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who took on the challenge of learning about the
history of Parklands College by using various
iPad applications. The children became the
teachers and the parents became the students!
It was so much fun to see the children telling the
parents what to do for a change.
Another exciting day on the Grade Four
calendar was the visit to The Castle of Good
Hope. The children were fascinated as they
were told about shipwrecks, wars, forts with
cannons for protection and prison cells. They
watched with pure amazement as “ye olde”
soldiers of the Cape marched in unison to lock
the huge, green spiked gates at the front of The
Castle. However, the highlight of the day was
the firing of the cannon!
We are sure that all the learners are going to
enjoy this next part of their educational journey
with us and hope they glean as much as
possible from the experience by getting involved
in the many varied activities the College has on
offer.
Miss Drawbridge
GRADE FIVE REPORT
Welcome back to the Grade Fives of 2016!
A new year brings with it many exciting learning
opportunities. The learners have shown a good
sense of responsibility with their first year of
subject teaching.
The first
month of
Grade Five
has been
filled with
activities
that delighted
the learners.
In English,
they uncovered the exciting life of Bradley
Chalkers and followed his story in ‘There’s a
Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom’. They have worked
diligently on their mental mathematics skills
through using the Number Sense books and
have gone on a journey into South Africa’s
history by learning about the San hunter-
gatherers.
The Grade Fives continued their adventure
into the lives of the San at !Khwa ttu. Our San
guides took us around a variety of stations that
explained different aspects of the San life.
We were shown a medicinal garden traditionally
known to remedy anything from the common
cold to asthma, how to make a fire without
matches, a variety of weapons used by the San
hunters and even a replica of a San village with
a San woman who told us stories in her native
language. Fun was had by all and just in time
for the History test! We look forward to many
more enjoyable learning experiences in the
months to come.
Miss Palmer
GRADE SIX REPORT
The beginning of the school year is a big
event in the lives of our learners as well as
the staff. The Grade Six learners of 2016 are
tasked with making this year one to remember
in all areas of school. We encourage them
to explore all the opportunities afforded to
them in academics, sport, culture as well as
extra murals. We task these capable learners
with taking on the added responsibility, and
in so doing, make their final year in Senior
Preparatory one to remember.
Quarter one always seems to be one that
sees our learners come to terms with the
new grade routine. Several new challenges,
teachers, apps, sporting codes and classmates,
all mean that the Grade Sixes will have to
manage their activities, time and social lives a
bit more carefully.
We challenged both our learners and parents
at the Senior Preparatory Open ICT
Morning where
we exposed our
parents to some
of the day-to-day
encounters that
face our learners
when it comes
to ICT in the
classroom.
This event was
a lot of fun and many parents loved exploring
the apps, assessments and the hands-on
experience that was shared with them.
During the quarter we will introduce our
learners to our Apprentice Tasks where the
staff of Grade Six will mentor the learners
on everything from teamwork to budgets to
advertising, before we actually do our first
Apprentice Task in the second quarter.
We also have a fun and exciting day planned
with the “Leaders in Action” Orientation
scheduled for the 9th February 2016. This will
allow our learners to show off their abilities in
a more relaxed group setting. With a busy few
weeks to come, we challenge our Grade Sixes
to remain focused and put in the added effort as
this stance can only bring positive rewards.
Mr Manickum
At the beginning of 2016, the Senior
Preparatory Outreach Committee officially
commenced their duties to lead the school in
helping others and showing concern for the
general community in which we find ourselves.
The committee has been hard at work ensuring
that the charity drives are successful and
enjoyable for all the children at the Senior
Preparatory.
The first charity drive of the year was held
on the 22 January 2016. There was much
excitement as the children came to school
without shoes. The idea behind this initiative
was to collect old school shoes and stationery
to donate to those children who do not have
these items. The children at Ysterplaat Primary
School were delighted with the school shoes
and stationery that they received. The next
charity drive is on the 12 February 2016.
The Senior Preparatory will be celebrating
Friendship Day. The children will be donating a
variety of groceries, which will be given to the
SENIOR
PREPARATORY
FACULTY
GRADES 4 - 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From the Principal’s Office
Stephen Le Feuvre
January 2016 will probably be remembered
for an unprecedented heatwave. While
temperatures soared into the mid-thirties,
school got underway. And despite the potential
for lethargy, our learners got going with
enthusiasm.
The year started with the identification of
House Captains for the Inter-house Swimming
Gala. These Grade Six captains stepped it up a
notch by dressing up and canvassing votes at
the school gates in the morning. This showed
the gees needed to motivate one’s House to
compete with enthusiasm.
The same spirit was demonstrated at the
Open ICT Morning. The age gap narrowed as
learners and parents experienced class together
and even used technology together in their
learning. The parent-child teams ran around the
school gathering and processing information
using the technological tools at their disposal.
On the sport front, one usually takes a little
while to prepare the learners to compete.
However, we have got off to a flyer with trials in
Tennis, Swimming and Water Polo. In the last
week the Senior Preparatory Water Polo got to
play in their first fixture ever. All of this was met
with much excitement from the learners and
parents concerned.
Our U11 cricketers also started early
preparing for the upcoming tour of Kwazulu-
Natal schools. They have competed mid-week
and have been invited to play in our Saturday
U12 Invitational side all in the spirit of intense
preparation. We wish them well at the end of
the month.
The atmospheric temperature may have
soared but so did the boys and girls in
the Senior Preparatory. They have thrown
themselves into the activities of the quarter with
much enthusiasm.
GRADE FOUR REPORT
A warm welcome to all Grade 4 learners
and parents who have now joined our Senior
Preparatory faculty. The Grade 4 learners have
already embraced the adaption into the Senior
Preparatory with great fervour! They have been
introduced to new subjects, new teachers and
new experiences.
A highlight
of the first
month was
the Open
ICT morning.
We shared
a wonderful
morning with
the parents
outreach