Dear Parents,

In today’s fast-moving world, childhood can easily become hurried and overstructured. Yet children are not meant to live in a race. Childhood is a time to explore, to wonder, and to grow at a natural pace.

“Children do not move, think, or speak in a straight line, and neither do imagination and creativity. But sadly, our standardised pathways of education do.” – Vince Gowmon

Children thrive when they are given the space to play, to follow their interests, and to develop without unnecessary pressure or expectation.

🌟 The Value of Play
Play is the work of childhood. Through play, children make sense of their world, test ideas, and build essential skills in a way that is meaningful to them.

🎯 Following Natural Interests
Each child brings a unique personality and set of interests. When these are noticed and nurtured, children engage more deeply and develop a stronger sense of self.

🐢 A Slower, Gentle Pace
Unhurried days allow children time to process, reflect, and imagine. Quiet moments and unstructured play are just as important as active learning experiences.

💬 Connection and Belonging
Children flourish in environments where they feel heard and valued. Shared moments, conversations, and play build trust and a strong sense of belonging.

🏡 A Secure Environment
A foundation of love, safety, and care allows children to feel secure enough to explore, take risks, and learn with confidence.

🌈 Trusting Development
Children are capable and competent. Given time and opportunity, they develop skills naturally through engagement with their environment.

🔹 Children benefit from opportunities to test their physical limits through running, climbing, and jumping in ways that are appropriate for their age.

🔹 Exploration often includes using materials in unexpected ways. This experimentation is an important part of learning.

🔹 Struggle and challenge are valuable. Tasks such as fastening a jacket or building structures help develop perseverance and problem-solving.

The sparkle in a child’s eyes when discovering something new is something to be protected. Childhood may be brief, but its influence lasts a lifetime. When children are given the freedom to experience joy, curiosity, and wonder, they build a strong foundation for becoming confident, creative, and resilient individuals.

“Childhood memories are like fireflies—small and fleeting, yet they light up the darkest nights.” – Anonymous

A Peak Into Our Week 

Crackerjacks

It has been such a joy to welcome our little Crackerjacks back to school! They returned bursting with excitement, and it was heartwarming to see them greeting one another with big hugs and happy smiles after the holidays.

We kicked off the quarter with our delightful Pets theme, and it has been a huge hit! The children have loved chatting about their furry (and sometimes feathery and even scaly!) friends at home and sharing just how much they adore them. They’ve been learning all about pet sounds, where pets live, and how to take care of them. One of the highlights was creating their adorable pet headbands using brown checkers bags - everyone had so much fun pretending to be their favorite animals! Lots of other fun was had around our art tables, too, such as using paper plates to make dogs and cats, using bubble wrap and rollers! They also painted with forks creating their very own works of art!

Our garden explorations have also been a treat, as the children observe the magic of autumn and how the trees and plants are changing, slowly losing their leaves. Nature has given us plenty to wonder about and discover together.

We’re looking forward to an action-packed quarter filled with laughter, learning, and lots of exciting adventures ahead!

Grade 000

We are so happy to welcome all our little ones back for a brand new Autumn quarter! The children have settled in beautifully, and it’s been wonderful to see their excitement, energy, and smiling faces filling our classroom again.

This week, our theme was all about Pets 🐶🐱. We spent time chatting about the different kinds of pets we know and love, from playful dogs and cuddly cats to some more unusual furry (and not-so-furry!) friends. The children really enjoyed sharing stories about their own pets or the ones they wish they had.

We also got creative with some fun pet-themed art activities.

Our Tiggers had a fantastic time sponge painting around dog and cat stencils, creating colorful and unique pet masterpieces. They loved exploring different colours and watching their pictures come to life! They also enjoyed as a class a game of matching shapes and colours which strengthened and consolidated their knowledge of primary and secondary colours and shapes they have learnt so far. 

Our Piglets were just as busy, tearing and pasting pieces of newspaper to fill in a dog outline. This activity was great for developing their fine motor skills, and they were so proud of their textured creations.

It’s been a joyful and creative start to the term, and we are looking forward to all the exciting learning and fun still to come!

Grade 00

The first full week back at school for the Honey Bees, Roos, and Pooh Bears has been a vibrant blend of learning and laughter. Across all three classes, the children are diving into their routines with joy, whether they are building intricate block towers, exploring sensory water play, or focusing on creative pet-themed art projects. The energy extends to the outdoors, where they are mastering balance beams and navigating tyre obstacles under the sun. It is wonderful to see every little one back at exploring and playing, embracing discoveries with their friends.

Grade R

Grade Rs have continued to eagerly explore the theme of houses this week. We learned about houses made of compacted snow, houses made of mud and straw, and then beautifully decorated by the Ndabeli people, as well as houses made from poles and hide, crafted by Native American Indian tribes. We learned that often natural resources are used to build houses, reflecting the habitat in which the people live, for example Inuits live in cold climates and have learned how to keep their snow block house warm without melting the snow. We have created beautiful artwork demonstrating all the knowledge we have acquired. 

This quarter, swimming has been replaced by Ball skills. Our learners are incredibly excited to practise new skills, such as throwing underarm, jumping hopscotch and clearing ground-level hurdles. These skills develop our hand-eye coordination, core strength, midline crossing skills, eye tracking and locomotor skills. The children participated with great enthusiasm and cannot wait for their next lesson. 

Individual piano lessons began this week, and our learners are eager to learn piano notes and look forward to playing songs. We are delighted that their musical knowledge is being extended and that the concepts of beat, rhythm, tempo and familiarity with instruments are being nurtured. We look forward to hearing our great musicians play at events in the future. 

World Book Day

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 💛

Congratulations 

Quinn has earned his very first stripe in Jiu-Jitsu!  Well done, Quinn! We are incredibly proud of you and look forward to seeing all the amazing things you will continue to achieve on your journey. 

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:

23 April: World Book Day - Dress up as your favourite book character 

27 April: Public Holiday: Freedom Day

29 April: Bargain Books Book Sale 

1 May: Public Holiday: Workers' Day  

4 May: Mother's Day gifts to be made 

4 May: Petting Zoo For Grade 0000 (1–2 years) and Grade R (5–6 years) (R50 debited to your account)

5 May: Petting Zoo Grade 000, Grade 00, and Grade R (R50 debited to your account

10 May: Mother’s Day

14 May: May Play Photographs - Grade 000 & 00

15 May: May Play Photographs - Grade R

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

22 May: Grade 00 Occupational Dress-up Day 

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

Theme Discussions

We are passionate about a creative, rich, authentic, and layered approach to learning for our little ones. Theme-related learning allows 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 autumn quarter theme discussions in each grade:

Grade 0000 Theme Discussions 

Grade 000 Theme Discussions 

Grade 00 Theme Discussions 

Grade R Theme Discussions