Pre-Primary Weekly Memo
15 May 2026

Dear Parents

It has been another full and eventful week at the Pre-Primary, despite being closed on Tuesday due to the weather warning. Our hearts go out to any families who may have suffered damage to their property during the recent severe weather. We are truly grateful that everyone is safe here at school.

This week also brought a very special moment as our children had their Concert Photographs taken. A little sneak peek of our beautiful ballerinas can be seen below, and we cannot wait for you to see the rest! The photographs will be available soon, so please keep a close eye on the blog over the next few weeks. A link will be shared in the blog for parents to place their orders.

The children are also getting very excited for our upcoming May Play Concert. Ticket sales will open next week, so please remember to check the blog for the link.

Concert Dates and Times

4 June
09:00 – 10:00 May Play — Grade 000–00
10:30 – 11:30 May Play — Grade 000–00

5 June
09:00 – 10:00 May Play — Grade R
10:30 – 11:30 May Play — Grade R

Ballerina Video Sneak Peak .mp4

A Healthy School Environment

With the change in season and colder weather, we see an increase in illnesses. Any child who is unwell or taking antibiotics must stay at home. We appreciate that this can be challenging for working parents, but preventing the spread of infection to other learners and our teachers remains our priority.

Cake Sales – A Monthly Treat!

Each grade has the opportunity to contribute to a cake sale, and the children eagerly look forward to their special treat. We ask that cupcakes, popcorn, crisps, muffins, etc., be sent to the class on the allocated cake sale date. Please ensure all items are nut-free and do not include sweets.

To keep appetites in check, we recommend that children spend no more than R2 at the cake sale. You may send R2 on the day in a sealed envelope/packet or prepay for the quarter (R6 per term, R24 for the year).

🍰 Upcoming Cake Sale Date 🍰

📅 22 May – Cake Sale: Grade 00 and Grade R (Kanga’s)

We appreciate your support in making our Cake Sale a success! If you would like to contribute by sending in baked/bought goods or snacks, please complete this form.

Cake Sale Contributions

We have space for 8 parents to help sell treats on the day. If you would like to volunteer, please complete the form below.

Cake Sale Parent Volunteer Sign Up

Thank you for your support!

A Peak Into Our Week

Crackerjacks

What a wild and wonderful time we had exploring the exciting world of wild animals this week! 🦁🐯🐘 The children had so much fun learning about different wild animals, the sounds they make, and where they live. We practised our loudest lion roars and listened carefully to the different animal sounds, which brought lots of laughter and excitement to the classroom!

Our little explorers also enjoyed tunnel crawling adventures, colour matching and sorting activities, helping to strengthen both their gross and fine motor skills while learning through play. For our creative activity, the children pasted the circular face of their tiger onto a beautifully prepared background while learning all about the properties of a circle. They were so proud of their work!

We also created our very own lions using different stamping techniques and exciting textures. The children explored a variety of materials and did their absolute best lion roars while bringing their fierce creations to life! Some of our little artists also got to make their very own giraffes using the outline of their hand and arm, which made the most beautiful long giraffe necks! They had so much fun finger painting different shapes and patterns onto their giraffes.

It was a magical week filled with creativity, imagination, learning, and lots of wild fun!

Rainy day fun! (1).mp4

Grade 000

This week, we explored the exciting world of wild animals! 🦁🐘🐒 We spoke about different animals that live in the jungle and the sounds and movements they make.

The children especially loved our music and movement activities, where we sang songs such as “Walking in the Jungle” and moved like different wild animals. There were lots of stomping like elephants, swinging like monkeys, and sneaking like tigers!

This week also brought some very stormy weather to our school. Unfortunately, the big storm caused damage to a few of the beautiful trees in our 100 Acre Wood garden. The children were very curious about what had happened, and we used the opportunity to chat about storms, nature, and keeping safe during bad weather.

Although we are sad to see some of our lovely trees damaged, we are thankful that everyone stayed safe and warm.

We hope everyone has a cosy and restful weekend! 🌿🦒🌧️

Grade 00

The Gr00 classes have been having a roaring good time diving into the exciting dinosaur theme! The children have absolutely loved exploring the fascinating world of these prehistoric creatures, and their curiosity has sparked many wonderful discussions and questions along the way.

