NEWSLETTER 23 JUNE 2023

Grade 1-3 News (Mrs. Kopke)

The Foundation Phase started the second term with a celebration of Mother’s Day. The ECD, Grade 1 and 2’s said poems to their moms and sang songs. Then we all were taught a hiphop dance routine. The moms then were given coffee and a muffin. The rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm or the excitement.

This has had a very busy term learning new things and exploring the surrounding environment. We welcomed Mrs. De Beer in Grade 3. She relocated here from Pretoria but is familiar with the area as she holidayed here for many years and we are very excited to have her onboard.

One of the themes for Grade 1 this term has been the farm, and what better way to reinforce this learning but by taking the children out of the classroom and give them the opportunity to get up close to farm animals at Homeleigh farmyard near Port Elizabeth. We started off the morning by having a tractor ride around the farm and then it was time to look at all the animals. Daniella gave us a wonderful tour around the farm sharing many interesting bits of information about each animal. The children were very excited to have some of the animals eating out of their hands. Some were even brave enough to have the ostrich eat corn from their heads. We had a wonderful morning of learning and fun.

The Grade 2’s learnt more about their 5 senses by identifying sounds by listening, items by feeling, food by tasting and smells by smelling. We then went to visit the animal sanctuary, African Dawn as part of our Jungle theme where we were entertained by many talking parrots and other birds. We saw cheetahs, crocodiles and pythons up close and spoke to a very tame nyala buck. The animal sanctuary is worth a visit as it does an amazing job rehabilitating many different kinds of animals.

The Grade 3’s welcomed their new teacher and had an exciting excursion up the lighthouse at Seal Point. They were very lucky to have perfect weather and were treated to hot chocolate at the restaurant ‘Never Mind’ as a special treat. They recorded their experiences when they got back to school. The following was written by two of the Grade 3’s.

Chess – 2nd Term up until June 15 (Mrs. Slabbert)

During the April holidays saw a few of our children taking part in the 2nd round of the SBDCU District team Trials. Conor Howell came 6th in the U13, Sean Watson 10th and Damon Stantcheva came 8th in the U11. The 3rd round is due to be played on the 24th June

Early in May St Francis College sent a team of 5 players to the Paul Sauer Team Chess Tournament in Kareedouw and Gabriel Pearton, Conor Howell, Sean Watson, Francis Sacks and Damon Stantcheva made us proud by winning the whole event.

During the term, normal weekly Chess League matches continued. The league will wrap up at the end of July.

Next term sees our players do battle against each other as they vie for the coveted Chess Championship Trophy. An interhouse event will also take place in the 3rd Term. May the best King remain standing.

Sport News (Mr. Van Tonder)

So far this term we have scheduled matches with Woodridge, Jbay Academy, Jbay Primary and St Francis Football Club.

Unfortunately the Derby day at Woodridge was rained out.

The boys U11 and U13 teams played an exciting game of soccer against Jbay Primary and won 1 out of 2 games. 

They also played a tough match against the St Francis Football club U11 and U13 teams and won 1 out of 2 games.

The girls U11 and U13 teams played netball against Jbay Primary and lost both games, but gained a lot of experience. 

Interhouse sport matches will take place after half term due to the weather we have experienced during exam time.

We are also currently arranging a Derby day with Hermitage House for Tuesday the 1st of August. This will take place during the school day and will include hockey, netball and soccer.

ECD News  (Teacher Shona)

It has been a fun-filled half term for the ECD, celebrating our wonderful moms and dads with an up-beat hip-hop demonstrations and a memory-making adventure walk around the farm. Learning was super fun in the ECD the last few weeks and our Bumblebees, Ladybirds, Caterpillars, Busy bees and Dragonflies were treated to a variety of exciting experiences and interesting talks. From dressing up for Bee Day and an interactive talk by Mrs Webb on the importance of bees, to farm outings and learning to make breakfast, our children have had a blast. We can’t wait for more fun and adventure learning in the second half of the term. Happy half-term to all.

Garden News (Catherine Kilroe-Smith)

If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden. – Robert Brault

The second term began with a bang and a successful “Movie Night” fundraiser. The kids cuddled up and watched ET together while enjoying pizza, hot chocolate and popcorn. Thanks to all who supported us and our merry band of parent helpers. The funds will go towards an irrigation system for the garden, seedings and possibly a work bench.

All this lovely rain has been wonderful for the garden and the grade beds are looking fabulous. The Grade 4’s have decided on a Survival Garden, the Grade 5’s a Heart Garden and the Grade 6’s a Mind, Body and Soul Garden. Watch this space for the winners at the end of the term!

We are also grateful to a group of parents and grandparents who spent their Saturday morning in the garden helping us clean up beds, get rid of ant nests, put up shelving in the shed, fix the garden gate and add a covering for our patio. It felt so good to see things evolve.

Some of the proceeds from our harvest sales have gone to buying seedlings to plant as individual herb pots for our families. Once we have got them flourishing, we will let you know how you can purchase one for your families.

As always, we are grateful to all those who support our garden. Thank you. Seeing how the children come to life in the garden and embrace getting dirt under their nails is indeed special.

TERM 2 CALENDAR DATES 2023

Friday 23 June                         Half Term Commences - after school day 1pm
Friday 23 June                         Grade 1 Baker day
Monday 3 July                          School re opens after half term break
Friday 7 July                             Senior Phase Fundraiser (in place of Baker day)
Friday 14 July                           Grade 0 Baker day
Friday 14 July                           Grade 4-7 Social (Grade 6 fundraiser) 6-8pm
Monday 17 July                        School Photographs
Tuesday 18 July                       Mandela Day
Thursday 20 July                      ECD Mini Olympics
Friday 21 July                           Inter House Cross Country Grade 1 to 7. 11am-1pm
Friday 21 July                           Grade 00 Baker day
Monday 24 July                        School Photographs
Thursday 27 July                      Senior Phase Concert (Grade 4 to 7) St Francis Links 
Friday 28 July                           Ladybird & Bumble Bee Baker day
Saturday 29 July                       Golf Day - Village Golf Club
Monday 31 July                        School Photographs 
Monday 31 July                        Mussel Cracker Day Grade 1 - 7
Tuesday 1 August                     Derby Day with Hermitage House (A)
                                                   U9, U11, U13 hockey, netball and soccer
Friday 4 August                         Grade 7 EMS Market Day 
Friday 4 August                         School's Birthday (18 Years!) 
Tuesday 8 August                     End of Term

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