Our annual Summer Picnic started with the most amazing sounds from our Grade 5, 6 and 7 Marimba Bands. This was the first time ever that we included our very newly formed Grade 5 band in the event. Their excitement was heightened by the thunderous applause from the audience. Thank you to their dynamic teacher: Grant Adams (from Woodworx Marimbas) for sharing his expertise with us.
We also said “Thank you” to Toni-Rae Adams who taught our girls for many years at Micklefield. Toni accepted a Drama post at Edgemead High School where she is now weaving her magic!
We joined forces with all our Grade 4, 5, 6 and 7 girls to prepare two special songs for the picnic. Our theme for the year is to be BRAVE.
We chose to perform the following songs based on this theme: The Climb (by Miley Cyrus) and the world renowned anthem: This Is Me from The Greatest Showman.
Mr and Mrs Fargher pre-recorded our backing tracks to ensure that the audience could hear us clearly at this outdoor performance.
As the sun set we were delighted by the amazingly talented Sarah Pengilly Quartet. With Sarah Pengilly on the vocals, Adam Powell on piano, Matthew Keswell on drums and Dawud Petersen on bass. They performed a mixture of jazz standards, South African jazz, Bossa Nova and Pop.
The weather was perfect and everyone had an amazing time with great food and even better company, the Micklefield family way.
The Grade 00’s have settled into our busy school routine despite being quite a young little group. They are having happy, involved, fun-filled days at school and are making friends and embracing all that is on offer. They have thoroughly enjoyed exploring our themes: Summer and Holidays, Teddies, Colour and My Family.
The Grade 2s went to the Freedom Adventure Park this term. They had a fun-filled adventure day with learning, and, of course, lots of fun. At the park the girls had the opportunity to engage in activities that encourage responsible risk-taking. Whether it was climbing on high equipment, balancing on beams, or exploring the foam pit it was definitely a fun way to keep the girls moving!
The Grade 1 girls spent a wonderful day on the Constantia Green Belt. We learnt about plants and did a nature hunt in the forest as well as getting to plant our own seeds to take home. Going on the bus for the first time was a highlight too!
The Grade 3s were excited to learn more about the birds found near water in the Western Cape. They each became an expert in one of the birds, then taught each other all about it in their oral presentations. In class, we did activities, inter-house quizzes and Kahoots in order to hone our identification skills. The true test of our knowledge was to identify these birds in the ‘wild’. In a ‘game drive’ through the Strandfontein Bird Sanctuary, the girls impressed the guide and their parents with their knowledge. We had a fabulous morning of birding and saw masses of incredible birds.
This term, the Grade 5s visited the Khwa Ttu Education Centre to learn about the way of the Khoisan 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 some herbal tea tasting – even though they added more honey than buchu before ingesting.
Later at school, all the girls presented what they had learnt, creating an overall view of all the aspects of the Khoisan way of life.
There is always something new and exciting brewing in the IT department. The computer room has been full of fun and opportunity this term with the girls creating some amazing things. Here is peak into what some of the grades have been working on so far this year.
The Grade 1s were very excited to get started with the Spike Essentials Lego robotics kits and they worked hard, with their partners, to build and code their robots.
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.
The Great Hopper Race! Well done, Grade 4s, on their fantastic collaboration and problem-solving in Robotics. It wasn’t easy controlling those playful hoppers!
Looking at the senior grades, let’s not forget the importance of creating an aesthetically pleasing presentation on Canva and Slides. 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.
Drama in the Foundation Phase this term has been full of wonderful stories, many “unfairytale” like: princesses who do not comply with their parents’ wish to marry them off to princes and knights: “I do not wish to marry a man in a tin suit who can barely read!” (The Princess Knight, by Cornelia Funke). We also had fun with Little Red Riding Hood.
Grade 4s learnt about how emotions and moods are enacted and change in plays and enjoyed being able to express their (often real) emotions.
Grade 5s and 6s concentrated on the dramatisation of conflicts and protests in the media, particularly television. Grade 6s were trained in the art of formal debating.
