Quarter 3 Newsletter September 2019b

8 9 A GRADE SIX LEARNING ADVENTURE… Quarter Three in Grade Six has been a busy but successful one with many interesting excursions and projects. The topic of bullying was tackled in Life Skills, this highlighted an important issue that has touched the lives of our learners in different ways as well as many others in the world. The learners prepared and researched their various sections of the project to raise awareness on this important topic. The project looked at defining Bullying, understanding the subtleties surrounding the various types of bullying and the consequences that could result if bullying is not addressed. Learners also explored not only the impact of bullying on the victims but the opportunities and possibilities in empowering victims to have a voice. Learners shared their research, experiences and thoughts through class orals and a presentation in assembly. English lent itself to Life Skills and the theme of Bullying. “Freak the Mighty” by Rodman Philbrick is a touching story about two unlikely friends and all the impossibilities they have to overcome. Learners developed their own playscripts and directed them as a production for the class. Learners had fun and really got into character. Our young scientists visited the Koeberg Power Station where they learnt about the production of electricity using nuclear power. It was an enlightening experience, discovering the technological challenges and benefits involved in harnessing this type of energy, while at the same time debunking many myths about the largely misunderstood risks involved in nuclear power. Social Science had a look into the Constitution of South Africa and the various political parties. Learners delved into human rights and the responsibilities associated with each right. Learners then went on to create their own parties and to draw up a constitution for their party. They have had a wonderful time campaigning and producing their memorandums. Learners have learnt much about the politics of our country and have a deeper appreciation of the complexities of decision making that our leaders are responsible for as well as the possible consequences of these decisions. The library programme has ensured a whirlwind of fun during the quarter. A very successful Readathon Week was thoroughly enjoyed by the Grade 6 learners. “Hooked on Books” delivered a fantastic performance to the Senior Preparatory, and some of the learners had a great time performing with the cast for the rest of the school. The Literary Quiz was a great success and it is amazing how much our learners read. As teachers, we were most impressed. The library teachers (Mrs Oxley- Simpson and Mrs Crouse) did exceptionally well and we are very lucky to have such wonderful people to inspire our children. We look forward to the fourth quarter where our learners will have the opportunity to visit the Secondary Faculty in preparation for Grade Seven. For now, please have a fabulous holiday and a wonderful time with family and friends. A LIBRARY ADVENTURE Celebrating our additional languages has become an integral part of our library programme, in which the entire school participates with great enthusiasm. This year we welcomed author De Wet Hugo who kept the Grade Six and Seven learners, as well as their teachers, on the edge of their seats as he introduced his scary Grilgrypers series. Vocabulary competitions and isiXhosa games during break provided a fun element and lent a festive air to the week. Readathon Week remains a highlight of the third quarter as classes are immersed in a variety of literary activities. Our younger readers met author Avril van der Merwe who introduced her delightful new book, I don’t want to be a Hyena. Once again the Bargain Books team moved in for two days and children and adults alike enjoyed browsing their wonderful selection of children’s books. Four Literary Quiz events brought the readers’ competitive spirit to the fore as they competed for fun prizes. This year there was also a special twist to our International Dot Day celebrations: with the Rugby World Cup just around the corner, we supported our national team by wearing green and gold dots! A CULTURAL ADVENTURE… Culture encompasses the ‘ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society’. In our faculty, it refers to the Performing and Creative Arts. Our learners certainly performed well this quarter. We started off the quarter with our annual Music Recitals. We were entertained over two evenings by individual musicians as well as ensembles and choirs. This annual recital is the perfect opportunity to showcase the development and growth of our learners, helping them to build confidence and enhance their performance skills. The Drama section of the Cape Town Eisteddfod took place in August and we were elated to receive two honours, two high honours and twelve Diplomas for our solo poetry and group acted story. We have been privileged to hear each of the solo poems in our Friday Assemblies. We received the good news that three of our Artworks which were entered into the Santam Child Art competition received prizes in the section, ‘I spy with my little eye’. Congratulations to Alyssa Altini, Sujata Naidoo and Aquila Stevens. ‘Special Persons’ Day’ was the highlight of the Junior Preparatory Culture Department. Our theme this year was ‘Space’ with the strains of Holst’s ‘Neptune’ linking each piece together. Coincidentally, ‘The World in Union’ uses the chorale section of this piece of music as its theme too. Our enthusiastic Junior Choir started off proceedings by singing ‘Rewrite the Stars’, followed by a Junior Ensemble’s interpretation of ‘We love the Earth’. Every learner participated in a themed Grade song and poem, with learner-created artwork relating to each poem being displayed on the screen. The learners who participate in Ballet and Modern Dance entertained us with their graceful performances, filling the stage with beautiful movement and proud smiles. The entire Junior Preparatory concluded the