Senior Preparatory Weekly Memo
6 February 2026
6 February 2026
Dear Parents
It has been another busy week at the Senior Preparatory. We had a wonderful day celebrating World Read Aloud Day yesterday. The theme of this year’s World Read Aloud Day is “Celebrate Learning”. In South Africa, the Nal’ibali organisation does wonderful work in making stories available to families, in multiple local languages. This year, for the first time, there is also a story available in sign language.
To celebrate the day our Grade 4s took part in a flash mob performance of the delightfully silly poem "On the Ning Nang Nong" by Spike Milligan. The Secondary Faculty Interact Club came to read to our Grade 5 Learners and the Grade 6s started reading a story in 3 local languages.
PARKLANDS COLLEGE PARTNERS WITH KLIKD FOR A DIGITAL SAFETY SOLUTION
Parenting in the digital age presents unique challenges. Balancing your child’s need for online interaction with the responsibility of keeping them safe can feel overwhelming. Excluding your child from the digital world might seem isolating, yet providing them with unrestricted access to smart devices without guidance can pose serious risks.
It is vital to equip our children with the skills they need to navigate the digital world confidently, responsibly, and safely. That’s why we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Klikd, South Africa’s leading digital safety and citizenship company. We will be rolling out Klikd’s Digital Citizenship Programme for Schools for Grades 4-6.
About Klikd
Klikd was founded by clinical psychologist Pam Tudin and social media lawyer Sarah Hoffman, combining their expertise to offer an innovative approach to cyber safety and digital citizenship education.
In today’s world, knowing how to handle challenges such as cyberbullying, gaming addiction, inappropriate content, online predators, managing one’s digital footprint and Artificial Intelligence - is no longer optional -it's essential. These aren’t skills that can be taught in a single school talk but require continuous conversations and guidance, reinforced at school and at home.
The Klikd Digital Citizenship Programme for Schools
Through our partnership with Klikd, we will offer a carefully curated programme that provides learners with the tools they need to thrive in the online world. Importantly, it also empowers you, as parents, with weekly practical resources and strategies to support your child on this journey.
MEET THE KLIKD TEAM AND LEARN MORE
Please join in hearing from Sarah and Pam and to ask any questions you have as a parent by joining our Zoom meeting on Monday 16th February OR Wednesday 18 February 2026. To join the meeting, use the Zoom Links below:
Klikd Parent Onboarding Webinar (live, online):
Monday 16th Feb 19h30
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82109128319 Meeting ID: 821 0912 8319
Wednesday 18th Feb 19h30
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86848681925 Meeting ID: 868 4868 1925
Together, we can help our children become safe, responsible, and happy digital citizens.
We look forward to embarking on this journey with you and are confident this initiative will have a positive and lasting impact on our school community.
It has been a busy and exciting week in Grade 6, filled with learning, exploration and a splash of summer fun!
Geography: Our Global Expedition 🌍
This week, our classrooms transformed into a hub for modern-day explorers! Our Grade 6 learners dove headfirst into the intricate world of cartography, mastering essential map skills with vibrant energy. We kicked off our journey by spinning the globe, navigating vast oceans and continents, before zooming in on the diverse landscapes of Africa and the breathtaking beauty of South Africa and its nine unique provinces. Using a variety of dynamic resources, learners became confident map readers, identifying borders and bodies of water with growing precision. It has truly been a week of discovery and curiosity!
Mathematics ➕✖️
In Mathematics, learners are strengthening their core skills in addition, subtraction, and multiplication, while learning how to apply these effectively using calculators in preparation for High School. They are working with larger numbers and focusing on accuracy, efficiency and confidence. Learners have also begun exploring data handling concepts such as mode and median, developing a deeper understanding of how mathematics connects to real-life data.
Science
Learners participated in an interactive and hands-on food web activity where they explored the feeding relationships between different organisms. Using wool to physically connect organisms, and task cards that described each organism’s diet and predators, learners worked collaboratively to build their own food webs. Throughout the activity, they identified and classified organisms as autotrophs, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and apex predators. This fun and engaging task encouraged teamwork, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of how ecosystems are interconnected and balanced.
