Quarter 1 Newsletter 2021

3 CULTURE At the Cultural assembly I addressed the challenges presented to the Arts at this time. Recently I was saddened to hear that The Fugard Theatre has shut its doors permanently, it is a great loss to our cultural landscape. I recall many happy hours spent with learners watching shows which inspired, delighted, educated and entertained us thoroughly. I am so grateful that our learners had the opportunity to perform on that stage before the theatre went dark, they will always remember the experience. Life has changed for the moment and how we have adapted to this change is a continuous source of inspiration to many creatives. The works of art created in this time reflect this altered state of being, many things we took for granted now have enormous significance in our work. Our collective struggles and sorrows, and our hopes and dreams for the future are all there and I take strength from this. I am confident that the Arts will survive. I am buoyed by the innovations that allow us to share a performance as part of an international audience, connecting us to others and reminding us of our common humanity and the need to share our experiences. I am reminded of the great outpourings of creative expression that have followed many devastating events in world history. After a time of crisis making art, music, theatre is a way to heal publicly and privately. We are proudly doing the work of nurturing the next generation of dancers, actors, musicians, film makers, painters, speakers and designers who will help the world heal from the scars of the pandemic. We all take strength from this. Congratulations to the Performing Artists and Educators who collaborated and contributed to the Gotta Be Kind Music Video which was created as a celebration of Culture at the College. It is a beautiful piece of work that embodies all that is great about the Arts and it is hoped that you enjoy it. Catherine Dodders Head of Culture VISUAL ARTS AND DESIGN Our Senior learners have created excellent artworks and functional designs this Quarter. The learners have imbued their works with relevant themes that showcase their concern for the environment and society as a whole. Our artists and designers are very aware of their place and role in the world. Visual Art and Design serves as a platform for them to share their views and amplify their voices. The Junior art learners have been focusing on collaboration within the CreativeArts. Collaboration is a real-world skill that is essential in almost every modern career. Our learners have had the opportunity to combine their individual skills, most often resulting in artworks or designs of a high quality. Collaboration is most successful in multimedia projects that involve sound, recorded acting and animations. We are very proud of the interest and passion our Visual Art learners and Designers exhibit. Their ability to adapt, improvise and create in uncertain times is commendable and inspiring. DANCE The first Quarter of 2021 saw the results being awarded for set solos from the Cape Town Eisteddfod and the Medal Test results for the Secondary dancers. The Performance marking structure for the Darren Greeff assessed our Secondary dancers and were very honoured to have an examiner of this calibre examine the dancers. SECONDARY FACULTY GRADES 7 - 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From the Principal’s Office Sylvia Steyn Looking back at our weekly memos of the past ten weeks, the word “grateful” features a lot and with very good reason. Our Summer Quarter was filled with excellent academic input and output, many exciting events, but most importantly, our staff and learners remaining healthy. How can we not celebrate that?! The pandemic forced us to be creative in many ways and again we are grateful for our superior technology and staff expertise which made it possible to live stream events and assemblies, ensuring that no one had to miss out. The wonderful byproduct of this, is that we now have those sports events, cultural events, assemblies and even our Academic Honours available on the Parklands YouTube site for viewing at any time. We urge our parents and learners to remain vigilant in following the Covid-19 safety guidelines throughout the holiday period. We cannot afford to become complacent. Next quarter sees our first set of formal assessments happening and our learners are being well prepared for that. Fortunately, we have been able to let our learners be at school every day and we have not had to make any adjustments to the curriculum. This will stand our learners in good stead for the future. We were thrilled to be announced as one of the Top 20 Achieving schools in the Western Cape in the 2020 NSC examination and about Keagan Strydom being included on the merit list for Top Achievers. Congratulations to the Class of 2020 who overcame so many challenges to achieve 100% access to tertiary education. We wish every member of the Parklands family a refreshing break and look forward to the Autumn Quarter. Top Achieving matrics Online teaching using iPad camera