event by singing ‘Special Star’ as a tribute to the special people in their lives. A SPORTING ADVENTURE… The Winter Quarter Sports delivered an active and exciting sports programme filled with entertaining, proud and outstanding sports moments. The great variety of sports opportunities that our programme has to offer allows learners to excel, enjoy and thrive. NETBALL teams reached great heights this season. Our U/9 – U/12 Netball teams were entered into numerous Friday and Saturday festivals where they gained valuable experience. Our Netball teams also played additional friendly fixtures against bigger schools outside of our area which allowed our players the opportunity to adapt to a higher intensity of play. We are most proud of the Netball teams for their outstanding performances this season. Our Netball coaches are to be commended for all their hard work and extended efforts with the girls throughout the season. RUGBY continues to grow and our players enjoyed ample opportunities to participate in midweek as well as Saturday fixtures and festivals. Parklands Preparatory School is one of the few local schools that play midweek as well as Saturday rugby, and our rugby boys and coaches can be congratulated on a very successful and enjoyable rugby season. The U10/11 team excelled throughout the season and worked as a unit while they entertained the spectators with the exciting brand of running rugby which we promote at Parklands. The squad grew from 23 players at the beginning of the season to 33 players towards the end. We are also very proud of the U/8 and U/9 rugby boys who showed tremendous improvement and growth while still learning and adapting to the basic skills of the game. Our U/8 and U/9 teams showed great potential and competed extremely well at their respective festivals. We are looking forward to seeing these young Parklands rugby boys grow and develop into a strong force to be reckoned with. SOCCER is enjoyed by many soccer loving boys and girls. It is pleasing to see how the Senior Preparatory fields are filled with players engaging in soccer drills and match situations where maximum participation and high intensity training is enforced by our coaching team. The U/9 – U/12 soccer teams performed extremely well this quarter, while taking part in the five-a-side soccer league for the second consecutive season. Parklands entered three teams per age group into the league which ensured much excitement as players were exposed to a much faster and high intensity playing format, allowing for more space, great fitness and more time on the ball in a smaller playing enclosure. Our Preparatory U/9, U/10 and U/12 Netball, U/8 and U/11 Soccer, Chess and U/9 Rugby teams enjoyed participating in the Secondary Campus Derby Day at Reddam House, Durbanville, on Saturday 17 August. Players enjoyed the festive sporting atmosphere while the young Parkies teams showcased their skills and entertained the spectators. The day produced a wonderful sporting experience while our teams performed extremely well. Our CHESS team led by Ms Wells, Ms Hall and our experienced chess coach continued to maintain high standards during matches. Our Chess players also put in the time and effort to compete at Saturday and Sunday Tournaments and Festivals where they aim to improve their individual Western Province rankings. We are very proud of our Chess team, their appearance standards and quality performances throughout the Chess season. HOCKEY girls and their coaches delivered a brilliant season of hockey over these last two quarters. All the teams recorded numerous top performances and achieved their goals for the season. Many girls stepped up to the next level, gave it their all and committed to their team throughout the season. They fought hard and never backed down from a challenge on the hockey field. Our U/10 girls performed extremely well and recorded consistent results throughout the season. Our U/11 and U/12 teams played great hockey and showed considerable improvement throughout the season, indicative of a promising future. The Parklands U11/12 Hockey Girls enjoyed a very successful hockey tour to the Garden Route from 11 – 14 September. The team consisted of ten girls led by their dedicated and enthusiastic coach, Kieron Paterson, who worked extremely hard with the team throughout the season to prepare for this sports tour. Parklands College visited George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay where they were warmly welcomed and hosted by Holy Cross, George, Plettenberg Bay Primary, Knysna Primary and Glenwood House Preparatory. The team gained valuable experience from competing against some of the best teams on the Garden Route. The Parklands hockey girls formed part of triangular hockey festivals where two or three matches were played every afternoon on excellent astro facilities. The girls adapted well and certainly discovered new dimensions to their game. The group resided at Lake Pleasant Resort, a beautiful venue with magical morning sunrises and breathtaking natural surroundings. The very active tour itinerary included nine hockey matches, fun activities, training sessions, mall visits as well as educational outings. This hockey tour did not only provide fun and competitive elements, but most importantly an opportunity for the girls to socialise, bond as a unit and get to know each other better as players, friends and teammates. It was a wonderful first girls’ hockey tour for Parklands College and the start of great future hockey relations with the Garden Route hockey schools. Plans are already in place to grow this sports outing to greater heights in 2020. With the conclusion of the winter codes, we are able to reflect on the season that is now behind us. A helpful measuring tool is looking at how our teams performed at the beginning of the season and how they performed at the end of the season. It is clear to see that all of our teams ended the season on a much higher note. We are looking forward to new challenges as the seasons change and we wish all of