One of the most anticipated camps of the year is the Grade 7 leadership camp at Innikloof. The Grade 7 class go one day ahead and learn all about different leadership types and try identify their strengths and weaknesses as a leader. We had lovely warm weather the first day but we're caught in the rain during our hike on the second day. A very difficult call was made to postpone the second part of the camp to the following week. 

The following week the grade 4, 5, 6 and 7 classes went to camp at Innikloof. The weather was much better and the children had alot of fun! 

Grade 5 class celebrated the end of term and headed down to the river for some fun!

Woodridge Netball Tournament
U12 and U13 Netball girls participated in a netball festival at Woodridge over the half term. The festival included coaching from an SA netball player, Karla Pretorius, for both players and coaches. It was a valuable experience to everyone involved.

Interhouse gala
Took place at riverclub on a windy afternoon. All the children swam very well but it was red
Roman that came out on top.

Stulting interschool gala was very close this year with St Francis College losing out on first place for the first time in years.  Well done to all the swimmers that competed.

Soccer and Netball vs Graslaagte for U11, U12 and U13 boys and girls. The girls played away at Graslaagtes tar courts while the boys played soccer at SFCs new Top Field. Graslaagte won both matches and remains strong competition for our players.

SFC hosted Rainbow Academy for a soccer match on the Top Field. The U11s lost 1-0 while the U13 boys drew 1-1. These games were good practice for the Kouga Football League starting next term.

The Foundation Phase have enjoyed the different extra murals this term and have participated with enthusiasm. On a Monday they had the option of playing tennis or cricket. The school employed Mr Ralton Joubert from Kouga cricket academy for his cricketing expertise and this has made a big difference to the coaching and general enthusiasm. Many of the girls participated and became quite adept at bowling and batting. I am sure that they have a great future ahead of them. On a Tuesday they practiced various ball skills and then did cultural activities in the form of STEAM and drama on a Wednesday. We all did swimming on a Thursday and the improvement in the confidence and swimming ability was enormous. We finished off the season with the fun gala which we all enjoyed immensely. Many of the foundation phase have joined chess on a Friday and some are playing well enough to play the odd tournament.

We feel that the aim of sport in the foundation phase is to expose the children to as many opportunities to play the different sports as possible, build confidence and teach the basic skills required to participate in all sports.

The Grade 3 children benefit from the Sport programme that is offered to the Intermediate Phase learners, and they have done themselves proud this term, immersing themselves in as many of the extra murals as they possibly can. 

A highlight for all this term was to dress up for World Book Day. We dressed up as our favourite book character and told the class a little bit about ourselves.

Grade 1 - It has been a busy term for the grade 1s and it has been amazing to see them reading and starting to build words with the phonics sounds they have learnt. Involving all the senses during these learning experiences enhances understanding, promotes active engagement and strengthens the memory. We made jelly when learning the letter j, bringing in measurement as each child measured and mixed their own jelly. During Maths we explored measurement further by using measuring cups and jugs as we discussed words such as “which container can hold the most?”, “adding more” and “almost half full”. This language can be extended at home by including your children in baking activities and household chores during the holidays.

Grade 2 - The Grade 2’s explored the theme of Under the Sea where we spoke about the different animals that are found in and near the sea. The Art pictures were carefully done and a lot of detail was added. They all had an opportunity to give an oral about an animal which they had researched. They spoke with confidence and entertained the class. They also began to learn Afrikaans sounds and read short sentences. They are enjoying this new aspect. In maths we have spoken about 3D shapes and compared them to 2D shapes identifying the different factors like sides and corners. We have had a really busy term and look forward to continuing our journey next term.  

Grade 3 - The Grade 3 themes have included:  Our School environment, personal safety, and living a healthy lifestyle. We discussed the basic food groups, and then made a fruit salad, which we discussed in both English and in Afrikaans (to tie in with an Afrikaans unit on fruit). In Art, we used different art media to compose various 2D pictures. A highlight was in modelling our own 3D salt dough characters from scratch, including the measuring and mixing of the ingredients. The children also wrote a story about their creations, using ambitious adjectives, interesting verbs and adverbs, attempting to apply the correct punctuation as they wrote. They then got to read their stories to the rest of the class, which was so much fun. In maths, we have investigated the properties of 2D shapes, learnt some new geometry-related vocabulary, solved money and measurement related word problems and done surveys, plotted graphs and interpreted them. In Afrikaans, we have been learning about the “kort klanke” and we are ready to progress learning the “dubbel klanke” next term, as well as begin with some simple sentence writing. It has been a very busy and exciting start to the year and next term, we will build on the foundations that have been laid over this first term. 

Sho! We Made It!

