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NEWSLETTER 05 AUGUST 2023
FROM THE HEAD'S DESK - MRS CAROLINE ANDERSON “A child only educated at school is an uneducated child.” – George Stanayana Schools are not only places where children learn academic skills, but also where they develop social, emotional, and behavioral competencies. To foster these outcomes, schools need to collaborate with parents and families, who play a crucial role in their children’s education and well-being. Parental support can take many forms, such as: - Communicating regularly with teachers and school staff about their children’s progress, strengths, and challenges
- Providing a positive and stimulating home environment that encourages learning and curiosity
- Helping their children with homework and assignments, or finding appropriate resources and assistance
- Volunteering at school events or activities such a baker sales and fundraising activities
- Volunteering for committees or positions such as class mom which are vital to assist teachers and other parents
- Advocating for their children’s needs and interests at school and in the community
Parental support can benefit schools and families in many ways, such as: - Improving student achievement, behaviour and motivation
- Reducing student absenteeism rates – each day missed is 10 lessons of education
- Strengthening the school culture that benefits all families
- Increasing their knowledge and confidence about their children’s education
- Developing positive relationships with teachers and school staff
- Gaining access to information and resources that can help them support their children’s learning and development
- Feeling more connected and involved in their children’s school and community
Parental support is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires flexibility, respect, and collaboration from both schools and families. Parental support is not a luxury, but a necessity for schools. It can make a significant difference in the quality and outcomes of education for both students and teachers. By working together, schools and families can create a positive and supportive learning environment for all children. Speaking for the staff, we would like to say a big Thank you! to all the parents that support is in so many ways. Whether helping with sporting lifts, concert costumes, class messages or your child’s homework…you are amazing and we are truly grateful. |
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Grade 1-3 News (Mrs. Kopke)
The focus for the second part of term 2 has been helping others. The fire department gave us a demonstration about what to do if there was a fire and how to operate their equipment. We also had Mandela Day where we wrapped and packaged biscuits to deliver to the people in the community who supplied a service. The Foundation Phase created a ‘Mandela puzzle’ together as a collaborative learning exercise. Each child coloured in a piece and we put it all together. The grade 1’s have been learning more about the changes which occur in the environment as we move from one season to the next. They did some creative winter wonderland pictures and enjoyed making their own hot chocolate to keep them warm during the very cold winter. During Afrikaans lessons they had fun learning new vocabulary as they made their own cheese and jam sandwiches, which of course tastes so much better when made by themselves. They have also been exploring capacity and measuring liquids, and soon realized that to measure accurately you have to slow down and pour carefully! The Grade 2’s spent a busy time packaging biscuits and trying to apply the ‘character counts’ for this term- respect and kindness. They also spoke about superheroes on Mandela Day as Mandela was our greatest superhero. They discussed the growth mindsets of never giving up and accepting challenges- just as Mandela did. They dressed up for superhero day where they decided on who their superhero is, their super power, side-kick and their ‘job’ as a superhero. Many of the children had creative ideas when they dressed up for ópposite’ day. They became very confused when trying to speak in opposites like – ‘don’t open your book, I don’t want to go to the toilet and talk all day’. They also made their own terrariums with spekboom and watched how the plants watered themselves. In the classroom, the Grade 2’s learnt about data handling, money and capacity and they started reading Afrikaans books during Afrikaans. As part of our lifeskills curriculum, the Grade 3 class had a very relaxed and informative discussion with Tamacin McLellan-Coetzee, a Child and Family Therapist. The children really responded well and we were given guidance and information about the following: How to identify safe people to ask for information. Personal safety – online vs reality What is appropriate language as words can hurt? We made colourful posters to remind us of to ask ourselves the following before we speak. THINK T – is it true H – is it helpful I – is it inspiring N – is it necessary K – is it kind The Grade 3s have been very busy learning new concepts in mathematics and are enjoying reading the Afrikaans books every day. They have all improved their marks in the weekly quiz and they are enjoying their different Art activities. We did black and white geometric art on our opposite day.
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ECD News (Teacher Dom)
Wow! This term has gone by like a flash, and we have had so much fun. From the visit of the towns brave super hero firefighters, to our exciting hay day farm festival; we’ve created loads of beautiful memories. With the end of this term, it is with a heavy heart that we unfortunately have to say goodbye to our much loved and wonderful teacher Karen. We wish her all the best moving forward and thank her for being that special teacher that has played such a big role in many children’s lives. Thank you to our moms and dads for all the continued support and we can’t wait to welcome you back next term for more ECD adventures. Much love, from the Bumblebees, Ladybirds, Caterpillars, Dragonflies and Busy bees!