Grade 7s are extremely excited about their upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing/Malibu to be performed at The Homecoming Theatre in Cape Town on 14 May as part of The South African School’s Shakespeare Festival 2024. Auditions took place this term and rehearsals have begun during drama lessons. We are setting our version of the play in Hollywood!
Extra-Mural Drama started off with a bang and is particularly popular with the Grade 3s. We have focused on comedy and role play which has been such fun!
In Grade 0 we have hit the ground running with a huge range of perceptual activities which are the building blocks for Grade 1. We have started learning about letters and practising handwriting patterns by painting with ‘magic paint’ on the garden walls and modelling with play dough. We create with a wide range of construction toys to build our fine motor skills and enjoy creative thinking. The girls have been taking responsible risks on the climbing equipment to improve their gross motor skills.
The Grade 0’s have worked on a number of different themes this term including: Under the Sea, Shapes and My Family. We have learnt to group and sort creatures according to their characteristics, we have discovered which 3D shapes roll or slide, we have had many discussions about how each family is unique and we have learnt so much background knowledge about ourselves which lead us into our exciting Think Equal part of the Curriculum.
Chairlady: Leilah Joseph
Secretary: Leah Farlam
Treasurer: Isabelle Boers
The Grade 7s of 2024 were recently assigned to their leadership portfolios. For this to happen, we were sent to a leadership camp, where we would learn the specific skills, requirements, and characteristics of a leader. We were first welcomed with a few worksheets and a speech from a special guest. Later on, we dove deeper into the topic by learning about things such as what it is to be a follower, different perspectives, and how to collaborate effectively in a group. Leaving, the Grade 7s’ minds were flooded with undiscovered knowledge. We all realised the importance of being a leader, and left the camp knowing that we had just uncovered an ever-lasting memory.
This year started off with a record breaking amount raised for the Valentine’s Day Bake Sale. Everyone in Grade 7 contributed and brought delicious treats that helped us reach our grand total. What I loved most about this Sports Day was the excitement and commitment shown by our girls in green. They were willing to practice the march and miss break time until their voices hurt and their faces shone with pride from their hard work. They ran their hearts out resulting in us winning the Cross Country Cup! We are incredibly proud of all the Kingfisher girls for giving this Sports Day their all, and most importantly, having lots of fun! By Amy Carlson
The Grade 7’s have been busy bees this term, with Sport’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Inter-House Cross Country. The buzz and excitement around Sports Day was just incredible. The Swallows were full of determination and hype – it felt like we all had an energy drink that was labelled, “PASSION”. All you could hear was the noise from the blue gazebo and the sound of girls jumping on the stands as their team mates in blue sprinted across the finish line. We all tried our best and it paid off, thanks to the Swallows runners, because the Swallows WON! Thank you to all the girls in blue for helping us bring home the trophy!
On Valentine’s Day we held a very successful Bake Sale and made a huge amount of money for our end of year gift. It was a lot of fun helping the little ones with their money, and we are excited to think about what gift we will be donating to the school with this money. By Sophie Burchell and Grace Dey
The Robins began the year, full of excitement for the upcoming events and activities. Our first event was the Valentine’s Day Bake Sale. The day was hot and everyone wore their red, white and pink outfits, excited to see what to purchase. The outcome of the sale was amazing and the Grade 7’s raised a fabulous amount of money. We then had Sports Day and the house captains were really proud of the Robins for running and singing their hearts out, which led to us winning the Spirit Cup. After the first term of Grade 7, the Robins house captains feel so proud of the red house and can’t wait for the rest of the year! By Mohini Naidoo
This year the Outreach Committee went to the Rondebosch Police Station on Valentine’s Day. We delivered cakes and flowers and received a warm response of gratitude. We were rewarded with the welcoming smiles of the policemen on our arrival, and as we exited, they clapped and cheered. They have truly motivated us to continue our journey on the Outreach Committee with a positive mindset. We can’t wait to start our new project as the terms go on. We plan to put together a high tea for an old age home, hoping to bring smiles, laughter and joy to their faces. By Amani Shaik
