Senior Preparatory Weekly Memo

14 August 2026

Dear Parents

It has been a short, but busy week at the Senior Preparatory!

Please take note of the following:

Reminder to please move through to the entrance of the swimming pool to collect your child once school ends to avoid congestion near the building. Please do not leave your car idling while waiting for your child as this contributes to unnecessary fumes while children are waiting to be collected.

The safety and well-being of our learners are a priority. Please ensure that when crossing the road with your children, you wait for the green light and ensure that all cars have come to a complete halt before crossing the road.

Principal Paul Memo Q3W4-26.MOV

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NEWS

ACADEMICS

In the third quarter, the formal assessments in Grade 4 - 6 will not only consist of control tests in certain subjects (which will require studying), they will also take the form of projects to be completed over a period of a few weeks. The projects will be completed entirely at school, under the guidance of the teachers. While we know that many parents are eager to assist, we kindly ask that you allow your child to complete the project independently within the classroom environment.

Project-based learning is highly beneficial for a number of reasons.

It promotes deeper understanding of academic content by allowing learners to explore topics in greater depth.
It encourages critical thinking and problem-solving.
It fosters independence and accountability, helping children take ownership of their own learning.
It develops research, communication and collaboration skills as learners are often required to work together for certain sections of the project.
It builds confidence as learners realise they are capable of creating something meaningful through their own effort.

These projects are more than just an academic requirement, they are designed to encourage deeper understanding, critical thinking and creativity. We look forward to seeing our learners grow into curious, capable and confident individuals in the process.

Please click on the grade assessment calendars to view the description and content to be studied for the control tests under the Academics tab.

For your convenience, please see an overview of the formal assessment dates for each grade below.

Grade 4 Assessment Schedule Quarter 3.pdf

Grade 5 Assessment Schedule Q3 2026.pdf

Grade 6 Assessment Schedule Q3 2026.pdf

GRADE 6 NEWS

Meet the AI Versions of Our Grade 6 Teachers! 🤖✨

This week, our Grade 6 teachers had a little fun by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create colourful cartoon versions of ourselves! From coffee-powered superheroes to glitter-loving classroom champions, each image captured our unique teaching personalities in a creative and imaginative way. While these pictures gave us plenty of laughs, they also reminded us that AI is an exciting tool that can be used to inspire creativity, solve problems and bring ideas to life.

🧭📖 Story Navigators! ✨

We had so much fun kick-starting our English Creative Writing Projects with an exciting activity called Story Navigators! 🗺️📚Learners had to navigate their way around the classroom, working together to piece their stories into the correct order. This activity challenged them to use their teamwork, reading and comprehension skills while exploring the structure and key elements of a story. There was plenty of discussion, problem-solving and a few laughs along the way! 😄 Learners quickly discovered that putting a story together takes careful thinking, good communication and a strong understanding of how stories unfold.

Exploring the World & Shaping the Future!

In Geography, we have been on a wild global journey exploring lush tropical rainforests, scorching hot deserts, and evergreen coniferous forests. Our creative learners have brought these vibrant biomes to life with stunning mind maps and colourful drawings in their books!

In History, we have been navigating the powerful story of democracy and citizenship in South Africa. Our dedicated researchers have been hard at work designing eye-catching digital posters to share their amazing knowledge.

Watch This Space, we cannot wait to display our finished digital masterpieces in the next blog post. Stay tuned!

Grade 6 Science: 🌙 Exploring the Moon! 🌙

This week, our Grade 6 learners journeyed into space as we explored the phases of the Moon and discovered more about its fascinating features. 🌒🌓🌕🌗🌘

Learners investigated why the Moon appears to change shape throughout the month, explored its different phases, and learned about features found on its surface, including craters, mountains and valleys.

