Dear Parents

Derby Weekend is here! We wish our Secondary Faculty teams the very best as they face Somerset College this weekend. 💪

We’d love to see many of our families out in your Blue and White, cheering loudly and enjoying the exciting line-up of activities. There’s something for everyone! Tomorrow kicks off with our Fun Run at 08:00 (parents and learners running together), followed by a full morning of action with Rugby, Netball, and Hockey fixtures.

Let’s come together as a school community and make this a weekend to remember!

Sport programme for Friday, 15 August:

Sport programme for Saturday, 16th August:

Music Tree

The Music Tree Shows this week were a resounding success! The children were captivated by the engaging blend of music, puppetry, and storytelling. Each grade group enjoyed their themed sessions, from the exciting 'Transport' adventures to the delightful 'Ocean & Beach' tales. The interactive nature of the show had our little ones singing, dancing, and exploring sounds with joy. 

A Peak Into Our Week 

Grade 000

The Grade 000s have had the most eventful and enchanting week! They’ve been diving into the fascinating world of animal life cycles, building their vocabulary with new words like hatch, tadpole, and cocoon. It’s been the perfect opportunity to practice sequencing skills, such as: what comes first, next, and then? The firm favourite, without a doubt, was the life cycle of the frog! The children were completely captivated by how wriggly little tadpoles grow legs and transform into frogs that can leap on land and swim in water.

Out in the garden, our little learners became butterflies, fluttering through the air with wings that had lovingly been crafted for them from cardboard boxes and coloured cellophane. There were squeals of delight as they noticed how the vibrant cellophane cast colourful shadows, creating the illusion of magical wings.

Back inside, they proudly created their own beautiful butterflies using pipe cleaners, pegs, and paper doilies. With paintbrushes in hand, they carefully painted from the centre outwards to create the symmetrical beauty of butterfly wings. Each one is unique, yet all are equally lovely. 

We were lucky to have some sunny weather, which meant art time could spill outdoors. The children eagerly built grand constructions from cardboard boxes, working together in little groups to bring their imaginative ideas to life. They painted, glued, collaged, and chatted away, completely immersed in the joy of creating. By allowing them the freedom to make whatever they dreamed up, and by focusing on the creative journey rather than the final product, we gave them space to explore, invent, and truly express themselves.

It has been a week filled with wonder, discovery, and the pure magic of learning through play.

Roo's House

What an egg-citing week it’s been! Our little Roos have been learning all about the life cycle of a chicken, from a tiny egg to a growing chick and finally to a fluffy little bundle of feathers. Along the way, they've been practising their sequencing skills and sharpening their number recognition, making learning both fun and hands-on. And that’s not all… they also welcomed a brand-new member to their Jolly Phonics family — the popping, playful letter P!

Honey Bee's House

This week was filled with magic and discovery! We learned all about the life cycle of a chicken and created the cutest little chicken coops in art. The children loved exploring role play, becoming adorable ‘grannies and grandpas’, and stepped into character with enthusiasm and imagination.

In music class with Teacher Cass, we explored high and low sounds through fun games and instrument play. A special highlight was a puppet show with Teacher Cindy from Music Tree, where we learned about the beach and ocean and all its treasures in the most enchanting way.

We also built incredible structures, learning imaginations soar, and spent time soaking up the warm sun with friends - because play is an important part of learning.

Every moment was filled with laughter, curiosity, and creativity. Weeks like these spark a lifelong love of learning, helping children grow socially, emotionally and intellectually in the most joyful way. 

Pooh Bear's House

This week in the Pooh Bear class, we explored two-colour patterns using pastels. The children listened carefully to the instructions as they created an alternating pattern, working hard to keep their colours in order. Once our bright and beautiful patterns were complete, we moved on to drawing our self-portraits, a wonderful opportunity for each child to express their own unique personality and features.

This activity was not only creative but also packed with developmental benefits, including:

• Fine motor skill development – strengthening the small muscles in the hands and fingers through drawing and colouring.

• Listening skills – following step-by-step instructions to achieve the pattern.

• Concentration and focus – staying engaged through two different but connected activities.

• Pattern recognition – building early maths concepts by identifying and repeating sequences.

• Self-awareness and self-expression – learning to represent themselves through art.

The Pooh Bears were so proud of their work, and our classroom walls are now bursting with colourful patterns and smiling faces!

