Micklefield’s 95th-year celebrations began with our annual Summer Picnic. It was a splendid evening of music, community, and connection.
The Grade 7 Marimba Band (directed by Toni-Rae Adams from Woodworx Marimbas) entertained the crowds with energy and zest and our Grade 4-7 girls joined voices in singing some special songs, namely: Pink’s Cover Me In Sunshine and Kwangena Thina Bo (directed by Nomfobe Sipamla). Live band Ocean’s Riff featuring Amy Lu rounded off the evening with lively dance music. Thank you to all who joined. The fabulous amount of R56 260 was raised towards our Micklefield 16-seater busses.
What do the Cookie Monster from the Muppets and the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen have in common?
Well, both were topics encountered by our Grade 6 and Grade 7 teams who took part in the regional Exclusive Books Lit Quiz held at Grove in February. Our girls enjoyed a fun afternoon, along with 32 other teams, delving into their literary knowledge banks and answering questions on a wide range of books and all things literary. Our congratulations go to Grove who won our regional round and who went on to come second in the national competition. This year it is Manor Gardens Primary in Durban who will be representing South Africa in the international round which will be held in New Zealand in July.
The computer room has been full of fun and opportunity this term. The Grade 1s could not contain their excitement when introduced to the Spike Essentials Lego robotics kits and they worked hard, with their partners, to build and code their robots.
In Grade 2 the girls enjoyed creating books on BookCreator, after having written stories in class and drawing pictures in Art to illustrate them. Grade 3 is a year of rapid growth in the IT department, where essential skills, such as word processing, presentation creation, and emailing become the focus.
Moving further up the grades, video production was the name of the game as the Grade 4s researched and presented their Clips videos about the Castle of Good Hope, and the Grade 7s started work on a Crash Course video about an unusual plant. Let’s not forget the importance of creating an aesthetically pleasing presentation on Canva and Slides. The skills showcased by the Grade 5s and 6s on their various projects were nothing short of Academy Award-winning! In addition, threaded throughout the term, the girls have been enjoying code.org and typingclub.com to develop their coding and typing skills which will equip them well for the future.
Finally, the importance of educating the girls on responsible device usage cannot be overlooked and all grades have participated eagerly in discussions around cyberbullying, online gaming and generally keeping safe online.
Bianca Thornley in Grade 6 has self-published her first book “The Big Storm”. Here is the story of her journey in her quest to become a published author.
“My journey of writing stories began when I was inspired by a book by Holly Webb called Sam the Stolen Puppy on audio. I believed that I too would one day be a famous writer like Holly Webb so I began writing stories – short at first – but they soon grew longer and longer. My first story was Sandy the Lost Puppy. It was illustrated by my grandma and everything, but then I found out about copyright and I became worried that I would copy someone else by mistake. It took about a year of going to the library for ideas and then a trip to Ireland changed everything. I was going to write about two bunnies in Ireland that go through a big storm and have to help a friend. I thought if I ever wrote a book I wanted it to have a value and the value in The Big Storm is forgiveness. I think the most important thing in writing and in life is to never give up hope even when things get tough.”
This term the Grade 0s have discovered what makes each person special. They have looked at what is the same about each of them and what is different. They have discovered that even though skin colour comes in many shades of brown, they are all one brown family. They have also discovered that although they may like different toppings on their pizzas, something that is the same for everyone is that they like it when someone is kind to them. They have started growing a kindness garden and sharing with the class when someone has been kind. They have also explored the many feelings we feel inside. These feelings come and go just like the weather.
Term 1 Grade 7 Leadership Executive Committee
Chairlady: Isla Cameron
Treasurer: Jamie Henchie
Secretary: Courtney Viljoen
LEADERSHIP CAMP by Dani Barow
We kicked off our second week of Grade 7 by going on a 2 day leadership camp to Rocklands in Simonstown. We were greeted by Mrs Welgemoed and settled into our cabins. We completed many tasks on leadership skills, enjoyed interesting talks and had some challenging team building exercises to do. We also enjoyed some downtime, swimming in the pool, learning how to drum, trying out some archery and finding out what our portfolios were. I think we all learnt that to be a good leader you should lead by example. A leader is a person who shows honesty and integrity at all times, even in difficult times. Regardless of the circumstances, a leader will ultimately help his/her team to achieve their goals. During camp, we all grew an understanding of how to be leaders and to encourage our classmates. We all unlocked a greater understanding of ourselves and our abilities and passions to lead. From my point of view, I have found the topic of leadership to be one of the most rewarding topics I have learnt thus far. I will always cherish the Grade 7 leadership camp as a start to a great journey.
