Magazine 2019

31 I can not believe that it has been six months since I donned the mantel of Principalship in the Preparatory Faculty. It has been an incredible journey getting to know the learners and once again familiarising myself with the daily activities in the Faculty.The comment that is takes a village to raise a child can not be more true than in the educational environment. Parents and teachers form the stepping stones from which our children take their first steps into the learning journey. As teachers we aspire to meet the needs of each individual learner and to nurture their love for learning. As you page through this magazine you will see the multiple opportunities afforded to the children to develop the “soft” skills so often spoken about. Opportunities to play outdoors, participate in sports, socialize and connect with their peers whilst continuing to develop the important gross motors skills needed for reading and writing. Indoors there have been moments to collaborate on projects or debate opinions and points of view in English, Drama or Social Sciences. Through projects our learners experienced opportunities to collaborate, work independently, to be critical as well as creative and be responsible with themselves and others. They learnt that critical thinking applies to Art and Music whilst creativity can be seen in the Maths and Robotics class. Collaboration comes in many forms and as I walked around I could see learners interacting with their teachers, working in groups or in pairs on a variety of topics and tasks. Teamwork does not necessarily mean working with children in the same class and I witnessed our Grade Fours consulting and working with Grade Ones on musical instruments, our Grade Six’ sharing their thoughts on Leadership with the Grade Three’ and our Grade Fives welcoming the Grade Two’s for a morning of fun and games. Through these interactions our learners begin to learn the importance of being responsible and for taking ownership of their actions. They learn about kindness and care, qualities to aspire to as well as grit and determination which forms the basis for future success. I was proud to hear our Grade Fives offer suggestions and make notes on how to enhance the Grade Two fun and games experience in 2020! I stood before a Mom and Dad And saw the hope but worry too The time had come to say goodbye Their beloved child to something new They turned away as I took a hand Trusting me to care as I lead The one precious thing that they could share To a future bright and strong ahead I nurtured, cared & developed the child Through kindness, love and dedication The areas needed to build their skills And developed with the parents a relation BecauseTogether the parent and I make a stronger team To share a child’s successful dream! To achieve this we need to say thank you to our teachers for their dedication, commitment and passion towards teaching and learning. To our parents, we thank you for entrusting the care of your young child to us and for embracing the vision that we share at the College. I am excited about our journey ahead and look forward to observing our learners growth and development. Lee-ann Steynberg Principal