From the Office

And, just like that ...  life has returned to our campus! We love the laughter, the energy and to see a sea of blue all around us.  To the many learners who joined us for the first time this week, we hope that you have had a happy start to the academic year.

We filled the hall at our first assembly of the year.

More good news

Parklands College has been invited to Leeuwenhof on 30 January to attend the Western Cape NSC 2024 NSC Awards ceremony.  Our Class of 2024 will be recognised for their outstanding achievements.

Communication & Information

Please use secondary@parklands.co.za if you are unsure about who to contact.  Your mail will be directed to the correct person.

Please click on the tabs at the top of the Memo to access useful information.

Cashless Campus

We try to avoid handling cash on campus, so kindly request that you download the SnapScan App for your children to use.  It can be used at Kauai and we have a QR code for learners to scan when we sell tickets for events (e.g. the upcoming social), cake sales and charity collections.

Read more here:  https://www.snapscan.co.za/user

2025 Parent and Learner Directory

Please find the 2025 Parent and Learner Directory below.  It will be saved under the Operational Info tab which can be found at the top of the Weekly Memo for easy reference throughout the year.

Grade Camps 2025:  February 2025

Please find all the information about the 2025 Grade Camps, scheduled for February 2025, by clicking on the links below.

We kindly request that you complete both indemnity forms at your earliest convenience if you have not done so.

·      Parklands College Online Indemnity Form

·      Service Provider’s Hard Copy Indemnity Form

Return the hard copy form to the relevant Camp Leader at your earliest convenience.

Grade 7 2025:  https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/sec-2025-gr-7-camp-site?usp=sharing

Grade 8 2025: https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/sec-2025gr8camp-site?usp=sharing

Grade 9 2025: https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/sec-2025gr9camp-site?usp=sharing

Grade 10 2025: https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/sec-2025gr10camp-site?usp=sharing

Grade 11 2025: https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/sec-2025-gr11-camp-site?usp=sharing

Grade 12 2025: https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/2025gr12camp-site?usp=sharing

ACADEMICS

Academic Team 2025

Honours & Academic Awards

Well done to all our learners who received acknowledgement at the Honours & Academic awards last night.  

The highest accolade that can be bestowed on a learner is College Honours.  To qualify for College Honours, an individual would have to have achieved Full Colours in at least FOUR of the following six spheres recognised in 2024: Academics, Sport, Culture, Technology, Service and/or Leadership.  The individuals who manage to achieve this before the end of their matric year get the privilege of wearing the Parklands College Honours tie along with their navy blue blazer. 

Congratulations to our two recipients of College Honours.

The links to the presentation and souvenir booklets are below.  Hard copies of the souvenir booklet can be collected from Reception.

Academic Information Session Invites:

Subject Changes - Date deadlines for changes

Please note the following important WCED dates for subject changes:

GRADE 12: Monday, 27 January is the final date for Grade 12 subject changes.  No additional subject registrations allowed.

GRADE 11: March 2025 is the final date for Grade 11 subject changes.  Request to do additional subjects must also be submitted before this date as there will be no opportunity to register extra subjects when the candidate is in Grade 12.

GRADE 10: June 2025 is the final date for Grade 10 subject changes.

In order to initiate a subject change, please submit the subject change request form to Mrs Vosloo.  Forms are available from Reception.

Assessment Calendars

The assessment calendars below provide access to all formal assessments sheduled this quarter.  We encourage our learners to check these calendars regularly to optimise their academic planning and manage the workload.

Grade 7 Assessment Calendar

Grade 8 Assessment Calendar

Grade 9 Assessment Calendar

Grade 10 Assessment Calendar

Grade 11 Assessment Calendar

Grade 12 Assessment Calendar

Tutorial Sessions

Our academic staff make themselves available for tutorial sessions at designated times.  This is a free service to all.  Please find the schedule below.  

2025 Summer Tutorial Schedule

External Tutoring Services

Please note that the school is not affiliated with any specific external tutoring services. If you receive advertising that includes the school's name or related photographs, kindly consult with our educators first.

Meet the Academic Prefects

Our Academic Prefects are excited about 2025 and passionate about promoting a balanced, healthy approach to academics and learning.  They invite all learners to connect with them and get to know them better.

Device requirements for 2025

Please see the information below in order to plan for 2025.

Life Sciences Department

Gr 10s applying the scientific method in slime making...

Grade 12s building sweety DNA strands

From the English Department - Digital Bookshelf

We understand that some people are just not 'readers' but we certainly hope they're not that way because they're under the impression that 'books are boring'. Seriously, stories are like treasure chests waiting to be opened! Sometimes you just need to go on a little adventure to find that one gem that'll have you hooked for life.

So, in an attempt to whet your appetites here are 10 incredible books for you and your family to venture into this quarter.

When you click on any book of your choosing the link will take you to purchase it for Kindle.

Happy Reading!

Maynardville Open-Air Theatre Outing - 4 February

Attention:  Grade 10 parents and FET Drama parents

Please complete and submit this indemnity form Link for the Maynardville Outing on Tuesday, 04 February 2025.