ROBINS : Simrah Ally; Annabelle Rowe; Amber Smith; Chloe Upfold
This term was the first term of the Grade 7s in their leadership portfolios. The first event that the house captains had was the annual Valentine’s Day Bake Sale. The confectionary sold at the bake sale was irresistibly tasty and all the girls put so much love and effort into every cupcake, brownie or cookie they made. For Valentine’s Day, all the girls dressed up in pink,white and red. The day was unforgettable and we loved spreading the love. Later on in the term, we had the much talked about Sports Day that was so exciting and a lot of fun.The competition was great and the spirit was ongoing throughout the morning. Our march was fabulous and we are very proud of our Robin girls for winning the spirit cup and second place for their red house. Although we didn’t come first, we are still very thrilled to be able to win the Spirit Cup and all Robins girls put their best foot forward over that finish line for every race. We are so proud of our girls. By Annabelle Rowe
KINGFISHERS : Hanna McDavid; Dani Barow; Jamie Henchie; Carrie Killops
Our Grade 7 year is full of a crazy amount of responsibilities, yet, our class has managed to make it full of fun and friendship. On Valentine’s Day, the house captains held a hugely successful bake sale. Most of our treats were sold out, and we made a record amount of money. On Sports Day, our spirit was exceptionally high and lots of fun was had. There is always such a wonderful spirit under our green gazebo, and wow, look how far we’ve come! In my Grade 1 year, Kingfishers never won anything, except the Spirit Cup, of course. Congratulations to all the Kingfishers for a fantastic win this year. We’ve done our very best and are so proud of the result. Thank you to all the girls in green for allowing our Grade 7 year to leave with a legacy, nobody will forget. By Hanna McDavid
SWALLOWS: Leah Prins; Olivia Traill; Gadija Solomons; Lorenza Gonzalles
This term on the 14th of February the house captains hosted a Valentine’s Day Bake Sale with lots of treats and goodies. All the girls came dressed in pink and white and enjoyed the love. A few weeks later, we had our annual Sports Day which was full of good competition and lots of fun. There was lots of spirit amongst us, and although we didn’t win anything, I think we did an amazing job. Our march was very successful and each and every Swallow girl put in their best effort, and had fun which is all that matters. By Leah Prins
OUTREACH: Rania Parker; Zehreen Vallie; Katie Barnhoorn
On Valentine’s Day, this term, the Outreach Committee paid a visit to the Rondebosch Police Station. In the weeks prior to this visit, we designed and made a hand-crafted card which we gave to the police. We also delivered cakes to the police station. On Valentine’s Day all the Micklefield pupils came dressed in pink, white and red to celebrate this love-filled day. By Rania Parker
PASTORAL: Sophie Schelhase; Courtney Viljoen; Tamsyn Bougard
On the 14th of February, for Valentine’s Day, the Pastoral Committee hosted a tea party for the staff. We brought all of the decorations and decorated the staffroom to our heart’s content. We set up the staffroom in the morning so that the staff could have a lovely time enjoying the room and treats. We asked the class to write a Valentine’s Card for a staff member, and we placed it in the staff room for the staff to read. We had a lovely time preparing the room and we were very happy when we heard that the staff loved the room. By Courtney Viljoen
CULTURAL: Isla Cameron; Caitlin van Zyl; Asma Dawood
This term the cultural community hosted a door decorating competition which the Grade 5 class won, but all of the doors looked fabulous for the rest of February. We also taught the lyrics to the song ‘What the World Needs Now is Love’ in assembly, and now we have started to sing that in the general assembly. By Isla Cameron
BIG GIRLS & LITTLE GIRLS
The Grade 7 girls’ favourite time of the week is ‘Little Girls break” on a Thursday morning. We love spending time and having fun with our little friends. On Thursday first break we hover in the background and then when the bell rings, we dash to their playground. The girls buzz around like busy bees, always doing something: running, climbing, jumping and swinging. The little girls usually notice us first and bound up to us always with a game. Some are shy, but when you get to know them, the excitement never ends. We never stop talking about them and when we walk through the playground on normal days we can’t help waving. The little girls are a source of joy to all of us. by Sophie Schelhase
GHOST HOUSE by Carrie Killops
The 2023 Ghost House was a hit with hundreds of kids who came through the doors. We had sensory stations such as jelly, oobleck, spaghetti and rice on the floor. That mixed with the scary music, blindfolds and the occasional pop of a balloon, provided a big fright for many. There were some problems, however, such as the mess from the smooshed spaghetti! Some children were too scared to put the blindfold on, which made it hard for us to make it scary. All in all, we think that our Ghose House was enjoyed by many.