Grade 6 Science
Physical Education: Making a Splash! 🏊♀️
With hot summer days upon us, Physical Education is in the pool! Swimming provided the perfect way to stay active and cool while building an important life skill. Under the expert guidance of coaches Nadine and Gary, learners focused on improving their freestyle swimming technique, paying close attention to body position, breathing and strong, streamlined strokes. Confidence grew lap by lap as learners challenged themselves in the water.
💦 Freestyle tip: Long, relaxed strokes and steady breathing help swimmers move faster and use less energy!
It's wonderful to see our Grade 6 learners growing in confidence, skill and enthusiasm each week.
Elise who on behalf of South Africa got the 2nd place on 23th International Mental Maths which held in Malaysia on 21th Dec 2025, total has around 400 students attend from around 30 countries.
What a week of wonder and discovery! We became number detectives in Mathematics, learning how to compare and order numbers like pros. In Afrikaans, we dove deep into the world of water—listening to stories, reading exciting texts, building awesome vocabulary, designing creative posters, and becoming masters of adjectives and adverbs that tell us when, where, and how things happen!
Our History adventure took us on a journey exploring countries, capital cities, borders, landlocked nations, and coastlines, with a special spotlight on South Africa's three capital cities. Geography turned us into time travelers as we discovered how early people lived off the land, moved with the seasons, and invented the incredible bow and arrow - game changer! During PSW, we celebrated what makes each of us absolutely amazing by creating our very own strength stars.
In isiXhosa, our Grade 5 learners enjoyed reading The story of uKhethiwa. The book tells the story of a beautiful village girl, uKhethiwa, and her sister Noluthando, who is known for her kind heart and willingness to help others in the community. The learners sat attentively, read with enthusiasm, and showed a deep love for the story. It was wonderful to see how engaged they were and how the book sparked discussions about kindness, values, and character. Reading uKhethiwa was a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the whole class.
And the cherry on top? We had special guests from the high school join us for Read Aloud Day - story time just got even better!
We had a wonderful day on Saturday welcoming our Grade 4 parents onto campus as they learned about what type of learner their child is - Visual, Auditory or Kinaesthetic. It is such a privilege to partner with you in your child's education.
Thursday was a joyful, imagination filled day for our Grade 4s! World Read Aloud Day brought stories to life as learners dove into all sorts of books listening closely, laughing out loud, and letting their imaginations run wild. The classroom buzzed with curiosity as characters leapt off the pages and into their minds.
And just when we thought the magic might wind down… surprise! ✨
Our Grade 4s did a brilliant flash mob performance of the delightfully silly poem On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan. With confidence, rhythm, and plenty of giggles, they showed off not only their love for poetry but their teamwork and stage presence too.
The excitement didn’t stop there. We were thrilled to welcome Principal Paul, who popped in to read a captivating Roald Dahl story, The Magic Finger. The learners were completely absorbed, proving once again that there’s something extra special about being read to by a guest.
Outing to the Castle
Our Grade 4s will be going on an outing to the Castle of Good Hope on 11 February. (NOTE CHANGE OF DATE)
Please complete the following form, which contains all of the details:
Formal and informal assessments in the Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 – 6) take place regularly throughout the quarter after certain concepts or skills have been taught.
Informal assessments are usually integrated into daily class activities at any point during the quarter. Learners must apply their knowledge and skills learnt in various ways, from oral presentations to written paragraphs that explain their understanding of a concept to research projects that enhance their understanding of a specific topic. All informal assessments are completed at school and no studying is required.
Formal assessments take place on a specific date in the quarter after a larger section of content has been taught. Studying is required for these assessments and it is recommended that a quiet space is set up at home where your child is able to prepare for these assessments. Teachers also do revision in class with the learners before each formal assessment.