Grade R 

This week, our Grade R group enjoyed an action-packed Ball Skills session! We started with a lively warm-up game of Pac-Man on the tennis courts to get our bodies moving and ready for the fun ahead. The children then rotated through exciting stations — playing hopscotch using hula hoops, throwing a ball to a friend and catching it, practicing bounce throws, and jumping over small hurdles. Each activity helped to develop coordination, balance, and teamwork, and most importantly, everyone had a wonderful time being active together!

Health

BIRTHDAY BOOK DONATION 

A big thank you to Liam for the beautiful storybook donation, Bedtime for Baby Sloth by Danielle McLean and Sarah Ward. The Pooh Bears absolutely loved listening to this heartwarming story!

Wishing you a very happy 5th birthday, Liam, we hope your special day was filled with joy and adventure! 

CONGRATULATIONS

What an adventure! The Le Grange family has just returned from Japan with some incredible achievements to share. Luke brought home the gold and is now the Kumite World Champion — an amazing accomplishment! Levi also did brilliantly, placing 5th in a large and very competitive age group.

Eva celebrated her 6th birthday in Japan in true fairy-tale style at Tokyo Disney, dressed as Cinderella and made some wonderful family memories. We are also so thankful to Eva for sharing her joy with us by donating The Speedy Six Olympics reading book to our school library! Our little readers are going to love it! 

Bok Friday

In the spirit of supporting our national team during the upcoming rugby games, we’re inviting all our learners to join in the fun and wear their South African gear or Bokkie shirts to school! 

Let’s fill our classrooms with green and gold, show our proudly South African spirit, and cheer the Bokke on to victory!

2025 Dates 

Summer Quarter: 20 January – 28 March
Autumn Quarter: 08 April- 25 June
*Mid-term break: 29 April – 2 May
Winter Quarter: 22 July – 23 Sept
Spring Quarter: 14 October – 05 December

Winter Quarter Information

Important Dates - Winter Quarter

16 August: Happy Birthday Busi 

1 September: SPCA Dress-up Day @R20 donation in celebration of Spring Day

5 September: Grade 00 Cake Sale

9 September: Happy Birthday Kim 

12 September: Reports sent to parents 

13 September: Open Day

13 September: Happy Birthday Ntombi 

15 September: Happy birthday Zodwa 

15 - 22 September: Report Feedback Meetings Grade 0000 - R 

16 September: Special Person’s Day Grade 000 11:00-12:00 (Tea and Coffee for Adults in Foyer) 

17 September: Special Person’s Day Grade 00 11:00-12:00 (Tea and Coffee for Adults in Foyer)

18 September: Special Person’s Day Grade R 11:00-12:00 (Tea and Coffee for Adults in Foyer) 

19 September: Grade 000 and Crackerjacks Cake Sale 

      Special Person’s Day Crackerjacks 10:30 - 11:30 (Tea and Coffee for Adults in Foyer) 

22 September:  Happy Birthday Lungi 

23 September: Gilly Southwood: SA Heritage Day Storytelling and dress-up

23 September Last day of the quarter 

24 September:  Public Holiday: Heritage Day  

OUTREACH 

SPCA Animal Dress-Up Day – 1 September

On Monday, 1 September, we’re supporting the SPCA with a fun Animal Dress-Up Day! Your little one can come to school dressed as any animal of their choice. A donation of R20 will be billed to your account. 🐾

Our Robotics Teams Take Gold at the WRO and Head to Nationals

This past weekend, our talented Parklands College robotics teams competed in the World Robotics Olympiad Western Cape North event, tackling exciting and challenging missions that tested their robot design, programming, and problem-solving skills.

We are incredibly proud to share their outstanding results:

RoboMission Elementary:
Gold – Barrier Breakers
Silver – HyperTech 2.0

RoboMission Junior:
Gold – TechnoBlade
Silver – HTDR
Bronze – v0rT3x

RoboMission Senior:
Gold – TechTron
Silver – Li² (Edgemead High School)

Future Innovators Elementary:
Gold – GALACTIC GIRLS

Our teams showed remarkable creativity, teamwork, and resilience as they navigated surprise challenges and complex tasks throughout the competition.

Congratulations to all our learners for their dedication and hard work. We now look forward to supporting them at the National Championships in Pretoria on 13 September.

Well done, Parklands College! 

#ParklandsCollege #WRO2025 #RoboticsExcellence #OnToNationals

Conclusion

Happy Birthday to our dearest Busi for tomorrow! Wishing you a fantastic day filled with joy, laughter, and a well-deserved celebration.