School Newsletter Term 4 December 2017

Dear Parents

 

Grade RR (Sprouts): Mrs Candice Talbot

This term was started with much excitement on Monday 9th October, the reason for this excitement was because we could once again do swimming for our PE lessons! The children absolutely love this time in the pool.

We had a wonderful morning with Talking Drums and the Sprouts were enthralled throughout their drumming session. It is so interesting to watch the children’s rhythm and coordination while they drum with Tracey and Mike, and this is always a rewarding morning spent with them.

On Friday 27th October we had our Orientation Morning for all 2018 Grade RR children. This was so exciting for our current and future Sprouts and they loved spending time together playing and exploring in our environment.

On Thursday 2nd November 2017 we had our outing to the Carisbrook Valley Citrus Packhouse.

Mr Archibald took us on a tour of the packhouse and we loved seeing all the machinery and conveyor belts. When we were finished at the packhouse, Mr and Mrs Woodburn fetched us and we went for a drive to get some sugar cane and looked at their citrus orchards. We then had a picnic in their garden where they had set up a slip and slide. The children loved this activity. We also collected eggs, iced number biscuits and were treated to ice-creams from Pete and Tonia. This was a fantastic morning and we would like to thank Craig, Pete and Tonia for all their effort and time spent on giving us such a wonderful outing.

We have been hard at work learning our songs for our Nativity Play and this has created great excitement for the Christmas season. Our Nativity Play was a great success and it was wonderful to have so many parents, grandparents and siblings supporting our special school.

Rugbytots created loads of excitement and the children had so much fun doing new and exciting tasks and activities using their gross motor skills.

It has been such a busy, fun and rewarding year teaching these little people, they have all grown in so many ways and I look forward to watching them learn and grow throughout their future years at Lynford.

 

Sprogs: Mrs Kim Shewan & Mrs Claire Lister

On the second to last week of school, on a typical South African summer day, we had our messy play day. We all started off by walking to the dam, where we splashed each other with water and threw mud balls at our friends and Mrs Talbot. Once we were all thoroughly wet and muddy we trekked back to the playground where different activities were set up for us to play with. Mrs Shewan laid out a huge piece of paper and paint trays on the veranda. We had to put paint all over ourselves and walk, roll and crawl on the paper to make a beautiful painting. Mrs Talbot put out a slip ‘n slide and we all had turns to hurtle down the slippery runway. After a while we all got adventurous and began to slide down in different positions. Mrs Lister put out two trays, one with water and one with flour. We had to get wet and then go bobbing for fruit loops in the flour with our faces, which left us all looking like ghosts. We all had so much fun getting messy and laughing all day.

 

Grade 1: Mrs Candice Botha

What a busy last term it has been for our Grade One class. I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone and it is with great sadness that I say goodbye to my gorgeous children. They have all learnt so much this year and their growth has been a blessing to be a part of.

The boys have enjoyed their second season of Cricket and have shown such growth since the first term. The children have all enjoyed their swimming, although the weather has not been kind to us and we have not been able to swim as much as we would have liked.

We had such an exciting outing to uShaka. We were taken on a guided tour of the aquarium where we were taught lots of new facts about sharks, fish and turtles. The children loved the different exhibitions, especially the shark tank, and they were blown away by the beauty of all the different marine creatures. The dolphin display was an absolute hit. There was loads of dancing as well as shrieks of delight as the kids became fully involved in the show. The shrieks of delight were quickly replaced by squeals of fear as we entered the Dangerous Creatures exhibition. The exhibits were of a very high standard and the children were both terrified and enthralled.

On Thursday 23rd November the children took part in our Nativity Service. They had such fun singing our Christmas songs and really enjoyed the message from Mr Moodley on the true meaning of Christmas.

I wish all my precious children all the best for the adventures that await them in for Grade Two

 

Grade 2: Miss Marizel Victor & Miss Linda Dongo

On the 26th of October the Grade two’s went to visit the Creighton Valley Cheese Company, there they were shown around by Che and Dean Storah. The children thoroughly enjoyed being shown how cheese was made from the initial stages all the way through to the final packaging of the product.  A highlight was getting to taste the different varieties of cheeses and the kids were very impressed with the large cold room filled with Gouda.  Once we had completed our tour at the cheese factory, Dean offered to take us to the piggery, the children survived the smell and loved seeing all the pigs!  We are very thankful to Che and Dean Storah for hosting us and showing us around.

