The Grade 7 students were given the opportunity to visit Talhado Montessori School in Sea Vista as part of their community outreach programme.

The grade 5s have been learning about frame structures in natural science. This fort was built with wood, nails, rope and shade cloth and can fit all 11 students inside.

The grade 3 to 7 children have been enjoying Kayaking at the river during extra murals this term. A lot of fun is had with Mr van Tonder, Mrs Miller and Miss Kingwill. They even found a big crab shell!

Some of the Nippers East Cape champs participants from St Francis College. Well done to all who took part!

Pupils participated in the C Age gala in port Elizabeth last weekend. We are still awaiting final results but lots of fun was had by all.

Grade 1 to 7 Beach Fun Day to get the half term started!

After a quick start to what became a very busy term we are sitting half way through our first quarter and wondering how this happened.  The first few weeks were spent getting to know new routines, our new teachers and new friends. Then we got down to the important stuff as the academic year and sports timetable began in earnest and we adjusted to the demands of a new grade.

The Grade 1’s wore their uniforms with pride and have adjusted to the more formal routine. They arrive at school excited to learn a new letter and can’t wait to get their next reader to take home! The Grade 2’s were delighted with the space in the old hall and the Grade 3’s adjusted to a longer academic day. To remind us that we could still have fun, we celebrated funky socks day!

The highlight of the first quarter was definitely Valentine's Day. We all dressed up in red, white and pink and participated in the Grade 6 market day.  We learnt about healthy eating habits and made a fruit bowl during Art and have started to revise the Afrikaans vocabulary learnt in Grade 1. The grade 2’s made Valentine’s Day cards, stain glass hearts as an Art activity and learnt about how to be a good friend.

The Grade 3’s had so much fun working on Valentine’s art for the two weeks run up, and the children got to make 3D heart posters, various valentines cards and “Fizzer” butterflies. After much discussion, we all agreed that love is so much more than hearts, gifts, hugs and romance, and we decided that we would make it our goal to extend acts of love toward our friends, family and community. 

We are looking forward with enthusiasm to our annual Beach Fun Day where we will be spending the day on the beach before we have our half term break.

Can you believe we’ve already reached the half-term break? It feels like just yesterday we were finding our cubbies and making new friends – and now, we’re experts at our morning routines (well… most mornings)!

This term has been full of love and fun – and not just because of Valentine's Day (though the heart-shaped crafts and sweet giggles made it extra special!). We’ve been settling into our new classrooms, exploring, and learning through play in our beautiful eco-environment. From counting chickens or spotting curious bugs, there’s never a dull moment when nature is our classroom!

Of course, no half-term would be complete without a splash – and our Water Fun Day was the perfect way to cool off and celebrate all our hard work. There were giggles, puddles, and a few VERY soggy teachers – but what’s a little water between friends?

As we head into the break, we wish all our families a restful time to recharge. We can’t wait to dive into even more adventures when we return for the second half of the term!

Warm wishes,
The ECD Team

After a break of many years, St Francis College decided to enter two teams, of four children per team, in the KIDS' LIT QUIZ - 2025, which took place in Gqeberha, Port Elizabeth on Thursday 6 February 2025.

The questions are centred around different genres of books, from fiction, to non-fiction, to Reference works. Our children did extremely well with Team 1 coming 11th and Team 2 coming 9th, out of 18 teams. There were 10 categories of questions with the winning team for each category each winning vouchers. SFC team 1, narrowly missed winning a category by being in a three-way tie and being pipped at the post in the tie-breaker. There were fun spot prize questions between categories with Zoe Harding and Jack Eden winning two of these prizes respectively.  Our Mums also featured in the parents spot question time and Tanya Hanekom and Fran Eden each won an Exclusive Book voucher for answering their questions correctly. 

The afternoon was a huge success and we can be proud of our teams for doing so well, in spite of the fact that this was their first exposure to such a big competition.

Chess started off with a bang this year with the first SBDCU trials in Jeffrey’s Bay. Nine players registered including a very enthusiastic new batch of Grade 3s. They were nervous and excited and played like champs. Mila Meyer came 3rd in the u10 girls and Chen Wang came 2nd in the u14 boys.

The following weekend there was a Fundraiser Tournament in Jeffrey’s Bay. Both Chen and Damon participated.

The next weekend saw our chess players doing battle at the 2nd SBDCU trials in Jeffrey’s Bay. Mila Meyer came 3rd in the u10 girls and Maya Kotzé came 2nd in the u10 girls. Wow girls!!

After half term sees the start of the school chess league. This sees 11 schools in our area doing battle. May the best King remain standing!!

We also look forward to the start of the Kouga Mayoral Cup trials in March.

This year we will be focusing on Visual Arts only.  The talent show is open for Grade 0 to Grade 7 pupils.   Children who have entered are to please submit their art on Tuesday 4th March.  All items must be clearly marked with the child’s name and grade. 

Our categories and themes are listed below:

DUPLO or LEGO: Transport or Nature

CANVAS ART or SCULPTURE: Animals or Fantasy

PHOTGRAPHY or VIDEOGRAPHY: The Ocean

SEWING / KNITTING / WOODWORK: Clothing or Toys

Art will be displayed on Thursday 6th March and Friday 7th March.  Parents are welcome to come along to view the show.

Firstly, I would like to thank each and every parent for a great 2024. Your help and support is so very much appreciated!

2024 has seen the usual: Easter Raffle, Golf Day, Calamari Fest and Christmas Market with Carols. We have raised R106 000-00. This money has gone to the Elevate* program, 2 x 4square courts, Sandpit, Office Block Toilets, Soccer Goals for the Top Field, and towards Top Field.

Earmarked for 2025: Ride-on-mower, Sunken Trampoline, Giant Chess, Monkey Bars, Senior Toilets, and Store Room, Toilet and Bleachers for Top Field.

Please check the PTA meeting minutes on the D6 app for a more detailed report.

We are excited to get the Easter Raffle underway, with the draw taking place on 04/04/2025. Some excellent raffle prizes are up for grabs, as well as a prize for the pupil who sold the most raffle tickets!

2025 will also see the following fundraisers: Golf Day: 12/07/2025, MTB race (TBC), Open Air Movie night, Senor Chef, and Christmas Market and Carols.

The Elevate program is a program run by an external company that teaches the Gr 4 – 7 pupils how to study and prepare for exams. They are brought in twice a year before the exams.

If you would like to be involved in any of these exciting fundraisers, please contact me on 0721991233. We appreciate your participation, and it’s great pulling the pupils, parents, school and community together!!

Warm Regards,

Lee