Magazine 2017

Secondary Faculty Sport New Learner Interviews All new learners are warmly welcomed by the School Counsellors when they commence at Parklands College. Learners are provided with information regarding access to counselling as well as other services offered, ensuring a smooth transition into their new school environment. Peer Supporters Learners who sign up to be part of the Peer Support group, are required to take part in a ten week training course presented by the recognised NGO, Childline. The course equips learners with basic counselling techniques and skills, enabling them to communicate more effectively with their peers who may be in need of emotional support and assistance. They are further equipped with knowledge related to stress and conflict management, and interpersonal and communication skills. Under the supervision of the School Counsellor, the learners are able to put their new skills into practice, by assisting with various awareness and other campaigns and offering guidance and support to their peers, family members, and others in the wider community. Peer Support Personal Growth Workshop - 20 May In conjunction with the Peer Support training course offered by Childline, learners attend a workshop that is run by the School Counsellor, Michelle Stuckie. The Peer Support Personal Growth Workshop included an introduction to Narrative Therapy techniques as well as various self-awareness exercises, and team-building activities. The guest speaker, Marvin Matthews, who is a motivational speaker and personal growth coach, inspired the Peer Supporters to focus on their own personal growth and development as a fundamental building block to being able to support others effectively. He also stressed the importance of the learners recognising their own unique strengths and abilities. Social Responsibility and Awareness Blood Clinics Parklands College is proud to partner with the Western Cape Blood Transfusion Service to host quarterly blood donation clinics at our Secondary Faculty. Under the guidance of Trudy Clayden, the clinics have become very popular and are well attended by a number of our senior learners, educators, parents and other members of the community. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated blood this last year. You are making a difference in the lives of so many people across the Western Cape. Blood Donor Ambassadors Every year a small group of learners are selected to serve as Blood Donor Ambassadors at our quarterly blood clinics. These learners help recruit, educate and promote the cause of blood donation at the College. The learners, who form part of the Blood Donor committee, attended a workshop at the Western Province Blood Transfusion Headquarters in Pinelands. At this event, learners received training to equip them for their new role as Blood Donor Ambassadors. They also had the opportunity to go on a fun and exciting tour of the facilities and learn about the tests and procedures that blood goes through before it reaches the right patient. Thank you to Sarah Stewart, Retha Jordaan, Tania Kianda Nkulu and Irasema Filipe for serving the College faithfully in your role as Blood Donor Ambassadors during the past year. Social Media Awareness Week During the first week of August, a Social Media Awareness Campaign was launched with a focus on digital citizenship and addressing themes related to cyberbullying. August is also designated as ‘Child Health Month’ in South Africa; hence, this campaign also aimed to address the impact of social media on an individual’s mental health and overall wellbeing. Using information taken from a Social Media Awareness survey shared with the learners before the 2017 June exams, we were able to design a programme that addressed key aspects of digital citizenship based on the learner body’s particular needs. With the assistance of Peer Support, interactive activities were presented to the learners during the course of the week, some of which included daily social media awareness scenarios presented in the learner announcements, a discussion of what ‘community’ means within a school context, and how we are accountable to look out for each other in a school community. Other interactive activities designed by Mr Pienaar addressed themes related to the concept of ‘Freedom of Speech’ when using Social Media; and how to navigate ‘singular perspectives’ and ‘alternative facts’. Overall, these activities were designed to engage learners in reflective practices that would equip them with fundamental digital citizenship skills that we hope will lead them to make responsible choices when using Social Media in future. We were also fortunate to welcome the Da Vinci Foundation to speak with the learners (in grades/during LO). A parent evening was also held where parents from all grades were invited to learn more about the world of social media, which their children actively participate in. The Da Vinci Foundation specialises in creating awareness about cyber safety, and also provides support to learners and families who may be victims of various cyber threats including cyber harassment, cyberstalking and cyber impersonation. They also provided a ‘privacy setting pod’ where learners were invited during Utility/break to receive assistance with checking their privacy settings on various social media platforms. We believe that the Social Media Awareness campaign was a success, and that it met the needs of our learners and parents. As the fostering of responsible digital citizenship is an ongoing process, we plan to initiate projects related to this theme throughout the school year. IEC Voter Role - 23 March At the age of 16, learners across the country are eligible to apply for an Identity Document (ID). We thus appealed to all learners in possession of an ID to put it to good use by exercising their democratic right to register their names on the voter’s roll with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa.  Juliana Lategan, a delegate from the IEC, registered several learners from Gr 10 - 12, some of which will be eligible to vote in the 2019 General Election. We were very proud of those who demonstrated active citizenship by taking the time to register. We hope to make this an annual event, and look forward to welcoming the IEC to Parklands in the near future. Grade 7: Elevate Education Workshop - 8 September The Grade 7s attended a Study Skills Kick Start workshop that was facilitated by presenters from Elevate Education. At the workshop, learners were taught dynamic reading skills, how to make efficient study notes and look for trigger words and what steps to take to condense information into mind maps. A follow up workshop called “Ace your exams” was held where learners were taught exam preparation skills and given practical tips to help them excel in their exams. 145 www.parklands.co.za