Through the lens of early learning, we observe the blossoming of each child's unique personality and talents. The experiences and discoveries in these formative years contribute significantly to their social, emotional, and cognitive development. It warms our hearts to see the friendships formed, the eagerness to explore new concepts and the growing confidence in the little ones.

Your partnership in this journey is invaluable. Your support at home enhances the impact of early learning, creating a harmonious bridge between school and family life. Together, we are shaping the future for these bright minds.

Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of nurturing and guiding your children through these foundational years.

Programme and Collection

Christopher Robin opens at 07h30 and closes promptly at 17h00. Mornings-only collection is between 13h00 and 14h00. Parents are requested to ensure that their children are collected on time. Class activities commence promptly at 08h30 and in Grade R, they commence at 08h00.

Crackerjacks The little ones are encouraged to rest between 12h00 and 14h00 and aftercare starts at 14h00 and ends at 17h00. Please complete the form or inform the class teacher if they will be attending aftercare.

Grade 000 and 00 The collection is between 13h00 and 14h00 and aftercare starts at 14h00 and ends at 17h00. Grade 000 and 00 learners are encouraged to rest between 13h00 and 14h00 if they stay for aftercare. Please complete the form or inform the class teacher if they will be attending aftercare.

Grade R The collection is between 13h00 and 14h00 and aftercare starts at 14h00 and ends at 17h00. Please complete the form or inform the class teacher if they will be attending aftercare.

General

Breakfast - At Home

Breakfast is crucial for young children as it provides the essential nutrients and energy needed to start their day. After a night of fasting, a nutritious breakfast helps replenish glucose levels, boosting concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function. It also supports physical growth and development, promotes a healthy metabolism, and helps establish good eating habits. By ensuring children have a balanced breakfast, we set the foundation for a productive day and a healthier future.

Snack and Lunchtime - Provided at School

A healthy and well-balanced diet is provided each day, which includes a mid-morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. Please ensure that your little one has a wholesome breakfast before coming to school each morning, thus optimising their learning. Providing an additional snack is at the discretion of the parent. Please ensure containers are clearly marked and that the snack is nutritious and nut-free.

Nut Allergies

We appeal to parents not to include items containing nuts or related products for cake sales or snacks, as any ingestion or contact with such products will trigger a severe allergic reaction if learners with allergies come into any form of contact with them.

Wet Wipes and Tissues

Please send a box of tissues and a packet of wet wipes to school with your child, at the beginning of each quarter.

Sunblock and Hats

Please apply sunblock on all exposed parts of your child’s body before they come to school in the morning. We will endeavour to re-apply sunblock throughout the morning using the bottles of sunblock provided by parents that will remain in the classroom. A clearly marked hat MUST REMAIN in their school bag, for daily use. The sun is extremely dangerous for young skin, so PLEASE help us to protect your children.

Immunisation Information

Please ensure that your child’s immunisations are up to date and provide a copy of your little one’s health card with their updated immunisations if you have not already done so.

Shoes

At this stage of your child’s development, they must wear shoes that fit correctly and allow for safe and free movement. Please ensure that your child wears shoes that allow for this development without compromising their safety (e.g. slip-slop beach shoes are dangerous, especially when running or climbing in the garden).

Lost Property

This a reminder to all parents to please make sure all your child’s clothing, lunch bags/boxes and water bottles are clearly labelled with their name and surname.

Settling in

I thought I would include a couple of tips from the book “Worries and Fears” written by Dr John Pearce, for those parents whose little ones need help to settle in.

Say goodbye quickly and be happy and confident.
The best thing you can do is smile and give your child a big hug
Watch out for your anxiety –Be calm and confident in yourself
Avoid reassuring your child too much-they may think there is something to worry about.
Establish a strong link in the child’s mind between growing up and going to school
Establish a goodbye routine i.e. a secret handshake or hug. That special moment between the two of you is a great way to start the day and provide that sense of reassurance.
Trust your child’s teacher and ask them to keep in touch with you daily until your little one has settled.
Acknowledge how your child is feeling. It is important to accept and respect your child’s feelings. Believe it or not, learning to cope with sadness is an important learning process for your child.
Be on time or perhaps arrive at school a little earlier before the daily discussion has started. This will be less overwhelming for your little one.
Encourage friendships. Make a point to set up ‘playdates’ for your child to encourage and promote friendships within the class group.

Try some of the suggestions above and you should notice a significant difference in a couple of days. Please bear in mind that even when progress has been made, Mondays are usually a little tough!

Safety and Gate Times

For the safety and comfort of all children, parents, and staff, we kindly ask that your dogs are not brought onto the school premises.

In our ongoing commitment to prioritising the safety and well-being of our little ones, the school gate access times are as follows:

Morning drop-off: Gates open from 7:30 to 8:30.
Half-day collection: Gates open from 12:45 to 14:00, as aftercare begins promptly at 14:00.
Aftercare collection: Gates open from 16:00 to 17:00.
Late Collection Reminder: Late collection can leave children feeling unsettled and also impacts our staff and their families. Please ensure that your child is picked up on time. A penalty fee will apply for late collection.

To help make the half-day collection time (12:45–14:00) more convenient, Grade 000 and 00 children will be waiting in the foyer for quick and easy collection.

However, we have noticed that many parents collect their children after 14:00. Please be aware that from this time onwards, all children will transition into aftercare, and accounts will be billed the ad hoc aftercare fee for any additional care provided.

AFTERCARE LOCKERS

Each child attending aftercare from Grade 000 to Grade R has a designated, labelled locker space for their bags in the passageway closest to reception. This ensures the safekeeping of their belongings and makes it easier for parents during afternoon collection.

Car Stickers

To prevent unauthorised members of the public from gaining access to the College during events and at peak drop-off and collection times, we continue to have tight security controls i.e. access control and car identification stickers.

Parents are required to have car identification stickers (1 sticker per family) and if one is required, please collect it from reception.

This sticker is for the primary parent who drops and collects. 1 sticker will be allocated to each family and in exceptional cases 2. But no more than 2 will be permitted per family. By displaying the sticker on your car you will gain easy access to the College premises. Vehicles that do not have a sticker will have to be scanned.

‘At the Gate’ is an access solution the College will be implementing at the same time and involves the car licence disc as well as your driver's licence to be scanned. This information is stored on a secure database off-site for future reference should the need arise. Pedestrians will also be required to produce identification.

Parent and learner directory

Please read through the Parent and Learner Directory, which includes important information about Parklands College and the Pre-Primary learners.

Pre-Primary Parent and Learner Directory

Parent Information

2025 CRPP PARENT MEETING.pdf

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