Grade 6 PBL

Our Grade 6’s are in the final stretch of our PBL activity about conflict and balance resolution. In ART we have been working tirelessly on our claymation characters, first learning how to create a skeleton using air drying clay and then learning how we use modelling clay to bring our character to life. The Grade 6’s created unique characters of all shapes and forms to tell the story. As we approach the finish line, our learners have started exploring how to work in groups to bring their story to life through stop motion and digital art. Here is a sneak peak into what they have been up to..

Grade sixes will be designing Mission Patches

Every mission to space has a unique mission patch - small emblem that tells the story of the mission in a single striking design. We invite all learners 12 years old and older to submit a mission patch design to the https://sarooibos.co.za/mission-patch-design-competition website. The winner of the competition will have the honour of having their design selected as the official Rooibos in Space mission patch and featured on campaign materials. There are also some great prizes for first, second and third prizes.

Eskom Regional Science Expo Results

🏆🔬 Congratulations to Our Young Scientists! 🔬🏆

A huge congratulations to all our learners who competed in the Eskom Regional Science Expo this week! 🌟 We are incredibly proud of the dedication, curiosity and hard work they showed throughout their projects.

Presenting their research and ideas on a regional platform was a fantastic achievement, and we are so proud of each learner for stepping outside their comfort zone, embracing the challenge and sharing their scientific thinking. 👏🧪

Well done to our young scientists. Your passion for discovery and innovation inspires us all! 🚀✨

Haydn

Silver &

Two Oceans Prize

Amara

Silver &

Two Oceans Prize

Suriya

Silver &

Biomedical Prize

& Living Maths Prize

Nkosinathi & Jakeem

Highly Commended

Lara

Gold &

Chemistry Prize

N'wayitelo

Silver &
Two Oceans Prize

Isabella & Keyaan

Gold &

Best in Category &

Best Environmental Project (SAEON special award)

GRADE 5 NEWS

What a week of learning and fun! In Maths, we cracked into chance and probability by exploring likelihoods through hands-on experiments, predictions, and games.

English had us acting out skits to showcase conflict and resolution, which kicked off our own creative writing focusing on those exact story elements.

In Afrikaans, we got hands-on building dioramas and designing scenes from our story. isiXhosa saw us sharpening our reading skills with "Umvundla ohlakaniphileyo" while gearing up for our own dioramas.

Makerspace was buzzing as we started designing weather instruments and exploring cool mechanisms.

In PSW, we flexed our design muscles making Water Warrior posters.

A huge well done to everyone who received their pen license this week—what an amazing week it was!

GRADE 4 NEWS

This week, our Grade 4 learners explored the invisible world of vibrations and sound waves. Through interactive experiments and class discussions, learners discovered that vibrations are rapid, back-and-forth shaking movements. Sound is energy created by these vibrations moving outward through air, water, and solid materials. Changing vibrations changes an instrument's volume and pitch. To put their knowledge into action, students created interactive digital projects in Keynote. Learners selected an instrument shape or sketched their own custom design. Next, they drew squiggly sound wave lines radiating outward to show how vibrating energy moves through the air. Finally, they tapped the record button to capture their own live audio effects, including booming drum thuds and plucked guitar notes. We had a total blast turning big science concepts into noise-making digital art. Be prepared for some enthusiastic sound-wave demonstrations and maybe a few homemade drum solos at home this weekend.

Grade 4 Science.mp4

CULTURE

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: 2026 SP Music Form

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.

LIBRARY

GREAT NEWS!

Everyone knows Greg Heffley, the intriguing character from the bestselling Diary of A Wimpy Kid series. A few years ago, author Jeff Kinney added three books from the perspective of Greg’s best friend, the endearing Rowley Jefferson. These included Spooky Stories, some silly scary tales from Rowley’s wild imagination. Now a second collection of Spooky Stories has arrived amid great excitement from the loyal fans. Half text, half illustrations, these shorter stories are great to tempt reluctant readers with, especially as they are as hilarious as the series that we’ve come to know and love. Look out for Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2! Suitable for brave readers ages 8 - 13.