The Education Department monitors learner absenteeism, and the only valid reasons endorsed by the Education Department are as follows:
Learners may only miss an assessment (examination) supported by documentary evidence for the following reasons:
- Illness (must be supported by a valid medical doctor's certificate)
- Family bereavement (letter required)
- Representing the country or province in a sporting or cultural event (official letter required)
All absences for these reasons must be accompanied by the appropriate documentary evidence as indicated above.
Your cooperation in maintaining regular attendance helps us provide the best possible education for your child.
Please see the Grade 4 - 6 Assessment schedules for Quarter 1 below.
Please visit that Academics Tab for the Google Assessment Calendars for each grade. Details of work to study is linked in the description of each calendar entry and is loaded two weeks prior to each formal assessment.
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
MUSIC:
We invite parents of all current individual music learners, as well as those wishing to commence individual lessons in 2026, to please complete the following enrolment form:
Save the Date for our Autumn Awakenings Choir Festival on 24 March 2026
DANCE:
Please read through the
JP/SP Dance 2026 Enrolment Form information and contact Sylvia Stander sstander@parklands.co.za
if you have any queries.
At the assembly this week, we handed out certificates to dancers who achieved recognition in the ISTD Modern and Tap examinations at the end of last year. We also congratulated individual music learners who achieved excellent results in their Trinity Piano and Vocal Music Examinations. A special mention to all of our pianists who achieved distinction in their Piano exams.
At our Music Assembly Mr Ernzten challenged our learners musically by adapting the Growing Minds to incorporate music!
SCIENCE CLUB
This week in Science Club, learners explored how scientists measure different variables using everyday devices. We investigated projectiles by launching our “Fly Its” whilst learning how to measure distance using an app, record time using stopwatches, and using our own DIY inclinometers to measure angles. Along the way, learners developed a clear understanding of what angles are and how they are measured. The session was filled with excitement, teamwork, and problem-solving as learners collaborated, experimented, and applied new scientific skills in a fun and practical way.
Grade 4 & 5 Science Club
What an outstanding week of sport for our Senior Prep learners, with energy, commitment, and success across multiple codes.
Our Cricket programme got off to a flying start, recording a 100% winning record across the U10, U11, and U12 age groups:
U10 Cricket secured a strong victory, winning by 13 runs in a disciplined team performance.
U12 Cricket continued the momentum with a convincing 10-wicket win against Blouberg Ridge.
Players of the Match: Nick and Kieran for their standout contributions.
U11 Cricket delivered a dominant performance against Elkanah, winning by 8 wickets.
A special mention to Great, who scored an excellent 50, and Austen, who impressed with both bat and ball in a complete all-round display.
On the tennis courts, our U12 teams were equally competitive:
U12 A Tennis went down 4–2 in a closely contested match.
Player of the Match: Liam for his fighting spirit and performance.
U12 B Tennis battled hard to a 3–3 draw against Raphael.
Player of the Match: Raphael for a strong all-round contribution.
In Softball, while our scheduled opponents unfortunately withdrew from our opening league fixture, we turned the situation into a positive. Internal matches were hosted instead, allowing more learners to gain valuable match experience. It was fantastic to see increased participation and confidence as our girls enjoyed meaningful game time on the field.
Best of luck to our Gala Swimmers, who are competing today in their first gala of the quarter - and of 2026. We wish them calm minds, strong races, and plenty of personal bests.
Finally, congratulations to our U12 Netball learners who have been selected for the Knysna Netball Team. A huge well done to the 10 learners who will proudly represent Parklands College in April - a fantastic achievement and a moment to be very proud of.
A brilliant week of Senior Prep sport and a strong indicator of what promises to be an exciting quarter ahead.
Sign your child(ren) up:
Inter House Gala
Wednesday, 25 March 2026 @ 10:30-12:30
Image: Gemini
Sports Kit
All learners may wear their sports kit to school on their PE Day and on Fridays for Sports hour.
Swimming during PE in Quarter 1 and 4
Please pack in Parklands Swimming costumes / Parklands Swimming Cap / Towel and sunblock.
Although coaches guide and support learners during swimming in Physical Education lessons, we are not a Learn to Swim School and for their own safety it is critical that learners are water safe and able to swim. Please liaise with the coaches if you need contact details for LEARN TO SWIM schools for your child to attend.
