Congratulations to all of our swimmers who swam so well at our Inter House Gala.  Well done to Red Roman for being the winning house and thank you to River Club for hosting our senior gala.

The Grade 6s have been extremely busy this month selling Valentine raffle tickets 💌 and friendship hearts ❤. And many hours were spent making, painting and crafting beautiful homemade items for the Grade 6 Valentines Day Market. The market was a huge success and the Grade 6s are truly grateful to all those who supported them in their fundraising drive for their end of year Grade 6 tour to Plett.  Congratulations to Danielle Brower's cousin, Mea-Kyle for winning the raffle.

The Grade 6s on Monday this week had a wonderful opportunity of visiting Stone Ridge Farm on the Oyster Bay Rd as part of their gardening programme. Stone Ridge farm prides itself on utilising a holistic and earth conscious approach to cultivating, growing and delivering their organic produce. John Davies the owner of the farm was awe inspiring as he imparted his farming knowledge and experience onto the eager Grade 6s. It was incredible to see all the diverse vegetables, herbs and fruit trees that have been cultivated and organically grown. John also explained and showed us the process of making good organic soil and compost to ensure plants are well nourished and have the best chance of doing well. Thank you John Davies and Bonny Torode for your time in organising and presenting such an interesting excursion which was right on our doorstep. ‎ 

St Francis College hosted Graslaagte from Humansdorp for an "opens" soccer match including boy and girl players from grade 3-7. 

The match was enjoyed by both sides. St Francis College had a few good attempts but it was Graslaagte that took the win with 3 goals to nil. 

We look forward to our next match at Jbay Academy on the 28th of February. 

We welcomed 25 Grade 1’s, 20 Grade 2’s and 18 Grade 3’s into our foundation phase this year. With such a large enrollment in Grade 1, it was decided to split the class and Mrs.Jen De Beer stepped with her extensive Grade 1 experience to become our second Grade 1 teacher with Mrs. Caroline Boshoff. Grade 2 then moved to the previous hall, which was bigger, to accommodate the 20 pupils. Our new Grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Rae Mosdell remained in the Grade 3 classroom which was repainted and remodeled. 

We also welcomed 8 student teachers, 6 of which were from Stellenbosch, to observe in our Foundation Phase. Miss Lianke Nel joined us from Grahamstown and she is studying through Unisa. She will be with us for the year and is helping in Grade 2 as well as Grade 1 computers and Phys Ed and Grade 3 Art. Miss Sydney Elliott has returned to do her final year teaching practice and will be with us for 6 weeks.

It has been wonderful to see the excitement as the Grade 1’s arrive each morning ready to face new learning challenges. They have settled in well and have adapted easily to the more formal routine.  They enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day by dressing in red, white and pink civvies and doing some shopping at the Grade 6 market. They are learning all about the value of money and taking responsibility as they begin to make their own choices. 

The grade 2’s settled in very well to their new environment and have enjoyed the space in their new classroom. They are coping well with the new Oxford Reading Tree reading books, and have extended their knowledge of maths and phonics. They used their creativity in Art pictures by using different materials, textures and techniques. 

The grade 3’s are settling in well and are very excited to be considered the seniors of the Foundation Phase. They eagerly undertook this role recently by pairing up with one or two Grade 1’s in order to read them a story. They are looking forward to doing this again in the near future. They are already learning a few new mathematical procedures, grammatical structures and phonetic rules, and it is so exciting to see them all so enthusiastic about learning. 

Love filled the air on Valentine's Day, and health took the spotlight with Lana Pepler sharing valuable lessons on well-being. Now, let's dive into the excitement of our fantastic water day!

Imaginations soared as our little ones leaped through jumping castles, slid down slip and slides, and giggled amidst a sea of bubbles. It was a day filled with laughter, joy, and unforgettable moments that added an extra splash of excitement to our already fantastic year.

As we embark on the mid-term break, we're bubbling with anticipation to see those smiling faces again on Tuesday! Love from the ECD team. 

With the new year in full swing, we have some exciting (FUN)draisers lined up. The PTA's 1st fundraiser is the Easter Raffle, with the draw taking place on 25 March 2024 for 7 amazing prizes up for grabs. Details will be sent out soon!

We are also gearing up for our set annual SFC Golf Day on 1 June 2024, and the Barn Dance in October 2024.

There are some other ideas in the pipeline which we are very excited about.

I would also like to call on anyone who feel they would like to join the PTA. We are an amazing, though small, group of moms and dads. It is very fulfilling to see the PTA's handiwork go to good use for the school and our children. You are welcome to contact Lee on 0721991233.