BIRTHDAY BOOKS

Still in Wimpy Kid mode: thank you to Emilly for adding to our collection with The Third Wheel and Partypooper. Have a super birthday, Emilly!

SPORT

Senior Prep Sport | Full Steam Ahead! 🏑🏉🏐

What a week it has been!

We had a full house of fixtures across Hockey, Netball and Rugby, and we are showing no signs of slowing down! We head into another action-packed week with another full house of fixtures as we enter the final stretch of our Winter Sports Quarter.

There is plenty to look forward to as we begin planning our transition into Summer Sport. Our Summer Sports Switch takes place on 7 September, so keep your eyes peeled for all the information coming your way. 🌞🏏🏊‍♂️🎾

U12 Cricket Tour | Hermanus

We also have something very exciting on the horizon!

From 18–20 September, 12 of selected U12 Cricket learners will head off to Hermanus for an action-packed Cricket Tour. We're looking forward to a weekend of all-day cricket, team spirit, competition and plenty of memories.

It's a fantastic opportunity for our young cricketers to experience cricket away from home, challenge themselves against new opposition, and grow together as a team.

Secondary Derby Day

If you're free and available, why not pop into Somerset College today and tomorrow, 14–15 August, for the Secondary Derby Day?

It promises to be an incredible experience and a fantastic opportunity to support our wider Parklands sporting community.

As we enter the final weeks of Winter Sport, let's keep the energy high, support our teams, and finish the quarter strongly!

Full house. Full steam ahead. Let's go, Senior Prep! 💚🔥

Senior Prep Sport | Week That Was 🏉🏑🏐

Another action-packed week of Senior Prep sport is in the books, with our learners taking to the fields, courts and astro across Rugby, Netball and Hockey.

🏐 Netball

Our netballers took on Sunningdale and Curro, with some fantastic performances across the age groups.

U10A: 🏆 Won 6–3
Players of the Match: Isla & Rume

U10B: Lost 11–0
Players of the Match: Samantha & Emma

U11A: 🏆 Won 15–1
A fantastic whole-team performance!

U11B: Lost 7–1
Players of the Match: Ayo & Apple

U12A: Result lost 4-3
Player of the Match: Elise

U12B: Result lost 11-0
Player of the Match: Keisha

🏉 Rugby

U11 vs Pinehurst
A fantastic performance from our U11s saw them secure a 26–19 victory over Pinehurst.

Player of the Match: Hudson

U13 vs Pinehurst
Our U13s were also in action, losing 28-14
Player of the Match: Ray

🏑 Hockey

Our Hockey teams faced Sunningdale, with plenty of exciting action across the age groups.

U11 Boys: Won 3–0
Player of the Match: Zach

U11 Girls: Drew 2–2
Player of the Match: Delta

U10 Boys: Lost 11–0 Luke

U10 Girls: Lost 3-1
Player of the Match: Yara

U13 Boys: Lost 4–0
Player of the Match: Declan & Seb

U13 Girls: Lost 3-1
Player of the Match: Meera

A massive well done to all our learners who represented Parklands College this week. Results will always form part of sport, but the effort, courage, teamwork and willingness to keep improving are what make us proud.

Another week, another opportunity to get better. Let's keep going, Senior Prep! 💚🔥

WINTER QUARTER CO-CURRICULAR TIMETABLE

The timetable for the Winter Quarter is the same as the Autumn Quarter

Q3 2026 Co-curricular

Senior Preparatory Sports Uniform: 2026

Senior Preparatory 2026 Uniform requirements.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT

Friday Hockey Sports Hour

Please note, all Hockey learners will be transported to the Secondary Faculty for Hockey training on the astro at 13h15 - 14h30. All learners will be transported back to Parklands College Senior Prep - no learner will be permitted to be picked up from the Secondary campus.

EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS

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

External Achievements

Sport Quick Links

SPORTS INFO

TRAVEL CONSENT

EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS

SPORTS CALENDAR

OUTREACH 2026 - Stationery

Stationery Outreach - Drive Every Donation Makes a Difference

At Parklands College Preparatory, we believe that even the smallest act of kindness can make a meaningful impact. As part of our ongoing commitment to serving our wider community, we are launching a Stationery Outreach Drive to support a school in need.

We invite our families to donate new or gently used stationery that is still in good condition. Items such as pencils, pens, rulers, erasers, sharpeners, glue sticks, crayons, colouring pencils, and other school essentials can make a real difference in a learner's educational journey.

By giving unused stationery a new purpose, we can help equip young learners with the resources they need to thrive in the classroom while encouraging our own children to experience the joy of giving.

Donations can be sent to school until Friday, 4 September.

Thank you for supporting this initiative and for helping us make a positive difference, one stationery item at a time.

🧦 Funky Socks Day! 🌈

Get ready to brighten up our school with a splash of colour, creativity and fun! On Friday 11 September it is Funky Socks Day. Learners are invited to wear their funkiest, brightest and silliest socks with their PE uniform.

This special day is an opportunity to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and show our support for the important work being done to assist children and families affected by FASD. 💛

As part of our initiative, we will be supporting Home of Hope, helping contribute towards the incredible work they do in providing care, support and opportunities for children affected by FASD.

So, dig out those crazy stripes, colourful patterns, mismatched pairs and favourite funky socks, the funkier, the better! 🧦✨

Let’s have some fun, spread awareness and make a difference, one funky sock at a time! 💛🌈

R10 will be charged to the school account for each learner that takes part in aid of this worthy cause.

GENERAL

Drop off & collection

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.

Note Learner Attendance Policy

Aftercare

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.

Security & Car Stickers

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.

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.

Klikd Parent Information Session Recording

If you missed the Klikd Parent Information Session last week you can find the link to a recording here

Klikd in your Pocket: Parent Update Whatsapp Group

Join KLIKD in Your Pocket - a weekly bite-sized update on what’s trending in your child’s online world.

This WhatsApp broadcast group delivers practical, no-fluff insights on topics like:

🎮 Managing devices during playdates and sleepovers

👀 Accidental pornography pop-ups

🎰 Live gambling features on Roblox (yes, really!)

Each week, you’ll also get 4–5 conversation starters to use at dinner, in the car, or while shopping for that “perfect” hoodie — helping you stay connected and informed.

🟢 No group chat, no noise — just super helpful info.

📸 Scan the QR code or tap the link to join:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/H6zTS0hHpaIIHF2G5PigPq?mode=gi_t

iSTORE PARENT PURCHASE PROGRAMME

C6371_Q4'26_iSE_Parents_Schoolflyer.pdf

PARENT WORKSHOP - CHAOS TO CALM

Chaos to Calm : Co-parenting Through Your Child’s Eyes for PARENTS

When parents are caught up in the conflict of separation and divorce, it can be difficult to step back and see what the experience is like for the child.

What does your child hear?
What are they carrying?
What do they need from you?
This is a child-focused workshop looking at the impact of high-conflict co-parenting and practical ways parents can support their children.

We’ll explore:

How children experience parental conflict.
Signs that your child may be struggling. How to help children feel safe and secure.
How to keep children out of the middle.
Supporting your child's relationship with both parents.

20 August

Online workshop R700

www.janetbytheway.co.za

Quick Links

UNIFORM

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

SCHOOL HOURS

Lost Property

Please help us by checking that all the items that your child brings home actually belong to them. If they come home with someone else's 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.

MEDICATIONS AND IMMUNISATIONS

Should your child have a medical condition/ allergy /require prescribed medication to be administered, please e-mail Meagan Petersen on mpetersen@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.

HPV Vaccination

The HPV vaccination is available for teenagers at most clinics. This is an important opportunity to protect young people against HPV-related diseases, and we encourage parents to speak to their healthcare provider or visit their local clinic for more information.

Immunisation_schedule.pdf

Immunisations2.pdf

CALENDAR AND EVENTS

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)