First assembly of the Spring Quarter

Please note uniform requirements for 2025

All Grade 7s and all new learners are required to wear the new blazer.

The check trousers are for exclusive use as part of the Hospitality uniform.

Device requirements for 2025

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

ACADEMICS

Thank you to all the parents who connected with our educators during the parent-teacher meetings. Please feel free to reach out anytime during the academic quarter if you have any questions.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY

Academic Achievers

We were proud to acknowledge our Winter Quarter Academic Achievers at this week's opening assembly.

Grade 7

For achieving an 80% aggregate or above:

Travis Coleman, Yushan Kao, Minentle Madikane, Jimmy Kieu, Kayla Apalata, Chloe Zhao, Ethan Pieterse, Sophia Qian, Isla Lindley, 

Bella Thomas, Nokukhanya Khumalo, Bohlale Mtimkulu, Henry Hansen, Natasha Jayakody, Isabella Ankiah, Jaime Sieberhagen, Taylor Watson, Caitlin Hunt

3rd position in Gr7: Sethu Kunana

For achieving a 90% aggregate or above:

2nd position in Gr7: Barry John van der Merwe

1st position in Gr7 and an aggregate of 90% : Emma Strumpher

Grade 8

For achieving an 80% aggregate or above:

Ruby Nieuwstadt, Priyanka Ramlakan, Lufuno Thovhogi, Isabela Manickum, Ryan Smal, Alisa Kotliar, Joel Ronaldson,Luca van Tonder, 

Madison Viljoen, Heike du Toit, Daniel Maidment, Keagan Beaumont, Liam Govender, Jordan Terry, Matthew Francke, Viraya Pillay, Lily Howe, Taziane Botha, Luke Louw, Shyla Kurien, Holly Hickman, Zelda Deiner, Ferdi Zondagh, Christo Strydom, Ronia Minkoulou, Israa Adam, 

Njabulo Maswana, Jesse Loxton, Aidan Chow, Caitlin Smith, Yaseen Salie, Wanganae Masindi, Keira Chirnside

For achieving a 90% aggregate or above in Gr8: Luan Odendaal, Phoenix Srdic, Luke Cloete

3rd position in Gr8: Carl Scheffler

2nd position in Gr8 is shared between: Veer Atwaru & Ethan Wust

1st position in Gr8 is shared between: Clara-Mari Vosloo & Milena Berowsky

Grade 9

For achieving an 80% aggregate or above

Lesa Pokwana, Alecea Vieira, Michelle Chifamba, Jason Bannon, Ramabele Sello, Leslie van Eck, Caterina Frazzitta, Shihan Huang, 

Logan De Araujo, Tyler Archery, Alexa-Rose Schreuder, Primo Hong, Luke Le Grange, Sesona Mbovane, Kaylee-Jade Mestre, Joshua Kalapac, Steffan Hillebrand, Puneet Nagendrakumar, Aden van Rhyn

For achieving a 90% aggregate or above in Gr9: Madison Coleman, Jenna Simpson

3rd position in Gr9 is shared between:  Ella Frielinghaus & Arabella Fox

2nd position in Gr9:  Liat Demissew

1st position in Gr9: Gerhard Vosloo

Grade 10

For achieving a 75% aggregate or above in Gr10:

Connor Crighton, Nikhiel Moodley, Hannah Taylor, Fabianna Vermeulen, Kuhle Mapumulo, Jai Gounden, Nika Coetzee, Maxim McLaughlin, Emily Hoffman, Liam Hills

For achieving a 80% aggregate or above in Gr10:

Salizwa Mkwananzi, Dharshana Raja, Nicholas Rossouw, Dirk van der Merwe, Shakti Manga, Jennifer Zhou, Meera Moodley, Dominique Yuill

For achieving a 80% aggregate or above in Gr10:

3rd position in Gr10 is shared between: Kate Stopforth & Aisha Salie

2nd position in Gr10: Hannah van Zyl

1st position in Gr10: Naeha Naidu

Grade 11

For achieving a 75% aggregate or above in Gr11:

Talia Folb, Marco Balona, Uchy Obinwa, Carolina Grasso, Taylor Gerstle, Amy-Kate Wood, Andria Mannix, Maxine Benjamin, Amber Stein, 

Anda Magwaca, Abulele Mhayi, Miya Singh, Dean de Jongh, Trent Mc Culloch

For achieving a 80% aggregate or above in Gr11:

Morgan Smith, Anna Gabrielli, Sabrina Davids, Kayden Biernacki, Yvan Tapon Njamo, Leo Adriaanzen, Morgan Santo, Miko du Toit, 