Portrait of my Friend by Hanna McDavid (Gr 7)
“Friends are the family you choose for yourself”
It was the LeapPad that brought us together. There was a spark of delighted interest that sprang onto her face – we were only three back then. She has two faces: the mother, caring, her hawk-like eyes scanning the surroundings for anything we might have done wrong. People say I’m mature, but next to her, I feel like a toddler. Then the switch flicks and the jester strides into the room, uncontrollable laughs and fits of random guffawing emerges from the calm disposition once projected from her face.
She is the glue that holds the puzzle together and the beam of sunlight that streams through the darkness. She isn’t afraid to brashly be herself. She is the most dependable person I know and she has never once let me down. She treads the untrod path and forges new possibilities. Her aura is endearing and not easily forgotten. With her, I can be who I truly am, knowing that she will never judge.
We have spilled all our deepest secrets with each other. The trust between us goes far deeper than just a friendship – it’s a multitude of layers overlapping more times than we could count. I would unquestionably swim the seven seas for her. I would stand in a storm for her. We have been battered and bruised by turmoil and strife and yet have emerged with a stronger and unbroken bond.
For ten years, Leah Prins has been stoically by my side; her loyalty has never wavered. She is more than just a friend. Leah is family.
The Grade 5s went to !Khwa Ttu Education Centre to learn about the way of the San and the beauty within their simplistic lifestyles. The excursion was one to remember with the perfect balance of South Africa’s heritage and the harsh reality that the indigenous people faced. The girls particularly enjoyed the game drive where we saw springboks, ostriches, kudus, zebras and elands.
The Grade 4 class enjoyed an outing to The Museum of Childhood. We had a great morning learning about Children’s Rights, playing old-fashioned games, and creating art. It is a fantastic space to listen to stories, write letters to children at Red Cross Hospital and see toys that our grannies and grandads played with.
The Grade 3 girls thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Wendy’s Wonderful Garden. They explored insect habitats and then caught some interesting creatures to be examined under a microscope. They learnt many interesting facts, but mostly how important it is to maintain natural ecosystems their gardens.
The Grade 2s visited The Freedom Adventure Park this term. The girls built on their skills of character strength building, exploration, taking responsible risks (Habit of Mind), gathering data through senses (Habit of Mind), physical development and HAVING A FUN ATTITUDE!
The Grade 1 class went on a lovely outing to the Alphen green belt forest. They learnt all about seeds and how to grow plants and also did a wonderful nature hunt where the girls looked for tiny treasures in the forest. They each planted their own seeds in a pot that they are now caring for at home.
Days in Grade 00 have been packed full of learning, laughing, fun and play. It has been so rewarding to see the progress of each individual girl in their first term at Micklefield. The girls have settled quickly and are making the most of every moment at school. The Colour Weeks were a definite highlight. The girls embraced the idea of exploring a colour a day and really tried their best to find items of clothing in the colour – even if it was just their shoes. They also learnt about primary, secondary and tertiary colours.
The Grade 0 girls have experienced different 3D and 2D shapes while constructing towers with blocks and straws; creating beehives with hexagons; working with a partner to create shapes out of sticks and finding out which 3D shapes roll/slide or do both. Everything is counted in Grade 0! They built towers out of cubes and practised writing numbers. They sorted smarties, plotted them onto a graph and double-checked before sharing.
The Grade 0s had such fun practising handwriting patterns by painting water on the walls and the paving, and watching how they magically disappear with time. They have now learnt all the 2 o’clock letters. S is for sunflowers and F is for foam. The girls LOVED their sensory foam letter writing lesson.