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Farewell to Teacher Karen (Teacher Eva)
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As you bid farewell to our little school, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for the love, care and nurturing you have provided to our little ones over the years. Your dedication to their growth and development has been truly remarkable, creating a nurturing and enriching environment for them to flourish. The impact of your kindness and guidance will forever be etched in their hearts and minds. As you begin your ell deserved retirement, may you find joy in the memories you’ve created with our young learners and embrace the excitement of this new phase in your life. Your influence will be cherished, and we wish you a fulfilling and joyous retirement ahead!
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MUSIC NEWS (Mrs. Brown)
After months of practice, the Senior phase children finally had their chance to shine on stage! Their concert, Mother Duck and the Golden Goose was the highlight of the year! The kids were involved in all aspects of their concert. Adding their own dialogue to the script, painting props, creating costumes etc etc. I would like to thank all of the Senior Phase children for their hard work during this time. They all did extremely well and had the utmost confidence on stage. A huge thank you to the Links who let us use the beautiful venue, a perfect setting for a Fairytale story. And off course all the staff and parents who were involved in this production. It takes months of preparation and I couldn’t have done it without all the assistance. Mr James Gibbs took lovely behind the scenes photos which will soon be available to purchase from his website. Looking forward to another eventful upcoming term where it will be the Grade 1 – 3s time to shine during our choir evening. More details to follow.
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Chess Report – since Half-Term
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The final SBDCU invitational tournament took place on the 28/29 July 2023. Twelve of our St Francis College children qualified to participate. Of the twelve, ten were able to participate and all ten of our children were selected for the Sarah Baartman District Chess team.
u/10 - Taurin Marais u/12 girls – Tayla Watson u/12 boys – Damon Stancheva and Chen Wang (Chen came 1st and Damon 2nd on the day) u/14 A boys – Sean Watson and Gabriel Pearton (Sean came 2nd on the day) u/14 B boys – Riley Wilson, Conor Howell and Robson Pacule u/14 B reserve – Tinashe Phiri Our chess players will do battle in the EC Champs in October for selection in the Eastern Province Team. We are so proud of our chess players! Interhouse Chess Champs and Individual Chess Champs will take place at school in the 3rd Term.
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WELCOME - MR. DILLON
Welcome to Mr. Ross Dillon who has joined our senior phase teaching team this month.
Mr. Dillon is an experienced intermediate and Phys. Ed Teacher.
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WELCOME - MRS. DILLON
Welcome also to Mrs. Amy Dillon who will be joining our Library department and taking Library lessons for all our children from ECD up to senior phase.
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WELCOME - TEACHER SHERRY
Welcome Sherry-Lee Turner, also known as 'Teacher Sherry' to our little Bumble Bees from Term 3.
Sherry has already spent some time getting to know her new class and is looking forward to a fun filled term ahead!
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TERM 3 CALENDAR DATES 2023
Tuesday 5 Sept Term 3 Commences
Wednesday 6 Sept Teacher Sherry's Birthday (Bumble Bee)
Monday 18 Sept Teacher Dom's Birthday (Grade 00)
Monday 25 Sept Public Holiday (School Closed)
Thursday 28 Sept Junior Choir Evening - Grade 1-3
Saturday 30 Sept Cupcakes for Cancer Grade 6 & 7
Friday 6 Oct Mrs. de Beer's Birthday (Grade 3)
Saturday 6 Oct Teacher Shona's Birthday (Ladybird)
Thursday 12 Oct Half term commences after school day. 1pm
Friday 22 Oct Half Term (School Closed)
Monday 16 Oct Half Term (School Closed)
Tuesday 17 Oct School re-opens
Thursday 19 Oct Grade 7 Otter Challenge
Monday 23 Oct Books 2 You book fair
Tuesday 24 Oct Books 2 You book fair
Wednesday 1 Nov Grade 5 Wilderness Camp
Friday 3 Nov Grade 5 return from camp
Monday 6 Nov Grade 7 Exams commence
Saturday 11 Nov MTB Race (Boshkloof Farm Trails)
Thursday 16 Nov Grade 1-3 school camp (TBC)
Monday 27 Nov Senior phase exams finish
Thursday 30 Nov Grade 4 camp
Friday 1 Dec PTA Christmas Market and Barn Dance
Wednesday 6 Dec Term End
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Term 3 Extra Mural Timetable
Our Term 3 extra mural timetable can be found under Resources on the D6 Communicator App and also attached to this newsletter.
