Pre-Primary Weekly Memo
30 October 2026

Dear Parents,

Excitement is certainly in the air at Pre-Primary! 

This week, we are sharing a little sneak peek of the beautiful costumes and happy faces as our little stars prepare for their upcoming concert, The Brave Little Lion. The excitement is growing, and we cannot wait to see our little performers on stage!

Meanwhile, our Grade R learners are busy preparing for their very special Graduation Ceremony. With rehearsals underway and plenty of excitement and anticipation, we are getting ready to celebrate this wonderful milestone as our Grade Rs prepare to spread their wings and take their next big step.

What a magical and memorable time of year it is! 💛

A heartfelt thank you to all our parents for your generosity and contributions towards today's cake sale. We are also so grateful to those who gave up their time to assist with the selling. Your kindness and support are truly appreciated!

Our Grade 00 little swimmers enjoyed their very first swimming lesson for the quarter today, and what a wonderful way to kick off summer!

We are excited for our Grade 000 learners, who will begin their swimming lessons on Monday, 2 November.

Our Grade R compulsory swimming lessons will commence the following week:

• Tuesday, 10 November: Owls, Rabbits, Edward Bears and Christopher Robins

• Thursday, 12 November: Kangas

We look forward to seeing our little swimmers build their water confidence, develop new skills and, most importantly, have lots of splashing fun! 

THE BRAVE LITTLE LION – CONCERT TICKETS (GRADE 000, 00 AND R)

There is much excitement at school as our little performers prepare for The Brave Little Lion, our end-of-year concert!

Both performances will take place in the Junior Preparatory Amphitheatre:

Wednesday, 25 November | 15h30

Thursday, 26 November | 15h30

Tickets cost R60 each and will be debited to your school account. Due to limited seating, each family may book a maximum of three tickets across both performances combined, not three per day.

Please complete the booking form below to reserve your tickets. Seating is unreserved. Once booked, physical tickets may be collected from the Pre-Primary reception and must be presented at the entrance on the day of the performance.

The Brave Little Lion Concert Tickets Order Form 

THE BRAVE LITTLE LION – CONCERT DAY ARRANGEMENTS

All Grade 000 to Grade R children will participate in both performances and will remain at school for the full day on Wednesday, 25 and Thursday, 26 November.

To help our little ones prepare for their busy afternoons, we will have a quiet rest period during the day. Please send a sleeping bag and pillow, along with a favourite soft toy or special blanket if your child would like one. A light snack will be provided to keep little tummies happy until it is time to go home.

Class teachers will dress the children in their concert costumes and help them change back into their own clothes afterwards. Each performance will last approximately 45 minutes, and all children should be ready to go home before 17h00.

Access to the amphitheatre will be via the passage between the Grade R classes only, once preparations have been completed. There will be no access from the front of Christopher Robin Pre-Primary or through Parklands College's main reception.

Crackerjacks will continue with their normal school day and usual collection arrangements.

In the event of inclement weather, Monday, 30 November, has been reserved as a provisional alternative concert date. Parents will be informed should any changes be necessary.

Parents of our Grade R learners are warmly invited to attend the Graduation Ceremony on Friday, 6 November, at 08h45. There is no limit on the number of guests, and grandparents and other special people are most welcome to join us for this special occasion.

Please note that all Grade R children will be involved throughout the entire ceremony, and we kindly ask that families remain until the conclusion of the proceedings.

Our little Crackerjacks have continued learning about springtime, the garden and all the little creepy crawlies that live there. They have loved spotting ladybirds, caterpillars and butterflies in the garden, and have even had a little bird or two pop into the classroom for a visit!

The Tots have started exploring our Hundred Acre Wood garden, and it is lovely to see how excited they are to run outside and discover the new space and equipment. They are having great fun while building their confidence, coordination and gross motor skills.

With the warmer weather, water play has been a big hit! The children have enjoyed pouring, measuring and mixing, learning about concepts such as full and empty, more and less along the way. Our classrooms have also been filled with nursery rhymes, singing and dancing, with favourites such as Miss Polly, Incy Wincy Spider and Hickory, Dickory, Dock.

There has also been lots of creativity, with the children making layered artwork and their very own watering cans from empty toilet rolls. We are busy putting together our Very Hungry Caterpillar books and look forward to showing you the finished creations!

What an out-of-this-world week in Tiggers and the Piglets! 🌟 We explored our solar system, learning the names of all eight planets and their order from the Sun. We discovered that Jupiter is the biggest planet, Mercury is the smallest, Uranus lies on its side, and dusty red Mars might even make us sneeze! We also learnt which planets are hot and which are icy. 🪐

Our little astronauts then got creative with some galaxy-inspired art! The Tiggers used spray bottles and white paint to create their galaxy backgrounds, while the Piglets used toothbrushes to splatter white paint across their pages. We sponged our Sun, our biggest star, and carefully cut out our planets to complete our beautiful solar systems. 

What a stellar week of learning, exploring and creating! Our little space explorers were over the moon! 

Welcome to our space adventure, where our Grade 00 explorers are blasting off to discover planets, twinkling stars, and giant rockets! Every day brings exciting hands-on fun as we paint shiny moons, sing silly alien songs, and learn all about the wonders of our galaxy. Watching their eyes light up with wonder shows that learning about outer space is truly an out-of-this-world journey!

Our Grade R learners travelled back in time for a fun-filled Dinosaur Week! From creating clay fossils and colourful dinosaur artwork to erupting volcanoes and prehistoric landscapes, our little palaeontologists had a wonderful time exploring the fascinating world of dinosaurs.