Joshua Da Silva, Joshua Jackson-Smith, Jemma Boswell, Talia Papadakos, Declan Saul, Brandon Strydom, Mbali Nhuku, Travis Warren, 

Julia Grasso, Tannah Ronaldson, Alexandra Bester, Julia Ligthelm, Keira McLeod, Angelique Minkoulou, Eve Bhasera, Sophia Frielinghaus, 

Taya Pather, Kyle Warrender, Carl Gilmour, Nicole Apsey, Akshar Chandarman

3rd position in Gr11 is shared between: Liam Loxton & Reuben Rietoff

For achieving a 90% aggregate or above in Gr11:

2nd position in Gr11 : Chanel Ritz

1st position in Gr11: Amy White

Promotion Requirements

GET Phase (Gr7-9)

50% in English Home Language

40% in Afrikaans / isiXhosa First Additional Language

40% in Mathematics

30% in three other subjects

Any concerns or queries regarding promotion can be directed to Mrs Vosloo (avosloo@parklands.co.za) directly.

FET Phase (Gr11-12)

Bachelor Degree Pass (allowing candidate to apply for entry into degree studies): 

4 subjects at 50% (excluding Life Orientation), English HL must be at 40% (not more than one subject below 30%)

Diploma Pass (allowing candidate to apply for entry into diploma studies): 

4 subjects at 40% (excluding Life Orientation), English HL must be at 40% (not more than one subject below 30%)

Higher Certificate Pass: 

4 subjects at 40% and 3 subjects at 30%

Timetables, Assessment Calendars and Tutorial Schedule

Spring Quarter Timetables

7P, 7A, 7R, 8P, 8A, 8R, 8K, 8L, 9P, 9A, 9R, 9K, 9L, 10, 11, 12

Week A: Monday, 7 October - Friday, 11 October

Week B: Monday, 14 October - Friday, 18 October

Week A: Monday, 21 October - Friday, 25 October

Week B: Monday, 28 October - Friday, 1 November

Week A: Monday, 4 November - Friday, 8 November

Assessment Calendars

Gr7 Assessment Calendar

Gr8 Assessment Calendar

Gr9 Assessment Calendar

Gr10 Assessment Calendar

Gr11 Assessment Calendar

Gr12 Assessment Calendar

Tutorial Schedule

Tutorial schedule

Grade 7 learners measuring the athletics track and exploring circumference

From the English Department

“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”

This quarter’s book lineup is a rollercoaster ride – packed with mysteries, romances, and everything in between! With the cold weather upon us, there is no better excuse to curl up with a hot beverage and a good book.

Your bookworm-in-training should have devoured two personal picks by now, with another two to go, in order to submit enough book reports for the year. We're crossing our fingers these recommendations spark some curiosity to explore beyond your comfort zone.

Get cozy and dive in! Happy Reading!

Digital bookshelf LINK

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.

LEARNER NEWS

Hyperion Bots

Who we are ...

Hyperion Bots was Parklands College’s FIRST Lego League & FIRST Tech Challenge Team from 2016 to 2020, but it fell apart once Covid hit. Since then our team has been pretty quiet, but we are back! 

Our team currently consists of:

Yemira Mamdoo: Team Captain

Connor Niske: Team Co-Captain

Liya De Allende: Head of Marketing and Safety

Joshua Jackson-Smith: Head of Engineering

Position Needed: Head of Programming (Java)

Contact any of the people you see here, or email us at hyperionbots@parklands.co.za

Tristan Daries: Engineering 

Shakti Manga: Programming 

Mkhuseli Mngese: Programming 

Elihle Hadebe: Marketing 

What we've been doing ...

Together we have been working tirelessly over the past holiday to resurrect our legacy. During the holidays, instead of relaxing at home, we were at school setting up for this year's season. The first three days consisted of trying to build our arena, in which we met many challenges. The next two weeks we spent attending workshops and building our robot, which we named Dougie C (the C stands for Callum, in pre-emptive memory for our tech prefect Callum McKechnie). We have had to completely rebuild Dougie C from the ground up, and are still continuously learning. 

We have also been contacting various businesses in regards to sponsorships, as we have to make money for parts and travel if we wish to go to finals in Texas next year. If you or your parents know anyone who is interested in sponsoring us, please contact us at hyperionbots@parklands.co.za.