The Grade 10s, along with the FET Drama learners (only), will be going to watch Shakespeare's The Tempest at the popular Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, in Wynberg.

This is a really enriching experience and a beautiful setting to witness this performance under the stars. It's also essential to witness a Shakespearean play, to fully understand their setwork play for Grade 10 and, inevitably, Grade 12. Learners will not miss any class as this outing occurs in the evening. 

Learners must be dressed neatly in their College uniforms but are encouraged to bring along their Parklands blankets as it can get quite chilly sitting outside at night. 

Please see the indemnity form for all the details. 

Contact Mrs J Biermann if you have any questions. 

English Grade 9

The Grade 9s experimented with words and poetry this week, and created their own poems. Using their iPads, they dragged and dropped words from a provided random selection to create a poem of their own. The exercise helped learners understand that poetry isn't just about writing from scratch—it's about finding meaningful connections between words and ideas, regardless of how those words come to you. Many created surprisingly profound pieces, some of which we have shared below, that demonstrated both playfulness and depth in their engagement with language.

The TV by Carl Scheffler and Jayden Lamb

Gorgeous Day by Anonymous

The Singing Petal by Ethan Wüst and Christo Strydom

FEEDBACK

New Learner Device Orientation

On the Friday before the rest of the learners returned to school, learners joining us for the first time this year were invited to attend basic orientation with our prefects and other volunteers.

Our Executive Prefects were there to welcome all the new learners and to show off the 2025 Matric jacket.

First Day back

GET Computational Thinking Skills

This week our GET learners and Mr Bridges engaged with a virtual reality "defuse a bomb" challenge to enhance their computational thinking skills.

🌟 Parklands College Hyperion Bots Qualify for FIRST Tech Challenge Nationals! 🤖

On 17 and 18 January, we played host to 26 of the best Western Cape FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics teams for the highly anticipated regional competition.

We are thrilled to announce that our very own Hyperion Bots had an exceptional performance, especially considering this is their rookie year! 

✨ Achievements:

• 🏆 Design Award: Recognized for their robot's innovative and functional design, solving challenges effectively.

• 🤝 Selected as one of the 12 Alliance Teams by the Cyber Champs team.

The Hyperion Bots showcased their skill and determination, advancing through the alliance stages to the semifinals and securing an impressive 4th place Alliance position amidst fierce competition.

🎉 We’re excited to share that the team has now qualified for the South African FTC Nationals, happening on 14 and 15 February at Parklands College in Cape Town! At Nationals, the Top 3 teams will earn the honor of representing South Africa at the World Festival in the USA.

We are incredibly proud of our Hyperion Bots and wish them all the best as they continue to innovate, compete, and inspire! 💪🌍

#INTOTHEDEEP @RTX #FIRSTDIVE #ParklandsCollege #FIRSTTechChallenge #HyperionBots #STEMExcellence #InnovationInAction 

Grade 7 Orientation week

This week we had the pleasure of hosting our new Grade 7 Learners for their Orientation. There were lots of fun activities, learning about the campus, learning about each other, and most importantly - Innovating Ourselves. A massive thank you to the Sports Department for the Pool Picnic! We look forward to their first lessons next week and the start of an exciting academic journey.

Grade 7 Heads: Allison O'Toole, Chris Dicks, Marc Viljoen

2025 Grade 7 Class Lists

Ed-Admin Multi-Portal Installation

YOU WILL NEED THIS APP IN ORDER TO ACCESS REPORTS IN THE FUTURE.

We are pleased to inform you that the new Ed-admin Multi Portal App (Ed-admin MP) is now available on the Google and Apple App stores. The features include access to your child’s reports, calendar activities and daily attendance records to mention a few.

To install the App please follow the below instructions:

1.) Download the Ed-Admin Multi Portal App by using the relevant link below:

●  Apple App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ed-admin-multi-portal/id6469108569

OR

●  Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edana.edadmin&hl=en&gl= US

2.) Enter 230034 (Parklands College Code) and your email address to log in. For your convenience, please refer to the image below:
 

3.) The next step will require you to enter the login code sent to you via email. For your convenience, please refer to the image below:

Please ensure that you keep this App updated otherwise you will be logged out and will have to repeat the above process to regain access.

Kauai

For your convenience, the Karri App can be used to place an order at Kauai.  Please see the poster below.

To opt out of receiving notifications, please click on the link and enter your information:  https://forms.gle/atv84QQ8LureNScn9

For information about what is on offer:  PC Menu & Prices_Jan 25.pdf

SECONDARY SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Principal:  Sylvia Steyn

Associate Principal (Academics):  Ancia Vosloo

Associate Principal (Learner Affairs):  Prinevin Vardan

Head of Sport:  Darryn Hunt

Academic Coordinator:  Joshua Wyngaard

Learner Affairs Coordinator:  Christel Weigelt-Harvey

Head of Houses:  Luke Baker

Equity & Diversity Liaison:  Alexis Matsimela

In charge of Service:  Carine Le Roux

In charge of Clubs & Societies:  Carel Steinmann

In charge of Events & Pastoral Care:  Samantha Scott

GRADE HEADS 2025

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

SERVICE

From our sports department

On your marks, get set, go!