This term, we decorated the staff room for Valentine’s Day. We adorned the staffroom with little trinkets, bubbly balloons, cute tablecloths and runners that were colour-coded. This lovely day made us ecstatic to fill the staff room with love, and by witnessing our staff members’ faces, we made them ecstatic too, which uplifted the Valentine’s spirit. We aimed to display our deep care and love for our staff members who work exceptionally hard to make sure the Micklefield girls reach their full potential in a warm and welcoming environment. By Sarah Hoosain
This term, the Cultural Committee’s focus was Valentine’s Day. We made a speech in assembly about the origin of Valentine’s Day and how different people in different countries celebrate this holiday of love. Our theme was ‘Love is in the air’ and our message to the girls was to always be kind and spread love every day, not just on Valentine’s Day. Our committee has so many other events planned, and we can’t wait for the rest of the year. By Leah Farlam
From Grade 00, almost everyone couldn’t wait to have their own little girl. After time went by, it was our turn to have our very own little girls. Everyone was impatiently waiting for all of them to arrive. When we all had a little girl we played with them with so much love and excitement. I have never been obsessed with someone so small, cute and adorable. We get to play with our little girls every Thursday at first break and it’s probably my favourite part of the whole week. The first event we had with our little girls was the Teddy Bear Picnic. We brought yummy treats for our little girl and ourselves and had a chat with them while eating some chocolate and sweets! I can’t wait for the journey ahead and to build a bond with my little girl for the year ahead.
Think Equal is where we have been exploring similarities and differences in terms of hair, eyes, bodies and skin tone. The girls love to try and match our wide range of skin tone crayons to themselves and their friends in their pictures. We have had many discussions about feelings and we have also introduced the Mood Metre. The girls are encouraged to place themselves on the metre to express how they are feeling. What they have noticed is how feelings come and go and change during the day. We have also related our feelings to different kinds of weather. When we feel angry it’s like a thunderstorm inside of us, but just like a real storm does not last forever, neither does our anger. What a busy and exciting term it has been.
The Grade 4 classroom was transformed into a Museum of Personal History. The girls had researched and uncovered family stories, loved treasures and interesting artifacts! All this was beautifully curated for the school to come and view. The girls presented their findings with great enthusiasm. Such fantastic interaction between grades and preservation of family histories.
The Cross Country for Grade 3 – 7 took place on Thursday, 22 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, 24 March. Even the rain could not dampen the wonderful spirit as the girls competed in fun races as well as competitive sprints and relays. 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 Swallows, followed by the Robins and Kingfishers.
The PGSGU Inter-Schools gala was held on Tuesday, 5 March at the Herschel Senior School pool. The 8 girls’ schools compete from U10 – U14. Our girls gave it their all, finishing 8th overall. We are the only school who does not have their own pool, so having enough practice time is always challenging.
INTER-SCHOOLS TENNIS
Our Open A team girls played in the PGSGU Inter-Schools Tennis Tournament on Thursday, 7 March at Springfield. It is a doubles tournament with an A and B couple. Well done to Sophie Burchell and Ava Brotchie (A) who finished 3rd in their section and congratulations to Sofiya Variawa and Ava Klerck (B) who finished 1st in their section. The opposition was strong and the weather conditions not very favourable! (Greenfield did not participate)
A Section: B Section:
Wizards, Vegetables and Superstitions were just some of the fascinating literary categories our teams encountered in the 2024 Regional Lit Quiz, held at The Grove. The biggest Lit Quiz of the year was once again a wonderful afternoon of shared book knowledge, fun and prizes. It was the last time quizmaster, Wayne Mills, from New Zealand, ran the quiz here in South Africa. Wayne started the quiz more than 30 years ago and we will forever be grateful for his contribution to encouraging children’s book love and knowledge. Our teams certainly enjoyed the challenge competing against 31 other teams and they fared very well in many of the categories.
We wish our three colleagues a fond farewell as they embrace new challenges in their lives. We wish them all the best for the future and remind them that they will always have a special place in the Micklefield family.
