Dear Parents

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope that everyone had a fantastic holiday and is ready for the exciting challenges that lie ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to our new isiXhosa teacher, Nomhle Tabata, our new Grade 2 Intern, Kamva Songxishe, and our visiting student from Germany, Emma Klews. We are thrilled to have you with us and look forward to getting to know you better. As we begin the new term, please remember that Gr 1 and 2 boys need to have a jersey in their bags every day and still require a hat to play outside during break time. These rules are in place to ensure that everyone stays warm and protected from the sun while enjoying their time outside.

Let's make this term a great one, full of learning, growth, and fun. 

SHARLENE GROOM
HEAD: PRE-PREP

A reminder that the Second Hand Shop is open during term time as below. There are a lot of winter items still available. Please pop in to have a look.

The Lord be with you

This year's religious calendar has been quite special as our different faith communities celebrated significant events over the past few weeks. During Easter we remembered the passion of Jesus, and reflected on the sacrifice He made for us with overwhelming gratitude. We also recognize that our Jewish friends celebrated the Passover and are certain that it was a blessed time. We would like to take this opportunity to wish our Muslim friends Eid Mubarak and to acknowledge the efforts they made during the holy month of Ramadan.
As we return to school, we give thanks for the time we had to spend with family and friends during the holiday.
We look forward to the upcoming term. We pray for success and that the Lord's blessing will be upon all of our students, teachers, and staff. May we work together to create a positive and productive learning environment.

Let us say a prayer together:
Dear God, we thank you for the blessings of the Easter holiday and for the time we had to spend with family and friends. We also thank you for the experienced traveling mercies for those who journeyed to distant shores with you holding us in your hand. We ask that this term we would continue to learn and discover more about ourselves and those who share in our education. May we find joy in our time here at school and in the various sporting codes. Please grant ongoing wisdom to all parents and teachers as they nurture and raise the future generation of this our country, and of the world.
Amen.

Retired Astronaut (Artist, Author and Aquanaut as well), Nicole Stott will be joining us in Cape Town. There will be a Space Themed Dress up competition as well as a fun Space Themed Kahoot at the end with Awesome prizes. Nicole was born in Albany, New York, and at a young age moved to and grew up in Clearwater, Florida. She is married with one child. She enjoys flying, painting, woodworking, gardening, SCUBA diving, and snow skiing, Nicole is an instrument rated private pilot. She is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilot’s Association, Silver Wings Foundation, and the 99’s. She is also a founding member of both the Manna Energy Foundation and Fragile.

Bookings for Nicole Stott in the Western Cape (16 to 28 May)
Kirstenhof Primary 16 May 2023 6-8pm
Parklands College Preparatory 17 May 2023 6-8pm

Protea Heights Academy 18 May 2023 6-8pm

We have loved welcoming the boys back to Grade N this week, listening to their holiday news and hearing about visits from the Easter bunny. The Grade N’s have been practicing their cutting skills in the art room and the resource room, cutting out leaves for autumn trees. They have enjoyed sensory play in the garden using the mud area and shaving foam as well as the fantasy area indoors where our babies have needed some tlc. We look forward to welcoming the parents down to the Grade N area again on Monday morning at drop off to spend some time playing before work, when possible.

Our term 2 has begun with much wonderment and awe as we start observing changes in our wonderful environment.  We are encouraging our boys to ask as many questions as possible to help one another navigate through discussions.  “I wonder…” why or how, where or when, who or what - are the questions that we elicit so that our creativity grows, as well as our knowledge base. We listen to the opinions of others, agree or disagree and learn about acknowledging one another’s thoughts while we do it. An Autumn provocation certainly sparked much excitement, where the boys discussed what they knew about our changing environment, and some wanted to make a book depicting the seasons, others sketching pinecones on chalkboards.  We are learning slowly to tie our laces, and practice makes progress for sure!