Joshua Jackson-Smith (Grade 11)

FEEDBACK

Life Sciences Outing

The grade 11s travelled to the Morphology Museum at Stellenbosch University at the end of last quarter.   What a magnificent learner experience it was for them!

Grade 11 outing to World of Birds

The Afrikaans Department organised an outing to the World of Birds and Truth Coffee at the end of last quarter.  This ties in with their prescribed book.

Robotics

 Five Parklands College Teams to Represent South Africa in the World Robot Olympiad International Final in Türkiye

The World Robot Olympiad (WRO) is an annual global Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) robotics event that takes place in over 95 countries from around the globe. There are various participation categories, including Future Innovators  (Senior, Junior, and Elementary), RoboMission (Senior, Junior, and Elementary), RoboSports, and Future Engineers. Each year the competition is based on a specific theme linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The official WRO® theme for this year’s competition is “Earth Allies” where teams must investigate how robots can help us live in harmony with nature.

The World Robot Olympiad National competition was held at  Curro Aurora in a hot Randburg on 14 September. Eleven Parklands College teams qualified for the National event as a result of their outstanding performance at the Western Cape Regional competition held in August this year. The National event was highly competitive as the best robots in the country competed against each other for the highest scores in the quickest times. 

Our Senior Preparatory team, High Tech Dragon Riders (HTDR), were crowned champions of the RoboMission Elementary category by scoring 132 points in 103 seconds in this year’s Sustainable Farming challenge. 

Our Senior Preparatory Future Innovators team, EcoTrio, were crowned champions in their category for their robotic solution that restores coral reefs using a process called micro-fragmentation.

Our three RoboMission Junior category teams did exceptionally well with all three teams placing in the Top 4 in the country. TechnoMind placed fourth, Techtron won silver and TechnoBlade were crowned the South African champions with a full score of 146 in 76 seconds in the Green City challenge.

In the RoboSport Doubles Tennis category, our Secondary faculty team, Super Robot Builders, were crowned the South African RoboSport champions. We are extremely proud of this accomplishment, as it marks the first time we have won this title since we began competing in this category in 2017.

Parklands College secured four out of the seven category champion titles, marking our best performance at the National event to date. As a result of these accomplishments, High Tech Dragon Riders, TechnoBlade, Techtron, Eco Trio, and Super Robot Builders have qualified to represent South African at the International World Robot Olympiad competition in Izmir, Türkiye, from November 28-30. This means that five of the eleven teams representing South Africa are from Parklands College.

Please join me in congratulating the teams and their coaches, Justine de Wet, Austyn Delport, Phumlane Nkosi and Richard Knaggs for their contribution to the exceptional performances of all our teams and a special thank you to Snapplify who are one of our International sponsors.

We wish our teams the best of luck as they prepare for this incredible opportunity to represent South African in one of the biggest STEM based competitions in the world.

The Dance Department travelled to Bergvliet High School to support their fellow dancers ...

National Public Debating Speaking Competition

Congratulations to Teneale Moodley, Connor Crighton, Aisha Salie and Joshua Da Silva who took part in NIDPISC 2024 the National Public Speaking competition over the September Holidays. The contest had four highly competitive categories namely persuasive speech, impromptu speech, interpretive reading and debating. They did well and made the College proud. Their final rankings were:

Aisha Salie: 22

Joshua Da Silva: 28

Connor Crighton: 31

Esports

Our CounterStrike team travelled to ComicCon in Gauteng to play in the semi-finals against St John's.

Brandon Strydom

We are incredibly proud of Brandon Strydom, a Grade 11 learner, for his outstanding achievement at the South African Championships of Performing Arts during the holidays. 

Embarking on a week-long journey to Johannesburg, Brandon competed in various rounds and categories, showcasing immense dedication, hard work, and the courage to step outside his comfort zone.  His efforts were rewarded with several accolades:

• Bronze in the Broadway/Musical Theatre Vocal Category for his performance of "Diva's Lament"

• Silver in the Open Vocal Category for his rendition of "Being Alive"

• Silver in both Acting Contemporary and Open Categories for his performances of "Laughing Wild"* and *"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

In addition to these achievements, Brandon was awarded his Provincial Colours Badge.

COMING UP

Message from the Secondary Head of Sport

Tomorrow marks the kickoff of our Summer Sport programme for the final quarter with the Gary Kirsten T20 tournament, which we are proud to host for the 5th time. Our U19 boys will be competing against the Gary Kirsten Academy, Edgemead High, and Pinelands High with matches starting at 08:00. We encourage everyone to come out and support our team.

