter Extra Mural Timetable

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.

Cake Sale 

Thank you to all our parents for supporting our very first cake sale of the year and for every sweet and savoury contribution. The children absolutely loved it and were so excited for their little Friday treats. We truly appreciate the time, effort, and generosity that go into making these special moments possible.

Outreach 

❤️🤍💗 Outreach This Quarter – Celebrating Friendship 💗🤍❤️

As part of our outreach focus this quarter, we are celebrating friendship, kindness, and giving back. In February, we will be hosting a Friendship Dress-Up Day on 13 February, where children are invited to come dressed in white, pink, or red to celebrate friendship and care for others.

A R20 donation will be collected in support of CHOC and children with disabilities. The donation will be billed to your school account.

A PEEK INTO OUR WEEK

Crackerjacks 

Our little Crackerjacks have had a fantastic first two weeks of school and are settling in beautifully. We are so proud of them!

They have been getting to know their new teachers and making new friends while becoming more comfortable in their environment. The classrooms and garden have been filled with singing and dancing, and the children have begun exploring the wonder of creativity at our art tables through drawing and painting.

As they continue to settle in, some children are already confidently packing away their own water bottles and bags. Wow! They are also starting to learn new vocabulary during our little morning rings and story times.

We are so excited for all that 2026 will bring for each and every little one—so much growth, learning, creativity, and fun as we play together.

Grade 000

What a wonderful and action-packed week it has been in Grade 000! Our Piglets and Tiggers have enjoyed a week filled with excitement, and we are so proud of how well they are settling into their new routine.

The children made the most of outdoor playtime on the driveway, whizzing around on the motorbikes, creating colourful chalk drawings, and strengthening their fine motor skills through creative block building outside.

Inside the classroom, the name of the game was sensory play! The children explored different textures and materials by pouring coloured rice, pretending flour was soft snow, and sifting bird seed with curious little hands.

One of the highlights of the week was seeing our Piglets and Tiggers complete their very first self-portraits. They wowed us with their efforts, painting on beautiful watercolour backgrounds — each one as special and unique as they are!

Well done, Grade 000 — we are so proud of you!

Grade 00

Week 2 of Grade 00 was full of smiles and self-discovery as the Honey Bees House, Roo’s House, and Pooh Bear's House explored the theme “All About Me.” The children enjoyed drawing, colouring, playing, and creating while learning more about themselves and their friends. Through hands-on activities and joyful moments, they built confidence, creativity, and a strong sense of belonging within their classrooms.

Grade R

This week our Grade R learners had their very first swimming session, and the excitement was contagious! The children showed great enthusiasm as they bravely entered the water and tried something new.

Swimming is a wonderful activity for young children as it helps build strength, improves coordination, and supports overall physical development. Most importantly, it encourages confidence while having fun.

We are so proud of our Grade R learners for a fantastic first swim and can’t wait for more splashy sessions ahead! 💦

Summer Quarter 2026

Summer Quarter Important Dates 

SUMMER QUARTER:

31 January: Ballet Basics Uniform Fitting - 7B Sandown Campus
09H00 - 11H00

2 February: Happy Birthday Annastacia Mvulana 

4 February: World Read Aloud Day - Bring your teddy and read in garden 

6 February: Happy Birthday Chloe Mathee 

13 February: Friendship Dress-Up Day @R20- donating to Casual Day (People with Disabilities)  

13 February: Group Photograph at 9:00 Crackerjacks 100 Aker Wood Garden 

14 February: Happy Birthday Ingrid Lubbe

14 February: Open Day 

16 February: Happy Birthday Olivia Arendse

17 February: Playlab (Grade 000) 09:00 - 10:00 

18 February: Playlab (Grade 0000) 09:00 - 10:00

19 February: Playlab (Grade R Edward Bear’s / Rabbit’s) 08:00 - 09:00 

19 February: Playlab (Grade R Kanga’s / Owl’s) 11:00 - 12:00 

20 February: Playlab (Grade 00) 08:00 - 09:00
20 February: Playlab Grade R (Christopher Robin’s House) 11:00 - 12:00 

20 February: Cake Sale: Grade 00 and Grade R (Christopher Robin’s House) Cake Sale 

27 February: Making Fruit Kebabs (All grades) 

1 March: Happy Birthday Nadine Fourie 

2 March: Happy Birthday Vuyo Raqa 

9 March: Happy Birthday Abigail De Witt

11 March: Happy Birthday CRPP 46

Everywhere Experience - Circus Performance 

Evening Sunset Picnic 17:00 - 19:00 in the garden 

13 March: Cake Sale: Grade 000, Crackerjacks and Grade R (Edward Bear’s) Cake Sale 

15 March: Happy Birthday Riëtte Pieterse and Eric Mkangeli

16 March: Grade R Reports sent to parents

16-20 March: ExtraMural Open Week 

17-25 March: Grade 0000 - 00 Feedback meetings & Grade R Report meetings

21 March: Public Holiday - Human Rights Day

26 March: Last day of the quarter (school closes at 13:00 - No Aftercare) 

2026 Information 

2026 Dates

Summer Quarter: 20 Jan - 26 March 

Autumn Quarter: 8 April - 24 June 

Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 Sept 

Spring Quarter: 14 Oct - 4 Dec 

Theme Discussions

We are passionate about a creative, rich, authentic, and layered approach to learning for our little ones. Theme-related learning allows for the child to learn about their world and the world around them. Below is an overview of our Summer Quarter weekly theme discussions and learning focus, as well as an overview of the 2026 themes.

Please click on the link below for details on our summer quarter theme discussions in each grade:

Grade 0000 Theme Discussions 

Grade 000 Theme Discussions 

Grade 00 Theme Discussions 

Grade R Theme Discussions 

Happy Birthday Teacher Chloe - 6 February

Wishing you a day filled with joy, laughter, and all the little things that make you smile. Hope the year ahead brings you happiness, good health, and lots of special moments. 💐✨

Conclusion

Next week is Read Aloud Day. Children are welcome to bring a teddy to cuddle while listening to stories.

We warmly invite parents to join us in the classroom to read a story to the children. Please liaise with your class teacher, who will be happy to arrange a suitable time and reading slot for you.

We are looking forward to a fun week of stories and smiles!