Some of the conversations between the children included questions such as, “Why did dinosaurs have to become extinct?” and “Why did dinosaurs die?” Others eagerly shared their thoughts, saying things like, “My dinosaur would be as big as my house!” and “T-Rex is my favourite dinosaur because it’s scary!”

Throughout the week, the children explored dinosaurs in many fun and hands-on ways. They enjoyed completing dinosaur puzzles, reading exciting dinosaur books, digging for fossils, drawing and painting their own imaginative dinosaurs, creating dinosaur-themed art activities and even building dinosaurs using wooden blocks.

It has been a week filled with fun, creativity, discovery, and learning as the children continue to explore and develop their knowledge through play and conversation.

Grade R

This week in Grade R we explored “The Great Occupation Exploration!” We spoke about different jobs and how the people in our community help us every day. The children voted for their favourite occupations and together we created a bar graph to see which job was the class favourite. Chef was the winning occupation — we think Chef Kerry may have inspired a few future chefs!

The children also enjoyed decorating their own chef aprons, while another class drew various occupations and community helpers. We explored different art techniques, including blow painting. Blowing through straws not only makes for a fun art activity, but also supports speech development by strengthening oral muscles, improving breath control, and encouraging coordination needed for speaking and clearer articulation.

During our Lego activity, the children worked together to build buildings linked to community helpers, such as hospitals for doctors and police stations for police officers. This encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

You can continue practising these skills at home with fun straw activities such as blowing cotton balls across a table, blowing bubbles in water, or drinking smoothies through different-sized straws.

In Robotics this week, the Grade Rs focused on teamwork, communication, and listening skills as they worked together to complete fun challenges and activities.

We are so proud of all the children and the wonderful effort they put into their learning this week!

Congratulations

We are incredibly proud of Riley, from Edward Bear’s House, who has officially earned her White Belt in Krav Maga.

What is Krav Maga?

Krav Maga is a modern, practical self-defense system focused on real-world situations. Unlike traditional sports-based martial arts, it emphasises:

• Instinctive Movements: Using the body’s natural reflexes.

• Practical Safety: Techniques designed for efficiency and awareness.

• Mental Toughness: Building the confidence to stay calm under pressure.

Congratulations, Riley, on this proud moment! We can’t wait to see where your training takes you next.

Innovation
This past Friday, the Tigger Class turned into a miniature laboratory as the children explored the electrifying world of Circuits with Teacher Kim. It was a morning filled with focused brows, tangled wires, and eventually, some very bright smiles!

The Spark of Discovery

The children were tasked with a figuring out exactly what is needed to make a light bulb glow. Instead of just being told how it works, our little engineers took the lead. They experimented with:

Connection Points: Identifying where the wires need to touch the battery and the bulb.
The Flow of Energy: Learning that electricity needs a complete path (a circuit) to travel.
The Power of Polarities: Discovering the surprising effects of switching "opposite" wires and seeing how the direction of energy matters.

Problem Solving in Action

The best part of the morning wasn't just when the lights flickered on—it was the problem-solving that happened when they didn't! When a bulb stayed dark, the children had to investigate: Is the wire loose? Is the battery facing the right way? The look of pure astonishment on their faces when the bulb finally illuminated was priceless. These "Aha!" moments are the building blocks of scientific confidence, teaching our Tiggers that with a little persistence, they can power up anything!

Library Book Adventure

On the other side of the stream, across the field, amongst the tangled roots and stems, if you look hard enough you may see a wisp of smoke from a small chimney, or through an open door, a flight of stairs deep within the trunk of a tree…

This is the home of the mice of Brambly Hedge.

Brambly Hedge is a series of books set in the tranquil English countryside, and featuring a community of mice. The stories are as cosy as the setting, and deal with topics like friendship, working together and conflict resolution. The first four books follow the seasonal pattern of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, and first appeared in 1980. Her later books follow the mice's various adventures and activities. There are also various board books for all the youngest readers.

