Quarter 2 Newsletter 2020

6 incredibly proud of our school community - staff, learners and parents - for tackling the challenges head on. Our Grade Sixes proved that they belong to the iGeneration by adjusting to online learning with ease. Each day began with Morning Connect, a time for the classes to meet online. There were crazy hats, speed-sketching competitions, riddles and PJ days, which helped us to maintain a sense of togetherness despite the physical space between us. We were also impressed with how well our learners adjusted to the asynchronous timetable, managing their workflow with a sense of responsibility beyond their age. The introduction of live lessons brought new learning opportunities, and our Grade Sixes were keen to participate in the virtual lessons. In the Afrikaans activity 'n Dag in die lewe van... the goal was to create an iMovie showing how we went about our days during lockdown. This gave us all a glimpse into the wonderful worlds of our Grade Sixes in a way that we would not usually be able to share with each other. Our English grammar lessons and Mathematics drills continued with gusto, and our sport and cultural departments kept us fit and engaged with wonderful enrichment activities. The return to campus in recent weeks has been yet another opportunity for our Grade Sixes to show their adaptability when faced with change. While we do miss those not yet able to join us on campus, it has been refreshing to interact with each other again face to face. Our celebration of Mandela Day was a timely opportunity to reflect on what makes us proudly South African, as well as a chance to partner with schools in our area. As the last leg of the Preparatory journey, Grade Six is a year for remembering where we have come from and looking ahead to where we are going. This has certainly been a memorable time for our class, and wherever the coming months take us, we are encouraged that we will journey there together. A LIBRARY ADVENTURE… "Children fall in love with books because of the memories created when they snuggle up and read with someone they love." - Raising Readers At the start of this quarter we found ourselves in lockdown with libraries not accessible to our readers. What followed was a period of creativity and innovation as we worked tirelessly to make reading material available online. The special celebrations that the libraries are known for, played an important part in ensuring high spirits and a sense of community while we were apart. World Book Day was celebrated with a vibrant online programme. We were so privileged to have the very first preview of Watch Out, Haughty Hudson, Daniella Djan’s brand new children’s book, in which we met a range of savanna creatures. The illustrator, Andrew van der Linden, provided two illustrations from the book which our children could colour in, and they did it beautifully, whether on paper or using a drawing app. In the Senior Preparatory the children were presented with a choice board of enjoyable activities. From Marvel comics, an online Lit Quiz, “dressing up” in Keynote using Instant Alpha, to drawing some of their favourite characters using step by step videos, everyone had a blast. No opportunity to promote stories is wasted, and on Star Wars Day another surprise found its way into the daily programme with some fun activities to explore. And then it was time for Elmer Day! This colourful elephant inspired plenty of opportunities to get creative, and a wave of colour swept through our quiet city as the learners dressed up in fantastic costumes, painted and crafted to their hearts’ delight. We are looking forward to the day when our books can start circulating again, but in the meantime, we are harnessing all the resources that technology enables in order to supply our readers with a variety of reading experiences. A CULTURAL ADVENTURE… "Without change, something sleeps inside us, and never wakens." - Duke Leo Atrides The second quarter has certainly given us enough scope to awaken all the creativity within us and to teach our Cultural subjects using even more varied and creative tools than before. There are a number of homes in the Preparatory Faculty where furniture has been moved around to make space for online dance lessons. We are extremely proud of our young dancers who have been able to maintain their flexibility and learn new concepts through their dedication and commitment to their chosen dance genre. We have enjoyed receiving photographs of their stretching exercises, technique consolidation and barre work. Inspired by their homes, Junior Preparatory artists were asked to observe and incorporate objects around their homes to create artworks. Examples of these projects include: A ‘found objects’ colour wheel, where earners were asked to create a colour wheel by searching for items around the home to create a colour wheel. They ‘drew with everyday things’ by taking photographs of quirky and inventive drawings that included an everyday object, such as pegs, fruit or stationery, in a new and imaginative way. The learners created a ‘shadow drawing’ by arranging their toys in the sun to cast a shadow on a piece of paper that they traced. And they hunted for patterns around their homes that they used to create a digital pattern on the Sketches Pro app. Colour theory was taught through playing a drawing game that created warm colour patterns inside an Autumn leaf. And they learned about cold colours by designing a poster in celebration of World Environment Day to create awareness of ocean pollution. The Grade Two and Three learners incorporated Art into Project Based Learning by designing a map of a zoo, including all the various animal enclosures, and drawing a famous building from a country in the colours of the flag belonging to that country. The Senior Preparatory artists started the quarter creating various face illustrations, with different expressions using line and World Book Day Guest Author, Daniella Djan