The Grade 1s and 2s were encouraged to use their imaginations through the exploration and experiences of characters in stories. They particularly enjoyed the characters in the story; “George, the Dragon and the Princess” as it was George (the mouse) who frightened away the dragon.
The Grade 1 Dinosaurs in Drama … what they would change if they were President!
The Grade 3s are enjoying their hour-long class as it gives them more time for acting out the stories on their own. They enjoyed taking part in the adventures of Posy and her dog as they escaped in the magic red boat whenever she felt anxious. Mrs G. was very impressed with how well the class managed their lines when acting the script of Julia Donaldson’s book, “The Ugly Five”.
Grade 4s and 5s had a lot of fun with the story of Cinderella. They decided they didn’t much like it as it was full of stereotypes and worst of all, made out that girls had to be rescued by a prince. So they spoofed it up and changed the ending. The pictures show what fun it was, especially the scene with the fairy godmother.
Much of the term was taken up with preparations and auditions for the musical Madagascar. Mrs G. felt it was important to prepare the girls for their audition by letting them act out audition experiences of fictional characters in books and movies and then provide tips on how to approach what is a very daunting task. Daphne Jubber, the choreographer, came to teach a dance sequence to test their dance skills, Mrs Smith taught them some songs and then finally they were put to the test. The girls could choose two characters to audition for (there will be a Grade 6 and Grade 7 cast). The main requirement in a musical is the ability to sing – some girls chose not to audition for main parts or singing roles and were happy with this. Some had their hearts set on a particular role. Only one in each class can get a main role, of which there are few. Mrs Smith had some difficult decisions to make. The girls will need to be strong and support each other. It is going to be a fun musical for all.
There has been a good response this term with the hall filled with noise and creative energy every Tuesday afternoon. One wonders why there is a need for Mrs G. to still teach voice projection, however when on the stage, clarity and articulation can still be problematic. Our main project this term was to look at the old movie ET (the Extra Terrestrial) by Stephen Spielberg and see if we could rework key moments from the movie for the stage. The character ET is so cute! The senior group then planned, filmed (guest camera woman = Mrs Dey) and edited their own ET movie scenes. The question remains: Do we prefer acting for the camera or the stage? Answer: Whatever makes us famous!
The Cross Country for Grade 3 – 7 took place on Friday, 3 March and saw the girls stretching their legs in the streets of Rondebosch. Well done to the Kingfishers who finished first, the Robins second and the Swallows, third.
Our annual Sports Day took place on Saturday, 4 March. There was wonderful spirit as the girls competed in fun races as well as competitive sprints and relays. The parents were very involved doing fun races with their daughters. Well done to the House Captains who co-ordinated the marches. Thank you to all involved who helped to make this a fabulous morning. A special word of thanks to our catchers and to March Turnbull, our evergreen announcer. The Spirit Trophy went to the Robins with the overall winners on Sports Day being the Kingfishers, followed by the Robins and Swallows.
The PGSGU Inter-Schools gala was held on Monday, 6 March at the Herschel Senior School pool. The 8 girls’ schools compete from U10 – U14. We are the only school who does not have their own pool so to finish in 8th position by only 1 point showed that our swimmers gave it their all and we are extremely proud of them.
Our Open A team girls played in the PGSGU Inter-Schools Tennis Tournament on Tuesday, 14 March at Springfield. It is a doubles tournament with an A and B couple. Well done to Sophie Burchell and Leah Prins (A) and Sofiya Variawa and Ava Brotchie (B) who stood up to strong opposition and tough weather conditions, finishing as follows:
A Section:
B Section:
Over the long weekend in March, the Open A hockey squad went on tour to Knysna. They were true ambassadors for Micklefield, both on and off the field. They played very strong opposition and held their own, growing both individually and as a team. Well done, girls!
What a fantastic Micklefield Market! A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this much anticipated annual event. It was such a fun event and successful fundraiser. We raised the fabulous sum of R155 000 – our highest ever market day income.
In true Grade 6 style, the girls began this year with clear ideas on the organizations they hoped to support and of course the business ideas were abundant.
From writing their first business emails and proposal letters to practising their negotiation skills, their efforts culminated in a successful market. The Micklefield Market showcased the girls’ creativity, energy and passion for philanthropy; a proud moment to see all the hard work come together. Well done to the girls and also the moms and dads!
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