This week, we are taking a moment to celebrate our learners' external achievements from both the holiday break and the month of January. We have so much talent to catch up on!
Just (above left) finished 1st in the Dirtopia Trialrun.
Fedde (above right) placed 3rd in the Dirtopia Trailrun / new PB at the parkrun and overall of 72 parkruns. / 4th place at Muratie Wines and at Dornier Wine Estate. / 1st in his age group during the Cape Prestige Trail Run, 4th overall (5km).
Sebastian competed in the Lifesaving Western Cape Stillwater Championships on Saturday 24 January 2026, held at Bellville Pool. 100m Torpedo Buoy Rescue (4th place), 50m Manikin Carry (Silver), 100m Manikin Carry with Fins (Bronze), 50m Obstacles (Silver)
Olivia attended the West Coast Qualifying Gala, held on 31 January 2026 at Curro Langebaan, where she competed in the 200 m Freestyle and 200 m Individual Medley.
Olivia competed in the Swartland Prestige Gala 22&23 Nov 2025, held at Malmesbury 3 events achieved personal best- 200breast 44s PB, 50breast 2s PB, 50free 1s PB
Tianna Won 2 gold medals and 3 silvers. Congratulations Tianna.
Khloé took part in the CTA Brian Button Qualifying Meet at UWC the 17&18 January 2026 and obtained 2nd place for 50m Butterfly and 3rd place for 50m Backstroke.
Sebastian competed in the second Nipper Surf Competition of the season, held in Fish Hoek on 2 February 2026. 3rd in Run Swim Run, 6th in Board and helped his team secure 5th place in the Taplin Relay, where he took on the swimming leg of the relay.
Liam participated in the CTA Brian Button Qualifying Meet (level 2 and above) swimming gala in UWC on 17-18 January
Maia did amazing swimming on Saturday. First gala in South Africa and qualifying to Level 2 at age of 9 years old.
Sebastian competed in the 2025 South Africa Sailing Youth National Championships from 14 to 19 December 2025 in Hermanus. Competing over four days, he placed overall 3rd out of 23 sailors in the Optimist B Fleet.
Sebastian participated in the CTA Brian Button Qualifying Meet in UWC on 17 and 18 January 2026.
Heath participated in the CPL (Cape Premier League) and MSL (Maties Super League) over the holidays with no fewer than 21 matches finishing as winners with his CPL team and runners-up with his MSL team. Heath also finished 4th in the overall bowling stats for his CPL and joint 6th in the MVP (Most Valuable Player) for his MSL T20 competition.
Blake scored 51 runs off 48 balls, leading his club team to a 7 wicket victory over the weekend. His innings contained 8 × 4s. He bowled as well and only conceded 4 runs during his allotted overs.
Blake had a fantastic all round performance to help Milnerton CC U11 team secure victory against Bergvliet CC U11. He bowled 3 overs, took 1 wicket with an economy of 2.67. Blake opened the batting and went on to score a composed 41 (58)* ensuring that Milnerton crossed the line comfortably with plenty of overs to spare.
Please find a link to the form to notify the College of a learner's external achievements at Area/Regional/Provincial level. We request that you upload an image to the form where possible. Any queries to our Head of Sport, Coach Jared - jmargetts@parklands.co.za
Our learners are taking reading aloud to a whole new level as they share stories with their pets. We are loving visiting your homes and meeting these adorable furry friends. Please keep these photos coming!
The theme of this year’s World Read Aloud Day is “Celebrate Learning”. In order to learn, children need language skills and that is where reading plays a vital part. In South Africa, the Nal’ibali organisation does wonderful work in making stories available to families, in multiple local languages. This year, for the first time, there is also a story available in sign language. Nal’ibali partnered with SLED (Sign Language Education and Development) to create this story using South Africa’s 12th official language, South African Sign Language (SASL). The SLED team developed the story and then translated it into various languages. This not only promotes literacy, but also creates exposure and appreciation for South African Sign language. The book, titled A New Friend. was introduced to the Grade 6s this week. It can be downloaded in different languages from the Nal’ibali website.
