Quarter 4 Newsletter 2022

7 Our FALAfrikaans learners dived into the adventure story of Die Troeteldierbende. We extended our vocabulary and learnt about pets, school and home. Groups analysed news articles and advertisements and we even designed our own. Using the many language tools we have been taught we wrote our own letters and emails. In the FAL isiXhosa lessons, the Grade 5’s enjoyed being challenged and learning new words. We focused on sentence structure and building confidence when speaking. The learners have enjoyed being able to express themselves in isiXhosa. We wish our Grade Fives all of the very best for Grade Six. We are excited to watch and see how you continue to grow, while using the Parklands Minds, to develop into young citizens in our community. GRADE SIX This was it! The last quarter in the Preparatory faculty for our Grade 6 boys and girls! For many, it has been a journey that started at the Pre-Primary across the road. Others have joined us along the way, quickly becoming a part of our group. 2022 certainly has been a memorable year for us in Grade 6, and we are immensely proud of every single Grade 6 boy and girl. But before they take off down the road, we want to take a moment to look back on their last quarter with us at the Preparatory. We have been busy in the classroom, investigating the role of medicine through the ages, going ‘loopy' with code, learning about Afrikaans poetry and creating clothing items using recyclable materials. In English we had a puntastic time learning about ambiguity and puns in language. Why did the student eat his homework? Because his teacher told him it would be a piece of cake! We have a calculator area and perimeter of regular and irregular shapes relating it to a house plan to bring the topic to life. The learners enjoyed the challenge of Geometry! They calculated surface areas and perimeters of regular and irregular shapes by linking it to a GeoGebra app, so that they could have a 3D integrative image to investigate while completing the calculation. Division was next in line and with Mrs Wells’s secret method our mathemagicians grasped long division within two days. They ended their Grade 6 Mathematics with outdoor activities measuring cylinders, calculators, and a bucket of water comparing volume and capacity, discovering the relationship and difference between the two. Why is the moon so bright? It is going through a phase. This quarter was all about space exploration in our Science classroom. Our learners investigated the different phases of the Moon and how the gravitational pull of the Moon affects the tides. We investigated rotation and revolution of different planets and the movement of the Earth and how it results in the seasons we experience throughout the year. We examined the workings of different types of telescopes and how they assist us in further discovering what is out there in space. The learners were introduced to scientific formulae and how these calculations can assist us in further investigating the world around us. We encourage our scientists in the making to keep an open mind, to keep asking questions and to keep exploring. Our Grade Six learners also hosted the very last assembly of the year, from start to finish, all on their own. Everything from handing out trophies, reading important sports announcements and even playing the school song! You were definitely effective communicators this quarter and you are born to be on stage! To our Grade 6 boys and girls: as you head off on your next adventure, we wish you all the best. Relish every opportunity to grow, even in the tough moments. GRADE FOUR Looking back at this incredible year we are so proud of the wonderful progress our Grade Fours have made. Stepping onto a brand new campus filled with excitement, they took on all the challenges that came with learning in a new environment and blossomed. This quarter our eager Critical Thinkers had fun getting hands-on with their learning of Mathematical concepts. From measuring the capacity and volume of different containers, to working out the area and perimeter of their initials and combining Art and Mathematics, they created beautiful Maths Mosaics. Our Creative Agents loved learning through creating. They made beautiful and memorable display pieces for our classrooms - from contraction spiders to synonym rolls and ant-onyms. Reading Charlotte’s Web was also a highlight this quarter. We loved discussing the theme of friendship and standing up for what we believe in, and taking new words we had learnt and placing them onto our Class Word Webs. What happens when the learners become the teachers? We are treated to gorgeous presentations displaying the talents of our incredible Effective Communicators. The Grade Fours were tasked with teaching their classmates about different forms of communication in History. They explained how the typewriter was created by Pellegrino Turri for a blind friend, how letters were sent across the world and how secret messages (morse code) were used to communicate. To round off a fantastic Grade Four year, our Purposeful Collaborators worked together to cook up an amazing final project. From creating a menu, writing recipes, creating a budget, folding napkins, making music and entertainment, they loved it all. Picture this: three course meals displayed on beautiful picnic blankets, decorated with themes close to their hearts and handmade decor. An incredible way to celebrate our Grade Fours! A GRADE FIVE 2022 - What a year! As we look at all the changes that have happened this year we are so incredibly proud of all the Grade Fives and how far they have come. With only a few weeks left, we are confident that they are ready and well prepared for their last year in the Preparatory. The Grade 5’s have enjoyed being creative agents and effective communicators in our English lessons where we got to write our own diary entries and letters. This was our opportunity to share our knowledge of new advanced vocabulary words! One of the many memorable moments that we shared this quarter was our exciting Spelling Bee that we participated in!