Dear Parents,

Yesterday, we celebrated World Book Day with great excitement as the children arrived dressed in the most wonderful and imaginative outfits, bringing their favourite book characters to life. Dress-up and fantasy play allow children to step into magical worlds, encouraging creativity, confidence, and self-expression. Reading opens the door to imagination, learning, and discovery, and nurturing a love for books from a young age helps build strong language skills and a lifelong passion for learning. World Book Day reminds us just how special stories are in shaping young minds and inspiring curious hearts.

A Peak Into Our Week 

Crackerjacks

Our little ones had so much fun learning all about life on the farm this week! The children enjoyed singing songs like Old MacDonald, exploring different farm animals, and practicing the sounds they make through songs and fun role play. They loved acting out the different sounds each farm animal makes, which brought lots of laughter and excitement to the classroom. For our creative activities, we made adorable sheep using different textures, including bubble wrap and fork painting, and the children did a wonderful job pasting on all the features with gentle guidance. We also created pink pigs by using rollers for painting and tearing paper, helping to build both creativity and fine motor skills. We spent time exploring the classroom too, where some children showed fantastic problem-solving skills as they used Lego blocks to build farm animal houses and create their own farm scenes. The highlight of the week was World Book Dress-Up Day, where the little ones proudly wore their creative costumes! Let’s bring on next week for new and fun activities and learning. 

Grade 000

This week in Tiggers and Piglets, we continued exploring our delightful Pets theme, and what a joyful and engaging time it has been!

Sharing stories about how we take care of our pets was a great topic. These discussions encouraged the children to express themselves, build confidence in speaking, and listen to one another’s experiences with interest and respect.

Music time brought lots of smiles as we sang “How Much is That Doggie in the Window?” -  a firm favourite that had everyone joining in enthusiastically. Singing together supports language development and memory skills. 

Our creative activities were a highlight this week! The Piglets made the most adorable black cats using a fun fork-painting technique. By stamping black paint to create textured “fur,” and then carefully adding eyes, ears, noses, and whiskers, each child created a unique and expressive little feline.

The Tiggers explored a different creative process, making shimmering pet goldfish. They used handprints over glitter glue “water” and marble-rolled backgrounds, resulting in beautiful, vibrant underwater scenes full of movement and colour.

These art activities are not just about creativity - they play a vital role in development. Through these experiences, the children are strengthening their fine motor skills, building hand and finger strength, and improving hand-eye coordination. They are also developing spatial awareness, learning how to place and arrange features thoughtfully, as well as enhancing bilateral coordination (using both hands together effectively).

In addition, these tasks support concentration and perseverance, as children focus on completing their creations, and encourage sensory exploration through different textures and materials. There is also a wonderful boost to self-esteem and independence as they take pride in their finished artwork.

It has been a week full of creativity, conversation, and connection, and we are so proud of the effort and enthusiasm shown by all our Tiggers and Piglets!

Grade 00

This week in our Gr00 classes,it has been full of creativity, teamwork, and hands on fun!

Our little learners have been hard at work developing their fine motor skills through activities like cutting, sticking, and tracing. From carefully following lines to confidently using scissors and glue, it’s been wonderful to see their coordination and confidence grow each day.

We’ve also dived into a magical “Under the Sea” theme, where the children explored their imaginations and created beautiful ocean inspired artwork. From colourful fish to textured sea creatures, their creativity truly came to life!

A big focus this week has been on working together. The children have been building, creating, and problem solving as a team, learning how to share ideas, take turns, and support one another. Watching them collaborate and bring their creations to life has been incredibly special.

Take a look at the photos to see these amazing moments in action-cutting, tracing, sticking, building and working as a team. We are so proud of their enthusiasm, creativity, and growing skills!

What a fantastic week it has been in Gr00!

Grade R

This week at school, our focus was on Safety and a Healthy Environment, and it was both fun and a learning journey!

Our Grade Rs explored ways to stay safe in different situations - from understanding how traffic lights help us on the roads to practising “walking feet” at school (and remembering not to walk in socks!). We also discussed stranger safety and how to recognise safe and unsafe places to play.

We reinforced healthy habits such as washing hands properly, flushing toilets, drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, and making time for exercise to keep our bodies strong and healthy.

The highlight of the week was definitely our Dress-Up Day on Thursday! The school was filled with excitement as everyone arrived dressed as their favourite book characters. From classic heroes to imaginative creations, it was wonderful to see the creativity and effort from all our families. The joy and enthusiasm truly made it a special day to remember.

Well done to all our Grade R learners for enthusiastically embracing the theme. We are so proud of how they are learning to take care of themselves and one another!

Innovation

Christopher Robin's House have been exploring 2D and 3D shapes through hands-on “maker space” activities that encourage creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Today, learners worked in small teams using modelling clay and toothpicks to construct their own structures. This activity created a rich opportunity for collaborative learning, where children practised sharing ideas, listening to one another, negotiating roles, and working towards a common goal. Through this process, they developed important social-emotional skills such as communication, cooperation, and resilience when faced with challenges.

From a mathematical perspective, the activity helped learners move beyond simply identifying shapes to actively manipulating them. As they connected toothpicks and clay, they began to see how flat 2D shapes (like triangles and squares) can be combined to form 3D structures (such as pyramids and cubes). This hands-on experience strengthened their spatial awareness and deepened their understanding of how shapes exist and function in the real world.

The open-ended nature of the task also supported innovation and creative thinking. Learners were encouraged to experiment, test ideas, and adapt their designs when structures were unstable. This kind of exploratory learning fosters curiosity and builds confidence in their ability to think critically and solve problems independently and as part of a team.

While the children in Rabbit's House have been learning about Rube Goldberg machines. These are machines that are intentionally designed to perform an easy task in a humorous, chain reactionary and intricate manner. Our machines incorporate everyday items found in class, including Lego, books, and dominoes. The objective of this task was to move a Duplo car across the bookshelf.

Book People Book Sale

We are excited to announce that we will be having a Book Sale next week!

Parents are warmly invited to bring their children to browse and purchase from a wonderful selection of books. This is a lovely opportunity to encourage a love for reading and allow children to choose books that interest them.

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing in the joy of books and reading!

Birthday Book Donation

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:

27 April: Public Holiday: Freedom Day

29 April: Book People 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

Conclusion

As we end this special week of celebrating stories, imagination, and the joy of reading, we would also like to remind families that Monday is a public holiday as we observe Freedom Day in South Africa. This day allows us to reflect on the value of freedom, unity, and the importance of building a brighter future for our children.

As the late Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Wishing all our families a happy and restful long weekend!