We’re teaming up with Fallen Angels to support animals in need by collecting cat and dog food. Every bag or tin of food donated shows how small actions can make a big impact.
Let’s keep the momentum going and prove that when learners work together, we can create real change — one paw at a time. 🐶🐱💙
Please ensure that learners arrive on time for the start of the academic day. Parents are welcome to drop their children off between 07:30 and 07:45 and are requested to use the Drop and Go Zone on the SP Campus in Wood Drive.
Parents may pull into the yellow zone for learners to get out and walk into school on their own. Please do not park or leave your car in the Drop and Go Zone.
All learners must be clocked in and ready for the day before this 07:45. Learners who attend early morning activities must clock-in before attending their session in order to avoid being recorded as 'Late Arrival' on the biometric system.
Aftercare is a combined group of Grade 4-6 learners. Parents, please inform the College via email should you wish to make use of our aftercare facility. Learners may wear their Parklands College sports uniform. Learners attending Aftercare will be escorted to the venue. Parents who wish to make use of our aftercare facilities must please inform us via e-mail.
School is LOCKED promptly at 16h45 daily. Please assist us by ensuring that your child is collected on time allowing our dedicated staff to return home to their own families. A late collection fee of R250 per half-hour (or part thereof) will apply for children collected from aftercare after 17h00.
For safety reasons no learners are permitted to wait outside the College gates at any time.
Parents entering our campus are required to have a car identification sticker, which can be collected from reception. By displaying the sticker on your car, you will gain easy access to the College premises. Vehicles that do not have a sticker will be scanned. ‘At the Gate’ Access Solution is used by the College and involves drivers' and car license discs being scanned. This information is stored on a secure database off-site for future reference should the need arise. Pedestrians are also required to produce identification.
We request, for the safety of our learners, that parents and visitors who are on our campus during academic time also sign in at reception and receive a visitors badge. The badge must be returned to reception before leaving campus.
Our new 2026 stickers have arrived and been handed out. Please visit reception if you have not received your parking disc.
Parents are kindly reminded to be mindful of our neighbours when parking. Vehicles that block traffic or obstruct private driveways will be reported to the Traffic Department by our neighbours and will most likely be issued a fine/ticket. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that parking is done considerately and responsibly.
College striped blazers with new braiding
Please be reminded that all learners need to wear the new striped blazer with the braiding.
Uniform Requirements (link)
School and Leisure offers free delivery to school. To take advantage of this when ordering please insert school name and address in the address block and add discount code before check-out.
Junior Preparatory - 91 Raats Drive, Parklands 7441
Senior Preparatory - 50 Wood Drive, Parklands 7441
Secondary Faculty - 1 College Avenue, Sandown 7441
Discount Code : PKLSCHOOL (both upper and lowercase works)
Please ensure that the uniform is the correct size for your child, in particular the blazer
Second hand school uniforms
Please contact Tania Fourie if you would like to buy or sell good-quality second-hand uniforms. She is also the supplier of Froggy School shoes. Contact details: +27 83 631 7683 or tania@sportstudio.co.za
Please help us by checking that all the items that your child brings home actually belong to them. If they come home with someone's elses item (such as an extra shoe, hat, etc) please send it to reception the next day so that we can return labelled items to the owner.
It is important that all items are labelled clearly so that lost items can be returned. Parents are welcome to come in to reception to view lost property items. Items not labelled will be in lost property and donated to the second hand shop at the end of each quarter.
Should your child have a medical condition/ allergy /require prescribed medication to be administered, please e-mail Meagan Kotze on mkotze@parklands.co.za.
Please ensure that your child’s immunisations are up to date and forward a copy of the updated immunisation record to the secretary once your child has received the vaccine.
