NEWSLETTER 24 JUNE 2022

Chess News (Mrs. Slabbert)

The start of the first term is usually quiet on the chess front, while children play their way up the ladder at school.

In February we had our first SBDCU (Sara Baartman District Chess Union) chess tournament. 12 St Francis College pupils entered.

Cade Klinkert won his category.

The next tournament in May, Cade was invited to play in the higher category and was unlucky to not get a podium finish. However, one of the younger players, James Reid, was placed 3rd in his category.

Cade Klinkert, Ryan Marais and Troy Kennedy qualified to take part in the chess trials at Stulting for the Winter Games in East London. Cade made it through to the second round in Jbay where he went on to achieve top 6. He then participated in the Winter Games on the 3rd/4th June in East London and was very unlucky to achieve 7th place as he played exceptionally good chess. They only take the top 6 players.

The following SBDCU tournament is on the 25 June and is open to all age groups. I am hoping for a good SFC turnout.

In the meantime, Chess League started in the second term and has been in full swing on a Wednesday afternoon. We have played Kruisfontein Primary (we won), Stulting Primary (we lost), King’s College (we lost), this coming Wednesday we play Victory Christian School. We play 9 schools in the league two schools have postponed due to covid or exams which we will catch up when we can. League comes to an end at the end of the term.

All the children who play for St Francis College have been registered as ChessSA rated players. These ratings change as they win and lose.

Third term will see the Chess Championships been played to see who wins the coveted trophy of top chess player at SFC.

Foundation Phase Grade 1 (Mrs. Webb)

The Grade 1 class have managed to fit extra exciting days into our busy academic schedule this term.  Amongst those were, having moms and dads at school for their special days, activities celebrating Bee Week, where the children learnt about the value of bees and how we can learn from their social setup and hard work ethic.  The highlight being our excursion to Holmeleigh Farmyard. The children were in their element when they were allowed to feed and stroke the animals.  This close up contact with the animals found the children squealing with delight as the animals nuzzled them, all vying for attention.  We ended on a high note by being taken on a tractor ride through the fields.

Grade 0 Class (Teacher Eva)

What a wonderfully busy second term we have had in the busy bee class full of fun, excitement, outings and plenty of fruitful learning.  This term has been full of exciting themes which has led us to explore both farm and wild animals, bees and so much more.  We have enjoyed talks from an expert bee keeper, a clever farmer, an experienced dairy farmer, a horse lover, an aqua ponies specialist and a passionate worm keeper. These have all been wonderful experiences for the children who have been inspired by the work of these instrumental community members.

The children have learnt so much through these wonderful excursions, whilst at the same time they have enjoyed unique experiences and of course had lots of hands on learning.  We were so privileged to enjoy a trip to Mila’s family dairy farm just outside Humansdorp, where we met the jersey cows, were given an exciting tour of the dairy, fed the newly born calf’s, experienced the milking process and given a detailed talk on the day and the life of a dairy farmer.  We were then invited to picnic in the beautiful family garden where on arrival we were met by a blazing fire, where the aroma of delicious wors filled the air.  The children were delighted by the beautiful forest fairy garden and treasured the time their meandering among the lavender, climbing the trees and hiding in the fairy garden.  We would like to offer a huge thank you to the Meyer family for hosting such a wonderful learning experience for our class.

Dragonfly Class - What a Wonderful World! (Teacher Rae)

Making sense of our world through meaningful engagement, play and experimentation is a focal aim of our Dragonfly class learning.  Our little class has grown this term, and I am pleased to say that our new Dragonfly friends are settling in to our routine, making new friends and enjoying being valued members of our class.

It has been lovely watching little personalities blossom and each child’s special sense of humour emerge, not to mention the development of gross motor, fine motor, cognitive and social skills.

Every challenge set before these kiddies, has been met with great glee, spontaneity and with a sense of anticipation, and these amazing children have made me truly proud.  The most special moments have been when I have witnessed my children showing one another appreciation, respect, compassion and kindness, and when all are learning to celebrate each other’s victories no matter how big or small they may be.