Practices and matches for all other teams will begin next week. Although this is a short yet busy sport season, we expect all learners to uphold their commitments and give their best.

Looking Ahead

Sport Awards

Next week is a significant one for our department as we host our annual Sport Awards Ceremony, taking place at 17:30 on Thursday evening. All learners receiving awards are required to attend, dressed in full winter uniform, as their attendance is compulsory. This prestigious event celebrates the commitment and dedication of our learners, marking the culmination of their hard work throughout the year.

Holiday Learner Achievements

Adam Muller

CPL Hockey

During the school holidays, Adam took part in the 6th Edition of the CPL Hockey Tournament showcasing the top 100 players per age group. He represented The Rebels Franchise.  Out of 5 games only two goals were scored against him and Adam was subseqeuntly awarded the Top Goalie award at the end of the tournament.  Well Done Adam.

Holiday Learner Achievements

Shihan Huang

Swimming

Shihan competed in the CTA INVITATIONAL LC MEET at the University of Western Cape from 21-22 September 2024.   She competed in 6 events and achieved Gold for the 50M freestyle; Silver for the 100M freestyle; Bronze for the 50M backstroke and 100M backstroke.  Well done Shihan.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

During the holiday we received the results for SALA  (South African Literacy Association) and the following learners have been invited to the National Public Speaking Finals on 26 October in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga.

Minentle Madikane, Grade 7

Caitlin Smith, Grade 8

Jorja Hoppé, Grade 8

Aden van Rhyn, Grade 9

Connor Crighton, Grade 10

Chanel Ritz, Grade 11

Imrah Salie, Grade 12

MUSIC

SERVICE

LEARNER SUPPORT 

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

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

Psychometric Assessments 

The learner support department offers psychometric assessments at the school for subject choice and career counselling. This process includes an initial interview with the learner, aptitude, personality and interest assessments, as well as a feedback session with an assessment report that is a useful guidance tool for informed decision making and clarity in one’s career or subject choice process. The assessments are done at school and during school time. 

Please contact Samantha Scott sjscott@parklands.co.za for more information or to make a booking. There are limited assessment slots each quarter so please enquire early in 2025 to avoid disappointment. (Please note assessments are a billable service). The assessment slots for Quarter 4 are fully booked.

Rotary Youth Exchange

TERTIARY STUDIES

PARENT BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary parents who are in business are able to list their businesses in our Parent Business Directory – www.parklands.co.za/parent-business-directory/

LISTINGS ARE FREE and include contact information as well as the opportunity to include a business logo or advert.  Listings are available 24/7 on the College website and will be updated each quarter.

Should you be interested in marketing your business to over 1000 families, email: marketing@parklands.co.za to get started.

All listings will be subject to the College’s final approval.

This week's feature business is...

Parklands College has been designated an Apple Distinguished School (2016 - 2027)

Recognised for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence using technology

September 1, 2024 — Parklands College is pleased to announce it has been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for its fourth consecutive programme term, 2024–2027. Schools apply and are selected for this distinction based on their commitment to continuous innovation in education and using Apple products to inspire, imagine, and impact teaching and learning.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centres of leadership and educational excellence, with a clear vision for how technology-rich environments support learning goals. In Apple Distinguished Schools, forward-thinking leaders and their communities work to inspire, imagine, and impact teaching and learning, and they have documented results of academic accomplishments.

Schools all over the world are using iPad and Mac to transform learning. As teachers incorporate technology into their lessons, they empower students to lead, learn, and thrive, to discover new opportunities, and to make their world a better place.

Parklands College is a Pre-K to 12, Top 20, private, independent, co-educational school proudly representing the diverse culture in South Africa.

Our shared vision is to foster a sense of purpose and ignite a passion for life-long learning within our Parklands family. We encourage learners to effectively communicate ideas, work collaboratively, identify and solve challenges using creative and critical thinking, all while taking action to positively impact our global community.  This is our “Growing Minds” philosophy - the heartbeat to our expression of education. 

Leveraging innovative educational technology and a modern connected environment, our educators utilise new approaches to extend the learning experience. We encourage our learners to find and practice their purpose through authentic, experiential project and challenge-based learning.

“Reaching Outwards, Growing Minds, Building Futures”, our mission statement, concisely describes the core of our purpose, our “What”, “How” and “Why”.

Parklands College ADS Video - https://youtu.be/QYw0ekIjf94?si=sZF1eKI6J8fCZ2Eg

CONCLUSION

Enjoy the weekend.

Kind regards

Sylvia Steyn

ssteyn@parklands.co.za

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