Please bookmark the following calendars and add them to your personal calendar by using the + at the bottom of each calendar. They can also be accessed through the EdAdmin App (more information under the general tab)
Our Parent Learner Directory contains all the information you will need. You can find this important document under the General Tab
College parents are able to list their businesses in our Parent Business Directory for free – www.parklands.co.za/parent-business-directory/.
Should you be interested in marketing your business to over 1000 families, email: marketing@parklands.co.za to get started.
All listings will be subject to the College’s final approval.
This week's feature business is...
Summer Quarter: 20 Jan - 26 March
Autumn Quarter: 8 April - 24 June
Winter Quarter: 22 July - 23 September
Spring Quarter: 14 October - 4 December
Wednesday 11 February:
Grade 4 Outing to the Castle (Outing Consent Form)
Friday 13 February:
Happy Birthday Kaylan Pietersen
Friendship Day (Dress in Red, Pink and White)
Saturday 14 February:
Open Day
SP Choir Rehearsal
Monday 16 February:
Klikd Online Parent Information Presentation (Option 1) - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82109128319
Wednesday 18 February:
Klikd Online Parent Information Presentation (Option 2) - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86848681925
Tuesday 17 February:
Ramadan
Chinese New Year
Wednesday 18 February:
Happy Birthday Kirsten Hartley
Thursday 19 February:
18:00-20:00 Junior Tour De Maths at Parklands Secondary
Saturday 07 March
Softball Festival
Monday 9 March:
Happy Birthday Caitlin Struwig and Principal Paul
Wednesday 11 March:
Happy Birthday Christopher Robin Pre-Primary
Grade 5 Outing to !Kwa tthu (Outing Consent Form)
Thursday 12 March:
14:30-16:30 International Kids Lit Quiz @ Grove
Wednesday 18 March:
SPCA Dress Up Day
Grade 6 Camp
Thursday 19 March:
Grade 6 Camp
Friday 20 March:
Grade 6 Camp
Eid al-Fitr
Saturday 21 March:
Public Holiday: Human Rights Day
Monday 23 March:
Grade 4-6 Individual Photos
Reports Released
Report Meetings
Tuesday 24 March
Report Meetings
18:00 Autumn Awakenings Concert
Wednesday 25 March
Report Meetings
Fallen Angels Drop Off
Thursday 26 March:
Last Day of the Quarter ( school closes at 1pm)
Sunday 29 March:
Happy Birthday Sisanda Mvulana
Friday 03 April:
Public Holiday - Good Friday
Monday 06 April:
Public Holiday - Family Day
All learners are invited to join us in red, pink and white as we celebrate Friendship day on Friday 13th February. Note, that sports hour will continue so they need to ensure that they have the correct sports equipment, and be appropriately dressed (or change) to participate in sport between 13:30 and 14:30.
Guidelines Dress up Days:
- Dress up days are for everyone to dress up in the theme shared.
- Dress up days are not wear any civvies. Dress up must be themed related.
- If you prefer not to dress up, you are welcome to wear your school tracksuit/ PE kit.
- You are welcome to wear some face paint i.e. a flower, flag etc
Please do not wear the following on any days:
- Makeup
- Crop tops, or any other revealing clothing
- Ripped jeans
- Flip Flops/plakkies for safety reasons
- Expensive items that could get lost or broken
On both dress up and civvie days you are still representing the College and need to make sure that your hair is neat and tidy and jewellery minimal. Hair must be in accordance with our code of conduct, away from your eyes and not hanging in your face.
Our next School Open Day is on Saturday 14 February. If you know of someone who would like to join our Parklands family please let them know about Open Day. We would love to welcome them onto our campus.
Next week Friday, we will be celebrating Friendship Day with civvies dress up in a vibrant display of red, pink and white.
We wish Kaylan Pietersen a very happy birthday for Friday 13 February.
Have a wonderful weekend
Paul Mayers
Senior Preparatory Principal
Follow us on:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParklandsTweet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parklandscollege
Links to other faculty memos:
Pre-Primary Faculty: https://ppblog.parklands.co.za
Junior Preparatory Faculty: https://jpblog.parklands.co.za
Secondary Faculty: https://secblog.parklands.co.za