Quarter 1 Newsletter 2022

6 completing class graphs. We have also introduced our Grade Ones to an amazing app that is Seesaw. We shall be using this app so that we can share what we have created and been learning at school. We celebrated Friendship Day by wearing Six Bricks colours and this was a good reminder of sticking together and being a good friend to others. We also dressed up in our colours to celebrate ‘Kleure- en Nommersdag’ / ‘Imibala usuku Amanani Kwaye’. The final countdown to the end of the Quarter was signalled with a Fun Run. Now to rest and get ready for an inviting Autumn Quarter! “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” - Taylor Swift To reflect on the above quote: it may be a new year and a new grade but the Grade Two’s have embraced these new changes and challenges with ease and confidence. Within and around the classroom, Grade Two learners resembled hives of busy bees as they explored the wonderful world of minibeasts. They pretended to be entomologists who have discovered a completely new species of minibeasts. While developing Book Creator skills, they documented their findings and incorporated their 3D pictures designed in Art. They presented orals on various minibeasts and were in awe of some of the interesting new facts they learnt. They also recreated insect movement and sounds in their Drama lessons, and enjoyed an augmented reality encounter with some of the world’s largest bugs during Book Enquiry. Number Sense has played a large part in our Mathematical programme this quarter. We have acquired a number of new skills using a variety of apparatus. “Spider graphs” were used to encourage Critical thinking - “what happened inside the spider’s tummy to make the new number come out the other side?” Problem solving strategies are key in everyday life and the children are continuously exposed to them on every Number Sense page. We celebrated Dr Seuss’ birthday by surrounding ourselves with his stories. The learners explored rhyming words and recreated a scene with Thing 1 and Thing 2. Oh, the mischievous things they got up to! Many Grade Two’s are now huge admirers of Dr Seuss! Grade Two’s have thoroughly enjoyed the cultural and sporting programme on offer. This was rounded off with our Fun Run Day, a wonderful celebration of the Parklands College spirit and sportsmanship. A kaleidoscope of new educational ventures await us in the Second Quarter. Follow our creative journey as we seek out new challenges and possibilities. PREPARATORY FACULTY GRADES 1 - 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From the Principal’s Office Lee-ann Steynberg Quarter one is about settling into new routines and connecting with old friends and making many new ones. A shining moment of the quarter is always the joy we see when our Grade One learners begin the exciting journey of learning to read. The excitement is visible when they put pen to paper and write their first story! Our World Read Aloud Day highlighted the importance of reading aloud and showcased our Grade Two to Twelve learners reading a variety of passages from the same story. It culminated in a wonderful story read to us by children of varying ages. Always important to us is the use of social media and our young learners. We had the opportunity to invite parents to a talk by Dingley Marshall on the law and social media and our Grade Six learners had the talk reinforced by Emma Sadler at the Secondary Faculty. Our weekly memo highlights our classroom news each week and shares the amazing and wonderful lessons our learners participate in. Thank you to our educators who invest time in preparing these lessons and are always engaging with their learners and parents. To our parents, thank you for your support and for sharing encouraging emails and words of kindness with us. We wish you a safe holiday and look forward to seeing you in quarter two. OH WHAT FUN GRADE ONE! GRADE TWO, TELL US WHAT'S NEW! We have already completed our first Quarter of Grade One. How time flies when we are having fun! This first quarter has been all about settling into BIG school and establishing routines, getting to know our classmates and following new activities. We have been discovering ‘Why School is Cool’ with our Project Based Learning (PBL) project! With all the enrichment and co-curriculars to experience, they have been spoiled for choice as to why school is cool. Our Grade Ones have shown great enthusiasmwhen learning new things. Taking all the routines in their stride, they have managed to make school a happy home away from home. They have enjoyed learning all the letters and attempting to read through shared reading and group reading, which has ignited a keen interest in loaning books from the Library. We have met many numbers from our animal zoo and have loved