Over this term, we have celebrated special relationships and made pot plants for our Mums, and braai starter kits for our Dads.  Themes covered were:  Farming, where we learnt about different forms of farming, culminating in a visit to Teacher Shona’s family farm.  We also learnt about bees and bee farming, and we were treated to an interesting talk and demonstration by “The bee man, Marc Hanekom and his able assistant, Zack.  We also had a theme on wild animals where we learnt the following: animals indigenous to St Francis Bay, nocturnal and diurnal animals, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, the big 5, and the ugly 5.  Just before the mid-term break, we began a theme on transport.

It has been a really busy and frenetic-yet-successful term, and my children and I have been blessed to be a part of this amazing school, St Francis College.

Grade 00 (Teacher Caroline)

This term the Grade 00s have been exploring the farm, animals and transport, and what better way to learn than to have the experience of a tractor ride around the farm. Farmer Rob gave us a short talk about the animals on his farm and then we were all treated to a tractor ride to see the animals. There was much excitement as we climbed aboard the trailer and set off around the farm.

A trip like this is a great way to strengthen observation skills and expand the children’s awareness of their surroundings. It also provides every child with real-world experiences which contributes to their understanding of how the world works. It is so wonderful that we are able to access this kind of environment every day and we would like to thank Farmer Rob for a memorable experience!

Ladybird Class (Teacher Shona)

We have had a fun filled second term thus far in the Ladybird class.  Amongst a variety of learning themes, our class thoroughly enjoyed learning about healthy vegetables.  We discussed our favourite varieties, how they look, when they grow best and how to grow and care for our vegetable patch.  The children had a taste-testing activity where we cut up some carrots, Chinese cabbage, red pepper and cucumber, looking at the seeds and then tasting the delicious treats.  We look forward to more exciting learning after our half term break.

Bumble Bee Class (Teacher Karen)

Last Friday we were given a wonderful opportunity to learn about the farm on which we are fortunate enough to have our school on.

Rob Parker, who owns Boschkloof Farm with his brother James Parker, gave us an interesting talk about the ins and outs of the running of his farm and the animals that are bred here.

We then clambered onto a trailer pulled by a beautiful green tractor and set off on a trip around the farm. The children were excited to be shown bulls, cows, calves and sheep. They returned happy and with a new awareness of their surroundings.

Butterfly Class (Teacher Dom)

Our Butterflies have been getting to know all of the animals in the wild and the sounds that they make!  From a slithering snack....ssssss to a roaring Lion, a striped Zebra and a thumping, trumpeting Ellie!  They have loved getting creative with their art work during this theme. 

Music News (Mrs Brown)

Term 2 was filled with lots of excitement in the music and drama department. 

Our annual talent show was held on the 26th May.  All the participants entertained us with their singing, dancing, magic, poetry, art and photography. The evening was enjoyed by all and the venue was packed!  I would like to thank the Cape St Francis Resort for allowing us to use their venue and amenities.

All the grades have taken part in fun drama and music activities during this term.  We played on percussion instruments, musical games and dress-up activities.  Also fairy tale story-telling and learning about theatre and the arts. We now have a puppet show stand, so the children will be treated to shows during certain assembly days, presented by the Grade 4 – 7 classes.

The grade 0 – 3 classes have also been hard at work practicing for our upcoming production which will take place in October 2022.  We are looking forward to this as we haven’t had a school concert since 2019 due to covid.

Our school has also been invited to partake in the upcoming Stulting Arts Festival in August.  Children who have entered will be singing, playing an instrument or submitting their beautiful Art pieces.

So, as you can see, it has been an eventful second term so far.  I’m looking forward to the next stretch with the children.

“The fact that children can make beautiful music is less significant than the fact that music can make beautiful children”

Natasha Brown
Music Teacher

Where did the funds go?

SEWING THE SEEDS (Saskia Boonzaier & Bonny Torode)

These past weeks have just flown by and if you take a moment to peek your head around the school garden gate, you will see just how busy the kids have been. The garden has been transformed into a productive, colourful and vibrant space. New seedlings, new paint work and newly energised gardeners!

We jumped straight into the how’s and why’s of harvesting, weeding, watering and worm care after the holidays, and even brought some maths into the outdoor classroom. The kids learnt how to put an economic value on their plants and discussed how to budget accordingly for their themed gardens. They now know how much their spinach is actually worth!