We hope your child is excited about the sporting opportunities ahead and wish them every success this summer season. Our premier facilities, skilled coaches, and dedicated managers are committed to making sport a journey of shared experiences, personal growth, and healthy competition.

Now that we are fully underway, we appreciate the effort, time, and care you will put into supporting your child’s sporting journey.

The first week kicked off bright and early with water polo training and tennis starting at 6:40 am on Monday morning. The afternoon was filled with energetic sessions of tennis, water polo, cricket, and Fit-Flexers. The rest of the week saw excellent attendance at softball, trail running and athletics, as well as other sport.

Being involved in sport has many benefits for your child—not only as a complement to our excellent academic programme but also as a valuable source of social interaction. Our values of commitment, communication, community, and competition in the sports department will guide the implementation of Physical Education sessions and extra-curricular training in 2025.

We are especially thrilled with the wonderful turnout from our Grade 7 / U13 group and their enthusiastic participation this week. We understand that starting at a new faculty brings a mix of excitement and apprehension. To our parents, please stay in touch with our team. 

While we require learners to participate in at least one sport during each season, we recognise that every child is unique, and we believe change happens through open conversation.

Matches begin next week Monday, starting with an U14 T20 day/night cricket match at Milnerton High School. On Tuesday, we will host our annual inter-house swimming competition.

Please refer to the uniform requirements for matches at the end of this section by using the drop-down tab.

You can subscribe to our secondary sports calendar using the link. We are still waiting for confirmation of some matches and competitions.

Secondary sports calendar   

DH

Communication

Learners should endeavour to attend every training session during the times shown on the timetable below.

For general enquiries about specific sports, contact:

• Athletics, chess, softball, trail running   mviljoen@parklands.co.za

• Cricket, tennis dviljoen@parklands.co.za

• Swimming sbloem@parklands.co.za

• Water polo cconradie@parklands.co.za

2025 Sports Prefects

• Nicole Apsey

• Nic Farquhar

• Erin Langenhoven

We have informed your child every morning this week in the Learner Daily notes that if they have any questions about practices, clothing, or matches, then they must email or speak to the teacher in charge (manager) of their sport.

We've reminded them that their coaches are here to help and that they should not hesitate to ask questions to improve.

Shihan Huang also competed at the Western Cape Aquatics A-Championships from 5 - 9 December 2024 held at UWC, Cape Town.

She achieved medals in the events below: 

200m Freestyle - Bronze

100m Freestyle - Bronze

Parklands College Summer Sporting Programme 2025

Please remember to subscribe to our Secondary sports calendar using this link:

Secondary sports calendar 

FEEDBACK

December Debating Recap

During the December holidays, two of our learners represented the Western Cape at the National Debating Competition held in Port Elizabeth. Here is what they had to say:

Participating in the 2024 South African National Debating Competition was an experience like no other!  The over 10-hour bus trip to Port Elizabeth was just the start of an adventure where I made unbreakable bonds with my teammates. We ate, slept, and breathed debating, and I kept improving with the constant feedback and late-night team talks. Whether it was feeling Western Cape pride with the loud war cries (and it was loud!) or meeting super-friendly participants from all over South Africa during the socials, the energy was always incredible. When the competition came to its inevitable end, the feeling was bittersweet- we knew we'd miss the people we'd grown so close to, but I was glad to have done something so worthwhile. I'm so grateful for the experience I gained and the things I learned.

- Liat Demissew (Western Province Junior Team)

The 2024 South African National Schools Debating Competition was my first one ever, and definitely one to remember! From an early 04:00 am bus ride to the Eastern Cape, to late nights getting feeback, Nationals was a constant push of wracking my brain for arguments, as well as relaxing and getting to know everyone. 

All the participants from other provinces were extremely friendly. I felt so glad that I got the opportunity to take part, because without going to Nationals, I would've never met any of them.

Every single aspect of the National Debating Competition was one that I enjoyed and everything worked together to enhance the way I think and act. It was an unforgettable experience

- Aisha Salie (Western Province Senior Team)

The College is extremely proud of their achievements. 

DANCE

Signing up for Dance in 2025

Please complete the Google Form:  Secondary Dance Entry Form 2025

Please click on the link:  https://sites.google.com/parklands.co.za/parklandscollegedance/home

LEARNER SUPPORT 

Mrs Scott (C block):  sjscott@parklands.co.za

Mrs Kistan (Resource Centre):  skistan@parklands.co.za

TERTIARY STUDIES 

CONCLUSION

Have a great weekend!

Kind regards

Sylvia Steyn

ssteyn@parklands.co.za

Please follow us on social media

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Parklands College & CRPP on Twitter

www.instagram.com/parklandscollege/?hl=en

Blogs from other faculties:

PP: https://ppblog.parklands.co.za

JP: https://jpblog.parklands.co.za

SP: https://spblog.parklands.co.za