Quarter 2 Newsletter 2022

7 Africa Day is a day of celebration for Africans and people of African descent all over the world. At Parklands College we celebrate everyone who lives in South Africa, our rainbow nation. Our day started with a lovely performance by our isiXhosa learners. Their singing was powerful and melodic. Their dancing was emotive and rhythmic. The audience was captivated! Elmer Day was certainly the most bright, colourful and cheerful day of the year. Elmer Day is a celebration of reading, of elephants, of accepting yourself and others just like Elmer the elephant. A highlight of the quarter was the making of jelly and of course eating it afterwards! As part of recipe writing the Grade Three learners made jelly. This activity involved teamwork, measuring, capacity and reading. We are so pleased that we have some master chefs in the making and look forward to observing their culinary skills in quarter 3. GRADE FOUR The Grade Fours jumped into their second quarter with all the excitement and enthusiasm their hearts can hold. We delved into history and learnt all about the very important lessons that Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi’s lives have taught us. The learners were inspired by the characteristics of leadership modelled by these two great men, and will surely carry these lessons with them. Laughter and smiles were seen as the Grade 4s went around our beautiful Senior Preparatory campus, measuring various items during our Maths lessons. They were given a challenge of measuring the distance of our field, and had a wonderful time collaborating with peers on this activity. In Life Skills, we took a step back to examine our own feelings and emotions and how these impact our actions and choices. This was certainly eye-opening for the learners, and there were quite a few “ah- ha” moments. They flexed their creative muscles while making beautiful posters on their iPads. As the cherry on top of a delicious quarter, we had not one but two literary visitors. We were delighted by the wonderful Hooked on Books actors, and inspired to read a few new books. Later in the quarter, we sat in amazement at the wonderful stories that Riaan Manser had to share, as he regaled us with his life adventures cycling around the whole of Africa. I don't know who enjoyed it most - the teachers or the learners! Dear… In English the children have learnt to write a friendly letter and to compose an email using the correct email etiquette. They even wrote to the editor of an imaginary newspaper about their amazing discovery of an animal never seen before. Editing skills and punctuation have been the focus for this quarter. They looked at non-fiction books and the criteria that they include. Acrostic poetry allowed the Grade Twos the opportunity to collaborate with others and describe an animal in a fun and creative way. Elmer Day was a patchwork of colour! It reminded us of how unique each one of us is. Big flapping ears and bright colours were the order of the day. The Grade Twos loved listening to the story of Elmer read and written by David McKee. They celebrated by doing different Elmer crafts. 2 ways to solve a Mathematical problem? The Grade Twos have worked hard to solve problems in more than one way. Explanations and discussions have been encouraged to explain the various strategies that each child used. It’s not always about the answer but how they got there! “Teaching is not about answering questions but about raising questions – opening doors for them in places that they could not imagine.” ~ Yawar Baig Grab your passport, get ready for an adventure! Our Grade Three learners received a competition entry form. They were super excited at the prospect of being able to win a holiday to their dream destination. They had to design a poster in Keynote in order to enter the competition. Through our PBL we had many adventures around the world and used Keynote, Barefoot Atlas and Safer Britannica to sharpen our research skills. We were privileged to participate in a Keynote masterclass with Mr Paul Mayers and attend a live Q and A with our invited guest, seasoned traveller Mrs Roché Buckle, who informed us of the amazing places and experiences she has had whilst travelling. We shared our completed posters with an authentic audience in China, Vietnam and Thailand via a Google Meet. Much excitement arose when learners received a letter from a pen pal, Lin Lin in China. They couldn't wait to reply with good old fashioned letter writing and via emails. Learners are hoping to meet Lin Lin in person one day soon. We had fun on World Book Day and enjoyed seeing the original and authentic outfits that were created for this special day. The Grade Three teachers promoted Dr Seuss by dressing up as: One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Who knew that as of 2002 over six million copies of this book had been sold! Learners were enthralled when famous author Refiloe Moahloli came to visit. She is passionate about writing. Refiloe inspired our learners to be kind. She also reminded children to love and accept themselves and others and to celebrate this love. GRADE THREE