After that we went to the Ixopo train station where we met the Pereira family. Geraldine and Tim were busy getting the pizza oven ready along with all the ingredients. Tiago was very excited and started showing all the Grade two’s around the station, they looked at the locomotives and the carriages. They had so much fun exploring. Julian called them all together, each and every child had to put logs into the locomotive’s engine in order to create the steam, when the locomotive was all fired up we went for a little ride. Back at the station Julian let all the children take turns to drive the train, with his help of course. The pure joy of achievement on these eighteen faces was simply priceless. Luckily the outing was not over yet as they still had to create their very own pizzas which Tim cooked in the pizza oven. They were absolutely delicious. It was an amazing day and we are extremely grateful to the Pereira family for their time, patience and willingness to host us.

This past term we have covered time and money concepts in mathematics and the learners were very enthusiastic about money in particular. We have spent time on alphabetical order, pronouns, collective nouns, adjectives, past tense and sentence structure. For spelling they learnt the different e, l and s word endings. They have expanded their Afrikaans vocabulary with colours, animals, food as well as fruit and vegetables. Library has been a highlight of their week this past term as they were allowed to take out chapter books. They have really loved reading their library books. They also practiced for the Nativity play and loved singing their songs.

 

Grade 3: Miss Bianca English

Our outing this term was to Ushaka Marine World. Despite the long drive and very warm weather, we had a day full of awesome activities planned for us. Miss Wardle was very kind and kept us company on our trip and we loved having her with us. The Grade Three’s were able to look at various different sea creatures under a microscope and see what they look like. The dolphin show of course, is always a major highlight and the dolphins really outdid themselves on this particular day. Ashley Strachan even got an opportunity to join some other spectators and get splashed by the dolphins. The lovely and friendly volunteers that were assigned to our class for the day taught us about the different parts on a fish’s body and we had a chance to construct our very own fish. We were also able to dissect a fish and get a bit messy, in order to see what their body parts look like in real-life. A visit to the aquarium is always an exciting experience and we greatly loved looking at all the different sea creatures and learning more about them and their habitats. Our last activity taught us about the effect that pollution has on our oceans ad sea creatures. This interactive experience allowed our children to see exactly what chemicals, waste and various different materials have on our environment. It taught them the importance of caring for our oceans and marine life. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment with these children and was blown away at how knowledgeable they were. Their manners were impeccable and I was enormously Lynford proud.

The Grade Three’s completed their very first project this term. Our theme was space and they selected and researched a planet that they wanted to learn more about. They were extremely enthusiastic and they outdid themselves with regard to the time and effort that they put into their research. Their projects were visually appealing, interesting and they had even used language and wording that they could understand.  There were even some impressive models that were constructed and I could not believe the time, effort and dedication that these children put into this task. These projects were beyond my wildest expectations and I was very impressed and pleased with what they had accomplished.

I have loved every minute of teaching these entertaining and intelligent children and I cannot believe that our year is done. They have challenged me and helped me to grow so much as teacher and they have really left their mark on me. We had a lot of fun and we really created some memorable moments. I am going to miss them all and wish them well on their new adventure in grade four

 

Grade 4: Mrs Candice Moodley

This term has felt like the downhill on a roller coaster. We have had lots of fun, and learnt many different things, but it has definitely been more of a wrapping up of the end of the year. We have had such an amazing year together, laughed hard and learnt hard. We have come together as a class and I am very sad to pass them on to Grade 5. Maths has been a challenge, with getting into the more difficult concepts of time, fractions and area, but we have figured it out and applied it effectively. In history, we have learnt some good life lessons and qualities of upright leaders that we would like to follow our own lives after, for example, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. We had lots of interesting and meaningful discussions surrounding them, and also some good debates. We have had an exceptional year, and I wish them all the best for Grade 5.

 

Grade 5: Miss Jenna Williams

This term was short, quick yet thrilling at the same time. We learnt about area and perimeter in Maths, along with time and graphs. We then integrated some art by writing our names using block letters and found the area and perimeter of our names.

We explored different types of poems in English, and learnt about different forms of figurative language. We then combine the two and wrote our own poems. We had a variety of shape poems, rhyming couplets, Acrostic poems and much more. The learners really enjoyed expressing themselves and a variety of creativity sides were revealed.

Exams snuck up on us like a leopard hunting prey, however everyone jumped on board and prepared for their first formals exams ever. Everyone developed a positive approach towards the exams and it all went successfully.

