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A GRADE ONE
LEARNING ADVENTURE…
The third quarter commenced with a
commemoration of Mandela Day, and the Grade
One learners spent 67 minutes of kindness
making their own sandwiches. On Friday, 5
August, the Grade Ones and their teachers
arrived in their slippers for the annual ‘Reach for
a Dream’ Slipper Day.
We then had an unusual visitor to one of our
Assemblies; it was none other than Pegasus,
our school mascot, and his entourage consisting
of all the captains of the first teams in the
Secondary Faculty. By the end of the day the
Grade One learners were happily chanting the
war cry in anticipation of Derby Day.
We were all excited to welcome the festivities
of the Rio Olympic Games. Classes were
treated to an entertaining puppet show to
complement the festivities, including the
passing of the Olympic flame, flag ceremony
and exciting sporting events.
Readathon Week had our avid readers
engrossed in books of all genres. The foyer
and library were transformed into a bookshop,
which was well supported by the learners. We
celebrated the wonderful world of all things
Roald Dahl, and then arrived at school all spotty
and dotty, ready to celebrate International Dot
Day. We concluded the eventful week with
the Hooked on Books show, who undoubtedly
whet the appetites of all the Parklands College
bookworms.
The quarter ended with a tribute to the
special people in the lives of our young learners.
Songs, poems and dramatic acts were the order
of the day. We look forward to a very exciting
final quarter in Grade One.
A GRADE TWO
LEARNING ADVENTURE…
‘When you see someone putting on his Big
Boots, you can be pretty sure that an adventure
is going to happen.’
- Winnie the Pooh
This quarter the Grade Twos embarked on a
journey that taught them about the wonders of
the beautiful country that we live in. They have
explored South Africa across the curriculum
and have a deeper appreciation of our varied
landscapes, wildlife, culture, cuisine, currency,
art and traditional stories.
‘I loved learning about the Big Five. Did you
know that we have a Little Five in South Africa
too?’
- Mia Bezer
‘I think that we are lucky to have rhinos in our
country and that we should look after them!’
-Liam Berowsky
They became creators of their own cooking
shows and presented some impressive
presentations explaining a South African recipe,
using iMovie.
Our budding Grade Two authors also studied
some traditional African tales and then set to
work writing their own creations.
How The Dolphin Got Its Laugh
by Jemma Lampel
Long, long ago back when all the dolphins
in the world had no laugh at all, there lived a
dolphin named May. Whenever someone told
her a funny joke, she would laugh but no sound
would come out at all. She could only make the
face.
May lived in the ocean and she could not see
very well. One day May was swimming. She
did not notice the coral. She got her head stuck.
She started to call for help. Her friend heard her
and came swimming towards her very fast.
May’s friend tried rubbing butter on her to try
and free her but she was too wet. She tried
blowing bubbles but it just made her skin burn
and she felt like she was on fire.
May’s friend started thinking smart. She
tickled May. May was very ticklish and she
started laughing so hard until sound came out.
And to this day, every dolphin born after her
had a laugh.
The love of reading
is evident amongst the
Grade Twos and the
highlight of the quarter
was Readathon Week.
They delighted in the
idea of DEAR (drop
everything and read)
and reading every
book that they could
get their hands on. They also
experienced their very first Lit Quiz, which
involved some fun competition and tested
their knowledge of the books that they have
been exposed to this year. In the classroom
the Grade Twos were challenged to write a
story summary persuading others to read their
favourite book.
‘Make your mark… and see where it takes
you
’- Peter Reynolds
Our Grade
Twos celebrated
International Dot
Day by dressing up
in the dottiest outfits
they could find and
enjoying various
dotty activities in their
classrooms.
PREPARATORY
FACULTY
GRADES 1 - 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From the Principal’s Office
Tanya Dean
“There is more treasure in books than in all
the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”
- Walt Disney
In the Preparatory the literacy focus of our
educators remains the purposeful development
of reading and writing as core skills for the 21st
century learner. Reading for pleasure has been
revealed as the most important indicator of the
future success of the child.
The reading bug was unleashed in the
Preparatory during our annual Readathon
Week, with a host of literary events, classroom
activities and creative artworks. We are
particularly grateful to our librarians, Elise
Crouse and Faye Little, who inspire our learners
and staff to embark on literary journeys of
wonder and discovery, constantly seeking to
entrench a culture of lifelong readers.
I Met a Dragon Face to Face
By Jack Prelutsky
I met a dragon face to face
the year when I was ten,
I took a trip to outer space,
I braved a pirates’ den,
I wrestled with a wicked troll,
and fought a great white shark,
I trailed a rabbit down a hole,
I hunted for a snark.
I stowed aboard a submarine,
I opened magic doors,
I traveled in a time machine,
and searched for dinosaurs,
I climbed atop a giant’s head,
I found a pot of gold,
I did all this in books I read
when I was ten years old.
Our Special Person’s Day was an opportunity
to share a cultural programme of musical, dance
and dramatic flair with the grandparents and
special people in the lives of our young learners.
The Preparatory, which has at its core the
dedication and teaching excellence of our
educators, continues to herald celebrations in
all arenas of College life. The 5th of October
is a calendar reminder of the guiding influence
of teachers in shaping the lives of our children.
It is an enormous privilege to work alongside
a team of educators who are innovative in
thought, creative and passionate in approach,
and nurturing by design. I extend my heartfelt
appreciation to them for their tireless dedication
and unlimited belief in the innate potential
of each child within their care. Happy World
Teachers’ Day to our extraordinary team!
Our pride is shared with our parents, who
partner us in this educational journey of wonder,
and their continued support is gratefully
acknowledged.
prep adventures