Mike ‘the Knot Man” enthralled the kids with his knowledge of ropework, showing them how to construct and safely secure trellises and other structures in their themed gardens. This, together with their individually painted fences and intricately designed pathways, has taken their gardens to the next level.

World Bee Week was a huge success, with topics such as bee anatomy and division of hive labour captivating the kids. Marc, our local beekeeper, showed how a smoker works and explained the how to harvest honey. In the upcoming weeks specific bee attracting flowers will be planted to provide a welcome spot for foraging bees.

And lastly some fun was had naming and decorating potatoes before planting them in a variety of ‘homes’. Hopefully by the end of the year there will be enough new potatoes to make some chips!

The garden club has also been busy learning about home-made natural insecticides and general tree maintenance in the greater school grounds. The rain did not even stop the budding gardeners and a beautiful tree collage was created in the classroom. They have also harvested greens for their curb side veggie-sales. All proceeds from these go straight back into the garden kitty. If you would like to harvest your own bunch of greens, please do so and drop off some cash (or equivalent in garden goodies) with Lucy.

Thank you to everyone that has helped make this half term a successfully green one!

Enjoy the holidays,

Saskia & Bonny

CALENDAR DATES 2022

Friday 24 June                        Start of half term (after end of school day)
Tuesday 5 July                        School re opens after half term
Friday 8 July                            Baker Day Grade 00
Monday 11 July                      Sustainable Seas Representatives visit St Francis College
Wednesday 13 July                 St Andrews College Band visit Grade 0 to 7 12-1pm
Friday 15 July                          Baker Day Ladybird Class
Friday 22 July                         Baker Day Bumble Bee & Butterfly Class
Tuesday 26 July                     Grade 3 Outing 
Wednesday 27 July                Grade 7 fundraiser - Hot Choc & Pj Day R20 (all grades)
Thursday 28 July                    ECD Concert Dress Rehearsal
Friday 29 July                         ECD Concert - 10am in the School Barn
Friday 29 July                         PTA Barn Dance (family evening fundraiser)
Friday 29 July                         Baker Day Grade 7
Monday 1 August                    Grade 4 ‘Join your child in the garden’ 8am to 8:15am   
Monday 1 August                   Stulting Arts Festival (1st to 4th August)
Tuesday 2 August                  Grade 5 & 6 ‘Join your child in the garden’ 8am to 8:15am
Tuesday 2 August                   Grade 4 to 7 Worm Bin Judging 8:45am
Wednesday 3 August              School Birthday
Wednesday 3 August              Grade 7 Entrepreneur Day / Market Day
Thursday 4 August                  End of Term 2 (after end of school day) ECD finish 11am 
                                                Grade 1 to 3 finish 11:15.  Grade 4 to 7 finish 11:30
Tuesday 6 September            Term 3 Commences
Monday 12 September           Grade 1 to 7 Individual and Class Photographs
Tuesday 13 September          ECD Individual, Class Photographs and sibling
Friday 16 September              Grade 7 fundraiser - Social (Grade 4 to 7 only)
Monday 3 October                  Concert practice NG Church Humansdorp (Grade 0 to 3)
Tuesday 4 October                  Concert practice NG Church Humansdorp (Grade 0 to 3)
Wednesday 5 October             Concert practice NG Church Humansdorp (Grade 0 to 3)
Wednesday 5 October             World Teachers Day
Thurs 6 October                       Grade 1 - 3 Concert (Morning and Evening Shows)
Monday 10 October                 Grade 5 Wilderness Camp Joubertskraal Farm,
                                                 Kouga Mountains 
Monday 10 October                 Grade 6  Garden Route Tour
Wednesday 12 October           Grade 5 & 6 return from Camp & Tour
Wednesday 12 October           Start of half term (after end of school day)
Monday 17 October                 School re opens after half term
Thursday 20 October               Grade 3 Camp (School)
Wednesday 26 October            Grade 7 Otter Challenge (provisional date)
Thursday 10 November            Grade 1 & 2 Friends Camp (School)
Tuesday 29 November             Grade 7 Tour 
Friday 2 December                   Grade 7 Tour returns 
Wednesday 7 December          End of Term 3 (after end of school day) ECD finish 11am 
                                                   Grade 1 to 3 finish 11:15.  Grade 4 to 7 finish 11:30

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY - JARS OF HOPE

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