Wow, what a whirlwind of fun, learning, and adventure this second half of Term 1 has been! It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end—our little ECD explorers have laughed, learned, and played their way through the past few weeks, and what a joy it has been to watch them grow!

From inside giggles to outside adventures, our days have been filled with endless curiosity and discovery. Whether it was painting masterpieces, singing our hearts out, or conquering the jungle gym, there was never a dull moment.

One of our most exciting days was Career Dress-Up Day! Our little ones arrived dressed as doctors, chefs, firefighters, fairy princesses, Springbok Rugby players, and safari explorers! The future is looking bright (and very entertaining) with this talented bunch of dreamers and doers.

And of course, the Easter Bunny made a surprise visit, leaving behind a trail of joy (and maybe a little bit of chocolate on our cheeks). The delight on our children’s faces was priceless as they hopped around searching for their special treats.

Through all the fun, we’ve learned valuable lessons—how to be kind, how to share, how to take turns, and most importantly, how to find joy in the little moments.

As we wrap up the second half of Term 1, we want to take a special moment to send our love, prayers, and warmest thoughts to the Nel family. You are in our hearts, and we look forward to welcoming you back to St Francis College with open arms soon.

Thank you to all our wonderful children, parents, and teachers for making this time magical. Enjoy the well-earned rest, and we’ll see you all soon for another exciting term of learning, laughter, and exploring!

Chess league has started in earnest. We have 11 schools to battle against in the coming months. So far, we have lost to Makhukhanye, but we beat Victory. League will continue after the holidays.

We had 6 children entering for the Mayor’s Cup round of trials. The top 10 in each age group will go the Finals on the 11/12 April. Congratulations to Grace Spencer who came 9th in the U/9 section and Mila Meyer who came 10th in the U/9 section. They will be taking part in the Finals. If children pull out then the next children take part. Our children were all close with Ricky Anderson 12th in the U/9 section and Maya Kotzé 14th in the U/9 section. Chen Wang came 12th in the U/13 section. Unfortunately, due to illness Damon Stantcheva had to withdraw.

The 3rd SBDCU Trials in Jeffrey’s Bay will take place during the holidays on the 19th April.

This term was filled with lots of Talent Show excitement.  Due to the popularity of the Talent show, we decided to split the talent show into Visual arts during this year.  Next year will be focused on the Performance art.

So many entries were received, and the most beautiful art displays were seen.

Our categories were Lego (own creations), Art (Canvas or sculpture), Photography and Videography as well as Sewing or Woodworking.

Congratulations to the following children

                                        Winner                                    2nd place

Junior Lego:                    Leja J van Rensburg               Lois Bentz

Senior Lego:                   Alex Hanekom                         Kayli Marais

Junior Art canvas:           Nina Hugo                               Josie Doyle / Ella-Mae Skelton

Senior Art canvas:          Genevieve Richardson             Sophia-Blue Skelton

Junior Art sculpture:         Sienna Thornton                     Miane Bosch

Senior Art sculpture:        Alexandria Torode                   Taylor Thornton

Junior Photography:        Dakota Garlington                   Zac Hanekom

Senior Photography:        Ryder Scott                             Lily-Mae Barnard

Junior Videography:         Maya Kotze                            

Senior Videography:        Alex Hanekom                        Erin Hurley

Junior Woodwork:           Cora Brown                             Miane Bosch

Senior Woodwork:           Alexandria Torode                   Alex Hanekom

Uunior Sewing:                 Freya Webster and Che Goldstone

Senior Sewing:                Lily-Mae Barnard                    Alexandria Torode

Well done to all who participated.  I’m sure everyone had great fun creating their own unique project.

Kindest regards

Natasha Brown

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Thank you for all the generous donations towards SFAR. The Senior children also had the opportunity to volunteer their services towards helping wash the dogs as part of our outreach programme this term.

Thank you to all parents and children who did an incredible job by selling raffle tickets.  You helped raised a whopping R23 670.

Congratulations to the following winners of the Easter Raffle
1. GIANT BUNNY = Freya Webster
2. BOUNCE HOUSE HIRE = Tiny Mbeki
3. THE FIREFLY ROOM VOUCHER = Robert Garden
4. MIND & BODY VOUCHER = Michelle Miller
5. HARTS ICECREAM CAKE = Ron Nienaber
6. TIN OF SHORTBREAD = Justin Landman
7. COLOURING BOOKS = Taylor Hill
9. MOST TICKETS SOLD / BOX OF MARSHMALLOW EGGS = Johnathan Kennedy 

Don't forget to make a note of our Golf Day taking place next term on Saturday 12th July at the Village Golf Club.

Warm Regards,

Lee

The Grade 7's will be hosting another fun movie evening for the Grade 0 to Grade 3's in the second term.  Tickets available from STICITT on the D6 App or from Lucy in the office (cash/card).