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SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS - HOW TO PLACE YOUR ORDER
It's that time of year again for the St Francis College school photos with James Gibbs Studio. This year there is the option to purchase digital downloads. You'll also have the opportunity to see all the photos taken and make selects of the ones you want to buy and/or download. All images are categorised per grade, numbered in sequence, and uploaded to a password-protected gallery that parents can view and then add the image numbers they want to be printed to the order form. The link and password details have been emailed to all parents in a separate email. |
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THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN (Catherine Kilroe-Smith)
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The Butterfly Garden has flourished with all the rain and looks lush and bountiful. Pop your head in and see for yourself! The end of the second term is an exciting period for us. It’s competition time and each of the three grades present the gardens that they have designed, planted and nurtured over the last few months to a panel of judges. They spend months with this garden and watch as it slowly grows into what they envisaged. Each class decides on a theme and gives their garden a name. They choose a diverse variety of plants that tie in with this idea, making sure that each plant is utilised appropriately. When designing the layout of their garden, they can also include non-plant materials such as rocks, tepees or trellises to enhance their theme. Every now and then we even find a garden gnome. On the day of the competition, the judges look at the health of the plants, the visual impact of the garden and how well the members of the garden can talk about their garden. It’s important that they can explain how the plants tie to their theme. Their enthusiasm and sense of ownership of the garden is also noted. It’s always a tough decision for the judges as each garden is beautiful in its own way. This year the Grade 4’s did a Survival Garden and the Grade 5’s a Heart of Nature Garden. The winning garden this year was the Mind, Body & Soul Garden presented by the Grade 6’s. Congratulations to all our young gardeners and a special thank you to our friend of the garden, John Davies, for once again being a judge.
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PTA NEWS (Cally Gibbs)
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The PTA committee was especially grateful for a ‘mostly’ dry day on Saturday 29 July and a very responsive turn out for our annual Golf Day. The golf day was held at our local St Francis Bay Golf Club and the event brought out our wonderfully supportive and committed golfers, families, donors and sponsors to make the day a success. We were especially impressed by all our junior and mini golfers who really seemed to enjoy the golfing challenges set for them. Well done to all the golfers, prize winners, hard working parents golfing kids who took part. A huge thank you to our unbelievably, generous sponsors and prize donors. Special thanks to these amazing PTA Moms; Lee Liezel, Tracy and Kerryn. Our Character Counts trait for term 3 was, ‘Respect’ and aside from learning more about the concept and engaging in discussions, each class was given a BINGO sheet of respectful acts to try to complete as a group. Here is what some of the children had to say…
"Respect is Kindness"
"Everyone matters"
"Taking care"
"Helping people"
"Not laughing when someone makes a mistake"
"Using nice words"
"Being conscious of what we do". Up next….. CHRISTMAS IN THE BARN! We are excited to being planning our last event of the year, taking place next term. We will see the combining of the annual school Christmas Market and the Otter Barn Dance. Look out for details soon. Thank you for your continued support Cally Gibbs PTA Chair
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ST FRANCIS STREET STORE
Huge thank you to everyone for their amazing clothing donations for the St Francis Street Store. Troy Harpur's mom, Sam, is organising a Street Store near the end of this month. The store will give those less fortunate the opportunity to choose some new items of clothing. Thank you!
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AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
04 August Rosalie Hallam
08 August Olivia Dunstan
12 August Sadie Hallam
13 August Mrs. Miller
13 August Mrs. Kotzé
13 August Emily-Ann Dippennaar
18 August Sandy (Goundsman)
21 August Mrs. Knezovich
26 August Annie Mofu
28 August Lexi Rabie
30 August Madison Klinkert
30 August Indiah van der Zwan
30 August Owen Garden
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SEPTMEBER BIRTHDAYS
01 Sept Azaira Batucan
04 Sept Teacher Sherry
10 Sept Evie Nel
12 Sept Sean Watson
14 Sept Max Dubbleman
18 Sept Teacher Dom
21 Sept Jasmine Doyle
24 Sept Coach Matt
26 Sept Mr. van Tonder
27 Sept Juley Launspach
27 Sept Hannah Glass
30 Sept Daniel Drysdale
30 Sept Coco George
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OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
02 Oct Nina van As
03 Oct Hannah Potgieter
04 Oct Skylar Strydom
06 Oct Mrs. de Beer
07 Oct Teacher Shona
07 Oct Rory Nel
07 Oct Africa Mphyatshirema
09 Oct Danielle Browers
10 Oct Kolohe Harding
11 Oct Emily Garden
17 Oct Abel Berry
18 Oct Mia Bouchaud
18 Oct Attallia Godfrey
22 Oct Ezekiel Martiens
24 Oct James Torode
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R1000 SPAR SHOPPING VOUCHERS UP FOR GRABS EACH MONTH!
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THANK YOU to our local SUPERSPAR for continuing to sponsor a R1000 prize every month.
Congratulations to the following winners
July Draw won by Janet Campbell
August Draw won by Paul Heinamann
If you would like to enter into the monthly draw for just R50 per month please inform the office on info@stfranciscollege.co.za
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