 

Grade 6: Mrs Di Warmington

We have had a busy yet enjoyable final term.

We have really enjoyed learning all about World War 2 – especially how it affected the children who lived through it. We found it difficult to plan a delicious meal using rationed ingredients and have learnt that you can make loads of various dishes and alcoholic drinks using potatoes!

In Science we have learnt all about electricity and now have an understanding of how lightening is formed and how dangerous it is to play on the top field when you can hear thunder!

We had great fun building our own circuits which we showed off to the whole school. They we amazing and a lot of effort was put into making each one different and unique.

We have finished reading our set book – The Silver Sword. We have enjoyed following the journey of the Balicki family as the try to become reunited during World War 2.

It has been a great end to Year 6 and can’t believe we are almost entering our final year at Lynford!

 

Grade 7: Mr Clyde Moodley

The Grade Sevens, returned, still reeling from their African Trek to Botswana. They began the term, collaborating ideas to produce their Botswana Assembly Play. With limited time, they were able to deliver an excellent account of their 5000km roundtrip. The teachers, parents and children were reminded of the unique and life-changing opportunities that we receive at Lynford.

A week or so later, the boys and girls were treated to a cultural top-up, as they had the privilege of going on one last trip together as a class. This time they headed to the mountains, where they were enchanted by the Drakensburg Boys Choir. The performance of the young men there was simply breath taking as their voices and expressions captivated us all. While in Winterton, the class were able to visit the Falcon Ridge Birds of Prey Sanctuary, where they were able to witness the beauty and grandeur of the birds up close.

As the term sped by, exam preparations became the focus of each day. As the children begin to wrap up their time at Lynford, it is my every hope that they are able to take a little time to slow down, feel the grass between their toes, breathe deeply and appreciate the wonderful years that have prepared them for the next season in their lives!

All the best Grade 7’s!

 

SPORT

Swimming – Mrs C. Cheesman

We definitely hit the ground running this term.  The children were incredibly motivated to start the swimming season off with a bang and get down to the nitty gritty straight away.  I was told on many occasions before this term started that Term 4 is a tricky one due to the weather and this year was no exception.  Every child in this school has showed such passion for swimming, through sunshine, rain and now I can say it – SNOW!

Our Swimming Squad did well at the two galas we attended at Gert Maritz and Clarendon even though the weather and the water temperatures were not on our side. Despite this, they all gave of their best and I have never seen arms and legs move so fast!!

The gala we hosted at Lynford was not attended as well as we had hoped but due to the time of the year, exams were a priority for a few of the schools who had to start early.  However, this did not stop St Patricks and Richmond coming to the event as the finale fixture for their season.  The weather was horrid, the pool water was cold but all the children gave their all and I feel I must mention the comradery between the schools was amazing to see. They were all in it together.

Thank you to all the staff who helped with the event and to Mr Botha and Bella Botha who brought down steaming hot tea for everyone to sip on in between their races!

Well done everyone, I am looking forward to some very hot days, lots of sunshine and warm water in Term 1 2018.

 

Under 9/10 Cricket

The u/9 and u/10 boys are a very enthusiastic bunch when it comes to playing sport. It is always good to see the boys grow both physically and mentally when it comes to cricket. This is the term where we introduce our u/9 boys to playing with a hard ball, where they wear pads that are as big as their bodies and the highlight of the season is their progression to wearing ball boxes. On the other hand we have not had a very exciting cricket season due to the rain and some of our games being cancelled. From the games that they’ve played, the boys showed lots of bravery when catching the ball and taking hard shots to their chests and thighs. This season has been a time for all the boys to improve on their batting, fielding and catching skills. They’ve learned a lot about cricket etiquette, rules of the game but most of all to have fun. I look forward to seeing

 

Under 13 Cricket

The boys of the Open cricket team, experienced a productive and positive fourth term. They have worked hard during practice to build on the progress that they achieved in the first half of the season. They had notable performances against Underberg and Eston. A highlight was a convincing win over our neighbouring school, Ixopo Primary. The boys bowled and fielded excellently to end up eventual winners by 33 runs. It was a fitting farewell to the four Grade Seven boys. Special thanks to Peter Hauff and Cameron van Rooyen for their excellent leadership on the field throughout the season

 

Past Pupil News

PLEASE would people e-mail any past pupil achievements to us at Lynford so that we can include them in our newsletters. Send them to: reception@lynford.co.za

 

Lynford Greetings

The Lynford Staff