For me personally, the irresistible magic of the books lies in the imaginative illustrations depicting the everyday life of this community whose homes are situated inside tree trunks, and painted in the gentlest of watercolours. I can imagine how children will devour the pictures and be inspired to play. Today we are having a glimpse of the latest colouring book in the series. Although marketed as “for all ages”, adults will get just as much pleasure from adding colour to these 48 beautifully detailed pages. Get out the colouring pencils and add some calm to your busy day!

Elise Crouse - Librarian

TINKERING DRIVE

We are currently gathering materials for our Tinkering & Box Construction sessions, and we need your "trash" to turn into treasure! If you have any of the following items at home, please consider donating them to our makerspace:

Fasteners: Buttons, rolls of tape (masking, duct, or scotch), and string or yarn.
Cardboard: Boxes of any size (from cereal boxes to shipping crates) and paper towel/toilet paper rolls.
Decor: Leftover wrapping paper, fabric scraps, or wallpaper remnants.

Why Tinkering Matters

Tinkering is more than just "playing with junk"—it’s early engineering. When children tinker, they develop spatial awareness, fine motor skills, and resilience. It teaches them that if a design fails, they haven't "messed up"; they’ve simply found a way that doesn't work, prompting them to iterate and try again.

The Power of Box Construction

Why are we so obsessed with boxes?

Open-Ended Creativity: A box isn't just a box; it’s a rocket ship, a laboratory, or a dragon’s den. This builds divergent thinking.
Problem Solving: Figuring out how to make a flat piece of cardboard stand upright or how to hinge a door using only string and tape requires high-level critical thinking.
Sustainability: It teaches children to see value in the world around them, proving that you don’t need expensive toys to innovate—just an imagination and a roll of tape.

Please drop off any tinker items at the office! Thank you!

Outreach

It’s time for one of our cosiest days of the year - Slipper Day!

Children are invited to roll out of bed, stay in their pyjamas, slip on their favourite slippers (after a quick breakfast and brushing of teeth, of course!) and head off to school ready for a warm and happy day together.

We will be supporting Reach for a Dream’s Slipper Day, with a R20 donation kindly debited to your account in aid of this special cause.

Please remember to pack a pair of “normal” shoes for outdoor play.

We’re looking forward to a day filled with comfort, smiles and a little extra heart 💛

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

2027 Dates

Provisional 2027 Quarter Dates

Summer - 19 Jan - 18 March

Autumn - 7 April - 23 June

Winter - 21 July - 22 Sept

Spring - 6 Oct - 3 Dec

Autumn Quarter Important Dates

AUTUMN QUARTER:

22 May: Cake Sale: Grade 00 and Grade R (Kanga’s)

29 May: Build your burger with Chef Kerry

29 May: Slipper Day - Reach for a Dream Foundation (R20 debited to your account)

30 May: Open Day

1 June: International Children's Day- Movie & Pop Corn (Grade 000 - R) in the hall

Crackerjacks Music & Marshmallows in their classes

Happy Birthday Kerry Kemp

2 June: Happy Birthday Chanay De Klerk

4 June: 09:00 - 10:00 May Play (Grade 000 - 00)

10:30 - 11:30 May Play (Grade 000 - 00)

5 June: 09:00 - 10:00 May Play (Grade R)

10:30 - 11:30 May Play (Grade R)

11 June: Individual photographs for Grades 000 & R

12 June: Individual photographs for Crackerjacks & 00

15 June: Reports sent to parents

16 June: Public Holiday: Youth Day

17-23 June: Report Feedback Meetings Grade 0000 - R

18 June: Bee Keeper Show (Grade 00 - R)

19 June: Cake Sale: Grade 000, Crackerjacks and Grade R (Owl’s) Cake Sale

21 June: Father’s Day

22 June: Cultural Assembly (Grade R ballerinas to attend)

24 June: Winter Olympics and R20 ‘entry’

24 June: Last day of the quarter

29 June: Happy Birthday Litho Voxeka

Parent Business Directory

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...

Conclusion

Wishing all our families a lovely weekend. Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to another exciting week ahead!

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Pre-Primary Weekly Memo15 May 2026