Through painting, cutting, sculpting, sensory play and imaginative activities, the children developed their creativity and fine-motor skills while discovering interesting facts about these prehistoric giants.

What a roarsome week of learning, creativity and discovery! 

6 November:   Grade R Graduation 08:45 - 11:00 SP Hall 

7 November: Happy Birthday Erin Liggett 

12 November: Happy Birthday Khanyo Rafisa-Tabo

13 November: Cake Sale: Grade 000, Crackerjacks and Grade R (Kanga’s) 

16 November: Happy Birthday Tali Maltz

21 November: Happy Birthday Brenda Dingile 

23 November: Principal Chantel reading to Grade R’s

25 November: Grade 000 - R Concert 15:30 - 16:30 JP Amphitheatre

26 November: Grade 000 - R Concert 15:30 - 16:30 JP Amphitheatre

26 November: Jurassic Adventures Grade R

27 November: Jurassic Adventures Grade 00

25 November: Grade 000 - R Concert 15:30 - 16:30 JP Amphitheatre

30 November: Provisional (inclement weather) Grade R Concert - 15:00 - 16:00 JP Amphitheatre

30 November: Class lists released 

2 December: Bop Boppers - All grades (End of the year show)

3 December: Disney Dress-up and Class Parties

   Reports sent to parents 

4 December: Last day of the quarter - School closes at 11:00 

2027 Provisional Dates

Summer Quarter: 19 January - 17 March 

Autumn Quarter: 7 April - 23 June

Winter Quarter: 21 July - 22 September 

Spring Quarter: 6 October - 3 December 

2027 Grade R Information (Current Honey Bees, Pooh Bears and Roos House) 

The Grade R stationery kit for 2027 as detailed below is payable via Credit Card, Direct Deposit or EFT to Waltons, before Friday, 11 December 2026.  The kit will be used daily to promote handwriting, literacy and numeracy in an informal and fun manner within the classroom. The paid stationery will be delivered to the school and issued to your child’s class teacher before the Summer Quarter 2027. 

Grade R Waltons letter 

Dear Parents

The Junior Preparatory Faculty cannot wait to welcome your little one to Grade 1 in 2027. I look forward to getting to know them and will visit their class near the end of the year to read a story and introduce myself.

Although the children will have a little "pop in" during the school day to meet their teacher on Monday 30 November 2026, there will also be a special Orientation for them to spend some time with their teachers on Friday, 15 January 2027 from 8:00 - 9:00. During this time we invite parents to join us for a Parent Meeting which will outline important information about the daily activities and requirements in Grade One.

The Grade One school day begins promptly at 08:00 (school opens at 07:30 for drop-off) and ends at 14:00. However, to support our Grade Ones in adjusting to the change in routine, their school day will end at 12:00 from Tuesday 19 January to Friday 22 January 2027. If your child is enrolled in aftercare, they will stay with their teachers until aftercare starts at 14:00. From the following week, school ends every day at 14:00, and you may collect your children from their classrooms or aftercare.

Sport will start from Monday 25 January and takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday from 13:00 to 14:00, during the school day. On these days, as well as PE days, the learners may come to school dressed in their PE Kit. Please note that the learners all swim in their classes during PE. If your child is unable to swim, please enrol them in a reputable swim school. Class timetables will be shared by the class teacher next year and the sporting and extramural programme on offer will be sent to parents in our Weekly Memo.

Our Grade 1 - 3 learners have a choice between Afrikaans FAL and isiXhosa FAL. Both isiXhosa and Afrikaans assessment outcomes are similar, please make your language choice based on the support available at home. Please click on the link to complete the form First Additional Language Choice 2027. If a selection has not been made, it will be assumed that the learner will attend Afrikaans as their First Additional Language.

Books DO NOT need to be covered as the children will make the covers in class and the teachers will cover the books with the slip-on plastic covers. In addition to this please ensure your child has a combination lock, an old T-shirt to use for art and a set of headphones compatible with their iPad.

Please refer to the Welcome Letter, Frequently Asked Questions, Stationery list and letter as well as the Uniform (sport clothes are worn at least twice a week) and iPad Requirements. Please refer to the uniform list when purchasing to ensure you do not purchase items that are not needed.

We look forward to meeting you and your child at the Orientation/Parent Meeting on Friday 15 January 2027 and welcoming our Grade One learners to the Junior Preparatory for the first day of school on Tuesday 19 January 2027. 

Kindly find the following important information below: 

WELCOME 

Grade 1 Welcome Letter

UNIFORM AND SPORTS ATTIRE 

Grade 1 Uniform and Sports Attire 

DEVICE REQUIREMENTS 

Grade 1 - 6 Device Requirements 

Device Discount 

WALTONS 

Grade 1 Waltons Stationery Requirements 

Waltons Letter 

Waltons Discount 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Grade 1 Frequently Asked Questions 

As our enrolment list continues to grow, we encourage parents who are considering enrolling their little ones (from 12 months of age) to do so sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.

For enrolment enquiries or further information, please contact Luschka Millar, our Admissions Registrar, on 021 521 2700 or at lmillar@parklands.co.za.

Wishing all our families a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Please remember that next week on the 4th of November the school will be closed for local government elections.

We look forward to celebrating a very special milestone with our Grade R learners at their Graduation Ceremony next Friday, 6 November. We cannot wait to share this memorable occasion with you as our little graduands prepare to spread their wings and embark on their next exciting adventure!